Nearly a third of UK home owners are looking to carry out work on their home in the next three years, with up to £6 billion in projected works planned annually, according to a new study from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Encouragingly, almost 40% of these are set to be major refurbishments, including new kitchens, new bathrooms and home extensions, while smaller works such as loft conversions and conservatories account for 38%. More than one in five home owners
London’s house building industry needs to be much more open to competitiveness and diversity if the number of new homes needed in the capital is to be delivered, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, FMB Chief Executive, said: “The London Assembly Housing Committee’s call to the Mayor of London to use his power to enable greater competition and diversity in the London house building market is a welcome initiative, because we desperately need more smaller house builders to
Today’s Queen’s Speech announcing measures to allow zero carbon exemptions for small developers, and new legislation to tackle late payment, will make a meaningful difference to the fortunes of small construction firms and house builders, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The legislative programme for the final year of this Parliament shows that the Coalition is far from a so-called “zombie government”. The small developers’ exemption from zero carbon homes regulations will
With preparations for the first contractor-focused building and construction exhibition in more than five years gathering momentum, the Build Show is pleased to announce that it has teamed up with the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) to bring an even greater wealth of training, support and networking opportunities to the event. As the UK’s largest trade association in the building industry, the FMB is a source of knowledge, professional advice and support for builders across the UK. Established in 1941 to
OPEN HOUSE DAY - NEW BUILD Sunday 30th March 2014 from 10:30 till 4pm 3 Storey House, 2A Niton Street, Fulham, London SW6 6 NJ… Everyone is Welcome! .
Moves to cut red-tape by streamlining housing standards would be a major boost to Britain’s small and medium-sized house builders, and will help to increase the supply and choice of new homes needed to address the growing housing crisis, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). As the Government launched its Housing Standards Review consultation process, Beatrice Orchard, Head of Communications at the FMB, responded: ‘Small and medium-sized house-builders are committed to providing high-quality housing tailored to meet local need, but
New building standards announced today will hinder the supply of new housing, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Reforms to Part L of the Building Regulations, to be implemented in 2014, will involve a new target for fabric energy efficiency and a 6% improvement on 2010 standards. Brian Berry, the Chief Executive of the FMB, warned the new standards will hit smaller developers harder and faster than the rest of the industry: “FMB surveys of house-builders indicate the cost implications for
The Government needs to incentivise smaller housing developers to build more homes to help meet the rising demand sparked by the Help to Buy scheme, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Help to Buy has contributed to an upturn in demand in the housing market, while mortgage approvals have also seen a significant year-on-year increase. To remove the obstacles restricting the supply of new homes, the Government needs to ensure small developers have access to the business finance they need
Overall builders’ workloads across Britain have begun to increase for the first time since the economic downturn began, according to the latest research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB’s State of Trade Survey of member firms shows the net balance for workloads, expected workloads and enquiries in the second quarter of 2013 was positive across most of the UK for the first time since 2007. However, there was cause for alarm in Scotland where a negative net balance
The Government is right to identify the need to improve the image of the building industry, to help drive up standards and improve consumer protection, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to today’s new industrial strategy Construction 2025. Brian Berry, the Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “For too long the image of the building industry has been blighted by the unscrupulous practices of those operating in the informal economy. Today’s announcement to expand the TrustMark scheme for
