What Will Living Off Earth Look Like? The term “New Space” is one that gets used a lot nowadays as the goal of living off-earth becomes more and more of a reality thanks to the constant advancements in technology. It refers to the recent commercialisation of the space sector where major players in private companies now play an increasingly important role, most notably, companies included in the so-called “GAFAs” (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon). Here at MyToolShed, we’re fascinated by how these companies are going to go about building colonies off-earth and what steps they’re going to have to take in order to create habitable environments in martian worlds. First, let’s compare the two companies that are the current front-runners in the race for New Space. SpaceX was founded by Tesla CEO, Elon Musk. Musk’s preliminary goal is to colonise Mars, where he wants to create a self-sustaining city. Once that goal is achieved, he sees Mars becoming more of a base for further exploration into our solar system. Blue Origin is the brainchild of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos and he has a very different vision of what New Space will look like in comparison to Musk. Bezos believes that free-floating space colonies is a better solution and will create a base on the moon in the process. These two companies are interesting to compare, as not only do they have very different visions about what New Space will look like, they also go about it in different manners. In fact, many sites, blogs and forums that specialise in covering this topic have coined the two as ‘the hare and the tortoise’. This is because Musk and SpaceX are seemingly very brash and quite gung-ho in their approach to getting Earth’s population onto Mars, where Bezos and Blue Origin, on the other hand, are far more methodical, private and seem to take their time with everything. Despite this, the two companies have similar timelines to one another, with both determined to have boots on the ground by 2024, Musk on Mars and Bezos on the moon. Musk Vs Bezos What Their Colonies Will Look Like As we’ve stated the two New Space front-runners have very different approaches, but how will this affect what their individual colonies will look like? Elon Musk | SpaceX MARS Musk’s vision of a colony on Mars is focussed on creating a self-sustaining city where people can pack up their things, sell the house and use the money to start a new life on another planet. Musk’s Argument Against Bezos’ Free Floating Space Colony “Makes no sense. In order to grow the colony, you’d have to transport vast amounts of mass from planets/moons/asteroids. Would be like trying to build the USA in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!” But what will movers find once they arrive at Musk's Mars Colony? 5 Things You’re Likely To Find On Musk’s Mars Colony Image Source : Deviant Art 1. Glass Geodesic Domes Musk doesn’t want people to feel trapped if they move to Mars and as a result has a desire to make the colony “an outdoorsy, fun atmosphere,” Musk stated in a recent interview. “You’d probably want to have some faceted glass dome, with a park, so you can walk around without a [space] suit.” Image Source : Human Mars 2. Hydroponic Farms Musk has also found the answer when it comes to feeding those that make the trip, where food would be grown on solar-powered hydroponic farms, located either underground or in an enclosed structure. Musk is quoted as saying, “You essentially have solar power — unfoiled solar panels on the ground, feed that to underground hydroponics, either underground or shielded by wires, dirt,” Musk told Popular Mechanics. “So then you can be sure that you don’t have to worry about excessive ultraviolet radiation or a solar storm or something like that. Really pretty straightforward. You could just use Earth hydroponics. Earth hydroponics will work fine.” Image Soure : Red Shift 3. Underground Tunnels/Hyperloop Navigating Mars will be tricky due to the high levels of radiation so Musk sees tunnels as a good way to get around. Musk’s side project The Boring Company, which specialises in creating tunnels, seems like the perfect solution for this. "I do think getting good at digging tunnels could be really helpful for Mars". SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell agrees, "I think the Boring Company could be the way that we house people on Mars. We'll have to dig tunnels for folks." It’s also likely that these tunnels won’t just be any old tunnels. Musk has also talked in the past about the possibility of a hyperloop train on Mars, which he thinks wouldn’t be too tough to sort out. "On Mars you basically just need a track… You might be able to just have a road, honestly. [It would] go pretty fast." Image Source : Human Mars 4. Pressurised Construction/Mining Areas The Boring Company will also come in handy when it comes to creating large areas. During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) session on Reddit, Musk was asked about what form of permanent habitation he foresaw, Musk replied, “(using)a lot of miner/tunnelling droids… you can build out a huge amount of pressurized space for industrial operations”. Image Source : AI Space Factory 5. 3D Printed Housing A multi-planetary architectural and technology design agency in New York City called AI SpaceFactory has created a concept entitled “The Marsha Project”, which can be 3D-printed using materials available on the Red Planet. The shell of the structure shackled to Mars’ surface and is designed to withstand Martian winds. The ingenious dwelling can be printed in situ and has been endorsed by Nasa. Jeff Bezos | Blue Origin SPACE Bezos and Blue Origin’s vision is radically different from the one posed by Musk. They feel like free-floating space colonies are the best option. Bezos’ Argument Against Musk’s Mars Colony “Who want(s) to move to Mars? I say, ‘Do me a favor, go live on the top of Mount Everest for a year first, and see if you like it — because it’s a garden paradise compared to Mars." Here’s how Bezos’ Space colony will look. 6 Things You’re Likely To Find On Bezos’ Space Colony Image Source : Inverse 1. Vast Tubed Structures Bezos’ vision revolves around a concept created by Gerard O’Neill known as the ‘O'Neill cylinder’ or ‘O'Neill colony’, which he debuted in his 1976 book ‘The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space’. Bezos likes this idea, stating that his space colony will include “...very large structures, miles on end, and they hold a million people or more each.” 2. Designed To Feel Like Earth These free-floating areas will be constructed like several big domes, or in Bezos’ case, tubes. Within these tube-like structures, buildings, farms, rivers etc will all be built and created as they are on Earth, as there is no need for these to be adapted to martian-like surroundings. Image Source : JDKOLLASA.net 3.Separate Zones Bezos’ vision is one where anything is possible. As a result, Bezos wants to create multiple areas designed for different purposes that will be logically mapped out. For example, recreational and housing areas will be kept away from industrial areas to eradicate pollution. 4. Zero-G Areas One idea Bezos has had is to create certain areas with zero-g. “Some of them would be more recreational – they don’t all have to have the same gravity – they can have a recreational one that keeps it zero-g so you can go flying with your own wings.” 5. Perfect Weather The space colony would be the complete opposite of Musk’s Mars colony when it comes to the environment and because of this, every day is a fine day. “Because everything would be (obviously) artificial, humans would have total control over the environment. The weather would always be perfect and there would be no storms or earthquakes or dangerous natural activity.” Image Source : AnexKime.com 6. Ability To Return To Earth Another big difference of Bezos’ vision is allowing people to go back and forth between the space colony and Earth thanks to his colony being much closer to home. “They can be close to Earth so that you can return… which is important because people are going to want to return to Earth. They’re not going to want to leave Earth forever. They’re also going to be able to go between.” Clearly, the two entrepreneurs have vastly different visions when it comes to New Space but which do you prefer? If you could go to either, which one would you pick? For tips on how to manage your property back here on earth, we've got you covered. Explore the rest of the My Tool Shed blog for everything from advice on simple value-adds to insights into the most profitable extensions.

Have you ever wondered how your home will look by the year 2050? Will the exterior look the same? What technology will be included as standard? Well, here at MyToolShed we’ve been thinking about this and thought we’d have a deep dive into the future of our homes to find out the answers to these questions. The Predicted Home Of 2050 We’ve studied various reports from industry leaders to create the rooms you see below. They’ve been designed based on guidelines given by industry leaders and researchers, using their predictions to create how we believe the house of the future will look by the time we reach the year 2050. Living Room/Social Areas By the year 2050 not only will our homes have changed dramatically in the way they look, but they’ll also be constantly changing while we use them, take fabrics as an example. By 2050 our homes will be filled with furniture and other items that have interchangeable fabrics. These fabrics will have the ability to change appearance, colour, pattern and texture enabled by intrinsic smart yarns. But this is just the beginning, as these fabrics will also adapt to whoever is in the home thanks to furniture profiles. People will have these ‘furniture profiles’ at each home they visit, to fit their personal requirements. Dr Pearson, a futurologist, states that by 2050, “Furnishings will often adapt to our body shapes to make us perfectly comfy. Visitors’ personal profiles will be used to adapt furniture to them too”. These fabrics could, for example, be used to line our floating sofas, a technology already being worked on to give us a sense of weightlessness while we kick back and relax. Our homes will also make life far easier and minimise the number of day-to-day chores we currently have to do today, thanks to the implementation of robots in the home. 2050 homes will have high tech helpers that can pick up after you like “Carl the robot”, a prototype robot unveiled by scientists at Automation company KUKA in Germany that has an arm and three fingers which will be able to pick-up items, tidy up, operate various machines and even serve drinks to guests. Additionally, it can be controlled via an embedded touchscreen, answer to voice commands or even respond to preprogrammed gestures. We’ll also have handy pieces of kit to help do things that Carl here can’t do (for now) such as clothes folding machines. Smart Alarms will also keep our homes safer than ever before. They’ll be fitted with alarms that will send alerts to your phone and to local authorities so they can get to your home if there’s a break-in or a fire as fast as humanly possible. Kitchen Utility One great thing about the home of the future, at least to those who hate cooking, will be that our kitchens will become cook-free zones thanks to becoming ‘completely robotic’. This means that not only will the kitchen prepare food for you on command, it’ll also reorder food and wash dishes without you having to tell it to. Author Scott Amyx believes that "the kitchen will become an integrated refrigerator, conveyor belt auto-dispenser, stove, sink and dishwasher and storage system. It means that without human intervention, it maintains an inventory of food items and reorders as needed. It will dispense the ingredients for the robotic chef arms to make meals and then the workflow proceeds to clean the dirty dishes and place the clean plates and utensils in the right location." Kitchens are also likely to house a climate-controlled indoor garden according to William Bird of Intelligent Health, who believes homes of the future will have "indoor, climate-controlled plants so that gardens will be more indoors than outdoors." This will reduce the impact that poor weather has on crops and farms as everything will be controlled by the indoor garden’s AI, which will provide the perfect conditions for your plants to grow to their maximum potential. Our 2050 home will also keep itself as cost-effective to run as possible thanks to power tracking and energy-efficient technology running our utilities. Total Home Energy Management programs like ‘SiteSage’ from PowerhouseDynamics will be able to track a home’s energy consumption, associated costs and carbon footprint by the minute, allowing homeowners to manage their usage more efficiently. It will even have the ability to analyze appliances and equipment being used around the home and indicate to owners when they need to upgrade to more energy-efficient products. Bathroom Our bathrooms will also come fitted with a bunch of technology, much of it focused on keeping us healthy, from small things like disinfecting towel hangers that kill all bacteria left on them, to bigger tech products such as bio-electrical impedance scales. According to Ronnie Rich of Fitbanker, "Bio-electrical impedance scales and 3-D scales will perform a body scan and provide updates and progress for home members on their health journeys. They will report on body composition and provide forecasts of when we can accomplish our health goals." Smart Toilets will work similarly. There’s already toilets in Japan that inform users whether or not they have diabetes by performing a urinalysis after people do their business. “Not only will this give a complete picture of how well our bodies are functioning, it will guide us in what we eat and how we live. But if you think about how many conditions are diagnosed using a urine or stool test, we could get early warnings about UTIs [urinary tract infections] and pregnancy through to gut bacteria imbalances” states Technology Futurologist, Dr Peter Cochrane. It’s not only our bodies that will benefit from technology in the bathroom either. It could also help us mentally too, thanks to health assessing mirrors. Technology expert Robert McFarlane believes “in the future your bathroom mirror could do a mini health check on you,” he says. “It could use facial recognition technology to pick up subtle cues about your mental state, while simultaneously measuring your breathing rate and levels of oxygen in your blood. It’s not inconceivable that it could advise you what skincare to use that day based on what your skin looks like, and also assess your body shape and make health recommendations." These technology products will also be able to send results to professionals that’ll be able to help you if you happen to run into a health issue, such as toothbrushes that talk to your doctor/dentist. It’s something that tech-giants Philips are already working on. Their Sonicare brush has sensors implemented into the brush head that sends real-time feedback to an app on your phone, giving you data on everything from your brushing technique, whether you’re missing areas or brushing too hard and risking gum damage. The app lets you track your progress, share the information with your doctor/dentist, and can even tell you when you need to change your brush head. Bedroom There’s nothing worse than having trouble sleeping, but by 2050 we’ll have even more sophisticated technology to help us drop off with the introduction of sleeping environment enhancement technology. This tech will enhance the sleeping environment through anti-sound technology, removing unwanted noise, pollen and virus filters. Something else that’ll help you sleep is mood and sleep boosting lighting. A lot of research has been conducted in recent years to find out what impacts our sleep and the research shows that lighting not only impacts our ability to get to sleep but also our mood. As a result, homes in 2050 will automatically adjust the lighting in your bedroom to what's naturally best for humans. But what about the bed itself? Remember we talked about adjustable fabrics earlier, well these will be present on your sheets and duvet too. These adjustable fabric textures will only be adjustable for different people’s profiles but also adjust fabric textures, rigidity and temperature for a personalised, well-rested night’s sleep. Away from the bed, your wardrobe will be getting integrated technology too, in fact, it could see the end of traditional washing machines, as now your wardrobes will clean clothes for you. Clean Closet, a concept idea by designer Michael Edenius utilises molecular technology to scan the clothes hanging in your wardrobe for any dirty stains and spots, then proceeds to clean and freshen them. Effectively, the Clean Closet combines wardrobe, washing basket, washing machine, and dryer. Exterior The technology continues on the outside of your home too. Smart door locks will help keep your home safe by utilising fingerprint technology so you’ll never need to worry about losing the house keys again. Delivery boxes will be attached to the front of your home which will not only allow for larger parcels to be stored securely but also delivery companies will be the only ones who’ll be able to access them, meaning delivery drivers will be able to deliver your post/parcels to your home and if you’re out, store them in an uber safe location. Charging points will, of course, go from being few are far between to households having multiple charging points available on the drive/garage space in order to charge multiple electric cars while you’re at home. Roof-mounted solar panels will be on all homes to help store energy and help charge and power all the new technology included in the home of 2020. One of the biggest changes in the home of 2050 will be the actual layout of the buildings. By the year 2050, the home will need to adapt to keep up with the times. According to the NHBC Foundation, there will be four main types of household that will need certain layouts in order to satisfy their needs; 1. One Person Households: Due to more people choosing to live more independently and many elderly people outliving their lifetime partners, housing will need a smaller and more affordable option. 2. People Living With Parents Longer: Ownership in young adulthood is less likely due to university bills and the cost of new homes in some areas. This means that some houses will need more rooms or even more floors to accommodate. 3. Home And Flexible Working: Homes will need to come with office space as standard as more and more people spend a proportion of their time working at home, either from choice or to fit around the demands of bringing up a family. 4. Ageing Population: Most people can look forward to a longer life and an active retirement and many make plans for retirement living, possibly in a smaller home or within a community of similar people.

When your home starts to feel cramped with no space, should you move elsewhere or try to improve it with an extension? It’s a dilemma many homeowners face. However, research shows that an extension could be beneficial in the long-run by adding value to your home. My Tool Shed has consulted with property experts to reveal the best types of extensions to add value to your home, before uncovering how to build an extension on a budget. Uncovered: Top 5 Extensions to Add Value to Your Home We have analysed the best ways to add value to a house through an extension, these are the results:   An Extra Bedroom Can Add 20% to Your Home’s Value According to a survey by NAEA Propertymark, half of estate agents believe that adding a bedroom adds the most value to your home. But, how much exactly can an additional bedroom add? Well, following research by My Tool Shed, an added bedroom to a 3-bed home could add a staggering 20% to a property’s value. You are guaranteed to add 20% or more to the house value if the additional bedroom is a master with an en-suite. Meaning you could add £46,400 to the average UK house.   How to Increase Your Kitchen Space and Property Value With open-plan living becoming increasingly popular and the need for a separate dining room feeling outdated, it’s little surprise that kitchen extensions are so popular. Director of the Practical Planning Company, Benjamin Heginbotham, says a kitchen extension is one of the most popular home improvement projects architects carry out. Evidently, a bigger kitchen is desirable to new and existing homeowners, but how much value can they add through an extension?   This is all dependent on the size of the current kitchen, if you’re opening up a narrow kitchen you can expect to add £35,000 - £46,400 (15%-20%) to the average UK house. However, Heginbotham, claims you won’t add much value “if you’re merely extending a kitchen that’s already a decent size.”   Loft Conversions Can Make a Hefty £15,000 Profit Despite an extension with an additional bedroom or bigger kitchen adding the most value, these are costly, so you may need to wait a couple of years to see a return on investment. However, if you’re looking to sell up quick, a loft conversion may be your best bet as it can give you a far bigger return on investment. The average loft conversion costs £20,000 to build but can add £35,000 (15%) to the average house value – giving you an astonishing £15,000 profit.   Heginbotham explained that to maximise your profit potential, it’s best to use the loft conversion to create a master bedroom with dormer windows to increase the floor space area.   4 Top Tips to Save £29,456 on Your Home Extension It’s no secret that home extensions can be costly affairs. But, if you’re wanting to add value to your home with an extension, it’s also a good idea to ensure the build is as cost-effective as possible. Luckily, My Tool Shed has uncovered 4 ways to keep costs down, which amounts to saving a staggering £29,456.   1. Do It Yourself and Save £20,250 About a third of the budget of any build is spent on labour costs which work out at £20,250 for a double-storey extension and £13,500 for a single storey. So, if you can carry out some of this work yourself you’ll massively cut down on labour costs. Even if you’re not an expert at DIY, you could still do the site cleaning or manual labour (such as lifting and mixing mortar).   2. Hire Self-Employed Traders to Save £9,000 on VAT Most architects and builders are required to add VAT to their invoices, which adds an extra 20% to the cost of the overall build. However, if you use a self-employed trader, you can cut that extra cost as they’re not required to charge VAT. Meaning you could save £9,000 on a double-storey extension or £6,000 for a single-storey extension.   3. Save £206 on Planning Permission You can save £206 on planning permission fees if your extension falls under the permitted development rights. Speak with an architect as they can best advise if the extension would need planning permission and how to keep the costs of the build down.   4. Reuse and Repurpose to Reduce Costs Cut down on waste by repurposing existing materials. Not only will you be saving on supplies but skip hire costs too. However, if you can’t reuse existing materials, you can always sell these or trade them instead of throwing away. And if you like the idea of cutting down on waste, why not purchase second-hand items for your extension? You can find some great bargains on the internet and salvage yards.   Looking for more ways to add value to your home? Did you know a well-kept garden can add £45,000 to a property? Discover how on our blog post.

Shopping centres, hotels and high-rise office blocks — all buildings you recognise on your daily commute or did before the lockdown had you move to a makeshift desk at home with a view of the neighbour’s back garden. As for the names and faces behind these multimillion-pound investments, they aren’t as recognisable. In what might become a bit of a life-size game of Monopoly, we look at some of the world’s most successful property moguls and stack their sizeable portfolios against one another. Brian and Luke Comer — £880m The County Galway pair left school in their teens to become plasterers, before switching to property development — a career change that landed them a billionpound-plus fortune and a place on this list. It’s reported that the Beckett Building, purchased by the brothers for roughly €5 million in 2013, was later sold for over €100 million. Covering Ireland, the UK and Germany, their portfolio spans from Aldi stores to luxury apartments. Projects of note include London’s Royal Connaught Park and the Princess Park Manor residential accommodation, which was converted from a former psychiatric hospital in the 90s. Jeffrey Cheah — £984m Sunway Group, the conglomerate founded and chaired by Cheah, began life in 1974 and would go on to become one of Malaysia’s largest corporations. Its first major development is seen as the Bandar Sunway township, also known as Sunway City. From there, the group also moved into leisure, entertainment, hospitality and healthcare, building a portfolio that includes some of Asia’s most recognisable developments, like Kuala Lumpur’s Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa. The company works to a “Build-Own-Operate” business model, which has it involved in every link of the property chain and could be in part to thank for Cheah’s billionaire status. Jose Isaac Peres and family — £1.2bn Peres began building his empire at only 22 when he founded Vepan, the first property firm to be listed on the Brazilian stock exchange and one that would eventually become Multiplan. The publicly traded property company now oversees 19 Brazilian shopping centres and 160 million customers a year. A proud son of Rio de Janeiro, Peres reportedly refuses to move Multiplan to Brazil’s financial capital, Sao Paulo. He personally owns 30% of the company’s stock. Ursula Bechtolsheimer-Kipp — £3bn Ursula Bechtolsheimer-Kipp is the chairwoman of Tschuggen Hotel Group, a luxury resort group, and daughter of Karl-Heinz Kipp, who founded Germany’s Massadepartment store chain. The group owns several hotels across Switzerland, including Arosa’s Tschuggen Grand Hotel and the exclusive Carlton Hotel in St. Moritz. Following his death in 2017, Bechtolsheimer-Kipp inherited a portion of her father’s fortune and now has an estimated worth of £2.7bn. Radovan Vitek — £3.3bn Vitek holds over 90% of the CPI Property Group’s shares, and in 2015, bought Ringo Starr’s 200-acre estate in Surrey for £13.5m. Rene Benko — £3.9bn After dropping out of college to focus on property, Benko went on to found one of Austria’s largest privately held real estate corporations. Since SIGNA’s beginnings in 2000, the conglomerate has grown into the media and retail sectors, and last year recorded €7.5bn in revenue. The brand is well represented in Europe, covering everything from department stores to newspapers. In 2019, it even acquired New York’s Chrysler Building, one of Manhattan’s most recognisable skyscrapers, through a joint venture. Naomi Azrieli and family — £4.5bn The daughter of David Azrieli, an Israeli-Canadian property investor, Naomi Azrieli and sister Danna assumed their father’s businesses after his death in 2014. While Naomi took up a position at the head of CanPro Investments, a real estate development and management company, Danna leads the Azrieli Group. The latter is mainly focused on shopping centres and commercial properties in Israel, with an extensive list of malls and office buildings making its portfolio. The Azrieli Sarona Tower, Israel’s tallest building, is one of the family’s most notable holdings. Hugh Grosvenor — £10.1bn Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, took up ownership of the Grosvenor Group following the death of his father Gerald, 6th Duke of Westminster, in 2016. The group originated in the 1600s and has since grown into a global property player, developing the retail, office and residential sectors, and even cities as a whole. Despite inheriting a large chunk of his father’s wealth, and at one time being labelled as the world’s richest man under 30, it’s said that a lot of his worth is locked in trust funds that are overseen by a board of trustees. He was, however, able to donate £12.5m to aid the UK’s coronavirus response. Donald Bren — £12.5bn Bren’s business empire began in the late 50s when he founded the Bren Company, a Californian housing developer. In the 70s, he sold the company and then bought it back at a reduced rate following the recession, making a $12m profit. The proceeds went towards a joint purchase of the Irvine Company, where he is still chairman. Starting with a 34.3% stake in the company, he became Vice-chair and then majority owner in 1983. By 1996, he’d bought 100% of shares to take sole ownership. He’s believed to be America’s wealthiest property mogul, where the Irvine Company has residential, retail and office space across much of California, Chicago and New York. Xu Jiayin — £21.8bn Xu Jiayin started out in a cement factory, working shifts between school, and then metal and trading companies after university. He rose up through the ranks of associate director, director and president, before moving to Guangzhou and founding Evergrande Group, a Chinese property developer, in 1997. Xu is also the owner of Guangzhou Evergrande football club and has plans to get into electric vehicle manufacture. The coronavirus pandemic is expected to put a sizeable dent in Xu’s fortune, but even if early estimates are accurate, he’d still top our list with over £18bn. ... You can find more property, design and DIY features and insight on the My Tool Shed blog, including tips for adding up to £50k to your home’s value.

The start of 2020 has been incredibly unusual and challenging, with the majority of the UK spending a lot more time in the house than they normally would. However, there’s been a property productivity boost as a result. We’ve seen a surge in people sprucing up their homes and kickstarting a good spring clean, with the sales data of tools and paint confirming this. Tool sales shot up hundreds of percent and the odds are that you’d find it tough to get the colour paint you wanted at your local store due to demand. If you’re thinking about using this extra time indoors to do up your home, we have a few tips for you that’ll not only get your house looking as good as new but also add plenty of value to your property too.   Here are some relatively easy and affordable things you can do that will drastically add value to your property.   Install Smart Technology Making energy-saving improvements to your property could increase its value by an average of 14%, and up to 38% in some parts of England, according to a government publication in 2013, based on research by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The government’s publication state that improving a property’s EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) from band G to E, or from band D to B, could mean adding more than £16,000 to the sale price of the average UK house. However, some places around the UK will see even more ROI. For example, in the North East, improved energy efficiency from band G to E could increase this value by over £25,000.   The increase in value is due to new homeowners wanting houses that are energy-efficient, confirmed by various housing surveys. A 2017 survey from T3 Sixty and Coldwell Banker said that 91.3% of brokers and agents said they would benefit from the incorporation of smart home technology, with 82% saying they believed smart home technology streamlined a sale. Smart home technology was also identified as a top trend in Zillow's 2019 Design Forecast. - Spend = £179 - Potential Added Value = £16,000+   Spruce Up Your Garden A great place to start is actually outside rather than in. Research by gardening experts McGregor and estate agent Emoov.co.uk reveals that outdoor space could add as much as £5,000 to your property’s value. They state five important garden transformation tips for gaining this added value; 1. Mown Grass – “An overgrown lawn is a huge turn-off for potential buyers.”2. Colourful Plants – “A bright, well-kept flower bed grabs attention.3. Trim The Hedges And Shrubbery – “Kept neatly, they can boost kerb appeal massively and are currently more on-trend than fences and walls.”4. Clean The Patio And / Or Pathway – “A freshly washed pathway can make a property look brand new.”5. Pull Up Those Darn Weeds – "Key for any garden’s flowers to bloom.”   If you're finding it hard to get motivated to mow the lawn, try thinking of it as time spent adding some serious value to your property. - Spend = £0 - Potential Added Value = £5,000   Keep Your Trees Tidy According to the 2018 Remodelling Impact Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the estimated cost of tree care service is $2,000 (£1,670), a whopping 100% of which is recovered when buyers sell their homes.   However, if you can do this yourself, and have the right tools to do so, you can gain a lot of money with zero outgoings! - Spend = £0 - Potential Added Value = £1,670   Garden Decking This is one of our more expensive tips, but still extremely cheap in the grand scheme of things, is to install some garden decking. You can buy basic timber decking boards for as little as £15 per metre squared, meaning in order to build yourself a 20m square deck would only cost around £300. If you can afford this outgoing it is well worth it.   According to Location, Location, Location star Phil Spencer, speaking with the Telegraph, garden decking can add 2% to your home’s value, and with the average house price in the UK today currently at £247,355, you could be adding around £5,000 (£4,947.10 to be exact) to your property’s value. - Spend = £300 - Potential Added Value = £5,000   Freshen Up Your Front Door A new doorknob (£35), brass letterbox (£25) or a stainless steel house number (£25) can really do wonders for the look of your front door. Couple this with a fresh coat of paint and you can immediately give your home a fresh and updated look.   When picking a colour for your front door the best option according to Zillow’s 2019 Design Forecast, is black or charcoal grey, as homes with this coloured front doors sold for $6,271 (£5,241) more than expected. - Spend = £85 - Potential Added Value = £5,241   New Bathroom Features Don’t worry, you don’t have to install a new bathroom suite to add value to your home, you only need to freshen it up with new features.   Bathroom features are surprisingly cheap, you can get yourself a set of new taps (£20), a heated chrome towel rail (£50), a big new shower head (£20) all for under £100 and according to NetHousePrices, new features like this can add 2.88% (£7,000) onto your house’s value. - Spend = £90 - Potential Added Value = £7,123.82   Two-Tone Kitchen Counters The same applies to the kitchen. If you’re looking to add value to your home while on a budget there is something you can do in the kitchen that you wouldn’t expect to work but does.   According to Zillow, kitchens where the upper and lower cabinets are painted in two different colours, sell for a $1,547 (£1,286.61) premium. Counter doors cost anywhere from £14 to over £100 but if you stay towards the lower end of the scale you can upgrade the look of your kitchen by spending no more than £60-£70 - Spend = £60 - Potential Added Value = £1,286.61   Correct Wall Colours Speaking of colours, you can actually increase the value of your property just by picking the right colours for a particular room.   Zillow recently conducted research and found that certain colours added value to people’s homes, such as colouring the bathroom in light blue ($2786 / £2,323.29) and the living room in light taupe ($2,793 / £2,329.12) and with a standard tub of paint costing £16, that’s quite an increase for such a little spend. - Spend = £16 (per tub) - Potential Added Value = £4,652.41   Outdoor Paint It turns out the interior shouldn’t be the only place we’re painting either. Phil Spencer also stated in his piece in the telegraph that painting the exterior of your home is vital as: “You have to get buyers through the front door, which means you need to have the outside as spick and span as possible (which could add £5,000). If nothing else, your house should at least look better than your neighbours’.”     So, maybe it's time to get yourself out in the garden and tidy up your paintwork - especially with that potential value-add! - Spend = £35 (per tub) - Potential Added Value = £5,000   The Results Are In… So, how much value can you add to your home by making these low-cost changes?   - Total Spend = £765 - Total Potential Added Value = £50,973.84   That’s up to £50,000 worth of potential value for under £1,000. It might just be worth getting the paintbrush out and firing up the lawnmower.  For more tips and tricks to increase the value of your home and how colour psychology can brighten up your interior spaces – check out the My Tool Shed blog.

It’s a new year and a lot of people choose this time to redecorate the house and do a little bit of spring cleaning. But if you’re looking to redecorate, what colours do you choose? Well, have you ever considered colour psychology?   What Is Colour Psychology? Colour psychology is the study of hues affecting the nature of human behaviour. Sunlight, and the colours generated by it, influence hormonal responses, making us feel certain ways when we see different colours. These can range from positive feelings such as being relaxed and focused to even negative ones that can cause anxiety.   Colours And How They Can Make You Feel If you’re wanting to use colours that will bring positive vibes to your home, the list above will show you which emotions are caused by certain colours. Positive Vibes Room-By-Room Now that we know which emotions are caused by specific colours, we can transfer that knowledge to see how we can decorate our homes to promote positivity throughout. Here’s an example of how you could colour each room in the home to generate as many positive vibes as possible throughout. Living Room Colours Green / Yellow / Orange / Purple Key Emotions / Traits Freshness / Harmony / Happiness / Joy / Warmth / Luxury Green as the main colour in the living room not only gives the sense of freshness but also possibly a more important trait here, harmony, perfect for a room designed to bring people together. After this try adding some yellows and oranges to promote happiness, joy and warmth to the space. Finally, a dash of purple here and there is always good to add a sense of luxury. Kitchen Colours Brown / White / Purple / Black Key Emotions / Traits Dependability / Reliability / Resilience / Perfection / Cleanliness / Royalty / Luxury / Elegance / Formal Brown gives off a sense of dependability, reliability and resilience. These traits are what we look for when it comes to furniture, something we can trust to store and hold things, so wooden coloured cabinets, dining tables and chairs etc all give off these emotions. Next, in a kitchen, because of the food, it’s important to feel clean, so a splash of white will tick this box. Then we all want to eat like kings, so let’s feel like it at the same time by adding some purple into the room. Finally, finish off the room with some black here and there for a bit of elegance and to give off a formal feel, perfect for around the dinner table.  Master Bedroom Colours Red / White / Pink / Green Key Emotions / Traits Love / Passion / Desire / Cleanliness / Safety / Calming / Harmony / Fertility / Tranquillity When you are with your partner you want to feel love, passion and desire towards each other, and the colour red promotes this. In the bedroom, you also want to use colours that are going to help you relax and ultimately sleep. White is a great place to start as it can make the room come across as clean and pure. After this pink has a calming effect, which is important if you’ve had a stressful day at work, and then finally, use green as it gives off a sense of tranquillity. Bathroom Colours Blue / White / Green / Brown Key Emotions / Traits Peaceful / Cleanliness / Freshness / Calming / Dependability / Reliability The bathroom, especially if you enjoy a nice bath, is a place where people go to relax and recharge. Blue not only resembles water and the sky but it’s also a peaceful and calming colour, so this makes for a great main colour for the room. Pair this with white in order to make the room feel clean. When it comes to accent colours, use greens and browns. They promote freshness and calmness and then brown, in particular, is great for a sense of dependability and reliability which is always feeling you want to give off when the room has larger appliances. Kid’s Room Colours Orange / Yellow / Purple / White Key Emotions / Traits Creativity / Fascination / Stimulation / Joy / Happiness / Wisdom / Ambition / Goodness / Innocence / Purity For a developing child, anything that can help them grow mentally can only be a positive thing. As a result, if you analyse colour psychology, it appears orange is the perfect main colour to have in a child’s bedroom, as it encourages creativity, fascination and stimulation, a few amazing traits for a child. Importantly, it also gives us joy and happiness. Yellow has many parallel attributes to orange so these can both be main colours. Yellow, aside from the same positive qualities as orange, also promotes intelligence and cheerfulness. Great colours to pair with either of these as accents to the room are purple and white. Purple’s ability to promote wisdom and ambition will, of course, be beneficial for any child’s room and then white can emote goodness, innocence and purity. Home Office Colours Black / White / Green / Red Key Emotions / Traits Power / Authority / Perfection / Wisdom / Confidence / Intelligence / Determination / Strength This colour palette centres around character traits you need to be successful in business. We start with a main colour of black. Black gives you the feeling of power and authority, some important traits to instil in yourself in order to succeed. After that, what do you want from your work? Perfection, so white is your go-to first accent colour. Then, when you go about your work you want to be wise, confident and be intelligent while conducting key bits of business, which you can get from the green. And finally, work can be tough and can get you down and tired at times, so throw hints of red around the office space to give yourself sources of determination and strength. Guest Room Colours White / Green / Blue / Purple Key Emotions / Traits Cleanliness / Purity / Innocence / Freshness / Tranquillity / Calming / Peaceful / Luxury / Royalty When it comes to the guest room it’s important to give off a good first impression. The easiest way to do this is to make the room appear and feel as clean and fresh as possible. White is perfect for this as it gives off a purity to the room and then use some green to continue the freshness and tranquillity. After that, it’s important that your guests feel like they’re being treated like kings so throw in some blue and purple as these give off a sense of luxury, extravagance and royalty. Not Everyone Responds To Colours The Same Despite the colours we’ve used in our examples, it’s important to remember that many people react to colours differently. This could be due to certain colours reminding you of things or moments in your past, either positively or negatively, or it could be down to where you live and that culture. For example, according to verywellmind, the colour white in the west equals purity, while in the East it symbolises mourning. Of course, the colour scheme of the house above may not be everyone’s ideal layout nor cup of tea, so here are the most important things to remember when picking colours for your home. -          How Do You Want To Feel In This Room? -          How Will Others Feel In This Room? -          Which Colours Can I Put Together To Get The Best Out Of This Room?

Common New Build Faults And How To Spot Them Before Buying New build houses have been gaining a lot of news coverage in recent years due to being poorly built. There have been examples of new home buyers finding 100 - 400 faults on houses that cost up to £400,000 to buy, but what is the cause of this, what are the common faults found and how do house buyers prevent finding themselves with a faulty new build?   Why Is The Quality Of Recent New Builds So Poor? In 2017 the Government pledged that one million new homes would be built by 2020, which was not met. According to construction engineering group Calford Seaden, the reason for this was “a shortage of quality tradesmen available to deliver these homes”. Due to this, the Home Builders Federation’s own satisfaction surveys showed a rise in the number of customers reporting snags - from 93% in 2015 to 99% in 2018. How To Prevent Buying A New Build Home With Faults. If you’re currently looking for a new home or are about to move into one, the first thing to do is to fill out a snagging survey. But first, what actually is a snag? What Is A Snag/Snagging? A ‘snag’ can be described as a defect, fault or issue in a new build. This can refer to functional or aesthetic issues that mean something in the home either isn’t working or looking as it should. Functional issues are relatively easy to pinpoint as it’s clear when something isn’t working or fitted correctly, such as missing roof tiles or a faulty tap. However aesthetic issues are trickier to spot, as these can be very minor such as a cracked title or a stray bit of paint. What Is A Snagging Survey/List? The snagging survey/list checks the quality of your new build to make sure it meets living standards. It allows the new homeowner, to note down any repairs or alterations that are needed before moving in.   What Are The Common Faults In New Builds? If you’re currently looking for a new home or are about to move into one, here are some main things to look for while conducting your snagging survey. Find out more about snagging surveys below. 12 Things To Check When Conducting A Snagging Survey Loose and/or cracked roof tiles. Insecure and/or unstable walls, fences & gates. Loose and/or cracked guttering and downpipes. Loose and/or cracked brick and paintwork. Unfinished and/or poorly laid driveway. Insufficient garage insulation. Poorly fitted doors hinges and handles. Cracked and/or poorly sealed window frames. Uneven and/or loose staircase and banisters.  Improperly fitted or functioning kitchen appliances and fittings. Improperly fitted or functioning bathroom fittings and sealant. Uneven and/or unfinished paint, wallpaper and/or tiles. What Happens If I Find Issues With My New Build? Once you’ve finally moved into your home but then start finding issues with your new purchase, don’t panic. Warranty & Insurance Guarantee In the UK all new homes are covered by a free 10-year home warranty and insurance guarantee, which provides protection against problems with the home’s construction and many other eventualities such as; The Building Process If you have paid a deposit and something unforeseen happens with the building of your new home, for example, the builder goes out of business, either your deposit will be refunded or, if the construction is close to competition, the home will be finished. First Two Years The builder will rectify any problems picked up within the first two years that do not meet the warranty provider’s technical requirements at no cost to the homeowner. Years Three To Ten The warranty protects against issues with items such as staircases and internal plastering during years three to ten, as well as a range of structural defects too. Consumer Code Introduced in April 2010, the Consumer Code was designed to give purchasers added protection and was signed by all leading builders. It establishes a new independent resolution service to deal with disputes between the homeowner and builder where the owner has been left out of pocket and when issues fall outside of the warranty cover. According to New-Homes, the Code states that builders must provide; -          Clear and truthful sales material. -          Enough information to ensure all buyers are well-informed on such matters as layout, position and contents of off-plan homes. -          Clear and fair terms and conditions in the sales contract including termination rights. -          Realistic information on when the home will be finished. -          Accessible after-sales service plus details of the warranty and guarantees for appliances, etc.   We hope this guide has helped you with spotting potential issues with your new home. If you’ve already moved into a new home and are now finding faults, make sure to check your warranty and then contact the builder. You’ll be fully protected if the issues you’re experiencing are raised within the allotted time.

This January, Alexandra Palace will open their doors to one of the nations biggest 'end-user' Tool Trade Shows and My Tool Shed are in on the action! The event is running for 2 days, from Wednesday 29th January and Thursday 30th January 10am- 4pm. What is ToolFair? The aim of the show is to give the end-user - that's you, the trade and even the home DIYer - a chance to to see a huge range of tools and accessories. You'll have the opportunity to hold the tools, speak to knowledgeable staff direct from the manufacturers - about what it does, why it's better or different to another model and help you to make an informed purchase either on the day or in the future. We will be supporting one of the biggest names in tools ; DeWalt. The show is as much about learning as it is about shopping! Across the two days, you'll find our tools at unbelievable prices! We aim to be the most competitive across as many tools as possible, so you get excellent value for money! We are bringing along our own team members from My Tool Shed to help you through the tills for a speedy checkout and to give you our best customer service. My Tool Shed are not only offering superb deals on the day, but we also have some exciting give-aways too! For our first 70 customers we are giving away a FREE 5.0Ah Battery worth £55!* Don't miss our FREE Prize Draw to be in with a chance of WINNING a superb DeWalt Twin Kit worth almost £300! Toolfair is a great experience for professionals and amateurs, to be amongst like-minded skilled tradespeople, with a shared love of tools! You can ask any burning questions to staff, find out more, see demo's and take the tools home the same day! Register now! If you haven't yet, register online here for FREE Entry. *spend over £300.

Here at My Tool Shed, we thought we’d take a look to see how much some of the fastest-growing cities across the world have vastly evolved over the last 30 years. To highlight this, we wanted to go beyond just showing you stats and figures. As a result. we’ve created gifs that show five cities (Doha, Dubai, Las Vegas, Manama and Singapore) transforming from how they looked from the sky back in 1988, all the way through to last year and each year in between. So, read on and see how these cities have changed. Dubai The economic growth of Dubai eclipses most others. Its initial boom was, like most other Middle Eastern cities, down to its oil supplies, but what most people don’t realise about Dubai is that its supply was modest compared to neighbouring cities and countries. Consequently, Dubai focused resources on tourism and in 2002, reforms allowed foreigners to own real estate. The industry boomed overnight, which is apparent when you discover that oil accounts for only 1% of Dubai’s GDP. City Stats City Population End Of 1988 = 416,000 City Population End Of 2018 = 2,785,000 Increase (Number) = 2,369,000 Increase (%) = 569% Manama Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain. It’s been an important trading centre in the Persian Gulf historically, but its main growth recently has been a result of oil. In the ‘90s a concerted diversification effort led to expansion in other industries helping Manama develop into a financial hub in the Middle East. City Stats City Population End Of 1988 = 123,000 City Population End Of 2018 = 565,000 Increase (Number) = 442,000 Increase (%) = 359% Las Vegas Billed as the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas is the home of nightlife. Casinos, bars, clubs, shopping, fine dining, you name it, Vegas has it. Not surprisingly, it’s the most populous city in the state of Nevada, but you might be surprised to discover that it’s becoming favoured more and more by families and those retiring too. Las Vegas’s population was to hit 2 million in 2006 but thanks to a recession that number wasn’t met. However, it’s steadily recovering, now the 11th fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S. according to Forbes, with projected growth to 3.32 million by 2042, a 67% increase over 30 years, making it one of the largest expected population booms in the United States. City Stats City Population End Of 1988 = 642,000 City Population End Of 2018 = 2,541,000 Increase (Number) = 1,899,000 Increase (%) = 296% Doha Doha is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf in the east of the country and is the capital and most populous city of the state of Qatar. Not only is it the most populous, it’s also the fastest-growing, with over 80% of the nation’s population living in the city or its surrounding suburbs. The city was founded in the 1820s when it became an offshoot of Al Bidda, previously the largest town in Qatar and became the country’s capital in 1971. It’s recognised as one of the emergent financial centres in the Middle East and has its own purpose-built artificial island off its coast called The Pearl. City Stats City Population End Of 1988 = 226,000 City Population End Of 2018 = 633,000 Increase (Number) = 407,000 Increase (%) = 180% Singapore Singapore is technically known as a sovereign island city-state. Its territory consists of one main island and 62 other islets and has increased 23% in total size due to extensive land reclamation. It’s also one of the Four Asian Tigers, also known as Dragons or Little Dragons, which are the economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. These territories have become both world-leading international financial centres (Hong Kong & Singapore) and electrical component and device manufacturers (South Korea & Taiwan). They enjoyed rapid industrialisation and exceptionally high growth rates between the ‘60s and ‘90s and have served as role models for many other developing countries such as the ones included in the Tiger Club of South Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). Johor Johor neighbours Singapore on the coast of mainland Malaysia. Its capital city is Johor Bahru, which is also the economic centre of the state. Currently Malaysia’s third largest city, it's one that’s rapidly growing with its population increasing 162% in the last 30 years. Similarly to Singapore, Johor Bahru hosts many of the world’s top electronics manufacturers but is considered far more of an industrial city rather than one for tourism. City Stats Singapore Population End Of 1988 = 2,877,000 Singapore Population End Of 2018 = 5,792,000 Singapore Increase (Number) = 2,915,000 Singapore Increase (%) = 101% Johor Bahru Population End Of 1988 = 375,000 Johor Bahru Population End Of 2018 = 983,000 Johor Increase (Number) = 608,000 Johor Increase (%) = 162%

Despite the number of articles about the digitalisation of the workforce and the notion that old-school trades are dying out, if you are able to master the craft, these ancient trades are still a viable option to earn a decent living. 10 Of The Oldest Trades And Experienced Worker Salaries 1. Designer/Maker Experienced Average Salary = £50,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 40-42 Job Age = 135,000 Years Old The first piece of jewellery to ever be made is believed to be around 135,000 years old. A professor in charge of a Neanderthal collection found that some eagle talons had numerous cut marks and realised that they must have been used as jewellery, which was further confirmed by an international team. Today, jewellery designers and makers are probably the best paid out of the old-school trades, with those experienced in the craft earning over £50,000. Example Routes To Becoming A Jewellery Design/Maker University University Of Creative Arts – Jewellery And Silversmithing – Bachelor Of Arts (With Honours) College Bath College – Jewellery Apprenticeship British Academy Of Jewellery – The BAJ Apprenticeship Programme – Jewellery Manufacturing Specialist Courses London Jewellery School – Diploma In Silver Jewellery 2. Carpenter Experienced Average Salary = £40,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 40-45 Job Age = 7,000 Years Old Tests on an old German water well constructed from wood is believed to be around 7,000 years old and is considered the first example of carpentry. Fast forward to the present day and carpentry is still a valued profession, with 240,000 employed today in the UK, with experienced carpenters making around £40,000 per year. Carpenters making around £40,000 per year. Example Routes To Becoming A Stonemason College Newcastle College – Carpentry And Joinery (Level 1 Diploma) Apprenticeship Dishley Commercial Interiors – Apprentice Site Carpenter & Joiner Specialist Courses City & Guilds – Carpentry Course 3. Stonemason Experienced Average Salary = £35,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 43-45 Job Age = 6,000 Years Old Around 6,000 years ago, man began shaping stone from primitive tools. Now thanks to the advancement of technology, shaping stone is far easier. It’s still a tough job but if it’s a craft that is of interest to you, the job is still in demand and you can make upwards of £35,000 doing it. Example Routes To Becoming A Stonemason College Building Crafts College – Advanced Diploma In Stonemasonry Apprenticeship Laing Traditional Masonry – Stonemasonry Apprentice Programme Specialist Courses Ministry Of Stonemasonry – Introduction To Stonemasonry 4. Glassmaker Experienced Average Salary = £50,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 42-44 Job Age = 5,500 Years Old The earliest man-made glass objects were beads thought to originate from Eastern Mesopotamia (a historical region of Western Asia) and Egypt, around 3,500 BC. It’s also thought that during the Stone age, man used obsidian to craft weapons and decorative objects. Glassmaking is, of course, made differently today but nevertheless is still a sought-after service and thus glassmakers can make a solid £35,000+ salary, once experienced. Example Routes To Becoming A Glassmaker University University Of Hertfordshire – Glass Art College Edinburgh College Of Art – Glass MFA Apprenticeship Apprenticeships.scot – Glass Industry Occupations Specialist Courses The Glass Hub – 1 Day Glassblowing 5. Toolmaker Experienced Average Salary = £30,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 40-42 Job Age = 3.3 Million Years Old The oldest stone tools date back 3.3 million years ago. They were discovered in Kenya at an archaeological site known as ‘Lomekwi 3’ near Lake Turkana. Around 20 anvils, cores and flakes were dug up and were generally quite large, with the largest weighing in at 15kg. The use of these tools is currently unknown. If you want to be part of quite possibly the oldest craft ever, then you can and will be able to earn around £30,000 a year doing so. Example Routes To Becoming A Toolmaker College Bishop Auckland College – Toolmaking Apprenticeship Coleg Gwent – Engineering Toolmaking Apprenticeship Specialist Courses Pearson – Engineering Toolmaking 6. Ceramics Designer/Maker Experienced Average Salary = £30,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 40-42 Job Age = 24,000 Years Old Ceramics designers/makers create products made from clay. Archaeologists have discovered ceramics that date back to at least 24,000 BC with the earliest examples found in what was once called Czechoslovakia. They were made from animal fat and bone mixed with bone ash and a fine clay-like material and were in the form of animal and human figurines, slabs and balls. Today ceramic designers & makers create everything from plates and cups to piggy banks and vases and can earn around £30,000 a year. Example Routes To Becoming A Ceramics Designer/Maker University University Of The Arts London – Ceramic Design – Bachelor Of Arts (With Honours) College Nottingham College – Ceramics For Beginners Apprenticeship Leach Pottery – Leach-Seasalt Apprenticeship Specialist Courses Clay College Stoke – Diploma Course 7. Furniture Maker Experienced Average Salary = £30,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 42-44 Job Age = 5,000 Years Old The first documented instances of furniture being used dates back to the Neolithic period (approximately 5,500-2,500 BC). Furniture was made from stone and some of the earliest examples can be found in Skara Brae in Scotland. Independent furniture makers differ from furniture designers as their pieces are usually one-offs, whereas if you are a designer, you create the look for mass-produced furniture. Independent furniture makers on average make around £30,000 per year. Example Routes To Becoming A Furniture Maker College City Of Bristol College – Furniture Making Apprenticeship The Edward Barnsley Workshop – Furniture Making Apprenticeship Specialist Courses The Chippendale International School Of Furniture – Introductory Course 8. Locksmith Experienced Average Salary = £30,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 42-44 Job Age = 4,000 Years Old Another one of the ancient trades is locksmithing. Locks originated in Ancient Egypt and Babylon. It was once believed that these locks were small and portable, used to protect goods from thieves on travel routes, but this is not true. It’s now thought that those types of locks would be too sophisticated for that period. They were actually made from wood and were relatively large and crude. The locks had pins in them and could only be moved by a big wooden key, which once inserted, was pushed upwards rather than turned. Locksmithing is still a valued trade today and you can earn around £30,000 per year. Example Routes To Becoming A Locksmith Apprenticeship The Master Locksmiths Association – Apprenticeship In Locksmithing Specialist Courses Gateshead Locksmith Training – Beginners Locksmith Training Course 9. Blacksmith Experienced Average Salary = £30,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 47-49 Job Age = 3,500 Years Old Blacksmiths work with different metals to make and repair decorative, industrial and everyday items. The craft can be traced all the way back to the Iron Age with the first instances hailing from what is now known as Syria. Compared to the number of carpenters (240,000) the number of blacksmiths pales in comparison. In 2010 there were only an estimated 600 blacksmiths working professionally in the UK. However, numbers are on the rise and if you want to go into this ancient trade you can make around £30,000 a year. Example Routes To Becoming A Blacksmith University Hereford College Of Arts – Artist Blacksmithing – Bachelor Of Arts (With Honours) College Chichester College – Blacksmithing & Farriery (Creative Blacksmithing) Specialist Courses Peat Oberon’s School Of Blacksmithing – The Beginner’s Course 10. Upholsterer Experienced Average Salary = £25,000 Typical Hours Per Week = 43-45 Job Age = 5,000 Years Old The earliest examples of upholstery date back to the Ancient Egyptians when the wealthy had their furniture cushioned. This was discovered when archaeologists found the tomb of Tutankhamun. On the pharaoh’s throne was a scene that showed him sitting on a padded chair, with further studies stating that these padded chairs were still fashionable 150 years later. As a profession, upholstery really began in the Middle Ages when wealthy homes started being fitted with padded seat cushions, decorative wall hangings and bedding began to emerge in what is described now as the textile revolution. Back in those days, the art was one of patience as workers had to use great skill and attention to detail, hand working pieces to completion. The job of an upholsterer can be one that is a freelance or self-employed role, nevertheless, you can still earn upwards of £25,000 per year. Example Routes To Becoming A Upholsterer University Robert Gordon University Aberdeen – Gray’s School Of Art – Upholstery College Brockenhurst College – Upholstery Apprenticeship The British Contract Furnishing Association – New Furniture Apprenticeships Specialist Courses The Sewing Shed – Beginners Upholstery Class