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Past featured sites:
  • June 08: Baumraum -an architect led German company that specialises in design and construction of treehouses and constructions in natural locations.
  • May 08: What Green Home -reviews eco-friendly homes for sale in the UK and overseas, with provides news, opinion and features on sustainable property development worldwide.
  • April 08: East Cambusmoon Farm -Steve and Deb's excellent blog about their new low energy house, being built to AECB standard on a farm near Loch Lomond in Scotland.
  • March 08: Eco Merchant -if you are after natural home insulation, Eco Merchant offers a range of different types -Thermafleece, Warmcel Cellulose, Isonat Hemp, Isovlas Flax and Steico Natural Home Insulation. They also do natural paints, rainwater collection systems, eco damp proof membrane and other natural building products.
  • Feb 08: Ben Law Woodsman -Ben offers a variety of timber products from Prickly Nut Woods in West Sussex -roundwood poles, chestnut lathes and shingles, green oak frames -Ben was the builder of a beautiful chestnut and oak house that was featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs.
  • Jan 08: The Plant Hire Guide is a very useful soure of information if you need to hire large equipment ,with a directory of providers arrangement by county.

2007

  • December 07: Beco Wallform -innovative insulated concrete formwork system -clip together the polystyrene blocks and pour concrete down the middle.
  • November 07: Rammed Earth Enterprise -Roland Keble's rammed earth projects and research papers. Roland is an expert in the material, which in his words is beautiful, affordable, locally sourced and reduces our dependence on cement, a leading carbon dioxide emitter.
  • October 07: Naturalhomes.org -find strawbale homes by location with this map -the map also features earth, timber, cob and hemcrete and other types of natural house.
  • Sept 07: Association of Environmentally Conscious Building -AECB is a membership organisation for anyone involved in sustainable construction, whether architects, builders or suppliers. Site has members contact details, awards, events, discussion forum, fact sheets and a wealth of useful information.
  • August 07: Blue Forest -high quality tree houses and eco lodges made in East Sussex.
  • July 07: Natural Discovery -specialists in sustainable tourism offering holidays in environmentally friendly lodges and eco homes.
  • June: 07: Direct Gov: Greener Home -an entire section of the Government's public service website is now given over to the topic of greening your home. There is advice on choosing energy saving appliances, DIY projects, insulation, renewable energy, green furniture and things to look out for when moving home.
  • May 07: Walter Segal Self Build Trust -pioneers in timber frame self build solutions, the WSST has eveloved into a national network of people interested in community self build. The website has a number of useful articles on the topic.
  • April 07: Old House Store -builders merchant for traditional and ecological materials -ideal for the sympathetic and authentic conservation/ repair of old buildings, but equally suitable for new-build projects. Good guides on the use of lime products
  • March 07: Clear Water Revival -a fascinating site showing the possibilities in natural garden swimming pools and ponds.
  • Feb 07: Ecology Building Society -a mutual society based in Yorkshire whose prime focus is to promote an ecological approach to the built environment and foster sustainable communities.
  • Jan 07: Amazon Nails -not for profit organisation offering design advice, consultancy service and training courses on strawbale construction. Also publish a useful free pdf guide.

2006

  • December 06: Milestone -claim to be the first UK manufacturer of kitchens made entirely from recycled products -including doors from recycled yoghourt pots and worktops made from coffee cups!
  • November 06: I Count -coalition for action to stop climate change and coordinators of the demonstration in Trafalgar Squre on 4th November -not just about buildings, but very important nonetheless.
  • October 06: Papers and Paints -small London-based company that specialises in paint and colour. They offer one of the widest ranges of paint colours anywhere, and can also colour match samples brought to them, or measure colours on a client's own premises. Excellent range of historic colour swatches too.
  • September 06: The Garden Escape -make very elegant small timber framed garden buildings designed for use as a home office or gym.
  • August 06: National Green Specification: very useful source of information on materials by NGS who are developing a ready made specification of green products and methods of construction.
  • July 06: English Heritage -huge resource from the Government body dedicated to the conservation of Britain's historic buildings.
  • June 06: Plotsearch -subscription service providing a national building plot register, that aims to be the most comprehensive and up to date UK source of Self Build opportunities.
  • May 06: Accordia -amazing new high density housing in Cambridge by Countryside -why can't all new housing be this good?
  • April 06: Quiet Revolution -uniquely beautiful domestic scale wind turbine that is destined to change our approach to renewable energy.
  • March 06: Climate Prediction -contribute your computing power to the BBC experiment to model climate change and the effects of global warming.
  • Feb 06: Vitra -for over 50 years Vitra have been selling classic modern furniture by great designers, from Charles and Ray Eames to Frank Gehry.
  • Jan 06: Grand Designs Live -the exhibition and show from the channel 4 TV series at Excel London -arranged in five sections -interiors, self-build, kitchens and bathrooms, gardens and shopping arcade.
2005
  • Dec 05: Housebuilders Update -a very useful blog from author Mark Brinkley and Ovolo Publishing with loads of useful stuff, including items ranging from climate change to how to avoid getting stung by your builder.
  • Nov 05: The Big White House -the self build project built by Darron Coppin and Tom Watkins at the Sussex coastal village of Pett Leveland featured on Chennel 4's Grand Designs -also has details of their next project, The Sea House.
  • Oct 05: eBay.co.uk -time for a clear out before Christmas? Why not auction your unwanted items with the worlds best known online seller.
  • Sept 05: Centre for Alternative Technology -Environmental charity based at the Eco Centre at Machynlleth in North Wales, with working examples of wind, water and solar power, energy conservation, environmentally sound buildings, self build, organic growing and alternative sewage systems -the centre provides advice and runs residential courses.
  • August 05: Carpenter Oak -specialists in green oak construction -projects range from the solar canopy at the Earth Centre to Rupert and Julie McGann's Cruciform House in Berkshire featured on Channel 4s Grand Designs.
  • July 05: Developing Skills -self build courses in association with Homebuilding and Renovation Magazine.
  • June 05: Pavillions of Splendour -everything you need to know about buying a listed building.
  • May 05: TRADA -the Timber Research and Development Association -as they say 'all you need to know about timber'.
  • April 05: Victoria Plumb -extensive online bathroom store, selling showers, taps, mirrors, baths, suites at discounted prices.
  • March 05: Huf Haus -post and beam system build kit house from Germany.
  • Feb 05: Ecology Building Society - a mutual building society dedicated to improving the environment by promoting sustainable housing and sustainable communities. Savings placed with the Ecology fund mortgage lending on energy efficient housing, ecological renovation and low-impact lifestyles.
  • Jan 05: Association for Environment Conscious Building - aims to encourage greater environmental awareness within the UK building construction industry.
2004
  • Dec 04: B&Q -the number one DIY store in the UK has a huge website with just about everything you can imagine -from paintbrushes to bathroom suites. Also featured special offers for the Christmas season.
  • Nov 04: Anything Left Handed -really ought to be called everything left handed -they sell a variety of implements for left handed users -everything from kitchen implements to gardening tools -the original left handed shop since 1968.
  • Oct 04: Natural Carpets Ltd | Alternative flooring company -fed up with carpet suppliers who offer only artificial non biodegradable products -here's the answer -two companies specialising in natural carpet products.
  • July 04: Trannon | Roy Tam Design -two sites this month -eco furniture in ash by award winning designers Roy Tam and David Colwell.
  • June 04: Green Building Store -based in Meltham, Yorks, the store features everything from natural paints to water saving WCs.
  • May 04: Cloud 8 -a detailed account of the construction of a contemporary house in the Chilterns -a very useful resource for anyone planning to build their own house.
  • April 04 -Sanded Floors and sandingwoodenfloors.co.uk -two sites featuring a specialist floor sanding service in London -everything you might need to know about sanding floors with lots of guidance on how to do it yourself.
  • March 04 -Chez Jallot is a manor house in central France. It is being rebuilt and refurbished by Doug Ibbs and Denise Daniel, and the work is being filmed by Channel 4's Grand Designs. Their website is a diary of all the activities concerned with work, with the history of the building and it's return to former glory. It is an historical building, with many interesting features - all of which will be restored in due course, incorporating many modern features with a view to energy conservation principles and environmental concerns ­ the "green issues".

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Featured books:

The Housebuilder's Bible: An Insider's Guide to the Construction Jungle, 6th Edition
Mark Brinkley
Paperback - Ovolo Publishing Ltd
Price in UK pounds
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House Plus: Imaginative Ideas for Extending Your Home
Phyllis Richardson
Thames and Hudson Ltd
Hardcover
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Self Build: Design and Build Your Own Home
Julian Owen
Price in UK pounds

Modern House 2
by Clare Melhuish
Hardcover
Phaidon Press Inc
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