A new boiler is one of the most important investments you can make. Here are a few tips to avoid getting your fingers burned. And while you’re here check out our special boiler installation offer.

It all boils down to efficiency.

Almost without exception new and replacement boilers must be high efficiency condensing boilers. Apart from helping to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 30% they can reduce heating bills by a further 40%.

The higher initial purchase cost will be recovered through lower heating bills.

Condensing boilers come in three variants: Regular (conventional boilers), System or Combi.
In most instances the choice is based on your circumstances. If you live in a flat you are likely to need a combi-boiler. Large family homes with no space restrictions would suit a regular or system boiler. Whatever your situation, the selection and fitting is a job for an expert.

Get three estimates

Get 3 estimates from a mixture of local and national businesses. Price aside it will help you assess the professionalism of the companies involved.

Be ready to brief

The heating engineer should ask you some telling questions about your requirements and current heating system. This will help them recommend the best heating system for your needs.
Typically you should have the answers to the following:
• Where is the boiler to be sited? Because new condensing boilers produce a stream of steam it is possible that the old site of the flue may not be the best site for the new one.
• Your demands on the system. Will you be running more than one bath or shower at a time? How has your current system coped with demand?
• Future expansion. Is the need for a new boiler part of a plan to extend the home? Regular boilers need loft space for feed and expansion tanks, System and Combi boilers don’t. So if you’re thinking of extending into the loft this may have a bearing on your choice.
• Your budget. Get a fix on your budget and don’t be persuaded to spend more than you are comfortable with. It may be worth checking out any finance deals on offer. Our own offer on New Boiler installations is definitely worth taking a look at.

Energy Efficiency isn’t just down to the choice of boiler.

It’s important to look at the energy efficiency of your home generally and not just focus on the boiler installation. Loft insulation and cavity wall insulation improvements can further reduce heating bills and ensure your boiler is working to its maximum efficiency.

Ask Questions

The engineer who visits will be used to these frequently asked questions and should be able to give direct answers in layman’s English.
• Ensure they are Gas Safe or OFTEC registered, for gas and oil respectively.
• Ask them to provide referrals of recent installations.
• Check what else is included as part of their after-sales service?
• Make sure they give you a fully itemised quote for all labour and parts
• Find out the make and efficiency of boiler they’re proposing. And make sure this is specified within the quote. You will want to be sure you’re comparing like for like.

Sav Mayfair recently completed a major refurbishment at York House in Upper Montagu Street, London W1.

The work included:

• Replaster old kitchen where required and paint – this becomes bedroom 3
• Replaster old ensuite (to main bedroom) where required – this becomes the open-plan kitchen/dining room
• Create new rooms in the space that is currently the hallway to fire escape – (1) utility room and (2) walk-in robe (to master bedroom)
• Replaster old bathroom (to create the new ensuite to new master bedroom). 
• Create partition wall between ensuite and new master bedroom – dimensions 1800 long x 1200 high
• Create new shower room (in hallway)
• Create cupboards in hallway
• Create new doorway to master bedroom (from hallway).  
• Make good and fill in old doorway.
• Make good and fill in old entrance to bathroom

One of the more cost-effective ways to add space is with a conservatory. Many available today rate very highly in the design stakes. Choose the style which complements the rest of your home and make sure it’s in proportion to the size of the house and garden, as adding a large conservatory to a small garden can have an adverse effect on resale price. Most conservatories are made of glass, which means south and west facing ones can become very hot, so think about blinds and cooling systems.

-

If you want to add value to your home then the bathroom is a great place to start. The addition of a second bathroom will usually increase the overall value by at least the cost of the work involved, as well as adding to the comfort. And it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you might think. Ask us for a no-obligation quote.

Whether you choose to work with us or not, at the very outset it’s worth consulting a specialist – if only to determine where the water pipes, electrics and soil stack are and what latitude you have in repositioning key elements. We will also be able to advise on any relevant regulations and the range of options open to you. You may need to move windows, doors or even walls to get your ideal bathroom design. And if electrical wiring, plumbing and drains need to be altered, the advice of a professional will be invaluable.
The master bathroom is an important part of your home and, when viewing a new house, it often plays a big part in the buying decision. One of the quickest ways you can add value to your home is to enhance the master bathroom, possibly creating it as an en-suite bathroom.

Converting a bedroom may make sense if you have a five-bedroom house and only one bathroom. But if you only have three bedrooms this wouldn’t be such a great investment idea.

Finding alternative spaces can be challenging. In bungalows the floor layout might make it difficult to provide suitable access to a new bathroom. With a single storey structure with flat roofs the joists may be too weak to support the extra load and the walls may need to be strengthened. And if it has a pitched roof the roof structure will need changing to accommodate. In the typical two-storey house, the first floor would normally be the logical place to locate a bathroom but the ground floor can be a useful, if less obvious, solution for large families.

Bathroom-iness

You need to think about what you want from the space and how much space you need to leave between each fixture. And remember, there needs to be enough room to get the fixtures and fittings into the bathroom in the first place.

Plan ahead.

Make sure that you can easily access toilet cisterns and other potential problem areas. Consider fitting removable panels rather then sealing them behind the wall.
If you’ve been thinking about a ceramic floor but think it will be far too cold for bare feet on a winter’s morning consider an under floor radiant heating system. This allows you to have a tiled floor but it keeps the floor and the whole bathroom cosily warm.

Lighting and ventilation are two additional areas for attention that are often overlooked. The lighting should be bright and even with an eye on safety. And ventilation should be adequate to avoid condensation damage.

Sav Mayfair can help you plan and create your ideal bathroom. Ask to see examples of work we have done for other satisfied clients. Or take a look at our gallery of images of past projects.

Probably best in a basement or downstairs room (for soundproofing purposes), a home gym is a good use of unused space. Make sure you have enough space not only for equipment, but also to use it safely; head height in particular is important. Some equipment will need power and you may also want a TV or stereo to help ease the exercise routine, so check you have enough electrical points. Flooring should be easy to clean – rubber is a good option – and mirror is useful to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly.
-

Small box rooms off bedrooms that don’t have independent access are ideal candidates for transforming into an en suite. The nearer the room is to the water pipes and soil sack, the easier the refurb will be.
-

Using the space beneath your home is a great way to gain extra room as you’re effectively adding an entire floor to the footprint of the house. Converting an existing cellar is the easiest option, but it is also possible to dig out a new basement. Converting-which involves waterproofing, adding windows and possibly improving access – comes in at around £15.000. Digging is a different ball game, with prices starting at £80.000. Moving is pricey, it can be as high as £50.000 on expensive properties. That kind of money pays for half the conversion, and it will add value to the resale. Basements are naturally soundproof so they’re ideal for family rooms, kitchen-diners or a home cinema.

Structurally, this is similar to adding living space, although more expensive, as you have to factor in plumbing, power points, kitchen units and appliances. But it’s money well spent as giving your kitchen as much space as you can is a good move, according to the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association’s chief executive Graham Hayden. “The kitchen has undergone dramatic transformation”, he says. “Once solely used for cooking, washing and mundane domestic chores, today it has become the hub of the home, the room everyone congregates in and the place where we cook, work, socialise and entertain”.

Extra living space is a holy grail for all home owners. If your plot is big enough and you don’t live in a conservation area, one of the easiest ways of increasing your space is by adding an extension. An extension is one of the simplest ways to create extra living space. Expect to pay from around £20.000 for a simple, single story extension.

Relocating a washing machine and tumble dryer out of the kitchen frees up valuable space, and creates a dedicated area to dry clothes and do the ironing. Incorporating one into an extension is a great idea, but you can also build into a back of an existing garage or incorporate one into a roomy downstairs loo. As long as there is a water and waste pipe supply nearby, costs should be minimal.
-