Making those home dreams come true - advice from the Uckfield experts

One sure-fire way to lift the blues is to start dreaming of how you can make your home a better place to live. Here at Uckfieldnews.com we have asked some of the experts who list on our Uckfield Directory for ways to make those dreams come true.

Don’t delay – act now

That’s the advice from Paul Silvey, a chartered structural engineer, of Woodside Developments.

“Spring is the traditional time when people start work on their house extensions or alterations to their home. It is a much better time than in the winter – you do not want to be digging in the mud,” he said.

“My advice to people is do not leave it too late before you get the ball in motion. Everything takes time.”

He pointed out planning permission can take up to three months and there may also be a need to get building regulation permissions from the local authority.

“You may need to get somebody like myself to look at the viability of the extension or alteration you are thinking about.”

And it’s not a case of ringing a builder and getting an immediate start on the project.

He said: “Builders are pretty busy in Sussex. You need to get into their diaries.

“If you ring a builder and ask about a start date, you are likely to get a sharp intake of breath and a sucking of teeth. All the builders I know are busy,” Paul said.

Popular projects with homeowners are loft conversions to provide extra bedrooms and kitchen extensions (with bedroom above) to form a kitchen/diner.

Wish list

And in that sparkling new family space, painted wooden kitchens remain high on people’s wish list.

Ross Cannadine, of Cannadines Kitchens and Bathrooms, said: “We have expanded our kitchen showroom to add Omega Kitchens (pictured) and have up-dated our original Match Maker kitchens to include their latest painted wooden kitchens. We now have five beautiful kitchens on display.”

/images/2011_january/zkitchen2.jpg Cannadine’s was unfortunately inundated during last August’s flash flood but the company took the opportunity to revamp the bathroom side of the showroom to include the latest designs of fitted furniture and walk in showers.

Ross added: “We can design, supply and fit your whole bathroom or kitchen from start to finish or offer a very competitive supply only service if you have your own installers. Pop in and have a look for your self and make your dreams become a reality.”

A fresh new look

The slow down in the housing market means more and more home owners are looking to freshen-up their existing house, said Dianne Edden of The Window Dresser.

“People are improving what they have got and they are going for good quality and things that will last; rather than a quick fix.

“The trend is still towards Roman blinds and curtains. Linens are popular and people seem to like lots of silk and gold colours.

“They are also using trimmings to make them individual, such as beads,” Dianne said.

Getting your stripes

Cream and beige remain the popular colour choices when it comes to carpets.

But Sebastian Bishop, of Fluffy Side Up has noticed some homeowners going for stripey natural-style carpets in dark and mid-browns. “It seems to be something that is edging in but it is not mainstream – yet,” he said. “You either love it or hate it.”

The trend for tiles downstairs and carpet upstairs continues.

Karndean tiles are particularly popular; especially for kitchens, hallways and bathrooms. “People have the carpets upstairs where you want the comfort,” Sean said.

Design from scratch

Adam designs from scratch what the client wants frequently integrating electrical, AV, security, gadgets, lighting etc. Often depending where people are in their home purchase cycle, many may just want to tidy up and freshen with a view to a short term stay.

Others see an investment of specialist interiors as a way of enhancing the value and re-sale of the property.

Adam said: “The aim of new work on your property is to blend beautiful, premium-quality cabinetry with the best in thoughtful and functional design combined with today’s generation of sleek, hi-tech appliance packages no matter what design period you want to achieve our aim is to make your dream space a reality. Being aware of trends and incorporating them is important but often bespoke work is down to the client’s passion on a subject.”

Curves in kitchens

On kitchens trends, he said, designers are throwing curves into kitchens, breaking up the conventional straight and boxy look in soft new ways.

"Gadgets have followed this trend, with rounded kitchen sinks, curved taps, bowed cabinetry, and curvaceous islands are changing the shape and feel of the kitchen's usually linear spaces. In 2011 the trend is that kitchens are becoming better defined as we move away from totally open plans.

"A visually open kitchen with a half-wall is now a favourite kitchen floor plan, thus allowing the cooking space to integrate with the living space.”

There has been a move to integrate more and more appliances into this type of kitchen and living beer dispensers, spaces, everything from your subtle wine cabinets, to espresso coffee machines, to specialist warming ovens to the new range of coloured cookers and Agas. Integration of these premium gadgets combined with seating areas are combined to allow fusion between the traditional divisions of kitchen and living.

Traditional joinery

Premium and specialist wood is more and more in demand, combined with traditional joinery techniques enable us to craft beautiful and immensely durable cabinetry that has bespoke efficiency. This can be achieved in a range of designs from classic period to ultra-contemporary.

The trend in living space is also dominated by hi-tech gadgets; it no longer is about a TV and a DVD player but the integration of the home cinema, specialist music ranging from subtle background to full on room filling. More and more the move is to minimise the unsightly cable displays and thus the integration of the media wall or a series of fitted cabinets that integrates everything from your TV, Blue Ray, DVD, Sky box, sound systems, house security systems and much, much more with controls moving to ipad based or touch screen .

Living areas are not all about hi-tech, books still play an important part in this area of the home and tell a story of who the home belongs to. Bookcases will always be a stylish ways to let books furnish a room and integrate the old and new technologies. Dedicated “computer space” is a frequent request.

Multi-functional work station

Creating a multifunctional work station or nook area for fast occasional use or a quick piece of research is a big trend in living spaces. However, as more and more on-line work for the home is required, everything from utility bill paying, to banking and research quick and easy access to a PC is required.

This winter and its snow storms again demonstrated travel plan havoc, and with the commute to work largely impossible the use of technology at the home office kept many companies running. Having dedicated space and quiet away from living space can be required, while this space is ideally quiet there has to be a balance between quiet and isolation.

Storage and retention of records and paperwork seem endless in today’s ‘paperless’ society and instead of industrial office based equipment in the home we see more and more integration of this type of functionality within cabinets and stand-alone furniture for the home office whether it is a dedicated corner or a room.

And in other news:

* Wealden District Council is holding a Business Breakfast at Barnsgate Manor Vineyard, near Uckfield, on Tuesday, February 15th (7.30am-10.30am). The cost is £10.

John Grange from Business Link will be talking about ways to grow your business and how to devise a successful growth strategy.

If you would like to attend register your interest by no later than February 11 by email to claire.mchugh@wealden.gov.uk and pay £10 cash on the day.

* A NEW lean Business Link South East has been re-launched after its budget was slashed by £7.2m. This mammoth cut sees the organisation’s annual funds plummet from £25.3m to £18.1m. To cope with this reduction the service, funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), is going to focus its efforts on start-up companies and growing businesses.

* THE new Enjoy Sussex Guide has been launched. The guide offers a wealth of essential and practical information about what to see and do in Wealden and the Enjoy Sussex area.

* TOURISM figures for Wealden released at the end of 2010 by Tourism South East (TSE) reported that during 2009 tourism in Wealden generated just over £280 million worth of income for local businesses; up by 7.3% compared to 2008.

Here are two ideas for accommodation in the Uckfield area

* FOLLOWING the announcement that the South Downs National Park Authority has been granted £11.4m of government funding for the next financial year, Sussex Enterprise has spoken out on the need for careful, considered public spending decisions.

Commenting, Mark Froud, Chief Executive of Sussex Enterprise, said: “We heard about a significant increase in the country’s budget deficit over the past 12 months, and within 24 hours we’ve heard that the SDNPA is to see a significant increase in its funding – clearly anyone who thought we’d seen the back of spendthrift quangos is in for a nasty surprise.

“ AS ordinary people and businesses up and down the country have to make tough decisions and shoulder the pain of austerity, you would expect the coalition to be setting a shining example in moderation and frugality. “Decisions like this just go to show that there’s some way to go in eradicating the public sector culture of profligacy and extravagance.”