LABC has launched a new website for homeowners – Front Door. The site provides practical guidance on all sorts of home improvements and renovations as well as technical advice on obtaining building control and planning approvals
Launched in February 2021, the home improvement website has won plaudits from industry and consumers including the British Home Design magazine who said: “This new website is an invaluable source of knowledge and advice and explains what Local Authority Building Control surveyors do and how they work with your designer, builder and tradespeople!”
The website features sections on popular home renovation projects like garage conversions, extensions, kitchen renovations, roofing and loft conversions and encourages homeowners to get in touch with their own queries with the ‘Ask Anna’ feature.
Front Door will also be regularly publishing blog posts and homeowner-related news items.
Front Door is a useful source for builders and other tradespeople who work with homeowners on a day to day basis, giving them somewhere to signpost clients for expert advice and to check facts themselves and understand their rights and responsibilities.
‘A one-stop-shop for any homeowner’
Tom Reynolds, CEO of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, said: “Product compliance and building control may not be the most exciting topics, but they are about keeping you safe and stopping you getting ripped off.
“Front Door is a great source of easy-to-understand info about the rules, direct from people you can trust.”
Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), commented: “Front Door is a brilliant one-stop-shop for any homeowner thinking about having work done to their home.”
LABC has worked with the Competent Person Schemes Forum and the NHIC (National Home Improvement Council) providing access to specialist consumer protection advice and a comprehensive list of Competent Persons Scheme Operators and their registered and regulated firms and installers.
Anna Scothern, chief executive of the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), said: “We’re thrilled that LABC, who have been members of the NHIC for many years, have risen to the challenge of producing a free to use independent resource for homeowners to help them understand how best to safely and affordably carry out home improvement works.
“The Front Door website should be everyone’s first port of call when planning to improve their home.”
‘A resource for people with no construction knowledge’
LABC’s head of engagement, Anna Thompson, added: “We called it ‘Front Door’ because every home has one! It’s been designed as a resource written for people with no construction knowledge and who may be concerned about the reliability of all the information out there.
“It’s a comprehensive, one-stop website with expert advice and consumer information checked out by the National Home Improvement Council. The emphasis is on compliance, safety, peace of mind and public protection.
“The lockdown has meant people are spending more time in their homes and as a result many are realising they want to make changes – perhaps to add more living space with a garage or loft conversion to incorporate a home office.
“Front Door helps people avoid rogue traders, explains homeowners’ responsibilities to make sure work is safe and complies with building regulations and has a broad range of advice and information to make home improvement projects go smoothly.”
