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Home buying

Buying a house? Learn how to avoid a money pit!

When you’re searching for a new home and are putting your hard-earned savings into the property, how can you be sure it’s a good investment? Here are some ways to avoid buying a money pit…

Home tours

Home tour: Party-ready interior with pops of neon

This gorgeous apartment is just made for parties, which makes it the ideal home tour to share before new year! Be inspired by the dark decor, jungle-like environment and glowing neon lights…

Living Spaces

3 Reasons to embrace minimalism when you want to save money

If you’re considering reducing your possessions and embracing a minimalist lifestyle, there are many benefits – including saving money every day. Here are 3 reasons to consider letting go of some of your belongings if you’re moving house or want to cut costs.

Home buying

4 Hidden costs to consider when buying a house

Even though it might appear to make sense to buy rather than rent, to move to an area where property is cheaper or to downsize to save money on your mortgage, there may be some hidden costs you should consider before buying a house – is the move worth it?

Festive

4 Things that’ll help you move house before Christmas

At this time of year, everything seems to be about ‘doing it before Christmas’. The celebration provides a handy marker to complete your goals before the end of the year. But what if moving into a new house is your goal? Here are some ways you can achieve it before Christmas…

Home buying

How to buy your own home on a budget with shared ownership

With soaring interest rates, unaffordable property prices and saving for a deposit often out of reach, it may feel like you’ll never get a chance to buy your own home. Here’s how shared ownership is helping first-time buyers to invest sooner rather than later…

HOME DIY

How to heat your home well this winter with these energy-saving tips

You may think that going without heating for as long as you can is a money-saving solution to the cost-of-living crisis. However, the impact of a cold home on your health and on the property itself means you really should heat your home whenever you can. But that doesn’t mean spending a small fortune on energy. Here are some ideas to help you cut costs AND stay warm this winter…

Garden

The best houseplants to buy on a budget

Houseplants are great for health, productivity and positivity. They brighten a room, release oxygen into the air, remove toxins from the atmosphere and add character to your home or office. But they do tend to cost money. Here are some ways to still grow house plants, without the hefty price tag…

Home tours

Home tour of a cosy period school house in Devon

How do you update a period school house without losing its character and charm? Take a tour around this 1890s home belonging to Abby of @another_old_school_house and be inspired by its cosy interior and elegant ambience.

Bathroom

4 Design tricks to make a small bathroom feel bigger

Even though I’ve got a very small bathroom compared to many other homes, we’ve managed to make it a bit feel more spacious with some easy design tricks that give the impression of a bigger room – here’s how…

Happiness

New year goals: How to declutter and organise your home this year

Today is the 4th article in my series of blog posts to help you achieve your New Year’s goals and it’s all about clearing your home of clutter and getting better organised this year (one of my personal goals!) Here are my top tips for creating a tidy and peaceful home this year…

Home buying

How to decorate your first home on a very tight budget

Buying your very first house is a joyful time but the truth is that it’s never cheap and often there’s not much money left for the interior. That was certainly the case for me when I bought my fixer-upper home!

HOME DIY

How to keep your home super-clean + the health benefits

With a many of us staying at home and all the hygiene advice we’re hearing, I thought it would be prudent to write about household cleaning today. The good news is that there are so many things you can do to keep your family and yourself healthy simply by doing a few jobs around the house – so why not get everyone in the household cleaning together?! Here are a few things you can do, and the unexpected health benefits from doing these tasks…

DIY

How to upcycle a mid-century cabinet into an indoor plant nursery

If you’re a big fan of house plants like me, here’s a quick and easy DIY plant nursery unit that you can make to keep all your cuttings, off-shoots and baby plants safe and cosy while they grow. You can choose a cabinet to suit the style of your home, and it looks pretty darn cool too! Here’s how to do it…

DIY

3 Things to consider now if you’re planning building work

I’ve been looking ahead to 2020 and making plans for our life and home. With plenty more renovation work on the horizon, I need to think ahead to make sure everything gets done! So, if like me you’re thinking of doing some work on your home in the New Year here are some thing you should consider before you get started…

HOME DIY

Planning the right furniture layout for my living room (it’s taken years!)

Have you ever had a room where you just don’t know how to lay out the furniture? One with an unusual L-shape, or alcoves, or windows on two or more walls? In most rooms you can just ‘feel’ where the furniture should go and, in many modern homes, you can see exactly where the bed should go, because there are two plug sockets either side where your bedside lamps would plug in! But what if your room isn’t quote so ease to configure? Here’s what I learnt when tackling my own 1950s home…

Home buying

4 Thrifty ways to pull off moving house (without spending a small fortune)

Moving to a new house can be an expensive and stressful time. If you have just bought a property, you will be tied up in actually paying for it, not to mention stamp duty and all the other fees you might have to pay. Even if you are renting, you’ll have parted with your deposit and money might be tight. It is time to save some money and the best place to do so is in the move itself. Here are some thrifty ways to move house…

DIY

Easy DIY tasks you can do in a weekend to boost the value of your property

When it comes to home improvements, you’ll probably want to prioritise projects that will add more value to your home—especially if you are planning to sell your property and move on in the future. Today I’m sharing some ideas for getting your home ship-shape so that you can enjoy living in it AND boost it’s resale value…

DIY

3 Possible budget-friendly solutions to rid your home of dampness

No one wants to live in a damp house. It can be very uncomfortable, especially during the winter months as it will only make your place feel colder so why not tackle it now, before it becomes a bigger problem? You might think that you’ll need to call professionals in order to get rid of dampness in your home but the good news is that there are budget-friendly ways you can solve your damp and mold problems yourself. Here’s how…

DIY

Guest post: 5 Cost-efficient ways to make your home more secure

How much do you know about home break-ins? If you believe the cartoons, you may think that burglaries only happen at night, with a criminal sneaking around in a black mask with a swag bag! In reality, the majority of break ins happen in broad daylight. They even are committed by burglars who live nearby. Plus, despite our misconception that these crimes are well thought-out and highly planned, most homes are burgled in less than 10 minutes. That means it’s more essential than ever that you take your home security seriously with these 5 low cost (and free!) security tips.

DIY

Cheap & easy home improvements you might not have considered before…

Making improvements to your home is never going to be cheap, and amid all the home renovation programmes and YouTube DIYs you can often feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to sprucing up your home. However, home improvement doesn’t have to be as expensive as it’s made out to be, and today’s blog post offers a few different methods of creating some easy improvements on the cheap, without going overboard with the power tools…

DIY

How to create an outdoor kitchen/diner in your garden

I’ve been working on landscaping my garden this year and the steep slope needed to be terraced, which left me with a design that created ‘rooms’ within the garden. And since finishing the deck over the weekend, it’s got me thinking about the ways that I want to use the terrace that’s closest to the house…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to incorporate mid-century design into your contemporary home

You only have to open up the Pinterest home page to discover a multitude of ways to incorporate mid-century design into your home. It’s no longer about choosing a ’50s, ’60s or ’70s “theme” that you have to commit to, it’s about choosing sleek designs that fit into your 21st century home perfectly. Here’s how…

DIY

Easy roof maintenance tasks you can do yourself (& when NOT to do it!)

The roof of a house is a perilous place so I wouldn’t even begin to suggest you take on a roofing DIY task yourself as it takes time, skill and specialist safety equipment to perform necessary repairs. That said, there’s no reason why you can’t assess the current state of the roof and spot any minor fixes that can solves problems before they become bigger jobs. At the very least, if you’re capable of assessing the damage you can call in a roofer and explain what needs fixing. Here are some roofing tips to help you get started…

Bedroom

How to find extra space in your home for visitors and relatives

You might think that your family home is already full to bursting point, with kids, pets and all the things that come with them. Then you get a call, and your friends are coming to stay! How will you accommodate them? And what about when a parent or grandparent can no longer live independently? Can you fit them in too? Let’s find extra space in your home that you’re not already using…

Home buying

How to sell your home the thrifty way (without an estate agent)

If you’re thinking of moving house but the costs of selling via an estate agent are putting you off, why not consider selling your home yourself? Did you know that it’s possible to do all the photography, listings, viewings and negotiating yourself and not have to pay a penny to an estate agent? Today’s blog post will walk you through the process…

HOME DIY

6 Tips to keep your home secure when you go away on holiday

If you’re planning a holiday in the near future, today’s blog post is full of ideas for securing your home while you’re away. It can be a real headache if you’re worrying about your home and tech when you’re travelling, so here are 6 simple ways you can alleviate that stress and enjoy your break…

DIY

5 Ways to reduce heating costs during those ‘in-between’ months

Winter may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to fling open all the windows yet! There may still be a few more weeks of cold days (and even colder nights) to come. But heating your home during the bitter chilly winter months shouldn’t cost your entire monthly budget and there are lots of ways you can save money on your home heating. Here are five tips to help you to maintain your radiators AND save money on heating costs while keeping your house warm and cosy…

Bathroom

6 Handy DIY tips to help you diagnose & fix a leaking shower yourself

A leaking shower is something no-one wants in their bathroom. It can be quite an inconvenience when the shower doesn’t function as it should, so what can you do to repair the shower? How can you identify which part of the shower is causing the leak? Can you do some minimal repairs before calling a plumber?

DIY

Three things that’ll get you motivated to revamp your home this year

Ready to spruce up your home this year? Great! Whether you’re completely revamping a recently purchased property, preparing your home for a sale later in the year or adding a dash of contemporary character to a specific room – here are a few tips to get you started on your decorating journey in 2019…

Home buying

Guest post – 3 Things to look for when buying a holiday home

Many of us harbour dreams of one day buying our own holiday home. Not only can it be a treasured home away from home, a place to escape to when your everyday routine gets tedious, but it can also be a fantastic investment for the future. This post details the most important things to look for when buying a holiday home, to ensure that your get the very best value for your money and get to enjoy your property for years to come…

Home buying

What are the best types of UK rental properties to invest in?

Investing in property for buy to let purposes can be an incredibly worthwhile and lucrative venture. The UK is one of the best places in the world for property investment, with the buy to let market in a number of cities such as Liverpool and Manchester offering impressive rental yields and increasing demand. If you’re keen to explore the UK property market even further and are considering making your own investment, take a look at this guide I’ve created with the help of RW Invest to discover some of the best type of properties to go for…

HOME DIY

Beginners guide to buying-to-let – what you need to know before you invest

For many people who want to invest in property, a buy to let mortgage is a good option, allowing them to borrow the money they need for their property investment. I’ve been looking into the idea of buying to let in the future as a ‘pension plan’ for myself and my husband. There are a number of differences between buy to let mortgages and normal residential mortgages so I thought I’d share my research with you today and help you get to grips with these differences…

DIY

5 Ways to make your rental property warmer & more efficient

Now that the cold winter months have arrived it’s time to make sure our homes are warm and cosy. Landlords now have to make sure their properties are more energy efficient – good news for us renters as it could save us valuable pounds! Here are a few DIY jobs you could do to make your rental home a little toastier…

Home buying

Moving to a new house? 5 Things to inspect before you move in

Buying a new home is a really exciting time even if it often feels like it takes forever between finding the house and completing on the purchase. But just because the mortgage company has completed a survey, it doesn’t mean that the house is ready for you. There are several other things you should have inspected before you move in…

Home buying

3 Ways to improve your credit score before buying a house

The property market is starting to be driven by first-time buyers, bucking historical trends. With that in mind, here are 3 simple ways that you can boost your credit score while you’re saving for that deposit, so you’ll be ready to apply for a mortgage when you find your first home…

Bedroom

New interiors trend – How to make a statement with your ceilings

What do your ceilings look like? My guess is that they’re painted white, possibly textured and definitely without wallpaper, right? Well the latest interiors trend that I’ve spotted all over Pinterest is decorated ceilings. This under-utilised space above your head can now be adorned with images, patterns and effects. So, read on to find out some ways to incorporate this trend into your own home…

Bedroom

Cosy autumnal styling hacks from Danish, Irish & US homes

Are you feeling autumnal? Has the new season hit you yet? If you’re already putting the thick duvet on the bed and adding blankets to the sofa, this interior styling post is for you! Here’s how to get that cosy autumnal feeling in your own home, taking inspiration from Irish, Danish and American interiors…

Bathroom

4 Things to consider when picking a new carpet

Many people hold back from replacing their carpet because they are overwhelmed by the decisions involved; plush piles or loop piles? Which fibre should you invest in? How do you know if the colour will suit the room? While it’s true that there are different factors to consider, choosing the right carpet for your home can be surprisingly easy. Just keep these four basic points in mind:

Autumn

4 Things you need to style your home for autumn

If you enjoy scrolling through Instagram or pinning inspirational interiors, you can’t have escaped the interiors trend for styling up your home for autumn. No sooner had September hit than my feed was filled with pumpkins and autumnal vibes – inspirational stuff. But those beautifully styled interiors had 4 things in common, so here’s my cheat-sheet of essential items you need to bring that autumnal feeling into your home…

Bedroom

6 Tricks to make your small bedroom look larger

Let’s face it; decorating a small bedroom to make it look more spacious is often frustrating and challenging. But honestly, it’s fun once you learn the creative decorating tricks that can create the illusion of space. Today I’m working with House Tipster to bring you some of the tricks of the trade that can make your small bedroom look larger, so read on to find out how…

Bathroom

Before renovating your bathroom, read this…

Are you excited to renovate your bathroom? Have you been waiting to renovate the space ever since you moved in? Before you start ripping out the suite, take a deep breath and make sure you’re ready to get started. The following are some of the things that you will want to do before anything else..

THRIFTY LIVING

Decorate your rented apartment without losing your deposit

You’ve found the ideal apartment in terms of location, price and size, and now you want to put your own stamp on the place. There’s only one problem: your deposit! Any unapproved changes to the apartment could suck you into a vicious battle with your landlord. It doesn’t have to be that way if you know what is permissible and what is out of bounds. Here are tips for decorating your apartment without upsetting the landlord…

HOME DIY

5 Low-cost ways to give your home a contemporary feel

Whilst some do still love the idea of a timeless home, many are embracing the future and transforming their home into something that is modern and minimalist. There are so many ways that you can make a space feel contemporary and I’m sharing a few of those ideas today; some of them are large projects that are going to take time, whilst some are smaller projects that won’t take long at all. If you are thinking about making your home feel truly modern, then why not take a look at these 5 projects for inspiration…

DIY

Small scale home improvements to boost kerb appeal

It can be difficult to find a balance between spending time and money on improving and your home versus actually enjoying it! Here are a few small ways that you can renovate your home to boost its kerb appeal, while still taking pleasure in the process..

HOME DIY

The most popular design choices of different generations

It is no secret that different generations like different things. Not only does this pop up in fashion choices, but also in the style they have in their homes. So, with this in mind, what are the most popular design choices of different generations and how do you get the look for less? 

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