info@hamuch.com, Author at HaMuch

Which home improvements add the most value to your property

2nd December 2019 [email protected]

Research by HaMuch.com reveals that installing a conservatory is the most cost-effective home improvement, increasing property value by £7,387 after costs. Other beneficial improvements include kitchen renovations and redecorations. Loft conversions add significant value but are costly, while solar panels provide minimal immediate value benefits, mainly reducing electricity bills.

best home improvements

A conservatory is best home improvement to add value to your home

Adding a conservatory is the most cost-effective way of adding value to your property, research from tradespeople comparison site HaMuch.com has revealed.

Christmas can be a tough time to sell in a quieter market and ensuring your property stands out from the crowd can cost money.

HaMuch.com looked at the percentage value added by a number of home improvements on the average house once you’ve accounted for the cost of the work and found that installing a conservatory costs £6,675 but increases the price by £14,062, or 6.0%.

This means you increase the property value by £7,387 after factoring in the money spent on the installation.

Kitchen and all-over redecoration – good options

Other value-for-money home improvements you can make are installing a kitchen, adding £4,890 of value after taking costs into account.

Meanwhile conducting an all-over redecoration adds £4,765 to the house price after costs.

Loft conversions – a big difference

Converting your loft into a living area increases the property value by 10.8%, or £25,312, but it’s an expensive affair.

It’s estimated to cost £21,000 to carry out and you may need to gain planning permission, while there are practical barriers, as you may have to alter the roof structure, add windows and/or a staircase.

Solar panels – a slow burn

While solar panels may be environmentally friendly, it’s very much a slow burn in terms of getting value from them.

They cost £4,000 to install and only increase a property’s value by £1,172, or 0.5%,

Therefore savings with solar panels are generally limited to lowering your electricity bills.

Landscaped gardens – a negligible difference

Landscaping your garden makes little difference to the value of your home.

It only increases the value by £3,281 but the landscaping costs £3,000 – so you only gain £281.

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:

“Revamping your property is a viable alternative to moving to a bigger home and you don’t have to worry about associated costs above and beyond the price of a job while moving will include other costs such as stamp duty.

Improving your home can also help increase its value in the event that you are looking to sell and adding a conservatory is the most cost-effective way of increasing your property’s value.

However, not every improvement will add value so it’s worth researching first, although if you want to make a guaranteed difference to your home’s value, a loft conversion is the way to go despite the high up-front costs.

Solar panels are the only improvement where you lose money in terms of adding immediate value, but if you aren’t looking to sell, you should be able to profit from lower electricity bills on a longer-term basis, and that’s not to mention the obvious environmental benefits.”

Renovation / improvement	Added value (%)	Estimated average cost	UK Average House Price	Added value (£)	Difference (Added value – cost)
Conservatory	6.0%	£6,675	£234,370	£14,062	£7,387
Kitchen	5.5%	£8,000	£234,370	£12,890	£4,890
All over re-decoration	3.1%	£2,500	£234,370	£7,265	£4,765
Loft conversion	10.8%	£21,000	£234,370	£25,312	£4,312
Boiler / central heating	1.9%	£2,375	£234,370	£4,453	£2,078
Roof	3.1%	£5,750	£234,370	£7,265	£1,515
Bathroom	2.6%	£4,625	£234,370	£6,094	£1,469
Double glazing	3.0%	£6,250	£234,370	£7,031	£781
Landscaped Garden	1.4%	£3,000	£234,370	£3,281	£281
Fitting solar panels	0.5%	£4,000	£234,370	£1,172	-£2,828

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:
Notes to editors: –

Data source for average costs: HaMuch database and the Land Registry.
HaMuch was founded since 2015.
Tarquin Purdie has over two decades of experience working within the trade sector.
Tarquin has been involved, owned and ran a number of businesses across property ownership, plumbing and heating and continues to do so today.
HaMuch is the tradesperson comparison site that finds the best value trades people – based on price and transparency.

Let’s ditch reviews for builders

6th June 2019 [email protected]

Reviews and stars tell customers little about actual quality or reliability
HaMuch.com to start deleting stars and reviews for tradesmen
Tradesmen game reviews by offering cash discount for positive feedback
HaMuch.com boss says review sites may suffer same fake reviews as TripAdvisor

We have all become used to reading online reviews of tradesmen and tradeswomen before hiring them. But these reviews have now become worthless and should be done away with, says controversial builder-pricing website owner Tarquin Purdie.

Purdie’s HaMuch.com site shows details of how much tradesmen charge in your local area and had previously accepted reviews and stars out of five. These will now be deleted from the website.

Many popular websites who charge builders for job leads offer feedback and a marks system. But Purdie believes that customers can end up being fobbed off with poor tradesmen who game the system. He also believes that good builders who stick to the rules can be punished by unscrupulous homeowners.

“The review system has become a sort of two-way intimidation,” says Purdie. “Builders pressure customers to leave a good review and even offer cash discounts as a part of this. Customers ask tradesmen to include extras, endlessly snag or offer heavy discounts before agreeing to leave good feedback.

“A good tradesman can be ruined by one bad review, but a poor one can just bribe their way to positive feedback. It has become a bad joke. And one that many of these companies profit from. It’s time for homeowners and tradesmen to leave them behind.”

Websites such as TripAdvisor and Yell.com have recently been rocked by claims of fake and paid-for reviews and Purdie believes that the same problems may dog some of the tradesmen review sites. He is now calling for the industry and customers to re-think how they work together in an honest way.

“The review system has become entirely worthless,” says Purdie. “Although tradesmen and women are paying a lot to be a part of it. The problem is that there is no real way of checking that the work has been done, if it is any good and whether bad reviews have been removed at the request of tradesmen, who are the paying customer for review companies.

“To be effective, the system requires a regulator, although I’m not sure these companies would be willing to stump up for that. False reviews are like fake news, but no one is taking any action to either regulate or clean up the sizeable builder review industry. We only welcome builders, plumbers or electricians who are clear and open on price and who are willing to show customers prior work.”

HaMuch.com guide to finding a good builder without review sites

Work out your budget and choose a tradesman who can meet it
Ask to see previous work, preferably in your own neighbourhood
Get a quote from two or three different businesses
Read the small print and check what is included in the price
Ask what guarantees are included and for details of membership of professional bodies

HaMuch.com launches Brexit-busting apprenticeships for building trade

25th April 2019 [email protected]

Free apprenticeship matchmaking scheme for building trades across UK
Apprenticeships only way to plug UK skills gap says HaMuch.com founder
Thousands of EU builders, plumbers and electricians still quitting UK

Building work-pricing website HaMuch has taken on the mantle of solving the UK tradesman crisis by offering a free apprenticeship matchmaking service to plumbers, electricians, carpenters and bricklayers with those who would like to work in the trades.

The construction industry and related trades are in crisis as thousands of Polish workers have already returned home, leaving building sites and homes short on skilled labour. Up to 20% of European building trade workers are considering leaving our shores once the UK leaves the EU.

These numbers could make a mockery of the Government’s targets on house-building. Late 2018 figures from the Office for National Statistics noted that 33% of those in the construction industry in London are from the EU, with almost 110,000 EU workers in the industry across the UK.

“What we are seeing is a lot of panic about falling numbers on building sites and in the kind of tradesmen and tradeswomen who do the maintenance on our homes,” says HaMuch founder Tarquin Purdie. “No one is acting, so we have decided to. We are helping businesses across the sector provide and grow the next generation of builders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and plasterers.

“Many people don’t even know you can still get apprenticeships in the trades and get paid while you learn. We think our free matchmaking service will be a great success and a boost to the economy, whilst really delivering for consumers, too.”

The service will work by matching requests from young men and women who wish to join the trades with small and large businesses in their area. The website offers advice to tradesmen and tradeswomen on how to fund apprenticeships, as well as information on how much apprentices can expect to be paid alongside what they will learn.

“It was demand from the thousands of tradesmen that use HaMuch.com that drove our desire to start up the apprenticeship scheme and we’re really excited about the opportunities that this will represent for young people and those who want to re-train,” says Purdie. This is the only way to plug a glaring skills gap in the UK.“

The free-to-use apprenticeship scheme is now open for small or large businesses looking to take on keen individuals who want to find apprenticeships, as well as for apprentices to find firms in need of enthusiastic learners. The move could well lead to the largest boost in apprenticeships since the 1970s.

Hiring heating engineers to fit, service and repair your boiler…what’s the best option?

8th April 2019 [email protected]

Like many purchases, when it’s time to get a new boiler or maintain your existing heating system, the different service provider choices and how much they all charge can be baffling.

So, whether you’re installing a new Valliant combi boiler, servicing an old Worcester or your Baxi boiler has stopped working and needs urgent repair the following are your three options;

Hire an independent local heating engineer
Hire a medium sized regional or national company
which has a team of heating engineers
Take out a home insurance plan from one of the
large national providers

The pros and cons of each option;

Independent Heating Engineers

Cost

Independent heating engineers will charge you what they pay for boilers plus a bit more (e.g. 10%) for organising collection and to earn a bit of profit which is perfectly normal for any business. They then charge you an hourly rate or a fixed price based on their estimate of how many hours/days are required for the job.

Independent heating engineers will usually charge the most reasonable hourly rate as they do not have costs such as admin staff, layer upon layer of managers with flashy offices, an additional team of sales staff to pay for or expensive marketing such as tv or google ad words to pay for.

When you need help later the independent engineer will charge you parts and labour each time you need them. Occasionally this will mean a big bill however there is no fixed monthly cost.

Quality

If you find a responsible, intelligent independent heating engineer they will advise an appropriate for you design heating and hot water system i.e. with an affordable pressurised water cylinder or a simple compact combi boiler depending on your family needs. They will know what to do regards maintenance and competently fix problems such as boiler circuit board electrical faults or motorised valves inevitably failing. It is easy to manage problems when the same person attends who knows your system and doesn’t blame other engineers who may have attended…as he installed and maintained it.

Service

An independent heating engineer is most likely a sole trader or at most has a tiny team, they may not have fancy vans or smart uniforms. In winter he/she will struggle to rush to all emergencies at once but normally will have serviced your boiler in the summer and tried to avoid you having problems. Winter is the time independent engineers struggle and a broken-down van can cause havoc to their ability to respond to clients if it snows over the weekend.

Medium Sized regional or national company

Cost

A large company with fleets of smart vans, uniformed employees, franchisees or subcontractors, large offices a team of sales and admin people, driving around quoting, answering phones and designing google friendly websites……etc obviously has a lot more overheads than a sole trader and guess who is going to pay for that?

Yes, you need to pay for all that fancy stuff…. plus, the cost of the new boiler or repair you need.

So, any well-known large heating business is going to cost you significantly more than a small local sole trader.

Quality

A well run medium sized business MAY have a good team of intelligent engineers but most likely they will have some senior specialists and trouble shooters with a fair number of average engineers competent when jobs are simple. If for example your heating system has a complex electrical error or requires a thorough powerflush then they will arrange a second visit with their appropriate engineer in attendance. You will get the job done as these businesses are serious but it will never be cheap.

Service

Attendance will be prompt, professional without drama. And if there is a disagreement then they will try to help you as reputation is important to these businesses.

National insurance companies

Cost

The huge insurance model businesses who charge a monthly fee and provide cover when you have a problem operate a very different model. First, if you need a new boiler installed, they will probably charge 100% more than an independent installer even though they will be getting discounts by ordering 10,000s of boilers at a time. The problem they have is a huge pyramid of management costs plus advertising budgets running into the millions. For some the pay every month is good value eg for landlords who have sensitive tenants. However eventually when a big problem arises, they often insist they replace your system at hugely inflated costs otherwise cover is voided. Many of there clients are older, wealthier or more nervous people who value the security as much as the service. Most of the visits will not really be of much benefit to your heating system as that would go against the profitability of the business model. E.g. adding inhibitor to systems annually never occurs in practice even though all boiler manufacturers state it is required.

Quality

The products installed should be good but the detail of installation will depend on who turns up and could vary considerably.

Service

When a business employs and subcontracts literally thousands of engineers then quality will always be mixed including the downright useless. Eventually any problem will be resolved but may involve various engineers attending until a good one is available who knows how to resolve the problem. Each engineer will need to be booked in, be waited for and explained the problem as it’s the first and probably last time you will see each one. You can rest assured that problems will always be fixed eventually and that money will leave your bank account every month for ever.

So if you are a landlord maybe get insurance, if you are desperate call a big well known expensive business but if you want an intelligent reasonable cost long term solution then find a local independent engineer you trust, treat them well and they will return the favour.

Improve your property value: Wood Flooring

6th April 2018 [email protected]

Where the heart lies

There is a well-known saying, “home is where the heart lies”. It really doesn’t matter how many stars a hotel has and just how luxurious it is, if you stay week after week at a hotel, you’re bound to miss being home! There is a different kind of attachment every human beings have for the place they consider home.

In line with this, comes how comfortable and appealing we make our homes. One of the main ways of making your homes feel comfortable is the type of floors or flooring you have at home has a huge impact on the overall look and feel of your house and effectively how much your property is priced.

Types of Flooring

The good thing about constant advancements in technology and home renovating material is the growing scope of options you now have for all of your home decors, especially for something like flooring. Starting from a classy wood flooring that uses hardwood, flooring that consists of floor tiles available in different colors or designs, parquet flooring (geometric mosaic of wood pieces), vinyl flooring (a variation of wood flooring), linoleum flooring (a mix of different shaded boxes) or oak flooring (large wood pieces), the choices you have are quite varied.

As for specialized flooring, engineered wood flooring includes solid wood flooring, which is ideal for homes that tend to get cold quickly. The temperatures and climate of the area are you live in of course play a significant role in determining which flooring would provide an optimum comfort level. For example, marble or mosaic flooring is best for warmer climates whereas wood is optimal for cold climates.

Once you have chosen your type of flooring, you can always opt to go with laminate flooring, which gives a shiny-coated layer on top of your flooring. This look can be quite appealing. There are cheap laminate flooring options available in the market if you wish to look into it.

Many people often like a different flooring for their kitchen flooring and a different one for their bathroom flooring, a different one for the bedrooms and a different one for the rest of the house. This helps give an even more unique look to the house.

If you’re worried about the background work necessary to get good flooring done, and the possible huge payments needed, you can always have a look at hamuch.com for excellent deals for home renovations by experienced professionals.

Specifications

It’s always a good idea to read up on the different types of flooring available in the market before making your final choice. Have a look at pictures to get a better idea of whether or not you want it for your home. To be absolutely confident about the decision you make, you can even get a patch and see how it looks when put on your floor.

Don’t be too worried if you’re still contemplating on which flooring option to go with. These things often take time and once done can last a lifetime. Therefore, it’s probably best to keep your eyes open for different types of flooring while reading up on it.

Improve Your Property Value: Kitchen

6th April 2018 [email protected]

Your kitchen is a central part of your house and plays a huge role in determining the value of your property, should you decide to sell it. It’s your kitchen where you prepare your food or spend time whenever hunger or thirst kick in. Renovating your kitchen time to time is an especially good idea for those who feel their kitchens should represent them and their tastes. After all, food is not only about taste but about presentation as well. Stemming from which we have great kitchen designs and kitchen renovation ideas.

Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen renovation in today’s time implies changing up your kitchens to meet the latest trendy designs and using the best equipment out there to formulate the best possible presentation of your kitchen.

With the latest forms of technology being introduced to us every few weeks, you can easily turn to kitchen planners online or visit kitchen showrooms in person to check out what’s the trendiest kitchen design. Whether it’s a traditional kitchen you are eyeing or a modern kitchen, online kitchen designs have something for everyone to choose from.

As for the price for your kitchen renovation, just as with any other form of renovation, the price depends on factors such as how much renovation you are looking for, whether you opted for a small kitchen design or a big kitchen design and the amount of kitchen ideas required for the overall change. The average cost of a new kitchen will range from £ 1000-£ 10000.

To get an easy hold of reliable workers who can take care of your kitchen refurbishment professionally at great rates, check out hamuch.com.

Keeping it Simple

Many of you may not want to go all out in changing your kitchen. You might want to simply hire someone to install one or two pieces of equipment rather than getting the whole kitchen a makeover. Sometimes changing only one equipment in the kitchen can in fact give the kitchen a whole new look! If you have such a preference, you can opt to keep it simple and buy the appliance(s) you wish to change yourself after checking out what’s available in the market.

Ikea Kitchen

Ikea kitchen has some pretty amazing kitchen designs that can cater to your kitchen preferences. It’s always a good idea to look into the different options available in terms of design, cost and overall efficiency of the equipment prior to making a decision on what to go with. Fortunately, there are numerous resources out there today to help those of you who feel confused or are still unsure about how to go about with your kitchen renovation.

A new renovated kitchen can help change not only the look of your kitchen but it can also better your mood upon entrance! Not to mention, a kitchen you love to enter can possibly make your cooking skills improve significantly. To top it off, a new beautiful ambience will be added to your home with the coming of a new kitchen design.

If you haven’t already considered kitchen designs for your home, you should give it a go and see if you like the change.

Improve your property value: Pipes Replacement

6th April 2018 [email protected]

When it comes to the property you own, there are points to keep in mind that go beyond it being a roof over your head. Your property is not only your home and comfort zone, but an investment that you are making for the long run. Whether you decide to pass on your property as inheritance or sell it for a profit later on in life is an open choice that is always available to you. As such, it is important to always keep in mind how to improve your property value. An old, worn down property probably won’t be worth as much as one that has been well kept and looked after properly, both internally and externally.

One of the main things to keep in mind when it comes to property value is renovation and remodeling. Renovation often includes plumbing. Plumbing is required from time to time in order to avoid drain clogs, worsening of house pipes, bad odors coming out of the pipes or any other such discomforts. In fact, one of the main ways of keeping your house hygienic is by ensuring your plumbing is done right!

Renovation Needs

Renovation implies getting partial makeovers done for your home or sometimes, full makeovers for your home setting. Hence, renovation costs will of course vary depending on the amount of work you would like to get done.

As for plumbing, whether it’s a simple leak that needs tending to,lead pipe replacement or getting rid of an old pipe, plumbers pretty much handle a range of works. Plumbers deal with sinks, the sewage and drainage. In order to get good plumbing, you do need to keep the money factor in mind.

Plumber costs are based on plumber hourly rates and at times plumber day rates. There are rated plumbers to re-plumb a whole house as well. It’s also a good idea to ask your plumber questions pertaining to their experience before finalizing any one plumber. Asking them to come and visit your house to see what they need to work on is also a good idea in order to ensure both parties are clear on the terms.

For all of your plumbing needs, and great rates on experienced plumbers, do check out hamuch.com for great deals on a host of works related to your home.

Getting a Smart Thermostat

27th March 2018 [email protected]

Purchasing a smart thermostat will help you set the right temperature throughout the day and in accordance to your daily schedules, making your life a whole lot easier; not to mention, smart thermostats save you heaps of time and money.

What is a Smart Thermostat?

If you haven’t heard about a smart thermostat, it’s basically a thermostat with advanced communication and connection features which allows you to set up automatic temperature settings based on your daily needs and individual schedules. Certain thermostats with Wi-Fi connectivity have advanced functions that can be made great use of.

Programmable or Non-programmable Thermostats

Smart thermostats can either be programmable or non-programmable. Programmable Thermostats can help you to set your house temperature automatically based on preset timings. This will help to conserve energy since the device will ensure minimizing the temperature while you are out of home and maximize the temperature while you are home. Non-programmable thermostats on the other hand require the homeowner to put it in the heat or cool mode manually.

Digital Thermostat are the new line of thermostats in the market that do not contain moving parts to measure the temperature. There are built in thermistors and resistance temperature detectors to measure the temperature. The overall built up of digital thermostats is different to old thermostats that require constant setting.

Different Types of Thermostats

The following is a list of several types of thermostats that you can consider purchasing based on your specific requirements:

Nest Thermostat – under non-programmable thermostats, this is considered the best smart wi-fi thermostat presently available in the market. This one is considered extremely intelligent and helps to save energy.

Honeywell Thermostat or Honeywell Wireless Thermostat – this smart wi-fi thermostat is similar to the nest thermostat but is available at cheaper prices. You can purchase the honeywell thermostat in different colours as well. When it comes to non-programmable thermostats, this thermostat is in highest demand as it is easy to set and has a smart look to it. The features of a simultaneous display of set temperature and current temperature, slide switches which make switching from heat to cool or vice versa easy and overall ease of usage make it a favourite among home owners.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat- this thermostat has the features of Nest Thermostat or Honeywell, except it is available in cheaper rates.

Central Heating Thermostat – these thermostats work to keep the house heated. There are a variety of central heating thermostats available in the market.

Warmup Thermostat – this thermostat, similar to central heating thermostats works to keep the house warm.

Smart Heating Controls – smart heating controls include connecting with your phone to make note of its location in order to control your heating. Basically, depending on how far or how close you are from home helps the app determine which temperature to keep your house in for your comfort. Certain apps need to be downloaded in order to keep your phone connected with the thermostat. Over 30% of energy can be saved using some of the smart heating controls.

If you haven’t purchased a smart thermostat yet, it’s time to consider switching to one to make your lives more comfortable. After all, the right home temperature can either ruin your day or make it complete. Last but not the least, keep all your heating systems running smooth by providing regular servicing. Find the best heating engineers near you ASAP with hamuch.com for quick and easy setup and installation of your thermostat and stay free of all the troubles and worries!