Showcase in Royal Docks offers those seeking to build a dwelling or improve their existing house or apartment connections to suppliers and experts
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The London Homebuilding And Renovating Show is gearing up for its latest event in the capital at Excel.
Running from September 18-20, 2026, the brand has been hosting live gatherings for more than 30 years offering access to hundreds of suppliers, free advice and expert seminars.
“I was the editor of Homebuilding And Renovating magazine in the 1990s when we started doing live shows and then I became editor-in-chief for about 10 years,” said journalist, TV presenter and business founder, Michael Holmes.
“Now I look after the shows as director of content.
“We run eight across the country, which are on for around 20 days during the year and our London event is the biggest. I appear at every single one.
“I host the seminar stages, with our Ask The Experts feature, which involves people with unrivalled experience in fields such as self-build, renovation, sustainability and architectural design.
“All the speakers, including me, also appear at our Advice Centre stand and visitors are able to book free 15-minute one-to-one appointments with them to talk about their projects.
“That means they can talk to the likes of planning consultants, architects, builders and designers, who specialise in all sorts of areas.
“They are free to ask them anything they like about a project. From an educational perspective, it’s an invaluable opportunity.”
At its heart, the show is a simple proposition.
The advice and suppliers on offer are there to help people who are thinking of, or engaged in, either improving a property they own or building a new one to live in.
That might be the likes of loft conversions, extensions or replacing kitchens and bathrooms in the former category or executing a grand design in the latter.
recycling space and adding more
Michael said: “In London you would expect the majority of visitors to be those who want to improve their existing homes, but there are a surprising number of self-builders as well.
“You wouldn’t expect there to be anywhere left to build, but there are little infill plots, perhaps adding on to the end of a terrace, or where a rather tired house has been demolished and is replaced.
“Sometimes there are old industrial units or garages, where people take the buildings down and create a new home.
“What’s more common though, is people recycling their existing space – reconfiguring rooms and layouts for better flow or to open things up.
“Projects that add square footage can also add serious value to an existing home and, if you have the space, it makes a lot of sense to investigate the possibilities.
“London is blessed with very high quality housing stock, and that’s why things need constantly regenerating, because people reinvest in those lovely old houses, built of beautiful brick.
“They are worth restoring or improving for our lifestyles today.
“If you’re buying a house that’s not to your taste, undoing that and making it fit with your design ideas will likely not add significant value, but buying a property that needs renovating anyway means you’re adding value and getting it the way you want at the same time.”
starting with the essentials
Michael said those embarking on projects should ensure the basics in a property were taken care of and keep a close watch on finances to ensure changes made were both worthwhile and beneficial financially.
“Number one, you need to make sure you’re aware of the condition of a property and spend money on the essential repairs,” he said.
“Any sign of structural movement – fix that. Any sign of damp, old wiring or leaks – get those sorted first.
“Then think about space.
“Any way to increase it is usually a good banker, as long as the value of the extension exceeds the cost of creating it.
“Beyond that, embracing things like open-plan design and using large expanses of glazing to help bring the outside in, often make homes more attractive to buyers.”
Such changes are both practical and cosmetic and Michael said boosting a property’s energy efficiency was also an increasingly hot topic at the shows.
“Investing in this area is seriously worthwhile,” he said.
“Especially if you’re going to be living in a home for a long period of time.
“You’ll save money on bills and so on, but you need to make sure the changes are appropriate for the property you’re working with.
“If, for example, you have a 1950s house that has no insulation, it’s not a good idea to install a heat pump and slap solar panels on the roof.
“What you should do is invest in the building envelope first to prevent heat loss.
“Then, if you have the money you can look at those other technologies and, if there’s any cash spare after that, then installing batteries to store electricity is a great way to help reduce running costs.
“As with all these things, it’s important to do the right calculations to work out the costs involved and how much money you’ll save.
“People are also starting to consider air conditioning and cooling options, given the climate, but these also need careful consideration and may not be an option for everyone.”
the value of advice
As with all the experts appearing, Michael will be on hand to offer advice at the show.
“People ask me absolutely everything,” he said. “I do tend to get questions related to design and remodelling, especially with kitchens.
“That is my speciality and I’ve ended up running a design and build business.
“Where we can help is when, for example, people know they want a kitchen extension and they’ve got some plans – they know instinctively how it should be but can’t quite get there on their own.
“Often they don’t want to knock down part of their house to make the design really work, even if they know they should be doing that.
“So, I’m there to confirm and give them the licence to follow their instincts.
“These projects are often semi-open-plan, extending at the back or the side and integrating that kitchen into the new design of the house.
“The number one project I see is to convert the existing kitchen into a utility room and then have an extension to create a new kitchen-dining area, followed by loft conversions, which typically become the master bedroom with an en-suite.
“The one thing I’d love to build would be a bungalow, although these days that means confronting land prices – which is why we often have smaller properties on multiple storeys.
“But I’d love to create a single-level dwelling in woodland or by the sea – preferably on a Greek island – in quite a traditional style.
“It’s a dream, but then that’s the point of the show – it’s somewhere people can come to explore those ideas and turn them into a reality.”
key details: London Homebuilding And Renovating Show
The London Homebuilding And Renovating Show is set to run at Excel from September 18-20, 2026, from 10am daily.
Tickets to the event are free if booked in advance and you can find out more here
Read more: Find out more about Common Threads, coming to Cody Dock in September
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