Salaries are soaring among building firms as pressure mounts to find skilled bricklayers, says Federation of Master Builders April 26, 2016 More than two-thirds of small UK building firms forecast a jump in salaries and wages over the next six months as competition for skilled bricklayers intensifies. Brickies are already able to command wages of up to £60,000 per year in London and around £45,000 a year in the north of England. However these salaries could be even higher in the future [...]
Henley Camland strikes major deal with Land Securities for part of the Ebbsfleet Eastern Quarry garden city April 26, 2016 Private equity firm Henley has bought a major component of the Ebbsfleet scheme, one of the UK's largest residential schemes, from Land Securities. Fresh from selling more than 500 plots to Taylor Wimpey yesterday, Land Securities has today revealed another deal, selling two "village" sites at the Eastern Quarry, which have capacity for around 4,700 homes, [...]
Empiric buys student property in Manchester for £30m April 25, 2016 Empiric Student Property has bought a 561 bed scheme in Manchester for £29.5m as well as the 50 per cent stake it doesn't already own in a student accommodation in Southampton. The listed student housing provider said the Manchester scheme, which it acquired from MCR Property Group, comprised of six separate blocks of accommodation, which have been [...]
Beautiful Things: The items on our shopping list this month, from vintage turntables to giant pink thumbs April 25, 2016 Bermuda Dansette Turntable £229, crosleyradio.com Founded in Ohio in the 1920s, Crosley Broadcasting was a pioneer in early radio, launching and running several stations before moving into the mass market manufacturing of radio and vinyl record players. At a time when radios were bulky, wooden luxury items, the players Crosley produced and sold were among the first [...]
When it comes to architecture, does size matter? This new book explores the beautiful and tiny world of “nanotecture” April 25, 2016 Think ‘architecture’ and you probably imagine towering skyscrapers or designer homes crafted from poured concrete and glass. But some of the most innovative architecture exists on a far smaller scale; treehouses and sheds and cabins, projects where every inch of space must be utilised. While less readily celebrated, small-scale architecture tends to be more personal, [...]
My House: Acclaimed lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe talks about life on the Thames April 25, 2016 My wife, Lucy, and I have owned boats for over a decade, Alora is our third and we’ve had her for 10 years. We commissioned her to be built from our own design and have a mooring at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Because we’ve owned boats before, we knew exactly what we wanted, so Alora [...]
A clever extension that grabs your attention: Take inspiration from this innovative building project by David Kohn Architects April 25, 2016 Squint hard enough at this extension project in Islington and you can make out a playful fox motif built into the structure, with its sloping muzzle, three visible legs and beady porthole eye. The building replaced an original kitchen that was being used as a scullery, with the owners saying they wanted to use the [...]
Fancy living like royalty? Move into the wing of this Grade-I listed castle on the corner of Greenwich Park April 25, 2016 Everyone has a favourite London park, but when it comes to views, Greenwich is unrivalled. Rolling hills give way to the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, which eyes up the white-domed O2 Arena with its bright cranes like candles on a birthday cake. For 22 years, Dave and Barbara Edgar have invited friends and family to [...]
This exceptional house has come up for sale by The Solent with its own jetty and waterside cabin April 25, 2016 Calling all sailors to one of the most exceptional contemporary homes on the market, on one of the most sought after roads overlooking The Solent. River House is a remarkably modern home with lots of flexible space and promising outbuildings in the popular harbour village of Itchenor. And it’s only an hour and half away [...]
Forget the kitchen wine rack: Here’s how to display your burgeoning booze collection with pride April 25, 2016 French rock, said John Lennon, is like English wine. In other words, pretty bloody awful. But a lot has changed in the last couple of decades and even serious wine snobs are now grudgingly enjoying British-grown vino. Red wine, meanwhile, has overtaken beer as the nation’s favourite tipple to drink at home after a hard [...]