News & Blog

Contractor Masonry Frame Systems completed the aircrete inner shell of 39 new build houses and flats two weeks ahead of schedule at the Pinefields development in Addlestone, despite last winter being the coldest for decades. This was made possible by using the H+H R? Build method of construction with thin-jointed aircrete block-work.

Is current government thinking logical and fair when it comes to the green agenda in the building industry? Mark Oliver, MD of H+H, looks at some aspects of new build legislation in the light of David Cameronﾒs much vaunted commitment to fairness and considers recent policy announcements for clues of future direction.

The increasingly stringent thermal insulation requirement for walls is leading to speculation about the building types that will be most effective in the future. At the centre of this discussion is the cavity wall, with some going so far as to suggest that this familiar construction method has had its day. Ali Riza examines this suggestion in the light of the new Part L.

Our poll of 500 building industry professionals suggests that, while there is still considerable scepticism about the drive to achieve Zero Carbon, the vast majority have accepted the need to build more sustainability and are committed to doing so.

Estimator Mike Solomon of Clevedon based Russell Construction won top prize in the inaugural H+H Green Poll, an Apple iPod Touch. Mike took five minutes out of his busy schedule to offer his expert opinion on building to the highest levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Ribbon Court, a ?6.5m care home in Coventry built for Accord Housing Association, was completed four weeks ahead of schedule due to the use of large format aircrete Multi Plates and Thin-Joint Celfix mortar. H+H supplied a through-the-wall solution  including all of the lintels, aircrete, ties, mortar, damp-proof course (DPC), cavity trays and bed-joint reinforcement ? everything except the doors and windows.

Flexibility is at the core of H+H?s commercial relationships with its merchant customers: the willingness to work as a partner to develop new service models that support the merchants? changing business models.

While placing an overall target of 25% reduction in carbon emissions from new buildings, the 2010 revisions to Part L also focus very clear attention on the U value of external walls.

Having been fully prepared for a slow to moderate start to 2010 we, like many other suppliers to the housebuilding industry, have had a much better first half than we had dared to hope. The reason is simple: NHBC statistics for the months of March to May indicate that the number of new housing starts is 60% up on the same period in 2009. Even when this is moderated by a significantly less impressive opening to the year, it does still reflect a market on the road to recovery.