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Inspire Me

Ideas, guides & lessons from the field

Home renovation guides, design thinking and property know-how from the MVV team, drawn from the loft conversions, extensions and refurbishments we design, build and maintain across London.

10 Benefits For Hiring An Interior Designer

Featured · 3 min read

10 Benefits For Hiring An Interior Designer

Ordering a design project for your space, whether it’s a home, office, or commercial space, brings numerous benefits. Here are several compelling benefits for why engaging an expert interior designer is a wise decision.

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Design StudioTry the ideas in a room of your own: its colours, its layout and your mood board.Try it yourself
Design cost calculatorWhat will the design cost?Tick what fits your home and see the design and approvals your project needs, with indicative fees.See the design costs
29 colours and their partners: a guide for London homes, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

29 colours and their partners: a guide for London homes

Every good colour has a partner that makes it look its best. Twenty-nine colours for London homes, from the everyday whites to ink blue and oxblood, three partners for each, and the floor and metal that suit it.

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Accountable Persons: Who Carries the Building Safety Duties, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Accountable Persons: Who Carries the Building Safety Duties

Every occupied higher-risk building in England now has named legal owners of its safety: the accountable persons. Here is who they are, the duties they carry, and what changes when they commission building work.

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Basement Conversions in London: Is Digging Down Worth It?, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Basement Conversions in London: Is Digging Down Worth It?

When you cannot build out and cannot build up, London builds down. Basements are the most demanding domestic projects there are, and the most misunderstood. Here is the honest picture: when digging down makes sense, what actually drives the cost, and the questions to settle before anyone touches a shovel.

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Before the builders arrive: what has to be in place before work starts, a London renovation guide by MVV

10 min read

Before the builders arrive: what has to be in place before work starts

A start date is only as real as the paperwork behind it. Here is what has to be in place before building work starts on a London house, how long each item takes, and why a missing one stops or delays the start.

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Bespoke joinery in a London home: where it earns its place, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

Bespoke joinery in a London home: where it earns its place

Furniture you buy fills a room. Joinery made for it completes it. Where bespoke joinery earns its place in a London home, from libraries and dressing rooms to sliding doors, window seats and hidden storage, with examples from our projects.

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BSR Inspections: What to Expect on Site, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

BSR Inspections: What to Expect on Site

Approval is not the end of the regulator's interest, it is the beginning of its visits. How BSR inspections actually work during construction: who comes, what they look at, the powers they carry, and what an inspection-ready site does differently.

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Building to the Building Safety Act, On Site, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Building to the Building Safety Act, On Site

The regulations are written on paper; buildings are built by hands. The gap between the two is where projects fail inspections, lose completion certificates and burn programme. Here is how a site that builds to the Building Safety Act actually runs.

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Building vs Buying a House in London: Cost, Tax, Time and Risk, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

Building vs Buying a House in London: Cost, Tax, Time and Risk

In London, building a house usually means buying one and knocking it down. How a true replacement new build compares with buying a house to extend or refurbish, or buying one finished, on VAT, stamp duty, the Community Infrastructure Levy, time, finance and risk, with the rules and our own indicative estimator prices as of September 2026.

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Change Control on Higher-Risk Building Projects, a London renovation guide by MVV

2 min read

Change Control on Higher-Risk Building Projects

On an ordinary project, a design change is a conversation. On a higher-risk building project, it is a regulated event. Here is how the change control regime distinguishes major from notifiable changes, and how disciplined teams keep building while staying inside it.

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Colour drenching: when to paint the walls, woodwork and ceiling one colour, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Colour drenching: when to paint the walls, woodwork and ceiling one colour

Painting the walls, the woodwork and sometimes the ceiling in one colour blurs the edges of a room, so it feels calm and enveloping. What colour drenching is, where it works, and how to finish it well.

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Coving, cornice, skirting and doors: the details that make a room, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

Coving, cornice, skirting and doors: the details that make a room

Where the walls meet the ceiling and the floor, and the doors you walk through, decide whether a room feels period, contemporary or somewhere between. What coving, cornice, skirting and door styles are, and which suit your house.

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Decide early, build once: what it costs to change your plans once building starts, a London renovation guide by MVV

10 min read

Decide early, build once: what it costs to change your plans once building starts

A change costs least on a drawing and most once it is built. What a variation is, how changes are priced once building work has started, and when to make each decision, from the planning drawings to the paint.

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Design and build, or a designer then a builder: which suits your project?, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

Design and build, or a designer then a builder: which suits your project?

There are two ways to run an extension or renovation: a designer first and builders after, or one company for both. An honest comparison from a design and build company, including when the traditional route is the better choice.

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Design before you build: why the drawings decide the cost, the time and the result, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

Design before you build: why the drawings decide the cost, the time and the result

The drawings decide the layout, the structure, the approvals, the price and the order of work before anyone picks up a tool. What a finished design settles, what goes wrong without one, and what it costs beside the build on a London home.

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Design costs for a London home in 2026: architects, engineers, surveyors and approvals, a London renovation guide by MVV

18 min read

Design costs for a London home in 2026: architects, engineers, surveyors and approvals

The design, survey and approval costs on a London extension, loft, basement or refurbishment in 2026: MVV's two design packages beside the market prices, which fees are set by law and exact, and which ones your own home is likely to need.

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Fire-Rated Products: Doors, Dampers and Fire-Stopping, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Fire-Rated Products: Doors, Dampers and Fire-Stopping

Compartmentation is a building's fire plan made physical, and it is only as good as its weakest product and its worst installation. A plain guide to fire doors, fire dampers and fire-stopping: what the ratings mean, where each product earns its keep, and why the paper trail matters as much as the product.

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Free estimate, AI estimate or a quotation: which one do you need?, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

Free estimate, AI estimate or a quotation: which one do you need?

Pricing a building project happens in three steps, each answering a different question. What a free estimate, an AI estimate and a quotation each give you, and the honest limits of each.

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Gateway 2 Explained: The BSR Application in 2026, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

Gateway 2 Explained: The BSR Application in 2026

Gateway 2 is the hard stop between design and construction for every higher-risk building in England. Here is how the BSR application actually works in 2026: who needs one, how long decisions really take, and what separates approved applications from rejected ones.

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Gateway 3: The Completion Certificate, Explained, a London renovation guide by MVV

2 min read

Gateway 3: The Completion Certificate, Explained

Gateway 2 decides whether a higher-risk building project can start. Gateway 3 decides whether anyone can live in the result. Here is how the completion certificate stage actually works, and why the projects that pass it smoothly planned for it on day one.

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Glass Extensions: Costs, Planning and Whether They Are Worth It, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

Glass Extensions: Costs, Planning and Whether They Are Worth It

A glass extension is the most photogenic thing you can add to a period house, and the most misunderstood. What it costs in London, where frameless glazing genuinely earns its place, what planning and building regulations allow, and what actually moves the budget.

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Guide to Loft Conversions: Creating Luxury Living Spaces, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

Guide to Loft Conversions: Creating Luxury Living Spaces

A loft conversion is a great way to transform an unused space into a luxurious, stylish and functional part of your home. It can provide extra space for a bedroom, a home office, or even a guest suite.

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Hip to Gable Loft Conversions: Is It Right for Your Home?, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Hip to Gable Loft Conversions: Is It Right for Your Home?

If your house has a hipped roof, the slope stealing your loft's headroom can become a full gable wall, and the loft behind it becomes a real floor. Which houses hip to gable suits, how it pairs with a rear dormer, and how its cost compares with a rear dormer in London.

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Home Office Extensions in London: Planning, Cost and Design, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

Home Office Extensions in London: Planning, Cost and Design

A home office extension gives you a room to work in that belongs to the house. What planning and building regulations allow in London, how to design a room you will want to work in, what it costs on typical extensions and lofts priced on our estimator in September 2026, and how a loft office or garden office compares.

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How Long Is the BSR Taking? The Real Numbers, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

How Long Is the BSR Taking? The Real Numbers

Everyone in the sector trades anecdotes about BSR waiting times. The regulator publishes the actual numbers. Here is what its own data says as of 31 August 2026, category by category, and how to read it when you plan a project.

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How much does a bathroom renovation cost in London in 2026?, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

How much does a bathroom renovation cost in London in 2026?

What a bathroom renovation costs in London in 2026, fitted: the building work from our free estimate's bands, the products at four levels from our second fix calculator, and the total including VAT for a family bathroom, a wet room and a cloakroom WC, with why quotes vary and real MVV bathrooms.

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How much does a house extension cost in London in 2026?, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

How much does a house extension cost in London in 2026?

Figures from typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026: a single storey extension of about 20 m² at around £67,000 and a two storey side return at around £151,000 ex VAT, with our minimum for a complete project around £100,000.

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How much does a house refurbishment cost in London in 2026?, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

How much does a house refurbishment cost in London in 2026?

Figures from typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026: whole house refurbishments with a new extension at roughly £1,300 to £1,600 per square metre ex VAT, the builder's work for a kitchen diner refit at around £27,000, and honest numbers for rewires, bathrooms and redecoration.

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How much does a loft conversion cost in London in 2026?, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

How much does a loft conversion cost in London in 2026?

From typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026: rear dormer loft conversions between £80,000 and £95,000 ex VAT, a new stair included, and what moves the price from there.

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How much does a new kitchen cost in London in 2026? Fitted prices at four levels, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

How much does a new kitchen cost in London in 2026? Fitted prices at four levels

What a new kitchen costs in London in 2026, fitted and with VAT, at four levels: the builder's work of a full refit from our free estimate, plus the units, worktops, appliances, sink and tap from our second fix calculator, brands named, and what moves each part.

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How much does a two storey extension cost in London in 2026?, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

How much does a two storey extension cost in London in 2026?

A typical London two storey side return priced on our estimator in September 2026 came to around £151,000 ex VAT for about 48 m² of new floor. Why a second storey costs less per square metre, and what planning, party walls, building regulations and tax add.

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How much does it cost to renovate a flat in London?, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

How much does it cost to renovate a flat in London?

What it costs to renovate a one or two bed flat in London in 2026, building work and finishes together, including VAT: about £130,800 to £170,400 for a typical 75 m² two bed at a Standard finish. Per m² and per sq ft, what moves the figure, the costs and rules only flats have, and real MVV flats with how long they took.

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How much does it cost to renovate a Victorian terrace in London?, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

How much does it cost to renovate a Victorian terrace in London?

What it costs to renovate a typical three bedroom Victorian terrace in London, including VAT: the building work from our free estimate and the finishes from our second fix calculator, at four levels. With lighter jobs, what £100,000 to £200,000 buys, an extension or a loft, and what period fabric changes.

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How Much Value Does an Extension or Loft Conversion Add in London?, a London renovation guide by MVV

7 min read

How Much Value Does an Extension or Loft Conversion Add in London?

Nationwide's October 2025 research says a loft conversion or extension adding a large double bedroom and a bathroom can add as much as 24% to a three bedroom, one bathroom house. Whether it pays in London depends on your street's ceiling price, what the space adds and the full cost, set here against typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026.

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How much will my extension cost? Build it in 3D and get a free London estimate, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

How much will my extension cost? Build it in 3D and get a free London estimate

The quickest honest answer to what your extension will cost is a range from typical London jobs like yours. Our free estimate gives you one in about two minutes, with a 3D model of your home, a line by line range and a PDF to keep.

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How to Choose a Building Company, From One, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

How to Choose a Building Company, From One

Choosing the builder is the decision that decides everything after it. Here is how to do it properly, written by a building company with nothing to fear from a well-informed client: the checks that matter, the red flags, and the questions weak builders hate.

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How to light a living room: layers, warmth and dimmers, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

How to light a living room: layers, warmth and dimmers

A living room is used in daylight and lamplight, for reading, talking and the television, and one ceiling light cannot do all of that. How to light it in layers, choose the colour of the light, and plan it before the walls are finished.

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How to Manage a London House Renovation Without Going Over Budget, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

How to Manage a London House Renovation Without Going Over Budget

Many renovation overruns are decided before anyone lifts a tool. Where they come from, how to keep a London house renovation on budget before and during the build, and what to do when the price comes back too high, with figures priced on our estimator in September 2026.

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How to plan your extension or renovation online: MVV's free design tools, a London renovation guide by MVV

11 min read

How to plan your extension or renovation online: MVV's free design tools

You can plan much of an extension or renovation online before you call a builder. What each of our free design tools answers, where each one stops, and how to bring your results to a free consultation.

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Kitchen Extensions in West London, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Kitchen Extensions in West London

A West London kitchen extension usually starts with the side return. This guide covers the options for the local housing stock, planning in conservation heavy postcodes, and costs from typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026: about 20 m² of new floor at around £67,000 ex VAT.

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Loft Conversion Structural Engineers: When You Need One and What They Do, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

Loft Conversion Structural Engineers: When You Need One and What They Do

A loft conversion turns a roof into a floor, and building control will almost always ask for structural calculations to prove it can carry the load. What a structural engineer provides, when to bring one in, how dormer, hip to gable and mansard conversions change the structure, who can do the job and what drives the cost.

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Loft Conversions in Victorian Houses, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

Loft Conversions in Victorian Houses

Most of London's loft conversions happen under Victorian roofs. This guide covers which conversion suits which roof, what the Party Wall Act means for terraces, and costs from typical jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026: rear dormer lofts land between £80,000 and £95,000 ex VAT.

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Loft Conversions with an En Suite: Cost, Layout and Regulations, a London renovation guide by MVV

6 min read

Loft Conversions with an En Suite: Cost, Layout and Regulations

Nearly every London loft conversion now includes an en suite. What it adds to the budget, where the shower and WC should go under a sloping roof, and the fire, ventilation and drainage rules that shape the design, with figures from typical loft conversions priced on our estimator in September 2026.

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Mansion Block Loft Conversions in London: The Roof Space, Planning and Fire Safety, a London renovation guide by MVV

7 min read

Mansion Block Loft Conversions in London: The Roof Space, Planning and Fire Safety

Converting the roof space above a top floor flat in a London mansion block, as of September 2026: securing the loft from the freeholder, planning permission for flats, the fire escape rules for a flat on two floors, and when the Building Safety Regulator decides.

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New Build or Refurbishment in London: Which Makes More Financial Sense?, a London renovation guide by MVV

8 min read

New Build or Refurbishment in London: Which Makes More Financial Sense?

Knocking down and rebuilding a London house, refurbishing it and refurbishing with an extension are taxed, planned and timed differently. How VAT, demolition and planning rules, the Community Infrastructure Levy, the Building Safety Levy and carbon policy tip the decision, with refurbishment figures priced on our estimator in September 2026.

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North facing or south facing: choosing colours for London light, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

North facing or south facing: choosing colours for London light

The same paint can look like two different colours in two rooms of the same house. Why north and south facing rooms change colour, what to choose for each, and how to test before you commit.

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Orangery, Conservatory or Extension: Which Do You Actually Want?, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Orangery, Conservatory or Extension: Which Do You Actually Want?

Three names, three price brackets, and one question underneath: do you want a room for all seasons or a glazed place to sit? What an orangery actually is, where the building regulations line falls, and how to choose the one you will still love in February.

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Party Wall Agreements, Explained Without the Fear, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Party Wall Agreements, Explained Without the Fear

Almost every London extension, loft or basement touches the Party Wall Act, and almost every homeowner meets it with dread. It does not deserve the fear. Here is how the process actually works: the notices, the deadlines, the surveyors, and how to keep the whole thing calm and on programme.

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Period home interiors in London: keeping the character, adding the comfort, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

Period home interiors in London: keeping the character, adding the comfort

A period house rewards a light touch in some places and a bold one in others. What to keep, what to open up, and how floors, colour, marble and light bring a London home together, with examples from homes we have designed and built.

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Planning a House Extension: The Steps in the Right Order, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Planning a House Extension: The Steps in the Right Order

Most extension delays are decisions made in the wrong order. Here is the sequence that works, from first budget conversation to handover: what happens at each step, how long the clocks really take, and the two moments where projects usually go wrong.

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Planning Your Victorian Kitchen Extension, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Planning Your Victorian Kitchen Extension

Adding an extension to your Victorian kitchen is a chance to create a modern, functional space while preserving the unique character of your home. With thoughtful planning, you can effortlessly blend contemporary design with timeless charm.

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Rear Extension or Side Return: Which Is Right for Your London Home?, a London renovation guide by MVV

7 min read

Rear Extension or Side Return: Which Is Right for Your London Home?

Most London terraces can grow backwards into the garden, sideways into the side return, or both. How each option changes the house, what permitted development allows for each, how the costs compare on typical London jobs priced on our estimator in September 2026, and when a wrap around earns its extra complexity.

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Refurbishing a Flat in a High-Rise: The BSR Rules, a London renovation guide by MVV

4 min read

Refurbishing a Flat in a High-Rise: The BSR Rules

If your flat sits in a residential building of seven storeys or 18 metres, your refurbishment does not follow the building control route you remember. Here is when the Building Safety Regulator is involved, what is genuinely exempt, and how to plan a project that keeps moving.

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See your room before you paint: a guide to the Colour Room, a London renovation guide by MVV

5 min read

See your room before you paint: a guide to the Colour Room

A paint card is two inches square, and a room is walls, woodwork, floor, fabrics and light. The Colour Room, our free design tool, lets you set up a room like yours, try a colour three ways and keep a mood board with the kit to build it.

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The Building Safety Levy: What Changes on 1 October 2026, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

The Building Safety Levy: What Changes on 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, building control applications that create new homes in England carry a new charge. Who actually pays the Building Safety Levy, which projects are exempt, and how to plan around it.

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The Golden Thread: What It Is and Who Keeps It, a London renovation guide by MVV

2 min read

The Golden Thread: What It Is and Who Keeps It

The golden thread is the Building Safety Act's simplest idea and its most demanding: a higher-risk building must carry a complete, current, trustworthy record of itself, from first design to last day of occupation. Here is what that means in practice.

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The Importance Of Annual Boiler Services, a London renovation guide by MVV

2 min read

The Importance Of Annual Boiler Services

Ensuring your boiler and gas appliances are serviced annually is crucial for both safety and efficiency. At The MVV, we provide comprehensive boiler service packages for all property owners.

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The Importance Of Annual Heat Exchanger Servicing, a London renovation guide by MVV

2 min read

The Importance Of Annual Heat Exchanger Servicing

For properties using heat exchangers instead of boilers, regular servicing is crucial to ensure efficient heating and to avoid costly repairs. At The MVV, our comprehensive heat exchanger service is designed to maintain performance and safety.

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The Importance Of Property Surveys In Planned Maintenance, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

The Importance Of Property Surveys In Planned Maintenance

When it comes to ensuring your property stays in excellent condition, property surveys are essential. At The MVV, we use these surveys to create fully tailored planned maintenance schedules.

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The Safety Case Report, Explained, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

The Safety Case Report, Explained

Every occupied higher-risk building in England must be able to show, in writing, how its biggest risks are being managed. That document is the safety case report. Here is what it is, who owns it, and why building work and the safety case must tell the same story.

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Timber Frame vs Brick Extensions: An Honest Comparison, a London renovation guide by MVV

3 min read

Timber Frame vs Brick Extensions: An Honest Comparison

Timber frame or blockwork and brick? It is one of the first questions extension clients ask, and most answers online are written by someone selling one of the two. Here is the honest comparison from a contractor that builds both.

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What is second fix? First fix and second fix explained, and what the materials cost, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

What is second fix? First fix and second fix explained, and what the materials cost

First fix is the work that goes into the walls, floors and ceilings before the plaster; second fix is everything fitted after it, from the floors, doors and sockets to the kitchen and the bathrooms. The difference trade by trade, what third fix means, when second fix happens, and what its materials cost for a typical London home at four finish levels.

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What order do you renovate a house in? The stages of a London renovation, and how long it takes, a London renovation guide by MVV

9 min read

What order do you renovate a house in? The stages of a London renovation, and how long it takes

The order a London house renovation runs in, from the survey and party wall notices to snagging: what happens at each stage, who does it, what to decide before the first fix, and how long our own projects took, with a checklist to print.

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Who you need on your side: the team behind a London extension or renovation, a London renovation guide by MVV

10 min read

Who you need on your side: the team behind a London extension or renovation

A London extension or renovation needs more than a builder: here is who does what, when each one should join, and what goes wrong when one comes in late.

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