We’re proud to announce that this Christmas SEHBAC’s charity will be Have a Heart.

Have a Heart is the charitable arm of Heart FM.

Through the fundraising support of it’s listeners and companies like SEHBAC, Have a Heart award grants to registered charities and voluntary groups working with children and young people in the local area.

Their primary focus is on local projects which address particular needs in our local community. Typically they support projects to support those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence, crime or those who live with an illness or disability.

On the 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th of December we’re turning our show centres at Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford and Romford into Christmas Grottos.

Come along with the whole family - the children can visit Santa and get their photograph taken, and the adults can get into the festive spirit with a glass of mulled wine. There’ll be plenty of mince pies to go around too! We do hope that you’ll come down and join in the fun.

The event is completely free of course, but we will be collecting for the Have a Heart charity - it’s for a great cause and with your help we hope to really make a difference to the lives of children and young people in our local community.

Back in March, European Finance Ministers voted to allow EU Member States to reduce the VAT rate to 5% on home maintenance and repairs. This marked a victory of sorts for the ‘Cut the VAT‘ coalition who have been campaigning to get the VAT rate for maintenance and repair work reduced to 5%.

At the time, Brian Berry (Director of External Affairs at the Federation of Master Builders) said:

“News that the UK Government now has the option to reduce VAT to five percent on home maintenance and repairs is very exciting as it cannot no longer blame Brussels for not being able to take action.

If the UK Government goes ahead and implements the VAT cut it could mean that many more small building firms will be able to stay in business.

The EU experiment where VAT has already been cut in parts of Europe already proves that a cut will increase Treasury revenue as well having many social benefits such as creating a greener, more energy efficient housing stock and tackling the growing issue of fuel poverty.”

On 20th May, the Federation of Small Businesses added their backing to the campaign following a survey of their members which revealed that 59% of the respondents reported a decrease in business, and 37% were concerned about their financial prospects in the future.

49% of respondents highlighted that the lack of demand in the private and public sector was negatively affecting their business.

As a result the FSB are now working with the FMB in order to campaign for VAT on home improvement to be lowered to 5%.

John Walker (National Policy Chairman for the FSB) said:

“Confidence in the smaller building projects around the country has dropped to a low, and people who were thinking of adding an extension to their home, renovating their bathroom or building a garage, should be given the incentive to go ahead. Lowering the VAT rate on home renovation projects will encourage people to spend their money and give a vital kick-start to the important, but currently beleaguered, construction industry. It will also help the Government to meet its carbon emission targets by encouraging green home renovations.

With more than 300,000 jobs in the sector under threat during the recession, and more than half of smaller construction firms and builders across the UK warning they will have to lay off staff in coming months, the construction industry needs support today.”

To find out more about the benefits of cutting VAT on Home Improvements why not visit the Cut the VAT website, and add your support to the campaign. The benefits of a reduced rate of VAT include:

1. Economic Benefits - increased employment, and a potential increase in actual tax take, as despite the VAT rate decrease, the number of projects undertaken should increase.
2. Reduce the number of rogue builders - many ‘cowboys’ flourish by evading VAT altogether thereby offering customers cheaper deals; a reduced rate of VAT would level the playing field and allow reputable traders to compete with their pricing.
3. Reduce the number of empty homes - surprisingly there are over 700,000 empty homes in England alone; but the cost of repairing them to make them fit for habitation is too high - a reduction in VAT would help alleviate this.  
4. Reduce the number of those living in substandard housing as people will be more readily able to afford repairs.
5. Protect the countryside - by making home repair and improvement work more affordable, it would encourage the use of existing structures rather than continuing the development of greenbelt land.
6. Stop the destruction of decent existing buildings - the difference between having to pay 17.5% VAT on building repair work and not having to pay any VAT on new buildings can lead to perfectly good existing structures being demolished and then rebuilt for tax reasons.
7. Increase the number of zero-carbon homes - The most cost-effective way of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is when they undergo major renovation, however currently the VAT rates are heavily weighted in favour of demolition and new build as opposed to refurbishment - 0% VAT on new homes versus 17.5% on the renovation and repair of existing homes.
8. Help tackle fuel poverty - the number of people living in fuel poverty in this country has doubled since 2004. If the VAT was cut on energy efficient home improvements, more people would be able to afford to make these improvements, and save money on their heating bills.
9. Help preserve our national heritage - Britain’s national heritage is threatened by the VAT burden that repairs and maintenance work carries. Buildings of significant historical interest will continue to be lost to modern developments unless the costs of their maintenance can be reduced.
10. Allow disabled people to have essential renovations made to their homes - charging VAT on this building work can reduce the available grant by up to 17.5 per cent (reducing the current maximum grant of £30,000 to £24,750).

Image credit - Cut the VAT Coalition.

John Savage (Managing Director), Simon Bowden (Head of Manufacturing) and Vanessa Summers (Administration) were delighted to welcome students from the Raphael Independent School in Hornchurch, Essex; to SEHBAC’s Factory in Ipswich last week.

The year 10 Business Studies students visited in order to further their understanding of the manufacturing processes employed by companies like SEHBAC.

Accompanied by their teachers Mrs Willis and Mrs Gilbert, the students were first given an introduction to the company’s history and current structure, before touring the factory floor.

There we explained the processes we use when manufacturing windows and conservatories, and went on to show examples of the finished products in our Ipswich show centre.

We then took a break for lunch. 

A little bird told us it was Mrs Willis’ birthday, so we couldn’t resist spoiling her with a surprise birthday cake - well it’s not a proper birthday without cake is it?

After lunch we took some questions from the students, and were particularly impressed by Priya who asked some excellent questions on our production methods.

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and it was an absolute pleasure to have the students and their teachers visit. 

A write up of the visit can also be viewed on the Raphael Independent School’s website.

SEHBAC are pleased to announce their partnership agreement with VBH, who will be supplying hardware for SEHBAC’s PVCu and composite doors, PVCu outward opening casement windows and tilt & turn windows.

John Savage (pictured on the left), Managing Director of SEHBAC said: “We’ve worked hard to earn ourselves a reputation as a supplier of premium calibre double glazing products. For that reason we always want to fit the best hardware, so when VBH demonstrated their ability to pull together all the top brands and supply from a single source, it became a really simple choice.”

Under the terms of the partnership, VBH and their partners will provide on-going technical assistance whenever required. For example, Melvin Hutton (VBH Technical Manager) has recently been working with SEHBAC in setting up windows for testing at BSI for BS7950 kitemark certification.

Melvin Hutton of VBH said “This is what VBH is all about. Bringing all the links in the supply chain together to provide more support, more value and more efficiency. Our aim is to provide ’simply everything’ to our business partners and to support them in their plans to provide market leading products and service. We look forward to a successful and growing business relationship with SEHBAC.”

News of this partnership was also picked up by several industry publications including Glass & Glazing Magazine and Glass Times.

If you’re considering improving your home with a conservatory, double glazing, extension etc obviously the price you pay will be a key consideration, particularly given the current economic climate.

However, according to recent research by Lloyds TSB there has been a 16% increase in the number of ‘botch’ jobs by rogue traders in the last 12 months - possibly as a result of people being more price sensitive; and therefore going for the cheapest quote.

It seems however, that many homeowners are being penny wise, but pound foolish, and they are now having to foot the bill to correct the work undertaken by unscrupulous tradesmen.

Lloyds TSB’s research suggests that on average it costs an additional £1,250 in remedial works to repair a poorly installed conservatory - a sobering thought indeed. Particularly when you consider that these homeowners were looking to save a few hundred pounds - but actually end up spending far more.

Sadly nearly a third of victims admitted that they failed to check up  on workers’ qualifications, or even seek references from previous customers.

Top Tips to Avoid the ‘Cowboys’

If you’re looking to undertake home improvements - be it having double glazing or a conservatory fitted, or getting your home extended avoid the ‘cowboys’ and check out our top tips:

1. Don’t assume that anyone who can afford to advertise will be OK - adverts in local directories / newspapers etc aren’t particularly expensive, and these publications offer you no guarantees about the businesses who advertise in them. If you’re looking for double glazing or conservatories then check that your chosen supplier is FENSA registered.

2. Get at least three quotes so you can compare prices.

3. When getting quotes make sure you’re comparing like for like so you can be sure that the cheaper quote isn’t down to lower quality materials being used.

4. Do some background checks - e.g. check that they are registered with FENSA, check how long they’ve been in business, look around online for adverse reviews etc.

5. Ask for references - and make sure you follow them up!

6. Any reputable company or individual will offer guarantees for their work. Make sure your chosen supplier does too.

7. Get a written and signed agreement detailing the work which will be undertaken, the cost, how long it will take, when work will commence and how much you have agreed to pay.

8. Agree up front payment terms - e.g. deposit and payment on completion and include dates. Never pay the full amount in advance.

9. Trust your gut. Often your instincts will be correct - if you don’t feel comfortable, then find someone else to do the work for you.

10. If it seems too good to be true - it probably is!

Obviously if you are considering replacing your windows, or getting a new conservatory, we’d love the opportunity to quote. Browse our website to view our range, drop into one of our show centres, call us on 0800 666 444 or book a home visit.

Image credit a.drian