Vat Refund on Home Improvement, refurbishment & conversion

Did you know that if you refurbish or convert a property, you can qualify for lower Vat on your costs? If you didn’t - you’re not alone as this is not widely promoted and many rules and regs apply. 

The change-of -use VAT Break was introduced in 2002 to encourage people to convert & refurbish existing buildings into homes rather than only building new ones that exempt from VAT charge.  You can claim a reduced VAT of 5% on bills and expenditure in the following scenarios:..

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Kitchen redecoration

Week 22 - Wall of units

Now that the floor is done, I thought the kitchen could be finished pretty soon. It doesn’t seem so…
We decided to create a wall made of cabinets. Actually they are all upper cabinets because space is tight, and we’re using them as base cabinets as well - creating a streamlined wall of units.  I don’t quite understand why standard base units are always so deep - I can never find anything in them! They’re not necessary unless you want base units next to or under appliances..

This is a preview, read DIY Kitchen Fitting in full.

Kitchen supply

We are putting together a list of online stores selling kitchen supply & decor - from cabinets, furniture & lighting to appliances, gadgets & kitchenware. This is taking us some time, but as soon as they’re ready we’ll publish the available categories here on the blog..

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DIY Redecoration

Week 21: Parquet Floor Laying

The new floor-layer guy did turn up on Monday morning - on time even! He spent the day finishing off the corners and edges of floor - there wasn’t much left to do but it was the most fiddly part, as strange shaped bits had to be cut off the parquet pieces, where they met the walls. Then he had to fill the bigger gaps between the pieces..

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Kitchen Remodeling  - Time

The third most important element in remodeling a kitchen (or any other space for that matter)  is time. t is essential from three points of view - the time you want to spend on remodeling, the time want it to last and the time you will spend there..

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Kitchen remodeling::space

Tips & ideas

As I wrote in the previous article, the second most important element in remodeling a kitchen is space.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. Not only is this the place where you prepare food to keep your body going - but it’s a place where you can share your life with others whilst cooking & eating..

This is a preview, read Kitchen Remodeling - space in full.

DIY Home Decor

Week 20 - the floor layers

The floor layers have walked out on us. It turned out that the boss is a relative of the plasterer who had previously walked out on me because I dared to complain about the quality of his work. At the time I refused to pay him the full amount because he did not complete the job. The guy got pissed off and walked out without taking the cheque I was writing out.  Later I realised that he’d done an even worse job than I’d initially thought which I had to correct or re-do as best I could - so I was quite glad that he didn’t take the money..

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DIY Home Redecoration

Kitchen Remodeling - week 19

The floor laying has started - at last. Given that the wood pieces are reclaimed from an old factory, every single one of them has to be checked and cleaned before gluing them down. Most are covered in (horrid, black, sticky) bitumen which needs to be scraped off. The walls are getting greyer and greyer. I have rebuilt my plastic enclosure to seal the hallway and upstairs - but still, when I run my finger over the freshly painted walls and woodwork in our bedroom, it becomes rather dusty..

This is a preview, read Home Redecoration in full.