Lindsey, our PR/Marketing guru, has just had a 3rd baby which is why our blog is being "slightly" neglected at the moment. Congratulations to Lindsey, have fun with your baby boy, and thank you for the cute pics!

Summer Newsletter

Our Summer Newsletter is now live! Please take a look at it and forward to your friends. Of special note is an option to hire a tradesman for a day—just to complete the odd jobs around the home that you have been meaning to finish. You can click on the image below to expand the newsletter, or read it right here.

Twickenham Renovations

Our builders have just finished renovations of a two-storey detached house in Twickenham. We painted and decorated throughout the flat, including in the double reception room, above. 

Heavy structural changes were completed in the kitchen, which involved the removal of a chimney breast, enlarging the french doors, inserting six steel beams, moving fuse boards, the gas metre and boiler. We also created a new toilet room in the downstairs. Enjoy these final photos. (You can see before photos right here.)

 

Work in Progress: Twickenham

Here are photos of a project in Twickenham, documenting our building work of a two-storey detached home. We painted and decorated throughout the house, with much of our time in the kitchen making heavy structural changes. To see our final photos and find out more details, please click here.


Before:

In Progress:

After photos of this project right here.

Property Professionals: Find A Property

Continuing with our Property Professional series, we bring you an interview with Findaproperty.com's writer and blogger, Samantha Baden. Seeing as Samantha regularly updates the website with news, facts and trivia, we thought she would be the perfect person to chat with about London property.

Where are the current London property hotspots? Any postcodes or areas you would guess as a good place to invest in or the next hotspot? 
Hotspots are all about predicting growth, which is notoriously difficult, even in London where prices are more buoyant than the rest of the UK. One of the ways you can try to do this is to find out about future plans for certain areas in London. For example, proposals for a Northern line extension to Battersea in 2015 is likely to make the area far more desirable and pricey.

But my property hotspot picks are in the east and the south of the capital. Stratford in East London is an area that has benefited from quality infrastructure investment over the past couple of years—a lot of it linked to the Olympics. There's also good demand for rental properties here which means the neighbourhood works as an investment hotspot too. There's also hotspot potential along the Thames in places such as Pontoon Dock and West Silvertown, which are massive growth areas. The large number of new builds here mean properties tend to be affordable, but they are likely to hold their value as rental properties because of their proximity to Canary Wharf and the City.

Down south, Streatham is my tip for a neighbourhood to watch. Homes are still affordable compared to near neighbours Balham and Tooting, but the whole area is slowly smartening up, which means prices are likely to follow suit.

Do you have a favourite neighbourhood in London?
I'm very fond of multicultural and bustling Hackney in East London, which is home.  But I have a soft-spot for Hampstead, which manages to feel like a village, but in reality is just five miles away from the West End.

What do you think are the best ways for homeowners to increase the value of a London property?
The best way to add value to your home is to increase the square footage, so if you can add a room through a loft conversion or another type of extension then do it. Of course in London, many people live in properties that don't lend themselves to easy extensions. In this case, another option is to consider more creative renovations. For example, embracing open-plan living by moving the kitchen to the reception room and converting the kitchen into a bedroom.

You cover a lot of interesting property stories on your blog — can you share a favourite London fact?
St John's Wood is the only tube station in London that doesn't include any of the letter that spell the word mackerel. Weird, but true.

Thanks Samantha. For more Findaproperty.com news, visit the blog which is updated regularly.

Work in Progress — West London

Here's a peek into another flat we are refurbishing. A family of three recently acquired this 2-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom mansion block apartment in West London. Our builders are in the midst of a full refurbishment. In addition to the usual plastering and decorating throughout the property, we're also removing a structural wall in the reception room, adding built-in wardrobes in the reception and bedrooms, building sliding doors and cupboards, installing a brand new kitchen, reconfiguring the bathrooms (including the addition of a wet room) and adding underfloor heating.

Work in progress:

1) Complete refurbishment of the bathrooms. If you look closely at the floor of this bathroom, you'll even notice evidence of the underfloor heating we recently fitted in this bathroom. 

2) Customised, built-in wardrobes. We'll be building and fitting a wardrobe just behind the door. Perfect use of otherwise dead space. 

3) Removal of the former kitchen, install of the new kitchen to occur shortly.  

4) Pre-decoration of the hallway, leading down to the kitchen

5) The reception room, where we've recently removed a structural wall, and nearly doubled the size of the open living space. Bespoke built-in bookshelves will be added to both sides of the fireplace. 

We love client feedback!

One of the greatest things about building homes for clients is hearing positive feedback when the work is completed. At Tiptoe Builders, we know that hard work and quality craftsmanship bring client praise. We're pleased (and quite proud) to share the latest comments from our clients:

More testimonials are listed on our website.

Work in Progress — Maida Vale

Our builders are working on a number of exciting projects throughout West London. Over the next few weeks, we will update the blog with work-in-progress photos. This week, we feature a three-bedroom mansion block flat in Maida Vale.

Our builders constructed four built-in cupboards, including two full height cupboards with drawers and sliding doors. We painted and decorated through the flat, and laid a new subfloor to prevent creaking floorboards and to reduce the noise factor for neighbours below. We also re-plastered the hallway of the flat, creating a smooth finish along the walls. 

Of course, there's still more work to be completed, but the property is shaping up to be a lovely family home... 

Tiptoe Builders' Carpentry

Take a look at these bespoke built-in wardrobes we just completed for a client in Maida Vale. Our tradesmen equipped these floor-to-ceiling cupboards with a simple push to open mechanism, ensuring no slamming doors and an eye-pleasing uniform appearance.

Spring building projects

Spring is here, and along with milder temperatures and sunny skies, the season also brings a new crop of building renovations! Our builders are working throughout London on a variety of projects. Here's a peek into a few of our developments.

(All photos are "work in progress" images. We'll update with finished photos when the projects are complete.)

1. Several of our builders are spending quite a lot of time in Barnes, working on a full home refurbishment. Below is a photo of a wet room that's nearly completed. We've also included a photo of the reception room, below, where our builders added new ceilings and installed new electrical and audio wiring, including a Lutron system.

2. In another project, our builders decorated the walls and ceiling of a communal area in Maida Vale. Work also included sanding and varnishing the woodwork along the staircase (below).

3. Other projects include tiling, plumbing, installing underfloor heating, and completing the electrical preparation for a new kitchen in Kew. And over in Twickenham, our builders are decorating and completing the structural work of a two-story Twickenham house.

We'll have plenty more photos to share in the coming months... as well as details of some exciting new building renovations that we're starting in the coming weeks. 

London property: price per square foot

(click the map to enlarge)

When we came across this map in Homes & Property, we instantly bookmarked it. The map breaks down the price per square foot of London property by area, and was accompanied by an insightful article, by David Spittles, about how to find a property deal in the current market and profit.

Here are some thoughts from the article worth noting:

- The city is a collection of micro markets where local dynamics influence property values. Qualities like good schools, conservation areas, nice shops, bars and restaurants can all lift prices in some streets.

- You don't have to leave central London to find good value. A house just a few streets away from a prime location, can be much cheaper. And it will most likely "level up" once improvements take place.

- Regeneration projects and transport upgrades are occurring through the city, which makes grabbing a property in this area a smart move, as it will only increase in value.

More from the article, right here.

(And of course, if you end up buying a property and need a professional renovation-related opinion, give us a call.)

Property Professionals: My Interior Stylist

We're back with another Property Professional Profile! This time, we interview interior designer, Zoe Brewer. Zoe is the director of My Interior Stylist, a one-stop shop for various interior design needs, including residential and business styling, home-staging and TV and event styling. Zoe will soon open a pop-up design shop in Willesden Green as well.

What is "interior styling" and what are some examples of your projects?
Interior styling covers a large area of design. The title describes all manner of styling from interior re-design to weddings, home-staging and anything that involves making a place look pretty! I started out with home-staging, show homes and residential interiors, all of which I still do, but my favouite jobs are "one-off" styling moments, i.e. events, editorial or TV.

What are the most important pieces and/or rooms you focus on when styling a home?
This varies depending on the person and the house. I think it's important to work out the person and what they want from their home before the design process begins. However, personally, I think the bedroom is very important to get right. We spend something like one-third of our life in bed, so it's worth spending as much as you can on a good quality bed and mattress. A few styling touches such as cushions and throws can quickly change a bland room into a luxury hotel bedroom!

What are your go-to interior design shops and inspiration sources?
My favourite designers at the moment are Lee Broom and Jonathan Adler. I also know I can always find something unusual from smaller designer makers such as Kissher and Lou Rota. Car boots and markets are like catnip to me — I have to restrain myself from over-purchasing! For inspiration, I always use Pinterest.

Can you share some simple styling tips for readers to implement in their own homes?
Styling a room needn't be costly. In fact, some things don't cost anything! Simply moving a sofa to a new position can change the whole feeling of a room. If you're on a tight budget, you may not be able to afford a chair re-upholstered in your favourite fabric, but you could buy a metre and make a cushion or two. Repurpose or up-cycle items that are past their best — it's cheaper, avoids waste and is better for the enivronment. Spray paint is a perfect way to give a new lease of life to old furniture, etc. Try to arrange your accessories in groups and keep items in odd numbers (3 or 5 candles rather than 2 or 4). Use different heights and shapes, but stick to one or two colours. Have the confidence to go with what looks good to you — it's your house!

Thanks for these great tips, Zoe. To learn more about My Interior Stylist and Zoe's work, click here.

Demist Pad

If you haven't heard of a demist pad, it's an inconspicuous, clever item which will simplify your daily routine of getting ready for the day. Attached to the back of a bathroom mirror, the demist pad prevents steam from filling up in and around the area of the pad.

This means that after your shower or bath, there is no need to wait for the steam to disappear. Demist pads can be fitted on new or existing mirrors, and come in all shapes and sizes.

Property Professionals: Architect

We’re adding a new feature to the Tiptoe Builders’ blog. Occasionally, we will feature property professionals. These profiles will focus on the various people working in property and making buildings beautiful. From architects to designers, painters and more, we hope you enjoy this glimpse into all the many facets of property restoration.

First on deck is Dylan Haughton, an architect we featured in our winter newsletter. Here’s a more in depth look into our interview with Dylan: (photos from http://www.dylanhaughton.com)

What are the benefits of using an architect?

          

·     Design, co-ordinated information, less time spent problem solving on site, clearly broken down pricing information for management of costs on site

Can you share some top design strategies in London homes?

·     Making efficient use of client’s existing space as London’s housing stock comes under increased pressure.

·     Many families are choosing to live centrally downsize and avoid long commutes and school runs, trading space for time and quality of life. Architects working in central London can help with this decision.

·     The large kitchen-diner space continues to be popular, shared appreciation of life around the cooking space is settling in as an  important part of UK culture.

What are an architect’s priorites when designing for a client?

·     Time, quality cost, but more than anything quality of design and outcome.

·     Other construction professionals are not in as strong a position to take an overview and offer clients a clear vision of how the money they spend will increase their quality of life within the constraints that each project has. Keeping the overview clear is a priority.

How much does an architect typically cost?

·     Architects charge in one of three ways, hourly rates for short consultations, percentage fees based on construction costs and lump sum fees. If the scope of the work both in terms of the services provided (design, on site management etc.) and the size of the job can be clearly defined then lump sum fees are the clearest solution.

·     The RIBA clients guide suggest that for residential refurbishment work architects fees are roughly in the range of 7.5% for a 500K job to 11% for a 25K.

When should an individual contact an architect?

·     Architects are all about ideas and are trained to criticize and reflect on their thinking and proposals. If you have said to yourself “I’m thinking of building a………” then get an architect round to listen to your ideas, share your thought processes and give your project a context.

Solid Wall Removal

Knocking down walls to create an open-plan living area is still one of the most popular renovation requests. Just in case you're thinking of removing a wall within your property, we thought it would be helpful to share both the administrative and building steps for doing so.

Our photos (click "Read more" below) from a recent solid wall removal will give you an idea of the step by step process.

Tiptoe Builders Newsletter

Our winter newsletter was emailed last week. If you aren't yet on our subscriber list, you can access a copy by clicking here. (Or to enlarge images above, just click on them.) 

If you'd like to see anything in particular in our next issue, let us know!

Little Venice (before & after)

As promised, here are a few before and after photos of the Little Venice refurbishment. The most dramatic effect came from removing the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. Combined with a new floor, freshly painted walls (skimming stone colour by Farrow & Ball), new lighting and electrics, this refurbished 3-bedroom flat is now home to one very lucky couple. 

(One of three bedrooms refurbished, pre-floor installation)

(One of two bathrooms refurbished.)

LIttle Venice refurbishment

We've just finished refurbishing a beautiful three-bedroom flat in Little Venice. Once a tired property, post-renovation has brought a refreshing, modern touch. Our work in the flat involved removing a wall between the galley kitchen and reception room to create an open-plan living and dining area. The property was fully plastered and decorated. We also installed new electrics and plumbing, laid flooring, fitted two new bathrooms, and put our expert carpentry work to good use. We'll have before and after photos on the blog shortly.

Teddington Refurbishment

Remember when we mentioned this Teddington refurbishment? We completed the project just before Christmas. Work included installing a water underfloor heating system, new electrics, plumbing and plastering, concealing and creating new doors, and adding a fanlight as well.

We popped by the client's home after they moved in and we were able to take a photo of their new family kitchen. 

Installing the underfloor heating:

 After: