How boutique architects Russian For Fish turned a damp terrace into a spectacular modern home September 27, 2016 This property in Kensal Green had been empty for a while when we were approached to work on it, and it was looking a bit sad. The couple that had bought it were both graphic designers and they had very specific ideas about what they wanted out of the renovation. The property was very typical [...]
This Victorian home was turned into a House of the Year contender by two enterprising engineers September 26, 2016 When Tim Lucas searched for a family-size property under £500,000 on his local estate agents’ website, he was offered a crumbling collection of stables that hadn’t seen a horse since Queen Victoria was on the throne. This was London after all, what did he expect for that money? Most househunters would have shrugged their shoulders [...]
Dubai loves an engineering challenge and the new Burj Al Arab sea terrace is up there with the biggest September 26, 2016 As engineering feats go, one that is half the weight of the Eiffel Tower and slightly larger than the size of a football pitch is pretty significant. Add the fact that the brief was to create an ultra-luxe, environmentally sensitive terrace extension to the 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab, whilst it remained open, and you [...]
Julius Shulman: the photographer who helped to define LA September 26, 2016 Many architects have made their mark on a place, planting seeds of creation that go on to define a street or neighbourhood. A select few become synonymous with a certain style, or even an entire city. But not many shape the way people think about an entire state; Julius Shulman achieved just that without designing [...]
Forget houses, why not live in the world’s most expensive van, or up a tree, or under the ocean? September 26, 2016 People are always nattering on about “the property market” and “having a roof over your head” and “why have you not been paying the mortgage?” But do we really need houses? Could we just go and live, say, at the bottom of the ocean, or in a cave, or maybe just in the back of [...]
Zoopla wants to bring property investment to the masses with a new “Invest” channel September 26, 2016 Housing portal Zoopla is making the move into property investment by allowing customers to invest as little as £100 into the market. The website is known for being an online shop-window for property buyers, but has teamed up with lending platform Landbay to provide a service for investors. Customers will be able to fund buy-to-let [...]
Standard Life will re-open its property fund in October September 26, 2016 Standard Life Investments will re-open its property fund in October after disposing of assets during a period of suspension. After the Brexit vote, several property funds were forced to suspend trading due to a spike in redemption requests, freezing £15-20bn worth of funds. Standard Life said it would open the fund again on 17 October [...]
House price confidence ticked upwards in September as Brexit fears faded September 26, 2016 As worries about the effect of the Brexit vote on the UK economy start to fade, Londoners have become more confident about the price of their home. According to research by Knight Frank, people across the UK believe the value of their house increased in September. Londoners perceived the biggest house price growth of anywhere in [...]
Number of mortgage approvals down by over a fifth in August September 26, 2016 House purchase approvals dropped by more than a fifth in August, according to figures from the BBA. The number of approvals was down by 21 per cent as compared to August 2012. In the first eight months of this year, approvals were two per cent lower than in the same period of 2015. Read more: [...]
First-time buyers still have to save for over a decade to get a home in London September 26, 2016 First-time buyers may have hoped the EU referendum would reverse house price growth in the UK, but a Brexit housing crash has not materialised, and saving for a deposit has not become any easier. Would-be homeowners have to save for just over 10 years to get a deposit, according to research by Hamptons International, a figure [...]