Homes & Gardens

Questions landlords must ask themselves

If you have plans to become a landlord, there are a few important questions that you should ask yourself before embarking on this journey.

Being a landlord can be an excellent way to boost your income, and it can be an interesting and rewarding business venture, but it is also a lot of work and not well suited to everyone.

By focusing on these questions, you can determine if it is right for you and make intelligent decisions that will set you up for success down the line. So, if you are planning on becoming a landlord, be sure to ask yourself the following.

How...

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Val Watson

Val Watson

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Insulation in Properties: Key Benefits and Methods

Authored by Simon Wells
Posted: Fri, 10/28/2022 - 7:15am

Insulation is a subject that many homeowners take for granted, being a largely invisible addition to the home. But the impacts of proper insulation on the average home can be nothing short of profound, in a number of crucial ways.

These impacts form the core motivation for the collective action taken by Extinction Rebellion offshoot Insulate Britain – which made the news for its disruptive protests in favour of a government-led home insulation programme. Here, we will examine some of the key benefits to addressing insulation, and the main kinds of insulation that can positively...

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5 Things to Consider When Renting Out a Spare Room

Authored by Liv Butler
Posted: Tue, 10/25/2022 - 5:02am

A spare room in your house can be turned into a source of income with a bit of knowledge and planning. Maybe your kids have all grown up and a room is sitting there vacant, or you no longer have use for a home office, the potential is there so why not use it? Before you embark on this journey, there are some factors to consider. Here are the top five things to think about before you open up your home to a lodger.

How to Find a Tenant

First on the list is what the process of finding a tenant looks like. The preferred method seems to be using a registered company to advertise the...

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Historic Sidbury home with garden lodge

A handsome and unique detached home with a thatched lodge in extensive, beautifully designed gardens is being showcased by Roger Hemming Estate Agents, the Experts in Property in Honiton, at a guide price of £1,375,000.

Rose Hill House sits in an elevated spot in the heart of Sidbury, the ever-popular East Devon village just a couple of miles inland from the coastal town of Sidmouth and around 15 miles from Exeter and all its facilities, including mainline railway stations and motorway links. On the River Sid, the village has a great community spirit as well as a pub, primary...

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3 Ways Garden Sheds Improve Your Daily Life

Authored by Liv Butler
Posted: Fri, 10/21/2022 - 8:12am

Setting aside time and resources to improve your garden can result in a range of creative projects. Most of the time, homeowners tackle gardening projects, whether replanting garden beds or creating a tiered garden. Others might instead fit in a miniature playground for children, a hot tub for relaxation, or even a firepit for hosting gatherings.

But there’s another option for homeowners who want to transform their gardens. More and more UK residents are turning to garden sheds in order to diversify the quality and functionality of their gardens. No matter what your goals are,...

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What to organise when moving house

Authored by Liv Butler
Posted: Fri, 10/21/2022 - 6:51am

Get organised before moving house and the experience will be so much smoother. Everything has its place ­– from smart packing to admin. But it’s important to get things in order. The complexities of moving house are on the radar for many of us. As of April 2022, approximately 367,000 households in the UK wanted to move to another home .

Finances

With so much to consider, it’s no wonder finances are one of the biggest stresses when moving house. The process forces you to evaluate what you can and can’t afford. So, it’s important to gather and file all your relevant...

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Think fire safety when saving money on your energy bills

Authored by Liv Butler
Posted: Thu, 10/20/2022 - 6:04pm

As the weather starts to get colder, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is asking people to think about fire safety when trying to save money on their energy bills.

The service is concerned that people may put themselves at additional risk as the cost-of-living increases.

As part of a new campaign called ' Save Safely ', the service is asking people to think now about preparing for winter, by carrying out three checks:

1. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detection

You should have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, and a carbon...

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Contemporary cooking: Modernise your kitchen

Authored by Val Watson
Posted: Wed, 10/19/2022 - 11:09am

When your kitchen is in need of a major overhaul, you may be somewhat confused about where to start. Making both small and large changes throughout the room could allow you to keep some of your original appliances or colour schemes, but also breathe new life into the space. To achieve this, you may want to think about some of the aspects you currently dislike, as well as some of the trending kitchen designs that might be around for a good while to come.

Changing the taps

Sometimes, larger changes may not be needed. If you feel like your sink space looks dull or common,...

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How to prep your home for winter

Authored by Val Watson
Posted: Fri, 10/14/2022 - 10:06pm

Winter is quickly approaching, and it will be Christmas before we know it. If you want to be one step ahead of the game and get your home ready for winter, here are some of the things you can do to get prepared.

Upgrade your boiler

As we’re currently going through a cost-of-living crisis, many of us are choosing to heat our homes with central heating as little as possible. Whilst this is a good way to save money, it is also wise to upgrade your boiler for when you do choose to put the heating on. Modern boilers are far more efficient than older models and so despite the...

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Housing provider pledges to build more than 2,000 affordable homes in Devon

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 10/13/2022 - 4:27pm

A leading housing association is set to build more than 2,000 affordable homes in Devon over the next five years as part of a £1billion investment in the regional economy.

As the largest housing provider in the South West, LiveWest has more than 15,000 homes in Devon and currently owns more than 39,000 homes across the South West.

LiveWest has stepped up its investment in the county over the past year after building 280 affordable homes made up of 98 for affordable rent, 67 for social rent and 115 for shared ownership.

In South Hams, 40 affordable homes were...

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home at The Orchard in Exeter

Local housebuilder set to release exclusive, gated development of five luxury homes in Exeter

Bishopstone Homes are preparing for the release of their upcoming development of luxury new homes at The Orchard in Exeter following an increase in demand for luxury, economic housing within the city.

The Orchard is an exclusive, gated collection of five luxury homes featuring four and five bedrooms situated on the edge of the popular city of Exeter.

Following the success of their previous development: Amberley Gardens in Kingsteignton, the team at Bishopstone Homes have worked tirelessly to review changes in homebuyer requirements in order to further enhance their new homes and...

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