Lofty Ambitions: The Perfect Bond Baddy Laboratory

Most people don’t take advantage of their loft space. Either it’s left bare, for the spiders and the moths to look after, or it’s used as storage for all the things that are just waiting to be taken to the Antiques Roadshow – or to the tip.

Your loft could be so much more, though. With a little effort, and the help of LoftQuoter.co.uk, it could in fact become your very own secret Bond Baddy Laboratory. To make this happen, first of all we should examine what all those hideouts have in common.

• Secrecy. A good lab is private, so that the evil master contained within can hatch plans for world domination without pesky and irritating disturbances – particularly from that 007 chap. While laser tripwires and alarm systems are probably overkill for the average household, a concealed entrance (or at least a staircase disguised as an airing cupboard) and a bit of soundproofing (a.k.a. carpet) will go a long way towards keeping out vigilantes and Secret Service Operatives.


• Evil Furniture. What good is having a secret laboratory if you can’t casually spin your chair around and say ‘Good Evening, Mr. Bond’ when your arch-nemesis comes storming in? A large desk and a comfortable swivelling chair are musts, and how about dedicating one wall to a projection screen that can double up as a home cinema – providing an excellent cover story when the authorities come knocking.


• Escape Route. Having given away all your schemes to a hero in captivity, when the master plan is foiled, a self-respecting villain needs to be able to make a quick and effective escape without being caught by the authorities. Ideally this would take the form of a lift down to an underground garage with a getaway Aston Martin standing at the ready – but since the lift might be busy, and building regulations require an adequate fire escape route from a converted loft anyway, you might as well take the stairs.


• Gadgets. Lasers! Lights! Buttons! TV Screens! All good secret lairs have them, and failing that, a train set or Scalectrix track wouldn’t go down badly…


• Shark Tank. Actually, best not.

As you can see, planning your secret hideaway need not be torturous. You don’t have to have a Goldfinger, and there’s no reason to resort to an island resort. A loft (and a fertile imagination) is all that’s required for utter world domination.

Whether your loft conversion comes From Mother With Love or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, it can still get you a Quantum of Solitude and A View To The Garden. Get an instant online quote, For Your Eyes Only, from LoftQuoter.co.uk – it takes less than 007 minutes, and could save you a Money Penny. After all, You Only Live Twice

Driveway legislation and surface drainage - don't get caught out

With the more recent developments in Driveway legislation - particularly regarding drainage of any new driveways etc, our previous article has proved very popular and we hope useful to those home owners thinking of having a new driveway or patio laid.

So in case you missed it, here's a link to the previous article that's generated so much interest.

http://www.home-improvement-blog.co.uk/2008/08/new-driveway-legislation-being.html

If your thinking of having a new driveway or replacing an old driveway surface, it's still important to get a range of quotes to enable you to compare finishes and prices.

PavingQuoter lets you type in your own measurements, select your preferred finish - block paving, impressed concrete or tarmac - and then calculates a price guide for you there and then.

If you like, you can then follow up that online quote by getting it confirmed by up to three local companies to you that offer that finish. They're all vetted and approved by us so you know we've removed the cowboy element before you start. They'll give you a written firm quotation that's valid for 6 months.

Best bit is it's all completely free for you to use! No catches, no strings attached.

Get your online driveway, path or patio quote now by visiting PavingQuoter. It only takes a few minutes but it could save you pounds.

A Kitchen is For Life - Not Just For Christmas

Every time a celebrity chef clicks their fingers, a poor defenceless kitchen is cruelly left deserted and alone by its owner. Some go for months without cooking a proper meal. As a society, we should make it our responsibility to end this cruelty, and Christmas is the perfect time to raise awareness.

Get Cooking For Christmas

It may seem like talking about Christmas starts earlier every year, but November really is the best time to consider whether you want to have to roast your Christmas turkey in a kitchen that’s just not up to the task.

For many people, Christmas is all about the food – roasted (free-range, corn fed) turkey, mince pies, mulled wine, rum-soaked Christmas pudding en flambe. If cooking all of that is a prospect that fills you with dread, perhaps the problem is that your kitchen isn’t up to scratch. There’s nothing more off-putting than cooking in a cramped, badly organised and underachieving kitchen.

With KitchenQuoter.co.uk you can have an instant quote for a brand new fitted kitchen, for free.

Get cooking for life

This year’s trend has been about slowing down. Nobody wants fast food any more, we want properly cooked meals: a trend that’s been hugely encouraged by high profile celebrity chefs helping people back in to their kitchens. A pre-packaged microwaveable Christmas Dinner for Four just won’t cut the mustard this year. Not even an M&S pre-packaged microwaveable Christmas Dinner for Four.

More than ever, a kitchen is for living, not just for Christmas. Once you’ve felt the joy of cooking in a well-made kitchen, you’ll want to make a roast dinner every Sunday, a meal every evening, and cakes and pastries all through the week. Get a quote on a new fitted kitchen today and make this year a Christmas to remember – your sprouts will never have tasted so good!

Don’t let anything get in your way

When designing your perfect kitchen, try to think about what will compliment the shape of the room, where extra space can be found with corner cupboards and retractable storage. You probably want to be able to have more than one person in the kitchen at any one moment, so it's worth figuring out how to get as much floor space as you can, too. Top it all off with some top class utilities, and you'll be set up for years to come.

We have also helped many disabled people find quotes for kitchens designed specifically with accessibility in mind: thoughtfully designed features such as rise-and-fall surfaces and utilities can make a world of difference to wheelchair-bound homeowners. So, if you have a disability, don’t let it come between you and the pleasures of cooking your own food.

If your kitchen fills you with fear, when it should be filling you with food; if it gives you fresh problems when what you want is fresh produce; vote for change today with KitchenQuoter.co.uk, and get a free instant quote on a brand new kitchen.

Missed call from 01332 268195?

Missed a telephone call from 01332268195?

Price Engines, the company behind Home Improvement Quotes and the 'Quoter family of websites were just calling you following your visit to one of our 'Quoter websites, or maybe you've recently filled in a questionaire regarding home improvements? Price Engines introduced the concept of Internet pricing for the double glazing industry in 2000. Since then, we have expanded our nationwide network of approved companies to include fitted kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, fascia and other home improvement areas.

Part of our online service is to offer you the opportunity to get your online price confirmed by up to three recommended and approved home improvement companies that are local to you.

Their written quotes are free, pressure free and valid for 6 months.

If you decide to go ahead with one of the companies we recommended, then we offer a 10% deposit protection scheme and your own online area where you can leave feedback of your experience of that company.

We'll be calling you again soon, but if you can't wait and would like to get your online quote confirmed, or just talk to someone about your home improvement project, then please fee free to give us a call back on 01332 268195.

Hardwood and laminate flooring quoter- now live

Here at Home Improvement Quotes, we're determined to offer home owners the very best online quote service we can. So when we received a large number of requests from home owners asking for a flooring quoter, we thought "why not?".

We've developed our new FlooringQuoter to let you choose between , carpet, vinyl, laminate and hardwood floor coverings. Our clever quoting mechanism also lets you select the severity of an L-Shaped room and calculates the price accordingly, based on your preferred covering.

It's a guide price only - intended to give you a rough expectation of cost. You can add and quote as many rooms as you like, typing in the measurements of each room and accounting for any L-Shaped rooms along the way.

We've also included some handy tips and information about laminate flooring and hardwood floors on our popular home improvement website - click here.

As previous customers will know, getting an online quote is only part of the service we offer. Once you've got you FREE online quote from our website, we give you the opportunity to get that online price confirmed in writing by up to three local companies to you, who are on our registered list of approved companies. These companies will come round, confirm the quote and leave it in writing. It's valid for 6 months - end of story.

By using recommended companies, it takes away the worry of employing a cowboy company, your 10% deposit is protected by us and by getting more than one quote, our companies know they'll be facing competition so they'll always offer their best price with no haggling.

Leaving you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your new flooring.

P.S If you're a quality flooring company in the UK and you'd like to join our new approved network of flooring companies, please click here to leave us your details and we'll get back to you. Alternatively, you can register online.

Log Cabins and Leisure Buildings - online quotes now available

Those crazy 'tech guys at Price Engines Ltd will turn their creative online quoting hand to just about anything, so when the idea of an online quoting website for log cabins / leisure buildings was discussed, well they just leapt at the opportunity to do something a little bit special.

So whether you're planning a Christmas nativity on a larger scale or you'd like a home study in the garden, a housing for a spa pool, a den for the kids, a room for outdoor entertaining or even an emergency guest room with a difference, then this is exactly what you've been looking for.

We're sure there's loads more uses you can think of for a quality, sturdy, log cabin of your own.



So pop along to cabinquoter and get an instant online quote now - choose your style - whether that's a summer house, chalet style or a more traditional potting shed or larger workshop - choose your preferred size, add extras like verandas or roofing (where applicable) and you'll get an instant online expectation of the costs involved.

It's a completely FREE service - just like all our other 'Quoter family of websites.

Barack Obama's Home Improvements

As Barack Obama, the United States of America's new president, enters the White House for the first time, aside from the weight of office pressing down on his shoulders he's also going to have to contend with far more pressing matters of state - namely the remodeling requests of the first lady - Michelle Obama - on the previous inhabitants decor. Bushes everywhere!

So just what will the Obama's take on first? The State of the Union or replacing the glazing and re-fitting the kitchens?

Of course your own home doesn't have to be of presidential proportions to deserve a little remodeling of its own, and after such an exhausting campaign, wouldn't it be nice to leave the home improvements to the professionals? It's not just the Obamas that can benefit from a free online quote.

We were wondering just what the Obama family will tackle first - perhaps you'd like to help them by taking part in our poll? Place your vote now and we'll count up the real election results in one month's time.

OK so it might not last as long as a presidential campaign, but we're sure it will be a closer finish and we promise no queuing in drafty polling stations at midnight. We'll even spare you the presidential speeches.

Recommend A Tradesman to Home Improvement Quotes

Good tradesmen are worth their weight in gold.

If you can recommend one to us, please click here.

Part of our service to homeowners is the opportunity to get their free online quotes confirmed in writing by up to 3 local companies. We keep a database of good companies, and constantly monitor the feedback we receive on them to keep out the cowboys and those who use unethical sales tactics.

As our range of products continues to expand, we're always on the lookout for new home improvements companies. If you know of (or work for) a really excellent tradesman or home improvement company in your local area, you can recommend them to us online and we’ll get in touch with them and see if they want to start getting jobs through our Quoter sites.

The companies in our network get great benefits from working with us, including an online admin area they can use to manage their accounts 24/7, and a feedback system so they can hear back from their customers – satisfied or otherwise.

So, if you know a tradesman that you would recommend to a friend or neighbour, please take a few moments to recommend them to us. If you send us their name and telephone number, we’ll contact them and invite them to join our network - it’s free for them to join, and you could be doing other home owners in your area a big favour by allowing us to recommend another quality company to them.

Click here to recommend a company today, and help us help others find the best home improvements they can get.

Solar Panels - They Still Work in the Winter

Across the country, more and more people are taking advantage of the energy provided by the sun to provide them with their hot water. By placing just a few square metres of solar collectors on your ceiling, you can save up to £80 a year* on your fuel bills, and help save the planet and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in the meantime.

Solar hot water systems can provide you family with a large proportion of your hot water – some manufacturers claim up to 70% of your annual needs. What’s more, a modern, properly sized and installed panels will still work in the winter.

Yes, you read that correctly, you don’t need to have a bright, cloudless day to benefit from a solar panel, it’ll still run, at reduced capacity, through even dense cloud cover.

Solar panels will also add value to your house, and lets you leave a legacy of free, clean hot water for future buyers. Once installed, solar panels require little maintenance and don’t cost anything to keep running – and that price, unlike your gas bill, won’t be going up in the future.

If you want your hot water to be free, clean, independent of your gas or electricity supplier, fair trade, ethical and environmentally friendly, head over to solarpanelquoter.co.uk, and we’ll help you find a professional solar heating company near you.

*From Energy Saving Trust, based on a 3 bed semi-detached home with electric hot water system