What a £50,000 renovation budget actually buys in 2026

A better kitchen, an extra room or a warmer house? We look at five ways to use a £50,000 budget, with the costs and compromises behind each.

Before the first autumn fire, check more than the log basket

A cold stove, a service record and a working carbon-monoxide alarm are better starting points than a match.

An extension that works with the steps, not against them

At Newhaven in Edinburgh, Pend makes an awkward change in level part of the design. The lesson starts with the route through the house.

What replacing one roof window really puts in the budget

A same-size replacement can be a contained project. Changing the opening, specification or surrounding roof is a different quotation.

A reading corner you’ll actually sit in

Forget the fantasy library for a moment. A comfortable chair, a properly placed light and a little breathing room can do the job.

The room between the kitchen and sitting room deserves a job

A north London townhouse shows how a middle room can earn its place, with somewhere to pause as well as somewhere to put the coats.

A seat by the house, or a reason to walk into the garden?

The most useful garden seat may be the convenient one. The most tempting may be somewhere else entirely.

Bifold or sliding doors? Start with the view you’ll have all winter

The biggest opening is only one part of the decision. Sightlines, furniture and the everyday route to the garden deserve just as much attention.

Drying laundry indoors without making the whole house damp

The washing has to go somewhere. Give the moisture a route out, too, and the routine becomes much easier to manage.

The 15m2 extension that transformed an entire Victorian house

What Oti Mabuse’s new kitchen gets right about storage-first planning

Renovation materials are 5.9% dearer than a year ago: what that does — and doesn’t — mean for your budget

Plan a small bathroom before you buy a single fitting: four constraints that decide the layout

Had wall insulation fitted under ECO4 or GBIS? How to get it checked and what to do if something’s wrong

One material, four jobs: inside the London loft built around cork

Four London Design Festival ideas worth borrowing at home now

Three builder quotes, three different prices: the 10 lines to compare before you choose

The flooring edit: seven beautiful looks for 2027

Honeyed oak, timeworn stone and a little pattern: seven ways to give your next renovation a beautiful foundation.