Homes & Gardens

How to Make Your Roof Last 50 Years (or More!)

Let’s be honest, roofs aren’t the most glamorous part of our homes. Most of us barely think about them until, suddenly, there’s a leak to deal with or a stain slowly creeping across the ceiling. Yet, above our heads, our trusty roofs soldier on day after day, taking whatever the British weather wants to throw at them. If you treat yours right, it could last for fifty years, maybe even longer.

But what’s the trick to a truly long-lasting roof? It’s not down to good fortune or some secret builder’s code. Really, it comes down to using the right materials, showing your roof a bit of...

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5 Things to Consider When Renting Out a Spare Room

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...

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...

3 Ways Garden Sheds Improve Your Daily Life

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,...

What to organise when moving house

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...

Think fire safety when saving money on your energy bills

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...

Contemporary cooking: Modernise your kitchen

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,...

How to prep your home for winter

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...

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

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...

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...

Persimmon Homes donates 1,550 trees for 50 years in celebration of The Queen’s life

A leading housebuilder is marking its 50th anniversary by donating 1,550 trees to The Queen’s Green Canopy, helping to celebrate and honour the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

This represents a donation of 50 trees for each of our operating companies – including four regional businesses based in the South West – and head office, demonstrating the housebuilder’s commitment to enhancing the biodiversity of its sites across Britain.

Fran Leedham, Group Sustainability Director, says: “I’m proud that in our 50th year we’re able to honour and celebrate the remarkable life of Queen...

Homes & Gardens

How to Make Your Roof Last 50 Years (or More!)

5 Things to Consider When Renting Out a Spare Room

Historic Sidbury home with garden lodge

3 Ways Garden Sheds Improve Your Daily Life

What to organise when moving house

Think fire safety when saving money on your energy bills

Contemporary cooking: Modernise your kitchen

How to prep your home for winter

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

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

Persimmon Homes donates 1,550 trees for 50 years in celebration of The Queen’s life

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