A new tory bill will give neighbourhood groups the power to approve local developments through local referendums.

In theory, this means that neighbourhood groups will have a real say in how their community looks as well as the rate and type of development in their area. According to the government, many local planning authorities approve developments without giving any real thought to the feelings of the local people. These new plans allow communities to block developments they do not want.

Sounding too good to be true? Well of course there will be a limit to local resident’s rights if the development is classed as being of national interest. So opponents of the Birmingham high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham will not be able to stop it under this bill.

We want to know what YOU think? Is this good or bad news for you?

Whether planning permission really is put into the people’s hands or not, Eastway will always be here to support all your building and development needs, just give us a call on +442087867633.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/05/tory-bill-homeowners-extend-permission

You look around your house and you decide it needs a facelift!  That old kitchen looks too drab and the bathroom has seen better days. Then you begin to imagine a nice warm, light conservatory extending your home into your garden...

You decide on the kitchen first as your budget would only allow one home improvement and you know that it's going to be the kitchen.  You really want to freshen up your surroundings and improve your home but your DIY skills are limited.  What do you do next?

Before you choose a contractor or a local builder, know exactly what needs to be renovated in your kitchen, otherwise they will talk you into all sorts of things you never knew you needed!  Try to imagine how things will look after the renovation - go over everything from color schemes to floor plans.

You should be able to explain what you want to the builder or contractor. Make sure that all agreements and estimates are in writing. Educate yourself by going online and researching the prices of materials and services - Google “home improvement costs”.  Do not pay for incomplete jobs and make all efforts to pay minimal down payment.

Now you're ready to search for that special local builder that covers Surrey and South London... But your search results are overwhelming - lots of builders, but no idea who to trust.  Then you find Eastway Builders - and make the wise decision to give them a call -  not because their website looks professional, not because their building and construction work looks first rate, and not because of the wonderful testimonies from their many satisfied customers.  No, you just think it’s worth giving them a call - after all, they’re local and have a brilliant reputation.

You just know you can trust this local builder in Surrey to deliver your home improvement needs.

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Many growing families need extra space for a lot of reasons and the best way to obtain that much needed space without transferring to a bigger house or taking away land from garden space would be loft conversion or attic conversion.

Loft conversion is one of the most popular forms of home improvement in the UK today due to ever increasing price of land and also due to its numerous benefits such as increase in floor area. Such improvement would not only add the extra living space, an extra bedroom or bathroom but would add considerable value to the house up to as much as 20%. It is also cheaper to build up instead of out as building is done on the existing footprint of the house rather than adding to it.

When planning for loft conversion, make sure that the roof structure is structurally sound, is weather proof and that there is enough space under the ridge of the roof. There are lots of Do-it-Yourself tutorials on loft conversion that could guide you from start to finish but extra precaution should be taken care of as there is a large amount of work involved and it's quite a complicated process.

There are also planning permission and building controls to consider when building your own loft conversion. Hence to be safe and to be stress-free, find and hire local builders in your area to do the work for you.

If you need a more personalized service and exceptional quality of work, why not give us a call? Eastway Builders is a local, reliable building company trading since 1980 in Surrey and South London.  We can help you with your loft conversion or other building projects you might have.