The National Self Build and Renovation Centre
If you haven't been to this cavernous warehouse full of house experts you are probably missing one of the best experience days a housing professional, self builder or retrofit enthusiast could ask for,
Purpose built with a focus on covering every possible part of the house building journey, it is perhaps the best in real life (IRL) experience in a single venue.
Nick Whant Introduces NSBRC
Spread out over several football pitches is a mixture of interactive displays, permanent product stands, seminar areas, lecture bays and suites,
And when I say interactive, I mean totally immersive. The 'Renovation House', currently sponsored by the energy company Good energy is a prime example.
The front bay of a dilapidated house is built in complete replica form, life size, then the same bay of the house is duplicated undergoing renovation, then duplicated again during the second fix stage and then duplicated a final time in completely finished form.
The Good Energy Solar Specialist Will - Does a Tour Of The 'Renovation House' Solar Energy Fittings
We visited during the winter open day which is one of many free events when the existing house staff and expert consultants are supplemented by a swathe of product specialists.
Pete Toth from PBT Installations as at the event demonstrating his cooler/heater radiators from JAGA
Visitors are able to walk down aisles and aisles of stands where the staff, unlike some of the other shows we attend, stand back and wait for you to make an enquiry. No sales patter, just informative and friendly with an opportunity to get a real human being, not a bot - answer those questions you might feel foolish about asking in a forum or with your architect!
In addition to the excellent interactions you have the opportunity to attend seminars where real life renovations and retrofits are displayed with absolute candour by real people who have made renovations like the ones you want to make.
At the show we attended, Kate Silvester did a fabulous walk through of her retrofit project. The audience was packed with 'able to pay' consumers who were lapping up the first hand experience she told them about.
Retrofit enthusiast Kate Silvester conducts her seminar about retrofitting a 1960s bungalow house.
Get yourself down to the next big event in May and see what an immersive experience feels like, in person.
