Insights
The answers we give
on the doorstep.
Costs with real numbers, planning rules without the jargon, and project stories from actual Bristol houses. Every question a client has asked us, answered in public.
- 56
- Guides
- 8
- Topics
- Free
- Always
Who it’s for
Topic
56 articles
Latest · Renovations
Before the storms: the roof and gutter checks every Bristol house needs this autumn
A roof maintenance checklist for this autumn: what to look for from the garden and the loft, how to deal with gutters, and what to do after a storm.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Investors & Landlords
Six months to April 2027: the landlord deadlines worth planning works around
The confirmed landlord changes 2027 brings: the 0% VAT window, new property income tax rates, the rental register and MEES, with a six-month works calendar.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Planning & Regulations
Two-storey extension planning permission: what Bristol planners look for
When a two-storey extension is permitted development, when it never is, and the tests Bristol City Council applies to the rest. With 2026 fees.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Projects
After the flood: reinstating and remodelling a Portishead home
A dishwasher leak flooded the ground floor of a timber-frame house in Portishead. How it was put back, remodelled with bifolds, and who did what.
Oct 2026/5 min read
About Wilson & Cole
Design and build in Bristol: one team from first drawing to handover
Design and build puts the builder in the room from the first sketch. How our version works with partner architects, what you gain and what you give up.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Loft Conversions
A loft conversion with an en-suite: layout, plumbing and what it adds to the cost
Where a loft en-suite goes, how the waste reaches the stack, whether your hot water will cope, and the rules on fans, sound and fire.
Oct 2026/6 min read
About Wilson & Cole
What our customers say once we've gone: 28 Google reviews, read properly
We're rated 5.0 on Google from 28 reviews. Here's what customers actually say about us once the work is done, and how we ask every one of them.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Renovations
Why old Bristol houses get damp in autumn, and what actually fixes it
Most damp in old Bristol houses is condensation or water getting in from outside. How to tell which kind you have, and the repairs that last.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Investors & Landlords
Refurbishing a rental after the Renters' Rights Act: how to plan works now
Tenancies are periodic and Section 21 has gone. How Bristol landlords should plan refurbishment around voids they no longer control, and the deadlines to 2035.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Renovations
Knocking through: what it takes to remove a load-bearing wall
Opening up a kitchen and dining room means taking out a wall that may hold the house up. The order we do it in, the rules, and what it costs around the build.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Projects
A Georgian en-suite in Hotwells: bath out, walk-in shower in, in seven weeks
A seven-week refurbishment in a Georgian house on Dowry Square, Hotwells: the bath out, a walk-in shower in, new joinery, flooring and decoration.
Oct 2026/5 min read
House Extensions
Groundworks for an extension: everything that happens before it goes up
The first weeks of an extension happen below ground. Trenches, foundations, drains and the floor, in the order we do them, and why they decide the rest.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Loft Conversions
L-shaped dormer loft conversions: how much space they really add
An L-shaped dormer joins a dormer on the main roof to one over the outrigger. What it adds, why planning is often needed, and where the money goes.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Projects
Subsidence repairs: digging out a ground floor and putting a home back together
Twelve weeks, five rooms dug out, foundations shored up, a new insulated floor, and the client's own kitchen refitted on top.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Bristol Homes
Building through winter: what changes on site when the clocks go back
Can you build an extension in winter? Yes. What changes when the clocks go back, what the cold does to concrete and mortar, and what waits for spring.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Investors & Landlords
The new EPC has been pushed to 2027. Here's what Bristol landlords should do now
The reformed EPC now lands in the second half of 2027. The 2030 target, the £10,000 cap and the 1 October 2029 cut-off have not moved. A works plan.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Planning & Regulations
Building regulations for extensions: what gets inspected, and when
Planning says whether you can build it. Building regs say how. The inspections on an extension, in order, plus Part L, drains and the certificate you'll need.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Renovations
Wall stitching, new beams and a floor made flat: a structural renovation
Cracked walls, sagging ceilings and a floor shaped like a banana. How we put an old house's structure right, and what each repair involves.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Projects
Conservatory out, kitchen extension in: a Kingswood project
An old uPVC conservatory and a narrow kitchen became a bright flat-roof extension with two rooflights and a wrap-around kitchen. Twelve weeks in Kingswood.
Oct 2026/5 min read
House Extensions
Two-storey extension costs in Bristol: 2026 guide prices
£1,800 to £3,000 per m² plus VAT. Two worked examples for a two-storey extension in Bristol, what moves the price, and the fees that sit around the build.
Oct 2026/6 min read
Projects
A new home in Brislington, from winter groundworks to finished rooms
Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, seven months, one team. How we built a new house on Sherwell Road in Brislington, from winter groundworks to finished rooms.
Oct 2026/5 min read
Bristol Homes
Plan in October, build in spring: the timeline that works back from March
Want builders on site in March? The paperwork starts now. Here's the extension timeline worked backwards, what can overlap, and what slips if you wait.
Oct 2026/6 min read
About Wilson & Cole
We're TrustMark registered: what that means when you hire us
We're on TrustMark's public register, licence 4264445. What TrustMark checks, what it doesn't, and how to check every badge a builder shows you.
Oct 2026/6 min read
About Wilson & Cole
Choosing a Bristol builder: the questions that separate the good ones
The checks we'd run before hiring a builder: Companies House, insurance, FMB, reviews read for patterns, itemised quotes, a site visit and the regs question.
Sept 2026/8 min read
Projects
Project: a garage conversion that became a home office
How we turn a garage into a warm, wired home office in three to five weeks: floor, insulation, damp, glazing, power, heating, sign-off and guide prices.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Renovations
The dust question: living in your house during a renovation, and how we keep it liveable
Dust, mess, strangers in the house: the fear is fair. How we run a build you can live through: sealed zones, floor protection, daily clean-down, 8am starts.
Sept 2026/8 min read
Loft Conversions
Loft conversion or extension: which adds more to a Bristol home?
Loft or extension? A Bristol builder's comparison of space type, cost per usable square metre, value added, disruption and sequencing when the answer is both.
Sept 2026/8 min read
Projects
Project: a dormer loft conversion in Bishopston
How we build a dormer loft on a Bishopston terrace: what BS7 roofs allow, the master-suite brief, the build sequence, guide prices and the conservation check.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Renovations
What Bristol's Victorian terraces hide: a builder's field guide to renovation
Joist ends, chimney breasts, lath and plaster, cement over lime, old drains and older wiring: what a builder finds inside Bristol's Victorian terraces, and how to budget for it.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Investors & Landlords
HMO conversions in Bristol: licensing, regulations and realistic budgets
The 2026 rulebook for an HMO conversion in Bristol: licence types and fees, Article 4 planning, minimum room sizes, fire standards and honest budget bands per property.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Planning & Regulations
The Party Wall Act for Bristol terraces: notices, neighbours, timelines and the party wall agreement
Steels into a shared wall, a chimney breast out, an extension on the boundary: when a Bristol terrace needs a party wall agreement, and how to keep neighbours on side.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Projects
Project: the roof we drove to Hereford to build, and what it says about trusted builders in Bristol
A client in Hereford asked us to drive 60 miles past every local firm to build his new roof. This is why, what a new roof involves, and where we normally work.
Sept 2026/5 min read
Renovations
Garage conversions: turning dead space into a room you use every day
A garage conversion is the quickest way to add a real room to a Bristol home. Here is what it costs, the rules that always apply, and when we would tell you not to.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Loft Conversions
How long does a loft conversion take? A week-by-week timeline
A dormer loft takes 8 to 12 weeks on site, hip-to-gable or mansard 10 to 14. The week-by-week timeline, what stretches it, and how we keep yours on track.
Sept 2026/5 min read
Projects
Project: a kitchen-diner extension for a growing family
A rear kitchen extension we built for a growing Bristol family: green shaker units, a door straight to the garden, and how a build like this actually runs.
Sept 2026/4 min read
Bristol Homes
Booked-out Bristol: why the good builders have waiting lists
Good builders in Bristol are booked months ahead, and the numbers explain why. What a waiting list tells you, how far ahead to plan, and where our diary stands.
Sept 2026/5 min read
Investors & Landlords
Refurb-to-let: planning works between tenancies without losing rent
An empty week on an average Bristol rental costs about £435. How to plan a refurb to let around a void, what fits in 2, 4 or 8 weeks, and the compliance stack.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Planning & Regulations
Building regulations for loft conversions: what the inspector actually checks
Every loft conversion needs building regulations sign-off. What the inspector checks, stage by stage, and why the completion certificate matters when you sell.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Projects
Project: the BS9 rescue, a house renovation in Bristol after an attic leak
The BS9 rescue: how we triaged, made safe and rebuilt a Bristol home after a massive attic leak, working around a family the whole way through.
Sept 2026/7 min read
House Extensions
House extension costs in Bristol: single-storey guide prices for 2026
Single-storey house extension costs in Bristol for 2026: the £30,000 to £140,000 range, per m² benchmarks, side return vs rear, and what moves the number.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Loft Conversions
Loft conversion stairs: regulations, space and the options that pass sign-off
Where loft conversion stairs go, the Approved Document K numbers (42°, 2 m headroom, rise and going), when space-savers are allowed and the fire rules.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Projects
Project: a hip-to-gable loft conversion in a Bristol semi
How a hip-to-gable loft conversion runs on a typical 1930s Bristol semi: the roofline problem it solves, the build sequence, the timeline and the guide price.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Loft Conversions
Loft conversion ideas for Victorian terraces: 12 that actually work
Twelve loft conversion ideas we have actually built in Bristol's Victorian terraces, each with the practical or regs note that keeps it buildable.
Sept 2026/8 min read
Investors & Landlords
What an EPC upgrade really costs on a Victorian rental (and how to phase it)
The honest numbers for taking a Bristol Victorian rental from E to C: what each measure costs, where the £10,000 cap bites, and how to phase the works between tenancies.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Planning & Regulations
Permitted development loft conversion rules: the 40 and 50 cubic-metre limits explained
What permitted development grants for a loft, how the 40 and 50 cubic-metre limits are worked out on Bristol terraces and semis, the conditions people miss, and why we get a certificate.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Projects
Project: the dormer loft conversion a Bristol developer keeps coming back for
One Bristol developer has commissioned three dormer loft conversions from us. The spec, the programme, the price band and the FMB verified review.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Loft Conversions
Dormer loft conversion, mansard, hip-to-gable or Velux: which one fits your roof?
Read your roofline, then match it to the right loft conversion: dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard or Velux, with a comparison table and a Bristol postcode guide.
Sept 2026/8 min read
Loft Conversions
How much does a loft conversion cost in Bristol? 2026 guide prices
Our published 2026 guide prices for dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard and Velux loft conversions in Bristol, what moves the number and how an itemised quote works.
Sept 2026/7 min read
Projects
Project: a rear extension and whole ground-floor remodel in a Victorian terrace
A rear extension and whole ground-floor remodel in a Bristol Victorian terrace, told through Maeve T.'s review: what we did, how we ran it, and guide prices.
Sept 2026/5 min read
Bristol Homes
Improve, don't move: why Bristol homeowners are staying put
Bristol homes average £355,000 and a typical move costs about £24,000 in stamp duty and fees. The arithmetic on staying put and improving, with 2026 numbers.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Investors & Landlords
EPC C by 2030: the deadline every Bristol landlord needs in the diary
1 October 2030, a £10,000 cost cap and £30,000 penalties. What the EPC C rule asks of Bristol's period rentals, and how to phase the works between tenancies.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Planning & Regulations
Do you need planning permission for a loft conversion in Bristol?
Most Bristol loft conversions are permitted development. Here is when you do need planning permission, the 40 and 50 m³ rules, and why we advise a certificate.
Sept 2026/6 min read
About Wilson & Cole
Named after our grandfathers: why Wilson & Cole exists
Two carpenters, two grandfathers who were builders, and a mission to give builders a better name. Dan and Craig on why Wilson & Cole exists.
Sept 2026/6 min read
Planning & Regulations
Understanding CDM Regulations: Responsibilities and Impact for Homeowners
When embarking on a construction or renovation project in Bristol, it’s crucial to understand the roles and responsibilities under the […]
Jul 2024/2 min read
Bristol Homes
Choosing Between Rebuilding and Renovating in Bristol: Insights from Wilson & Cole Developments Ltd
Deciding between a full rebuild and a renovation is a significant choice for homeowners in Bristol, each with its own […]
Jul 2024/2 min read
Bristol Homes
When Is the Best Time for a Home Renovation or Loft Conversion?
Insights from Wilson and Cole Developments Bristol Choosing the perfect timing for your Loft Conversions Bristol or Home Extensions Bristol […]
May 2024/2 min read