Building or renovating your own home is a significant investment and can be hugely challenging!

Whatever the style or scale of project we have been working with self-build customers for many years and have a wealth of expertise as well as the building materials and renewable technologies available to make the build a success.

Over the coming months we will follow first time self builder Gary King as he embarks on the refurbishment of his Edwardian end terrace. We will show you first hand, through our blog and video diary, the progress of the refurbishment and how we are helping Gary through every step of the build process.

Our free self build consultation service has many benefits for the self builder, if you would like more info contact our Self Build Team today on 0800 032 8968.

This weeks ‘Jewson Poll’:

That’s right – it’s back and bigger than ever! The Lafarge Mastercrete National Merchant Promotion is on until the 29th June 2012. It means that until then, every time you buy a bag of Mastercrete Cement, you’re in with a chance of winning a ‘hands-on’ and action packed experience worth £100. It could be a day go karting, white water rafting, flying a microlight or driving a supercar – who knows!

Each week, 10 customer entry forms, online versions as well, will be drawn at random. The more times you buy the more chances you have of winning! Not a bad return for buying a bag of cement is it? So why not register at www.MastercreteCement.com and see some action this year!

This week we invited the Eco Experts to write an article about their visit to Ecobuild. Both Jewson and the Eco Experts attended the exhibition earlier in the year.

The Eco Experts were at Ecobuild to report on the most interesting seminars, Government policy announcements, and the best new green technology innovations. Ecobuild 2012 was the biggest one yet. With more than 1,500 exhibitors and 60,000 visitors over the three days, it looked like a small town.

The Jewson ‘house’

The Jewson stand at Ecobuild was designed as an actual house, cut away into sections complete with a kitchen, bathroom and tiled roofs. The Jewson house was kitted out with different sustainable products to make a home more energy efficient, ie: they cost very little to run.

Efficiency in heating systems is measured using the COP (Coefficient Of Performance) rating system: something with a COP of 3 provides 3 times as much heat as it costs, in energy, to run.

About The Eco Experts

The Eco Experts offer a free service to people looking to find out how to save money and improve the efficiency of their home. We can help you find advice and the best value for money, and we don’t charge you a penny.

www.theecoexperts.co.uk / http://www.facebook.com/TheEcoExperts?ref=tn_tnmn / @theecoexperts

Next time you’re in your local Jewson, take a look at the latest Spit Tapcon Self Drilling screws. There’s no need to pre-spot holes and no inserts are required, all you need to do is drill a hole and drive in the screw. It’ll cut it’s own thread into concrete, brick or block – simple as that!

It means you’ll get a secure and professional finish every time and as quickly as possible. With good corrosion resistance and the fact it’s suitable for permanent or temporary installations – these really are a great option whatever the job.

Check out our branch locator on www.jewson.co.uk to find your local branch and try them out for yourself!

If you’re in the area on 25th April pop into our Croydon Branch at Queensway (just off Purley Way) for a special trade morning to unveil our new insulation and dry lining centre.

Be sure to turn up early as the first 50 people through the door will get a free bucket of goodies worth £50! We’re also offering free breakfast and a newspaper from 6.30am – 12.00 noon so schedule us in as your first stop of the day.

There are other prizes up for the grabs on the day including one of two iPad 3’s and a free site radio if you spend over £500 on the day (subject to Ts & Cs).

So make April 25th a date in your diary and pop in to say hello.

Thinking about training to be a Domestic Energy Assessor? Want to know more about the Green Deal and its opportunities?

If so, talk to our Greenworks Team at Greenbuild Expo (9^th – 10^th May). We have just launched a new course at our Greenworks Training Academy which will give you the necessary training and certification to become an assessor.

We will also be presenting a seminar on the first day of the expo so if you haven’t done so already, make sure you register for the exhibition today  

According to the Environment Agency, East Anglia, the South East of England and South and East Yorkshire are in drought. This is why seven water companies across the South & East imposed a hosepipe ban last week. Further restrictions are expected to follow into West Yorkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

While this may seem like bad news in the first instance it’s not all doom and gloom! There are many water saving products available, ranging from rainwater harvesters to water butts, which will help during this time of shortage. Now is the ideal time to brush up on these products and to highlight the benefits of them to your homeowner customers.

If you want to learn more about our water saving products pop into your local branch. A new water management guide will also be available at the end of the month to help!

Visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk for more info and advice on the areas affected by the drought.

Greenbuild Expo is almost upon us. We’ll be there promoting the ‘fabric first’ approach to building and displaying our innovative Atmospheric Thermal Panel which works 365 days a year and even works at night!

The panel is the only one of its kind at the moment and can be used to heat water, central heating systems and even swimming pools. There will be a working demo of the panel on our stand (E37).

If you need training on sustainable building and renewable solutions then talk to our Greenworks Team – they are offering 10% off all courses booked during the show. The team will also be on hand to answer any questions you have on the Green Deal and the opportunities it will open up for you.

So if you haven’t done so already, make sure you register for the exhibition today and we look forward to seeing you there!

In October 2011, the NHBC (National House Building Council) re-enforced the requirement for all roof battens for use on homes covered by its Buildmark Warranty to be fully graded in accordance with the BS 5534 standard. To help you comply with this, a number of our branches now stock the 25×50 battens – they are bright blue in colour and impossible to miss in the yard or on site!

Individually machined graded roof battens are high quality, strong and less vulnerable to failure. They are quick and easy to fit needing less work on site. The Health & Safety Executive has also recognised that graded 25×50, BS 5534 roof battens can be used as a foothold when working.

You can find our blue graded roof battens at the following branches: Abingdon; Bury St. Edmunds; Hornsey; Leighton Buzzard; Leicester; Leytonstone; Lincoln; Maidstone; Mitcham and St Neots. This will increase over the coming weeks to cover more of the country so keep an eye out at your local branch!