November 2025 Issue

Our Big Interview with Samantha Palin of Applethwaite Homes explores buyer confidence, individuality in design and the practicalities of building sustainably when market pressures are unrelenting. Her perspective captures the balance many housebuilders are striving to maintain. 

Innovation also remains a bright spot. In The Innovator, Edward Stobart of IDSystems examines how developments in glazing technology are improving energy performance and broadening design scope. With regulatory expectations and environmental obligations tightening ahead of 2026, such advancements are becoming essential rather than optional. 

This month’s flooring special reinforces that message of purposeful progress. Our Cover Story with Designer Contracts, featuring insight from Louise Walters, highlights the importance of turnkey flooring solutions at a time when supply certainty and installation reliability are critical. For many developers, streamlined procurement and dependable delivery are becoming decisive factors in programme stability. 

Across the wider issue, we continue to track key categories from bathrooms and lighting to doors, windows, roofing, cladding and insulation. Each reflects an industry that, despite its challenges, remains intent on moving forward.