Feature on Tiled – a boutique tile stockist in Southsea
Where to find distinctive tiles in Southsea Taking a stroll through Southsea this week, I popped into one of its more recent additions and had a warm welcome from Helen of Tiled, a boutique tile shop on Marmion Road, Southsea. Why boutique? Because this charming shop is no tile warehouse where you wander around dazed, confused […]
Builder of the month – October 2023
Darren Millard of Millard Installations “When I started the business, I said yes to everything. These days it’s a bit different!” Meet Darren Millard, a builder 20 years in the making who takes tremendous pride in his work and likes to inject a little personality into his construction. “I enjoy recommending something a bit different […]
October Newsletter
We are sailing west. This week, I’ve been marked as a no-show by some very rude Belgians. Taught 600 students to draw by hand, sailed to the Isle of Wight and back. Plus, I produced design options, submitted several planning applications, and solved technical building issues. It’s been a busy week, my brain is a […]
Follow a build in-progress on this detached house extension: Autumn 2023
So, the short Indian summer I referred to last month has been swapped for the sudden arrival of Autumn, with heavy rain and gale-force winds. Needless to say, this is not conducive to building work. But at least we got the roof on – or near enough. I’d been wondering how a powder-coated aluminium roof […]
Builder of the month – September 2023: Mark Fitzgerald of MJF Builders Ltd
“When I run over the day’s work, I want to feel that I’ve done the best work possible.” Meet Mark Fitzgerald, builder, boss and family man. Self-confessed tunnel-visioned perfectionist. “I lie awake at night working out construction problems in my head. I’ve always been driven to do a job better than how I was taught to […]
Follow a build in-progress on this detached house extension
Tales of the Unexpected. It’s September and while we’re basking in a short Indian summer, the builders are still on the job and feeling the heat! But a welcome dry spell bodes well for getting the windows in and the new aluminium roof on, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. The roof would be […]
Follow a build in-progress on this detached house extension 25-07-23
We first discussed the ideas and plans with Carl during lockdown and just afterwards, so now that we’re in 2023 we can say this build has been a long time coming! It’s mid-summer, we’re well underway and a lot has happened. It seems like a long time ago that they were digging the footings and […]
Follow a build in-progress on this detached house extension 20-06-23
When we initially bought the house, we were pleased with its size and location. We loved the large patio at the back which faces south-west and overlooks a golf course, so we see a lot of greenery and open sky. But it wasn’t long before we noticed how the wind rolled in across the green […]
