The Hunt Property Services Ltd. blog is something of an outlier in the 2017 Best Construction Blog competition. Most of the competing entries are US-based, and virtually all would list their primary business as within the traditional architectural, engineering and construction environment.
Hunt Property Services, however, are estate agents (the British counterpart to US or Canadian real estate agents (or in they belong to organized real estate associations, Realtors), in this case specializing in “Repton Park, Chigwell, Woodford, Woodford Green, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton and the surrounding areas.” I’m not too familiar with local UK geography, but these appear to be outer London suburbs.
However, unlike most real estate agencies (I’ll refer to the US expression of term here) in North America, which generally don’t engage directly in renovation projects, Hunt Property Services has a full-scale renovations operation, and you can certainly use it whether or not you are purchasing or leasing a property (or preparing one to sell or lease) through their real estate division.
The company has contracted with HubSpot to help develop the site and ensure its responsiveness. ?A pop-up invites readers to request a free Home Renovation Worksheet to help cost out the jobs (in exchange of course for your providing your email address.) The document I received seems geared for superficial and very limited renovation jobs, with a simple job priced at less than 4,000 Pounds Sterling (about $5,000 US at current exchange rates. This seems pretty low to me — either costs are really low in the UK compared to Canada (where I live) but you wouldn’t get much of anything substantial for that price around here.)
As for the blog itself, it invites readers to simple ideas and provides common-sense insights. It is well-written.
For example, here are some observations about bathroom renovations.
Remember the plumbing
Bathrooms often produce plumbing problems. Older bathrooms suffer with locked pipes, or lead pipes that need replacing. Some suffer from drainage issues, blocked traps and poorly functioning toilets (flushing issues). Other issues are around water pressure not being right, but a good pump can rectify that situation.
When you plan your new bathroom, engage with your bathroom fitter and designer, any issues you may already be experiencing can all be rectified with the new project.
Note these common problems
In closing I?m trying to ensure I cover some of the issues we?ve encountered when replacing bathrooms, so this list is not exhaustive and I may return to update it at some point:
- Rotten Joists under the floor
- Badly capped pipework from previous bathroom upgrades
- Electric wiring needing upgrading
- Older plaster coming away when you remove tiles
- The plaster walls going through because of poor pipework, usually leaking in cavity walls
- Floors needing reboarding
- New tanks needing to be installed or moved
Whatever the problem that arises, a good reputable builder or tradesperson will be able to get you through, but if you want some advice, feel free to reach out to me here.
I think readers will find this blog is a refreshing British variation of the blog theme. You can vote for it or other blogs of your choice at this link until March 31.
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