VAT on construction is one of those topics that sounds simple and turns out to be anything but. The short answer is that building a new home is zero-rated for VAT, which means you should not be paying 20% on the labour and materials that go into it. But zero-rated is not the same as…
If you are planning a new build in England right now, the Future Homes Standard is the single most important regulatory change you need to understand. It was published in March 2026 and it fundamentally changes how new homes must be designed, heated, and powered. The short version: gas boilers are out. Heat pumps are…
Foundations are the part of your new build that nobody ever sees. They go in the ground, get buried, and that is that. Which is exactly why they matter so much. Get them right and they will support your home without complaint for a hundred years. Get them wrong and you will be dealing with…
It is one of those scenarios most people never consider when they sign a building contract. You have done your research, agreed a price, work has started, and then one day the phones go quiet. Nobody turns up on site. And you find out your contractor has gone into administration. It is more common than…
Finding a plot is the hardest part of building in London. Not the planning. Not the build. The plot. Land is scarce, competition is high, and the best sites never make it to the open market. Most people searching online for months come up empty. That is not because plots do not exist. It is…
elf-building a home is something many people dream about. The idea of designing a house around your lifestyle, choosing every finish and creating a home that’s completely your own is incredibly appealing. But when that dream meets the realities of building in London, the process becomes far more complex than many people expect. Can you…
Planning permission gets most of the attention. But building regulations are the set of rules that actually govern how your home gets built, and they matter just as much. Building regulations set the minimum legal standards for construction in England. They cover everything from how strong your foundations need to be, to how much heat…
Most people planning a new build think about architects, planning permission, and build costs. Surveys tend to get left until later, or skipped entirely to save money upfront. That is a mistake that costs more to fix than it would have cost to avoid. What is under your site, around it, and above it can…
Getting planning permission refused is one of the most frustrating things that can happen on a build project. You have spent months working with architects, paid for drawings and surveys, and then a council officer says no. It feels like a dead end. But here is the thing: most planning rejections are not random. They…
It is the first question every client asks us. And honestly, it is a fair one. If you are thinking about building in London, you need real numbers before you can make any decisions. So here is the short answer: building a house in London in 2026 costs roughly £2,500 to £4,000 per square metre…
