​Exterior wall coatings are a great way to ensure that your home isn’t at risk of damp problems.
 
One other approach to this launched over the years has been the introduction of so-called green walls. These planted up exterior provide a barrier between the wall and the elements, increase the foliage presence, and also absorb a lot of the water from heavy rainfall.
 
However, their longevity has come under fire from an architect who thinks that they are not sustainable in the long run.
 
While clarifying his view that they are often a helpful addition to some buildings with regards to aesthetics and their air-cleaning nature, he said he felt they didn’t amount to a good way to improve the sustainability of urban environments.
 
“Certainly, introducing landscaping inside a building has a functional purpose in that it cleans the air and provides a visual relief in internal spaces,” he told The Australian newspaper.
 
“But where it’s just placed on the outside of a building, just to conceal a car park, it’s not a responsible use of how to make a city more green.”
 
Despite this recent research has shown that green walls can significantly lower the temperature of buildings in hotter climates. Not ideal in the UK perhaps, but a strong perk in places like Australia where the majority of a home’s fuel bill will come from cooling the building.
 
If you need some help deciding on the best external wall finish for your home, then get in touch and we can help you figure out what is best for you. 

Whether you’re hiring a plumber or someone to carry out damp proofing in Kent, you need to make sure that they know what they’re doing if you’ve never used them before.
 
But it can be difficult to know where to turn to when you’re looking to hire a tradesperson and you don’t have any personal recommendations to go on. The Liverpool Echo recently highlighted the importance of checking people’s credentials, even if you’ve found them on a website that lists tradespeople looking for work.
 
The newspaper shared the story of David Ball from Prescot, who paid someone he found on Rated People to carry out damp proofing work in his home, only for the builder in question to simply replaster without fixing the underlying issue.
 
Mr Ball handed over £1,500 and the builder left without tackling the damp issue that he’d been paid to sort out.
 
This is just one example where a homeowner has lost out, but a BBC investigation found that some websites aren’t as thorough as they should be when it comes to checking people’s credentials.
 
As a result, you should always make sure that you ask to see ID for any tradesperson you are hiring, as well as proof of their public liability insurance.
 
Checking up on references - including reading any reviews left by previous customers online - is also advisable. We not only share testimonials on our website, but are happy to provide you with details of previous customers so that you can contact them yourself and ask them for an unbiased opinion of our services.
 
Which? advises that the cost of damp proofing can run into thousands of pounds, so you need to ensure you trust your tradesperson before they start work. 

Homeowners who are looking to sell their property have been told there has been a slowdown in house price growth over the last year.
 
According to the latest House Price Index from Halifax, property values in the three months leading to January 2018 were 2.2 per cent greater than they were during the same period in 2017.
 
While this still shows an increase in property values, it is lower than the annual price growth in December at 2.7 per cent.
 
Commenting on the figures, managing director at Halifax Community Bank Russell Galley noted this is the lowest annual price rate since July 2017.
 
“Household finances are still under pressure as consumer prices continue to grow faster than wages. Additionally, it’s still too early to see any impact for first-time buyers from the abolition of stamp duty on purchases of up to £300,000, which was announced in the November Budget,” he stated.
 
This growth decline could encourage home sellers to add value to their properties by considering exterior house painting. This would make their home more appealing to prospective buyers and give it an advantage over other houses on the market, making it more saleable.
 
At the end of 2017, Halifax released its UK Housing Market Outlook for 2018, which predicted there would be broad stability in the sector this year.
 
It estimated that annual house price growth would reach three per cent by the end of 2018, due to inflation increasing fasting than wage growth and sustained pressure on household finances.
 
However, a lack of properties for sale, low interest rates and low levels of new build houses will balance this out to support house price growth. 

​If you’re thinking of selling your home, you might be thinking of some low cost renovations to attract buyers - from external house painting to give a great first impression to updating your kitchen or bathroom.

However, before you set out on your home renovation missions, a new study from housesimple.com surveying 1,000 people across the UK has busted some myths of what does and doesn’t attract new buyers the most when viewing your property. Somewhat  surprisingly, kitchens didn’t come out at top of the list, despite what we're often told, according to Property Reporter. 

It showed that for people viewing a typical 3 bedroom home, they’ll spend around 1.5 times longer looking at a living room than they would a kitchen. A kitchen comes in at number two on the list of top five selling points. Third on the list of deal breakers was the master bedroom, fourth is a great garden space and fifth is the bathroom. 

Alex Gosling, CEO of HouseSimple.com said: “We advise prioritising low-cost tactics to showcase your home in the best possible light, whether that’s opting for neutral decor or simply removing clutter before a viewing.”

The study also revealed how people spent the majority of the time when viewing a property looking at furniture details such as tables, sofas and work spaces. In a one bedroom flat, surprisingly the kitchen came in fourth on the list,  with the living room most important , bedroom second and an outside space such as a courtyard or balcony third.  A dedicated dining space only came fifth on this list.

Perhaps most surprising in this study was that the bathroom didn’t make the top five of a one bedroom flat.