Notes from the trade.
Plain-English writing on building, renovating, and getting it right. Practical advice for the clients we work with.
How long does a renovation actually take?
Cost and permission get asked about first. The question that matters most day to day comes later: how long this really takes, and what it's like living through it.
Why we only work near Walthamstow
We turn down more work than most builders would admit to, and almost all of it for the same reason: it’s too far from home. Here’s why that’s a rule, not a preference.
Do you need planning permission to renovate a Victorian terrace?
Permitted development, conservation areas, party walls and building control — what needs permission on an East London terrace, what doesn’t, and what a conservation area changes.
What a house renovation actually costs in East London
Honest cost ranges for renovating a Victorian or Edwardian terrace — by project type, what moves the number, and why the cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest job.
Extending a Victorian terrace
Side return, rear or loft — how to extend a terrace so the new rooms feel of the house rather than bolted onto it. Planning, party walls, and honest numbers.
Kitchens in period houses
Floors that fall, walls that lean, joinery scribed to the house. Why kitchens in Victorian terraces need different thinking, and what good work looks like.
What hides behind the walls of a Victorian terrace
When you open up a house that was last properly touched 130 years ago, you're not dealing with surprises. You're dealing with the same building, built the same way. Here's what we find.
How to read a builder's quote
A quote is a document. The important parts are often what's missing. How to read one properly, how to compare them fairly, and what the gaps tell you before you sign anything.
A plain-English guide to choosing a builder in East London
How we'd recommend going about it — what to ask, what to check, what to read in the contract before you sign.
What good snagging actually looks like
Snagging is the part of the job that decides how the rest of it ages. Here's how a proper snagging process should work.
Restoring a Victorian front elevation
What's actually involved in bringing a painted-white Victorian terrace back to its original brick. The methods, the materials, and what to expect.
Why we charge what we charge
Honest writing on JAG's pricing. What goes into a quote, where we sit in the market, and why our smallest project is £25,000.
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