News

National Homebuilding & Renovating Show features The Home Automation Trail (3/3/2009)

Bring your ideas, your plans, your dreams.  Whether you are renovating, extending, building or wanting to make the most of your home, The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC from 19 to 22 March is a ‘must visit’ event.

The 21st century home is one where lighting can change the mood, multi-room electronic entertainment takes on a whole new dimension - and the touch of a button makes your property reassuringly secure. The Home Automation Trail is just one of attractions at the Show. Follow the trail to see top name products from companies including Bose, Sonos, and Denon.  Come along and discover the world of technology for your home - a digital home is now an affordable reality.

There are plenty of other attractions at the Show for the enthusiastic homeowner. Now in its seventeenth year and attracting over 40,000 visitors over four days, the 2009 embraces The Eco Homes Show, The Home Automation Trail, the Restoration Trail and Spotlight feature areas as well as 96 free seminars and masterclasses.

The Eco Homes Show continues to attract a lot of interest, reflecting the demand for more information on eco products and services.  The show will feature all key product areas from renewable energy, insulation, heating systems and building materials right through to products designed to save energy and money within the home.

The Spotlight Feature Areas are always very popular areas at the Show. There will be seven around the Show where you can get advice and information from independent experts on a one-to-one basis. There will be informative handouts to take away and detailed video overviews on specialist subjects on each of the areas. Make sure you take the opportunity to pick up useful tips and find the right questions to ask before you check out the products and services you are interested in. The seven Spotlight feature areas are Building Systems, External Design, Eco Homes, Smart Homes, Heating and Plumbing, Internal Features, and Kitchens and Bathrooms.

It's always a challenge renovating a period home. Like trying to find just the right flagstones for your kitchen floor, or locating that elusive Victorian fireplace for the sitting room. Follow the Restoration Trail where you can get advice on restoring original features, as easily as every other aspect of recreating the authentic charm of your period property.

Do bring along plans, drawings or ideas you may have for your building project. You can get a free consultation worth £100s on the Ask the Architects stand. They will help you decide if you are making the most of the space you have available and suggest viable build or design alternatives if appropriate. You could also visit the Planning Portal stand where they too will give you a free consultation. You may find that you don’t need planning permission!

As well as over 500 specialist exhibitors, the Show offers an unparalleled series of free seminars and exhibitor-led masterclasses.  Visit the Self Build theatre where the seminars take a broad overview on a range of topics from a ‘beginner’s guide to self build’ to ‘what’s it all going to cost’. Alternatively visit the Home Improvement Theatre and find out how to successfully add space and value to your home or how to improve your energy efficiency. The masterclasses will be more focused on specifics such as underfloor heating and what to do with your sewerage.  There is an incredible total of 96 free sessions during the four days of the show!

The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC, Birmingham, is on from 19 to 22 March 2009. For free tickets register using the link below:

www.homebuildingshow.co.uk