Personalise your kitchen

Thinking of replacing your old kitchen or just giving your kitchen a new look? There are some great ideas for personalising everything from chopping boards to placemats, tea trays to mugs available these days, that use your own photographs.

If you're thinking of a complete re-fit, then take advantage of the latest styles and energy efficient appliances when considering your new kitchen - try to get more than one quote for the work and consider when planning on doing it yourself the complications that can set in when moving plumbing, electrics and gas etc. Having your new kitchen professionally planned and fitted will add pounds to the value of your home, but a badly fitted self-assembly installation could have a negative impact.

Click here to read more about personalising your kitchen, using your own photos.

Click here to get an instant online quote for a new fitted kitchen. It only takes a few minutes but you could save pounds, and of course without the need for a salesman to call.

News - Guide to Mortgages

News... Guide to Mortgages

We look at the often confusing world of mortgages and remortgages to explain what options home owners could have available to them in the coming months

The FSA’s (Financial Services Authority) report estimates that 1.4 million homeowners will see their mortgage repayments rise by an average of £210 during 2008, as their low fixed-rate mortgages are due to come to an end. This, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, means that as many as 123 homes could be repossessed every day this year.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for home owners. The Bank of England dropped its interest rates again in February – now down to 5.25 per cent – and there is wide speculation that this trend is set to continue.

We look at ways that home owners can prepare for the coming months or simply make better use of a range of mortgage offerings.

Start from the beginning…
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) estimated that there would be a big increase in repossessions during 2007. However, the actual number was around ten per cent lower than estimated – which may be a sign that preparation is the key to overcoming financial struggles. For those of you who haven’t kept fully up to speed on the financial economy, don’t panic – it can be confusing to know what to do for the best.

Mortgages explained
There are so many different types of mortgages and rates available that talking your options through with a trained mortgage advisor would provide a great deal of help. However, doing your own background research is also a good idea. Below are some basic terms that you might want to find out about in more detail:

Standard Variable Rate (SVR) – Each lender has its own standard offering of interest rates that it usually applies at the end of a mortgage offer, such as a two-year fixed mortgage. However, the amount you pay on a SVR can change from one month to the next as the Bank of England changes its base rate. Lenders usually set their own SVR somewhere between 1.5-2 per cent above the base rate.

Fixed Rate – Fixed as a set rate for the number of years that you decide upon – usually between two and five years – however some home owners chose to fix their rates for 15 years or more! The benefit of a fixed rate is that you don’t have to worry when interest rates go up and you know how much you’ll be paying out each month. The downside is that you won’t benefit if and when interest rates fall.

Discounted Rate – Introduced as an incentive to persuade customers to choose one company over another, the rate is usually significantly lower than their SVR. However, the discounted rate will probably only last for two or three years, so it is wise to check that the lender also has a competitive SVR, otherwise your payments could increase by quite a lot when the discount ends.

Capped and Tracker – Again, these are usually only offered for a set period of time until it reverts to the lender’s SVR. The capped rate mortgage means you know what the maximum payment can be, safeguarding yourself against any unwelcome surprises. A tracker mortgage is very much like the SVR, however it shadows the Bank of England’s base rate much more closely.

Penalties – Some mortgage providers will charge you if you incur a missed payment during the term of your mortgage. Others will not look favourably on you for paying off your mortgage early or switching lenders and again may stamp a hefty penalty charge on this to deter you from doing so. Do not sign anything until you are completely clear on what you can and can’t do in the future.

Don’t bury your head in the sand
Those of you who are worried that you could face financial difficulties this year should start looking around for remortgage deals – especially as some remortgage packages currently offer free valuations and legal costs. The sooner you start doing your research the better, so you’re prepared for the worst – and if the worst doesn’t happen then that’s great! Don’t try and cope with increased payments if they’re out of your reach. The sooner you start looking around for a new mortgage the sooner you could start saving yourself money.

What are your options?
Don’t panic until you have a clear picture of all your options – and don’t expect all banks to simply throw you to the lions. This month, HSBC announced that its existing customers who are expected to see their fixed-rate loans mature by the end of April, estimated to be around 10,000 home owners, will be offered a remortgage at their current rate for a fee of around £500. Although this may seem like a lot of money, options like this are well worth the up-front fee as monthly mortgage repayments are expected to rise by £200 a month.

If however, your bank has made no such gesture, there are short-term solutions that can relieve high payments until you have managed to put a solution into place. Extending you mortgage term or opting for interest-only payments are not long-term solutions, but if the other option is falling into arrears then these are definitely the lesser evil – many first time-buyers these days are opting for 30 and even 35 year mortgages instead of the standard 25 years.

If however you’re looking for a long-term solution only, then the next option along is, of course, remortgaging.

Remortgaging – moving your mortgage without moving your home
Don’t think you’re alone if your faced with the prospect or remortgaging your home. Many UK home owners switch their mortgage lenders on a regular basis in order to save themselves money and get the best deal at that particular time. Some home owners rule out the option of remortgaging because they think it is complicated and confusing – but that doesn’t have to be the case and remortgages can even be approved online. A number of financial experts advise that homeowners change mortgage lenders as often as they change their car in order to get the best deal at all times!

The Consumers Association estimates that remortgaging could save the average SVR (Standard Variable Rate) mortgage holder around £400 a year. However, the fee for remortgaging can go into hundreds of pounds so it is important that you know what you’re doing. Find out what the lender’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR) is before you sign anything and make sure you’re fully informed of any penalties or additional fees and costs.

The best time to review you mortgage is when all introductory offers and special deals have ended and you start paying your lender’s SVR. When you’re paying the SVR, a lender will not usually charge you any redemption fees for taking your business elsewhere, so this is the ideal time to do it. However, remember that a number of lenders will expect you to have ten per cent equity in your home before they consider you as a remortgage customer.

Finally, when you’ve found a good deal from another lender, go back to your current lender and ask them if they will match it in order to keep your custom – it will save you the hassle of moving, and possibly some money too.

How to benefit from the latest interest rate cuts
According to Moneyfacts, an independent financial website, if you’re currently paying into a mortgage type that will see the benefits of the recent interest cuts – e.g. a tracker-mortgage – but you can still afford to continue paying the higher ‘pre-cut’ payments, then investing this money could result in around 15 months being taken off the term of the mortgage – which can add up to thousands of pounds.

You can make significant savings in the long run if you are able – or willing – to overpay on your mortgage each month. If you can afford to tighten your belt, even for a few months at a time and use the excess money to pay off your mortgage then give it a go. For example, if you have a £100,000 mortgage, which you have opted to pay back over 25 years at 6 per cent interest, you will be paying £93,290 in interest alone. However, if you overpay by just £100 a month then your mortgage term will be reduced to 18.6 years – reducing the overall interest you have to pay by £27,000!

Alternatively, if you can make lump-sum payments whenever you can – without being penalised by your lender for doing so – then this is a good investment for your money. For example, if you have unused savings sitting in a bank account or you receive a bonus from your employer, think about using this to reduce the percentage of loan to value of your home – plus many lenders will let you draw back the money if you need it.

Keep an eye out for very low fixed-rate mortgage deals if you’re thinking about remortgaging – as even more cuts are predicted in 2008, lenders will have to think ahead if they don’t want their fixed-rate deals to be priced out of the market. Finally, ask your lender if the interest rate cut has been taken into consideration at your bank – lenders may not tell you about their mortgage offers if you don’t ask.

So, if you’re having sleepless nights worrying about the future, start planning ahead now. Try searching each lender’s website to see what they are offering or use a comparison website to do it for you. There’s a lot of advice and help available and even those of you who are quite content with your mortgage payments might not be so when find out how much you too could be saving.

Did You Know?

Did you know?

A recent Price Engines Ltd survey asked home owners when they are most likely to embark on DIY projects. The results reveal that over half of British home owners aren’t governed by the month of the year, they’d rather get on with the job whenever the mood takes them!

51 per cent say that if they want something – be it a new shelf or even a new conservatory – timing wouldn’t stop them. However the next few months are set to become the ‘DIY Season’ for others as almost 30 per cent said that they will start their DIY somewhere between the Easter Bank Holiday and the warmer summer months. Unsurprisingly, however, the run up to Christmas is definitely the most unpopular time to be thinking about home improvements!

For more ideas and instant online quotes for a variety of home improvement projects including double glazing, conservatories, kitchens, driveways etc click here.

Timeline - Getting a Loft Conversion

Timeline: Getting a loft conversion

It would seem that more of us than ever before are staying put in our homes and extending them, rather than moving house. Over the last few years, applications for planning permission have more than doubled, with homeowners now making up around 53 per cent of the planning authority’s total workload. There is no doubt that adding extra space to your home automatically adds value, and loft conversions have recently come out top in a research report by Nationwide, adding a massive 21 per cent on to the value of your property!

New techniques in loft conversions also mean that previously inaccessible roof spaces, such as trussed roofs, can now be converted – so there is no excuse! Here are five essential stages to the loft conversion process.

For an instant online quote for Loft Convertions in both traditional and trussed loft spaces, visit LoftQuoter now.

Stage One – What type of roof do you have?
The first thing to do when thinking about converting the loft is to have a good look at it – the type of roof you have will determine what can be done with the space. Single roofs – with a triangle of rafters and joists at the bottom are the easiest to convert, but sadly are the least common type! Purlin or double roofs are most common and next easiest to convert – these have timbers running horizontally to support the rafters and V-shaped struts at intervals across the roof. Trussed or ‘W’ roofs were previously impossible to convert, as they were too complex to create a movable space. However, new techniques means that even trussed roofs can now be converted! All roof types must have a minimum height of 2.3 metres to be suitable for conversion.

Stage Two – Do you need planning permission?
The first stage of any home improvement project should always be to check its viability – is what you want to do possible? Do you need to comply with planning permission or building regulations? This should all be covered before you go ahead with renovations.

With a loft conversion, you don’t usually need planning permission. Under new laws, homeowners can convert garages and lofts, build extensions and install solar panels and wind turbines without permission, as long as they don’t impact on the neighbours. However any large extensions – over 15 per cent of the overall property size – will still need permission, as will listed buildings and houses in conservation areas. Neighbours have 21 days to object to all changes which will directly affect them – those which will cause loss of privacy, loss of daylight or noise disturbance.

Building regulations apply to all renovations and all work carried out will need to be inspected by the Building Control Surveyor on a regular basis. He will provide you with all the necessary certificates which must go into your HIPs pack when you sell. Building regulations apply to things like structural stability, fire escapes, resistance to fire and damp, ventilation, stairways and insulation.

Stage Three – Call the professionals
A professional loft conversion company is a must – they will plan out your whole design for you, and will know what will work best in the space you have. Specialists will also take care of all the paperwork for you when it comes to dealing with planners and building inspectors, and will sign it all off for you to include in your HIPs pack. It is important to shop around for loft specialists – always try to get at least three quotes to compare and try to see examples of their previous work. A loft conversion is a massive undertaking, so make sure you agree everything with your builder – timescales, cleanup processes (you don’t want to live in mess for the duration!) and also check their insurance policies. The Federation of Master Builders can help you to verify that the company you have chosen is reputable.

Stage Four – How it all works
Once you have satisfied the planners and regulators, it’s time for the professionals to get going! Depending on the type of loft conversion you have, it could take anything from four to eight weeks to complete.

For the first half of the build, contractors are going to need to access the loft from the outside of the roof, and may need to erect scaffolding – it’s important to tell your neighbours when this is going to happen and for how long – you don’t want to be falling out! The existing joists in your roof will usually not be strong enough to support a habitable room – one that can hold people and furniture – so they will have to be replaced with steel joists. Anything else structural such as roof windows or partition walls will need to be added in the first round of building, so you need to think about these early on. Once the initial structure is in place, builders will turn to installing staircases, electrics and plumbing.

Loft conversions in trussed roofs will be using new techniques specifically designed for converting previously inaccessible spaces. These work on a ‘Load-Sharing’ system, where two new beams help the roof truss carry its original load plus the additional floor load as a result of the conversion. The beams will adjust to the span of the building and stretch from outside wall to outside wall with no internal support. These new systems usually only require three rows of roof tiles to be removed in order to insert the beams – which means minimum disruption!

Stage Five – The finishing touches
Once the basic structural systems are in place, it’s time to start plastering, finishing and decorating! Your new room should feel like part of your existing house, so you should always consider installing a proper staircase rather than a flip-down ladder – when it comes to selling, you can then sell as a three-storey property, adding extra value! If you don’t have a lot of room on your landing, you could always look at spiral staircases or alternate-tread stairs, which save space.

There are lots of high tech gadgets around which can make your new loft extra special – you could install remote-controlled windows high up in the rafters, or even roof domes which create light and headroom. Roof windows will need special blinds as they are fitted at an angle, and it is important to remember that there is nothing to block the sunlight up there – so screen your windows well if you don’t want your furniture to fade.

When furnishing you loft, there are lots of specialist companies who will make low-rise furniture to fit the space. This will make the room appear taller and less cluttered. Also remember there isn’t as much headroom in a loft. Bear this in mind when positioning beds and chairs – you don’t want to keep banging your head!

Once your room is decorated and furnished, all that’s left is for you to enjoy your new space and reap the benefits of having a larger home!

Price Engines’ new quoter website www.loftquoter.co.uk can help you find quotes for all types of loft conversions, in all types of roofs, both conventional and trussed loft spaces.

Solar Panel Quoter is launched

Fitting Solar Panels and using Solar energy could save not only the planet but your pocket too.

Fitting Solar Panels is becoming a viable alternative for many homeowners as the cost of the solar energy units falls and new designs and technologies squeeze even more power out of existing roof spaces.

And now you can get an instant online quote for fitting solar panels to your home (or business) in minutes with our newest 'Quoter website - Solar Panel Quoter.

Just enter your address details, indicate the type of roof you have and its orientation, then select the type of water heating system you have already - whether that's an indirect cylinder with boiler and 2 cisterns, direct cylinder with immersion heater, combination boiler etc and if that's getting a bit technical for you, then you'll find helpful descriptions of all these different systems on the quote page or you can of course select don't know/not sure.

Listed property or conservation area? In the past, such house credentials would have barred you from any kind of home improvement but even councils are keen to promote the lowering of Co2 emmissions and will often grant permission - especially if the work is not visible from the road, so it's worth enquiring further.

Please note in some cases, depending on the options you've selected, you may not get an online price, however, we can still (with your permission) conduct a search of solar panel fitting companies near to you and get them to give you a no-obligation quote valid for 6 months.

All in all, our solar panel quoter website makes it easy for you to enquire about the cost of getting solar panels fitted to your home, and not a moment too soon it seems as the energy companies announce more increases as we start 2008.

Solar Panel Quoter from Price Engines - the newest addition to the 'Quoter family of websites.

Click here to get an Instant Online Solar Panel Quote. For other home improvement quotes like double glazing or fitted kitchens - even roofs, click here and choose from our full range of home improvement instant online quote websites - a completely FREE service to homeowners.