Tuesday, August 17, 2010

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If you have a few million to spend and fancy a flat in town then you might be interested in this one. On the market for £140 million this is One Hyde Park. The flat has a prime location in Knightsbridge,Central London with views over the city. It has a private wine tasting facility and an underground passage to what will be Heston Blumenthal’s new restaurant. The flat itself is a two floor apartment with floor to ceiling windows. It has its own car park and panic room. Security features include bullet proof windows, SAS trained security guards and an air purifier to counteract poison gas attacks. It also has access to spas and squash courts. Whoever buys it will need to pay a massive £5.6 million just in stamp duty.

posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:30:31 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, August 15, 2010

This is interesting its a new solar cell technology which has recently been developed by a Norwegian company. The company EnSol AS have created a unique patented film which can be coated onto glass and walls to turn them into power generators. The film which they hope to release commercially by 2016 effectively means that you would be able to turn a window into a solar power generator. It is likely to be much cheaper than conventional devices and it is thought the coating could be built into windows and other building materials as part of the manufacturing process. It certainly sounds interesting but I wonder how much more expensive it would be to replace your windows with these. If the price were not a concern I would certainly consider it.

posted on Sunday, August 15, 2010 9:15:13 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, July 14, 2010

article-1292275-0A557D77000005DC-981_634x390 If you have a bit of spare cash to spend then you might be interested in this bath tub. Made out of white crystal it is certainly not any ordinary bath tub and neither is the price tag of £530,000. It has been carved out of a single block of pure white rock crystal which was mined in Brazil. Places have been left rough to maintain the natural beauty of the rock. The tub is 7ft long by 3ft deep. It certainly would make an unusual bathroom centrepiece. The bath tub will be on show at Harrods until the end of July.

posted on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 7:51:24 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, July 11, 2010

_48236540_firhill_bbc_226 This is an interesting idea, it’s a village where the residents have to be over the age of 45 to be able to live there. The village of Firhall is on the outskirts of Nairn in the highlands and requires it’s residents to abide by certain rules. To be able to own a house here residents much be over 45 and have no resident children. Grandchildren and the children of friends are allowed to visit but there are limits on how often this happens and how long they can stay. Residents are not allowed to keep ducks, rabbits, pigeons or bees but each household is allowed to have one dog. The village has attracted some rather negative media reactions which have branded the residents as child haters but I can see why older people who perhaps don’t want children would like to live in a child free haven. It looks like a lovely area and I bet it’s really peaceful.

posted on Sunday, July 11, 2010 9:53:48 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, July 05, 2010

tescoDMO2_469x222

Tesco have recently started selling a flat pack house for £9,999. The Finnlife home has four rooms and an upstairs storage area with some models also including a terraced decking area. The log cabin style homes are self assembly and can be adapted for a number of uses from a gym to a playroom. They are made of Scandinavian whitewood and are constructed with tongue and groove boards which slot together. Measuring 32ft by 16ft 10 the building has eight double glazed windows, French doors and a shingle roof. They are available online only and customers are advised to check planning permission and building regulations before installation.

posted on Monday, July 05, 2010 10:01:36 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, June 10, 2010

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According to this article this could be Britain’s biggest wasps nest. The size of a double mattress it was found in the attic of a pub in Southampton. It measured 6ft by 5ft and was around 15 times bigger than the UK average. Apparently it would house up to half a million wasps. The nest was removed by a pest controller who cracked open the top and squirted the colony with a powerful insecticide.

posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010 7:56:11 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, March 12, 2010

Tesco are backing a new online estate agency. The agency called Spicerhaart is launching the website iSold.com. It will launch initially in the Bristol area and will be advertised to users of the Tesco website. The service offers a basic online selling service for a flat fee of £999 rather than charging a percentage of the selling price as is the norm. All dealings with buyers and sellers will be conducted over the phone and online and the business will be kept separate for the Spicerhaart high street outlets.

posted on Friday, March 12, 2010 8:53:28 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, March 09, 2010

According to this article the AA is to launch a new service to help people within the home. The AA will answer calls from householders who have problems with issues such as leaking pipes and broken down boilers or even those who need help putting up a fence or hanging a picture. Householders will use the same call centres which are currently used to dispatch the AA’s breakdown service. People will be given a time of arrival and a reference number and repair men will use an AA van but without the flashing lights. AA members will get a discount on the new service which will also be offered to new customers. The service is split into two parts. The AA Home Emergency Response which is an insurance policy against domestic problems and will tackle burst pipes and leaks. The AA Home Assist will tackle smaller jobs such as putting up curtain rails, mending fences and picture hanging. The service will have a stand alone network of patrolman and vans, separate from the existing fleet of roadside patrol vans. Typical prices for the Home Emergency Response are expected to be £9.95 per month for AA members and £11.95 for non-members.

posted on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 10:25:41 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, March 04, 2010

nuclear_bunker If you have a bit of spare cash and want to purchase something a bit unusual, then you might be interested in this nuclear bunker. Currently on sale on ebay the bunker is based in the Peak District and comes with a plot of land. It has panoramic views over the Derbyshire Dales and includes much of the original equipment. If you are interested the current bid is £24,100.25.

posted on Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:18:31 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, February 18, 2010

This article is interesting it points out the impact that globalisation has had on crime statistics within the UK. It seems that it has been responsible for bringing down the prices of household goods as cheaper electronic goods are made in the Far East and so making them less desirable to criminals. As they are likely to get less return for selling stolen goods such as TVs or DVD players, criminals are turning instead to more lucrative crimes such as mugging and car crime which promise better rewards. Trends show that during the 1980s and 1990s staple crimes were usually burglary and car crime as it was easy to break into a house and sell an item for profit. However, trends now show that criminals are increasingly targeting high value portable items such as iPods and phones which are carried on the person and so muggings are becoming more common. The good news for home owners is that you are less likely be burgled.

posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:35:12 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, February 12, 2010

According to this article St Austell in Cornwall will get £9 million of government money to help its eco-town project. St Austell was named as one of four areas that has been chosen by the government to have eco-towns with the others being in Rackheath in Norfolk, Bicester in Oxfordshire and Whitehill Bordon in East Hants. In all, the four areas will support up to 2,000 local jobs and introduce thousands of people to green living. The project in St Austell will regenerate the china clay area being used to create a number of carbon neutral homes. The homes will initially be used as show homes to help give residents in the local area an example of green living. Other houses will be given a green makeover and will feature water saving systems and smart meters to monitor energy use. They will also have renewable power and electric car charging points.

posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 10:42:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback

According to this article cat owners are more educated than dog owners. That’s according to a study carried out by Bristol University. A poll of 2,524 households found that 47.2% of those with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, compared with 38.4% of homes with dogs. It is put down to the fact that those who work longer hours are generally in better qualified jobs but that these people find their lifestyle makes owing a dog impractical so opt for a cat instead.

posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 10:37:40 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, February 10, 2010

An Austrian millionaire is giving away his fortune after realising it doesn’t make him happy. Karl Rabeder who is worth around £3 million is gradually disposing of his fortune. He has put his £1.4 million villa up for sale and is also in the process of selling his farmhouse, six gliders and an luxury Audi. The proceeds of the sale will all be going to charities which he has set up in Central and Latin America. Once everything is sold he will move into a small wooden hut in the mountains or a bedsit.

posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 8:57:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, February 02, 2010

I have always been sceptical about the claims that fortnightly bin collections will cut waste. I’m not surprised then by the results of a report recently commissioned by the Government. It suggests that fortnightly bin collections do not help to cut waste and in fact it forces people to dispose of their waste in other ways such as driving it to the local dump. The report which was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found that although fortnightly bin collections did reduce the amount of waste left in the street it had a knock on effect of home owners taking more rubbish to the tip. According to the shadow Local Government minister this has the effect of increasing congestion and pollution from traffic. Based on the findings the Conservatives have said they will work to establish weekly bin collections if they are elected.

posted on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 8:12:59 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, January 28, 2010

article-0-07F0241C000005DC-342_634x429 If you have some extra money to spare and fancy buying something a little unusual then you might be interested in this hole. It has recently been put up for sale by the owners for the first time in 150 years. The hole was once used as a quarry and has since been filled with water. It measures 142 metres (466ft deep). It is thought that it might attract interest from people wanting to use it as a leisure site for diving or perhaps to drain it to use for climbing. If you are interested in purchasing it, it is expected to sell for offers over £30,000.

posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 9:43:14 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, January 25, 2010

According to this article the number of people advertising for a lodger has risen by 27% in the first two weeks of the year. According to Spareroom.co.uk the rise is down to people looking to raise extra income because they have over stretched financially after the Christmas period. The group have said that they saw a record number of people advertising for lodgers during 2009 and that it expects the trend to continue this year. With the average weekly rent costing £87 it seems like a good way to bring in some extra cash if you have a big enough house to be able to do it.

posted on Monday, January 25, 2010 9:51:44 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, January 16, 2010

article-0-07CF8A67000005DC-442_634x303 If you have a bit of spare cash and fancy a home with a difference then you might be interested in this house boat. On sale for £1million it has a 577 square foot deck and includes a roof top pool. Inside it has three en-suite bedrooms, a dressing room, a modern open plan kitchen and dining area, reception room, study and utility room. The boat is moored at Cadogan Pier on the Thames near to London’s Albert Bridge so is well placed for central London.

posted on Saturday, January 16, 2010 12:29:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, January 06, 2010

article-1239583-07A9A025000005DC-859_634x350 At first glance this might seem like quite a good buy for £3,000, but the bungalow is actually a condemned property. The bungalow at Knipe Point near Scarborough is situated dangerously close to the edge of a cliff and is likely to fall into the sea within 6 months. Artist, Mr Cunningham has brought the property so that he can spend his time painting its descent into the sea. He also intends to set up cameras inside the house in order to film its destruction. Many of the neighbouring houses have already gone over the edge and the property has recently developed cracks in the past few weeks so it seems the artist may need to paint rather quickly to get his moneys worth.

posted on Wednesday, January 06, 2010 9:35:27 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, December 31, 2009

According to this article light bulbs could soon become a thing of the past as light emitting wallpaper is introduced. This is according to a government body that supports low carbon technology. The wallpaper would work using a chemical coating on the walls which illuminates all parts of the room with an even glow mimicking sunlight. It will also avoid the shadows and glare of conventional bulbs. An electrical current will be used to stimulate the chemicals in order to produce light but the voltage would be very low meaning the walls would be safe to the touch. Dimmer switches would control the brightness of the light. The product is still in development but the Carbon Trust has recently awarded a grant to Lomox, a company that is developing the technology. They claim it will be two and a half times more efficient than energy saving bulbs and will make a big contribution in cutting carbon emissions.

posted on Thursday, December 31, 2009 11:17:15 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, October 26, 2009

It has been nearly three months since we moved into our new home and we finally have a working shower. What seemed a simple job has taken a lot more time and money that we expected. We were really pleased when we managed to purchase a shower for £35 and a screen for just over £40, particularly as I paid for them using my Nectar points. Whilst the initial cost seemed very reasonable what we hadn’t taken into account was how difficult the shower would be to install.

As there were no plumbing or electrics in place there was a fair amount of work that needed doing. We called the plumber first who had to install the pipes needed. He found that the pipes in the house were old steel pipes and these needed to be replaced with copper pipes. The plumbing and tiling took several days due to various other problems that occurred and with labour this cost just over £350. Next we had to get power to the new shower. My husband routed the cable through to the unit which involved removing tiles and parts of the ceiling and took several weekends. Then we finally called the electrician who came to connect the power and install the new consumer unit. This cost another £100 plus £80 of materials. All in all our bargain £75 shower ended up costing just over £800. I’m really going to enjoy that first shower.

posted on Monday, October 26, 2009 10:40:55 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, September 07, 2009

Lego House

This giant Lego house is being built in Dorking in Surrey. So far it contains over two million Lego bricks. It comes complete with a Lego toilet, bath and bed. Once it is finished Top Gear presenter James May intends to stay in it for several days or until it falls down.

posted on Monday, September 07, 2009 8:07:53 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, July 27, 2009

Moving house can be quite stressful especially if you have pets. Having four cats this was one of the main concerns we had about the move. Not only did we have to get four cats into four boxes (a miracle at the best of times) we had to do it whilst they were stressed out because of the strange people in the house and we had an hours drive ahead of us to get to our new home. One thing that made the move easier was that we had decided to do it over the course of two days. On day one we locked our furry friends in one room in the old house. The removal men then moved everything out of the the other part of the house. Once they had left for the day we moved all the remaining furniture out of the “cats room” so that the following day the removal men could take the rest of our stuff and just leave us four cats in an empty house.

On day two the rest of the house was cleared very quickly and the removal lorry set off to the new house with all our belongings packed up. We then proceeded to catch the cats starting with Willow and Oscar, the most docile and leaving Lucy and Oliver (evil hissing balls of fur) until last. Surprisingly we managed the near impossible feat of getting all four cats into boxes within the hours and even more surprisingly we still had all of our fingers. We then packed the boxes complete with cats into the car and set off to the new house accompanied all the way by Oliver howling at the top of his voice. Just over an hour later we arrived at the new house, with Oliver still howling in protest. Once again we put aside a small “cat room” and put the cat boxes into the room. We set up a clean litter tray and some food and water, opened the doors of the cat boxes and put a sign on the door on the room reading “do not open cats”. With the cats taken care of we moved all of our things into the new home.

We then used the “cat room” as a base for the cats. Once the house was free of removal men we opened the door and gradually one by one the cats plucked up the courage to come out and explore. They were initially very nervous but curiosity quickly gets the better of even the most nervous cat. Now nearly a week later all of the cats have left the “cat room” and now spend most of their time sitting on the windowsill hunting the fat pigeons in the garden. The next step will be to let the cats outside to explore but we will leave it a few weeks before we introduce them to the outside.

posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 10:11:20 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, July 26, 2009

Its been just over a week now since we moved into our new house and the place is just starting to feel like home. Whilst the inside of the house has all of our old things in it I must admit I am finding it hard to get used to being in a different location. Having been away from Sevenoaks for nearly ten years its strange to leave the house and not see the familiar surroundings of Egham. In many ways Sevenoaks is as I remember it but there are some changes and it frequently surprises me when I find a building has disappeared or its usage has changed. It will certainty take time to get used to the area again but it is nice to be just around the corner from my family and be able to just pop round for a cup of tea rather than facing a long drive on the motorway.

posted on Sunday, July 26, 2009 2:48:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, June 13, 2009

Like most people our mortgage is by far our biggest outgoing with most of our income going towards it before we have paid any other bills. Bearing this is mind we are always looking of ways to reduce the loan and try to overpay when we have any spare money. We do find, however, that we are able to do this very rarely as most months expenses come up that we are not expecting. I found this article interesting because it suggests that if you save just £2.50 a day then you could save £13,500 from the cost of your mortgage over the life of the loan. It seems like such small amount that you wouldn't expect it to make much of a difference. Most people can probably afford to save what amounts to slightly less than £80 a month but like me don’t consider it will make a great deal of difference, I guess it does all add up, perhaps I should start putting this small amount aside every month.

posted on Saturday, June 13, 2009 8:11:10 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, May 12, 2009

_45737334_-4 Some lucky bats in East Sussex have got a nice new luxury heated house to live in. The £20,000 bat house has been built by a property developer who was told he needed to protect the bats habitat. The developer was given permission to demolish two houses in order to build nine flats on the condition that he provided the brown long-eared bats with an alternative home.

posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 8:34:07 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, May 11, 2009

We recently put our house on the market and received an offer after only two weeks. Since then we have been frantically viewing properties in various areas with limited success. We thought we had finally narrowed the search down to just two properties in Egham where we currently live. However, at the last minute a new property was thrown into the mix in a totally different area. Despite our reservations about changing areas as well as moving house, my husband fell in love with it. It now appears that not only are we moving but we are relocating to a completely new area, something that proves to be quite a big decision and is exciting but also quite frightening.

posted on Monday, May 11, 2009 8:47:12 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, May 09, 2009

We ordered some new sofas about a month ago to replace our very old moth eaten ones and the new ones arrived yesterday. We brought our original sofas when we moved into our house about eight years ago and not being the most expensive or well made they had got to the point where the seats has dropped and springs were sticking out of the back. Coupled with the toll of four pairs of claws (the cats) it really was time to replace them. The new sofas were ordered from Furniture Village and made to order hence why they take up to a month to arrive. We were slightly concerned that they were going to make it in tact because our doorway is too narrow for sofas so unfortunately they need to go over the garden wall and through the patio doors at the back of the house. Whilst this manoeuvre is not hugely difficult, in the past we have encountered problems because health and safety rules do not allow delivery drivers to lift items over a certain height. Despite us informing Furniture Village on three occasions the drivers were not aware of the potential problems when they arrived. However, unlike last time when Argos left our sofas on the lawn they quickly agreed that the sofas needed to go over the wall and after about 20 minutes the new sofas were unwrapped and in the living room. As I am typing this I am sitting here enjoying that new sofa smell.

posted on Saturday, May 09, 2009 9:19:21 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, April 26, 2009

In an unusual incentive a Spanish property company is offering customers a free divorce lawyer when they purchase a new home. The offer is open to couples who buy one of their three bedroom houses priced at 68,000 Euros. The company Geimsa realtors are hoping to cash in on those people who are delaying divorce proceedings because they cannot afford to set up a new home in the current difficult economic climate. The same company is also offering brand new apartments for 100,000 Euros which includes an all expenses paid wedding. In other schemes around 30 estate agents in Spain are offering discounts of up to 40 per cent for buyers who are going through a divorce or separation. Some deals also include a years free mortgage.

posted on Sunday, April 26, 2009 10:16:08 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, April 03, 2009

article-1165278-0420B06D000005DC-373_634x373 If you have a few million to spend then you might be interested in this house which has recently gone on sale. At $150 million it is America’s most expensive house. It is so big that no one is really sure how many rooms it has but it is thought to be more than 100. It covers 56,500 square feet with grounds of more than 4.6 acres and has a library, gym, media room, wine cellar, wine tasting room, barbers shop and beauty salon. If you are interested then the closest neighbours include the Playboy Mansion and the Los Angeles Country Club.

posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 10:19:26 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, March 08, 2009

article-1156130-03ADA967000005DC-852_468x453 This is interesting its an idea created by visionary architects which they say could help combat global warming. Put in simple terms the idea is to build a skyscraper that includes 400 trees in an effort to absorb dangerous pollutants and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The devices would be built near factories or other major sources of pollution in order to clean the air. Evergreen trees would be mounted on the 400ft tall structure along a series of floors so that they could fiarticle-1156130-03ADA520000005DC-40_468x350lter air hundreds of feet above the ground. To the right is a diagram showing how the system could work. Looking at the comments at the bottom the article it seems most people object to the fact that the structure is rather ugly, I certainly wouldn't want outside my house. What do you think?

posted on Sunday, March 08, 2009 1:01:17 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, March 03, 2009

As someone who is rather fond of red wine, I do find myself cleaning up rather a lot of spillages, so a stain remover is an important product to have in the cupboard.  I found this article quite interesting, it looks at a test carried out by the consumer watchdog Which? They tested various stain removers to see which ones performed best. 17 different stain removers were tested on red wine, coffee, blood, Ribena and chocolate. What is interesting, however, is that budget washing up liquid was used as a comparison alongside the products. Surprisingly the washing up liquid was better than half of the branded cleaners, so it appears you might be wasting your money buying an expensive stain remover. The product that performed best overall was Sainsbury's carpet and upholstery cleaner which costs £2.43.

posted on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 10:29:58 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, February 13, 2009

This article suggests that despite a Government pledge to crack down on developers who build new homes on flood plains, the number of new homes built on flood risk areas is increasing. The article points out that local planners gave the go ahead for 16 new developments in danger areas in 2007/2008. In each of these case although the Environment Agency raised objections, these were ignored and many were approved after the floods in the summer of 2007 when thousands of families lost their homes and possessions. There are now around two million homes built on flood plains in the UK and the insurance industry will no longer cover people who move into new homes in at risk areas unless the builders have installed flood defences.

It just seems ludicrous to me that despite the bad floods of the past couple of years developers are still choosing to build on areas that are at risk of flooding. The flood plains are called that for a reason, they are there primarily to take the excess water when an area floods. In fact two definitions of the term are "All land adjacent to a watercourse over which water flows in times of flood or would flow but for the presence of flood defences where they exist" and "The area around a body of water which may at times be under water and may at other times be dry land, depending on the level of the water in the lake, river, pond, etc." It seems to be me that if they developers insist on building on flood plains they need to stop building conventional houses and look at other solutions. Something like this Eco-home might work. It is built on stilts so that the water simply flows underneath the house. It also has no foundations that will be swept away by flood waters. Another interesting idea are these floating houses made by Dutch company Waterstudio. One thing is for sure building conventional style houses in an area which will flood is a dumb idea and developers should be looking at the long term implications.

posted on Friday, February 13, 2009 9:18:08 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009

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This is quite funny, its a show home with a slight difference. Whilst most show homes are pristine and look and have like they have never been lived in, this one is set up to look like a teenagers bedroom, to give the room that authentic feel. The room features an unmade bed, a half eaten pizza on the carpet and a pair of smelly trainers as well as crisps trodden in the carpet and clothes spread all over the floor.

posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:15:09 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, December 08, 2008

banksy-pub_1124834c A run down pub in Liverpool has doubled in value due to some graffiti on the side of it. The pub was originally worth around £495,000 before the graffiti appeared. It is now worth around £1 million after the graffiti was found to be the work of Banksy, an artist who is known for his images of vermin. The estate agents overseeing the sale have been inundated with offers from buyers looking for an investment.

posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 6:48:52 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, November 08, 2008

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I cam across this article about a man in Grimsby that filled his house with rubbish. According to the article the house was so full of rubbish that it was not possible to walk through the front door. The man was housed in a hotel whilst his house was cleared. An amazing 100 tonnes of rubbish was taken away in a clean up operation which took three weeks. Suddenly my house seems really really clean.

posted on Saturday, November 08, 2008 12:17:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, November 02, 2008

We seem to be spending an awful lot of out time at Homebase at the moment. Last weekend we went four times and so far this weekend we have managed three visits. Each time my husband promises he won't have to go back again and each time he forgets something. As the only driver in our household, I get the job of driving him there and sitting in the car park waiting for him. With any luck he now has everything he needs and can get on with the job of finishing the laminate flooring, but knowing Rory there is some essential piece of kit we will need to go back for.

posted on Sunday, November 02, 2008 3:44:58 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, October 28, 2008

We spent last weekend fitting laminate flooring in our dining room and today I am in pain. My whole body hurts so I guess I have used some muscles that don't usually get much use. I thought fitting laminate flooring was meant to be easy. All the instructions say that the pieces simply lock together. What the instructions don't tell you is that "lock together" actually means you have to hit them very hard with a mallet until they fit. The instructions also fail to mention the challenges that you face fitting the floor when the walls in your house are not straight. Sure the walls look straight but when it comes to lining up the first the few planks of flooring you suddenly realise that they are not. The job does get easier after you have put the first three rows of flooring down but it certainly took a lot longer than I expected. I now have another thing to add to my list of hated DIY jobs. Next time I might just buy a carpet.

posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 10:21:05 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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If you believe this article then we could all live on floating cities in the future. That's according to an architect who believes that floating cites could be the answer to rising sea levels. In theory each city could house 50,000 inhabitants in a self sustainable home which would have a lake at its centre. It would also have artificial marinas and mountains and would be powered by wind turbines and solar power. The architect has not yet estimated a cost for his design but believes it could be a solution to provide housing for refugees from islands that have been overtaken by the sea. It all looks very interesting, a bit like a massive lily pad.

posted on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 12:55:40 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, July 02, 2008

This is quite interesting, its a revolving skyscraper. It has been created by an Italian architect who wanted to create what he calls dynamic towers. In the towers each of the floors can fully rotate up to once an hours. The rotating floors will be made from prefabricated apartments that spin around a concrete floor and owners who buy an entire floor will be able to activate the rotation with voice commands to change their view. The towers will also generate enough electricity to power themselves and other nearby buildings because they will be fitted with solar panels and wind turbines. Two of the buildings will be built in Dubai and Moscow by the end of 2010. It all sounds very interesting except that the architect has never built a skyscraper before. I wonder whether it will work.

posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 11:14:07 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, June 18, 2008

If you have £3.2 million to spare then you might want to spend it on an island. Sanda island in Scotland has just been put on the market. The new owner will be able to issue their own postage stamps and even mint their own gold. The price also includes two smaller islands Sheep and Glunimore. Its just a little bit out of my price range.

posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:26:18 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, May 29, 2008

Huge Shed We always find that no matter how many times we clear out the shed it always becomes full again very quickly. I think I have finally found the answer this huge shed. It costs £13,000 and is available from Argos. The only problem is, its just a little bit too big for our garden.

posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:13:42 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, May 25, 2008
DSCN1041We have just put our house on the market and are looking at moving to something a little bigger in Egham. Below is the description and the price is £219,950 so if you are looking at moving to Egham and are interested then let me know.

An extended end terrace property situated within a cul de sac and located within half a mile of Egham high street amenities and mainline train station. Accommodation comprises entrance hallway, lounge, kitchen, dining room, shower room, double bedroom, first floor bathroom, mezzanine study area, own private rear garden and off street parking.

house1
posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008 1:40:35 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, May 01, 2008

Nationwide has reduced its maximum loan size for new customers to £500,000, half the previous limit. It has also raised its minimum deposit from 5% to 10% on all but two of its mortgage deals. These measures will not affect existing customers but are being introduced as what Nationwide describe as managing its business "in a prudent and sustainable way". In contrast the Royal Bank of Scotland has recently announced a reduction of 0.3% on its fixed rate mortgage deals at a time when most other banks are putting their rates up. It's hard to know what's happening with the property market at the moment but one thing is for sure, if you are looking to buy having a big wad of cash for a deposit will certainly help, otherwise you might struggle to find mortgage.

posted on Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:19:18 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, April 18, 2008
A rather obscure story here about a man who has been dubbed the “mole man” because of his tunnelling habit. William Little spent 40 years digging a network of tunnels underneath his house before he was evicted in 2006. His excavation was so extensive that it has almost caused his house to collapse and he has now been ordered to pay £300,000 in costs to stabilise the structure.

posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 4:14:53 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, April 09, 2008
This article suggests that around 75,000 households could face negative equity. Areas of Manchester, Glasgow, South East London and Birmingham appear to be most at risk because the value of an average home in these areas is only a small amount over the mortgage on the property. This useful map shows the areas that are considered to be most at risk from a fall in home prices and at a risk of people having their homes repossessed. The figures are based on analysis from Experian one of the largest credit reference agencies. The research also shows that 78,394 households have less than 20% equity in their homes and that if house prices were to fall by 20% as some experts predict that these people would face negative equity.

posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 2:21:42 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, April 08, 2008
If you fancy something a little a different you might be interested in this beach hut. It is built out of reclaimed timber and the roof of a grocery van and sits on top of a raft. The hut which is called The Ark has stood on the mudflats near King’s Lynn in Norfolk for over 50 years and has recently been put up for sale. With a guide price of £60,000 it doesn’t come cheap but it is fairly distinctive.

posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 3:00:39 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, March 27, 2008
There are many expenses associated with selling a home but one fairly new cost is the home information pack or HIPs. HIPs have been promoted by the Government as a way to provide key information to buyers and also speed up the purchase of a property. However a recent report from Which? has found that HIPs have little value and that 41% of buyers find the packs make purchasing a new house more difficult. HIPs have also been opposed by estate agent trade bodies, the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the legal profession. The general opinion appears to be that they are simply a waste of money.

posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:57:35 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, March 21, 2008
This is quite cool. It is called the Tardis House and is probably Cornwall’s smallest office. It measures just 7ft by 6ft so there is barely enough room for a table and chair and not much else. In fact it is so small that you can stand inside with your arms outstretched and touch the walls. The building which was originally built as a toilet has recently gone on the market for a surprising £19,950.

posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 12:20:33 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Further to my blog post a few weeks ago we are gradually moving towards getting the house ready to sell. Moving our stuff into storage has taken a bit longer than expected and we still have things that we want to move out of the house. We did initially plan to have moved everything into storage by now, but suffered a set back at the weekend as Rory was not well. We now plan to finish this over the Easter weekend and hopefully start doing some painting.  Regarding looking for a new place, we did look at two properties a few weeks ago, one which we hated and another which we really liked. Unfortunately as our house is not yet on the market we were unable to put in an offer on the house that we liked and have now heard that this one has just sold. It’s a shame as the property was just what we were looking for, but I’m sure something else will come up.

posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 6:07:36 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, March 06, 2008
We have spent the last few days packing up as much stuff as possible to try and declutter our house prior to selling. The result is that I currently have a house full of boxes instead of a house full of clutter, not a vast improvement. We do have a van coming today to take all the boxes to the storage area so hopefully later on today I should be able to walk around my house again without encountering a box mountain.

posted on Thursday, March 06, 2008 9:50:58 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback
 Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Nationwide have increased the minimum deposit required to secure its best interest rate. Previously anyone putting down a 10% deposit could secure its best rate but this has now been increased to 25% of the value of the property. The move will mean that anyone with less than a 25% deposit will pay 0.2% more interest.

posted on Tuesday, March 04, 2008 3:46:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, March 02, 2008
A house in Kensington has sold for £80 million making it London’s most expensive home. The previous record was £67 million for a property in Kensington Palace Gardens. This property is five storeys high and has an underground swimming pool, a sauna and a gym.

posted on Sunday, March 02, 2008 4:50:46 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, February 29, 2008
We have been talking about moving house for a long time and are finally starting to do something about it. Whilst I love our house, it is starting to get a little small for our needs and with four cats and running a business from home it’s definitely time to move on. We made the first step by getting an estate agent around to value our property the other day and were surprised to find it is worth quite a bit more than we expected. Over the next few weeks we will be moving all of our stuff into storage in a major effort to declutter the house. Then we plan to replace the carpets and do a bit of painting, before putting the house on the market. We will also be looking at other properties over the next few weeks and months to try and get an idea of the sort of house we are looking to move to. We have two houses to see at the weekend as well as a meeting with Lok’nStore where we plan to store the contents of our house whilst we are trying to sell it. It’s all very exciting and there are sure to be many property related post over the next few months. If it all goes to plan, hopefully we will soon be settled in a new home.

posted on Friday, February 29, 2008 3:52:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback
 Friday, January 25, 2008
A man who managed to build a castle behind a haystack could face having it demolished. Robert Fidler built the castle over the course of two years but kept it concealed behind a 40 foot stack of hay bales. He then lived there for four years before revealing the castle in August of last year. He claims that because the castle has been there for four years with no objections that it is no longer illegal. However, the council planners say that the law does not apply in this case because no one has had the chance to see it.

posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 12:19:09 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback
 Monday, November 26, 2007
Regular readers might have noticed a lack of recipes recently. This is mainly because my oven is broken. It currently either cooks everything on a super hot setting or takes the whole day to heat up. The main problem is you never know which setting it has decided to use, so you either end up with cremated food or raw food. The good news is I ordered a new oven at the weekend. I got it from Currys who had a good deal on a built-in oven and hobs for only £349. We also paid an extra £50 for them to install it. The oven is due to arrive next Monday, so I should soon be able to post lots of new recipes.

posted on Monday, November 26, 2007 3:23:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, November 01, 2007
Further to yesterdays post about the overpriced public toilet that sold for £120,000 I read this interesting article that suggests house prices in the UK rose by 1.1% in October. This doesn’t really come as surprise to me. Whilst I have also read articles recently that predict a slowing in the housing market we are certainly still seeing high prices in our area. Not only that properties still seem to be selling extremely quickly especially the smaller one to two bedroom properties. These smaller properties only seem to be on a market a week whereas larger three to four bedroom properties can be on the market for a month or more. The question remains, however, is now a good time to sell?

posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 3:21:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A public toilet block in Newquay has recently sold for £120,000. The block is due to knocked down in a larger development which will include shops and accommodation. This seems to be another example of the over inflated housing market.

posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:12:07 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback
 Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Debt experts have said that around one million people use high interest credit cards to cover their mortgage or rent payments. Six per cent of householders have put their mortgage or rent payments on their credit card in the past year according to the housing charity Shelter. Credit card companies often charge interest of around 15 and 18 per cent which is up to three times more then most mortgage rates. The problem seems to be worst among 18 to 24 year olds. It certainly seems like a very risky way of managing your finances.

posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 7:58:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, October 22, 2007
Barratt has begun building work on a new generation of zero-carbon homes. The houses are designed to produce a very small carbon footprint. They will include solar panels that will heat the water, pumps that will extract heat from the air to warm the house and toilets that will use rainwater to flush. The houses are likely to be on the market in 2010.

posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 6:16:49 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tesco has had to suspend its property sales after the Office of Fair Trading ruled it was acting as an estate agent and would need to abide by the relevant laws. The site was launched in July and offered customers the chance to sell their home for £199. They have offered a full refund to all their customers and are now considering launching a full online estate agency in the future.

posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 12:51:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, October 20, 2007
Travelodge is offering rewards to members of the public that suggest new sites for development. To suggest a site you can visit their website and fill in a form with your contact details and your proposed location. If your tip results in a new opening they will then pay you £500 per bedroom up to a maximum payout of £150,000.

posted on Saturday, October 20, 2007 7:41:03 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, October 13, 2007
Ikea has started selling flat-pack homes. The homes are on sale at their Gateshead store. They have a timber frame and come with their own plot of land. The concept started in Sweden in the 1990s with around 1,000 flat-pack homes being sold every year. The homes are called BoKlok and are made using renewable materials and featuring solar panels so are eco-friendly. The properties will all be south-facing in order to catch as much sunlight as possible to help warm the house. An area of land has been set aside near Gateshead for an estate of 90 homes. The homes cost between £100,000 and £125,000 for a flat, £132,500-£139,500 for a two bedroom house and £150,000 for a three bedroom house. First time buyers on low incomes will be given priority in the allocation process. If the project is successful Ikea will expand to 12 more sites over the next 18 months. The homes are provided ready assembled, which seems a shame, half of the fun of Ikea’s products is building them.

posted on Saturday, October 13, 2007 11:37:02 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, October 06, 2007
In the latest news surrounding Northern Rock it has announced a cut back on the range of mortgage products they will offer. Two thirds of its mortgage product range is going to be axed in what seems to be a major product overhaul. This change is unlikely to affect the banks risk profile because it is still prepared to lend up to 125% of a properties value, something which is the root cause of its present problems. Despite the changes rates on their fixed rate and variable mortgages are likely to remain unchanged.

posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 10:23:14 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, October 05, 2007
I read this article that suggests some mortgage brokers are encouraging homebuyers to lie about their finances. Some lenders are giving people up to eight times their salary. Experts have warned that this type of irresponsible lending could drag Britain into a US-style subprime mortgage crisis. Brokers have been pushing first time buyers to take out “self certification” mortgages that let people state their income without any proper employer checks to see if they qualify. Self-certification home loans now account for one in every ten mortgages as opposed to one in twenty four years ago. It just seems silly to me to encourage people to borrow more than they can afford to pay to back, and personally I find it hard to believe there are companies that do this.

posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 2:21:39 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
In one example of the rising property prices in the UK, a beach chalet in Devon has just been sold for £91,000. The chalet is made of timber and has a tin roof. It was originally thought the chalet would sell for £40,000 but it appears to have fetched a great more. It does, however, have planning permission to build a two-storey chalet on the site, so has the potential to be a good investment for the London buyer.

posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 11:00:42 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, September 17, 2007
Many things affect the cost of your insurance but the main reason you are paying more could be your post code. I was reading this article that suggests residents in South Norwood pay more than three times as much for building and contents insurance as someone who lives in Barnstaple. The website also provides a post code checker so you can see how the area in which you live affects what you pay. The results show you a typical annual premium for a house in your area, as well as where it ranks in the country. My breakdown was as follows:

Your postcode breakdown:  
•    Your league position: 1365 out of 1659
•    Your premium: £190.25
•    The national average is £169.45

posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 1:04:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, August 17, 2007
The traditional British pub is under threat from breweries trying to cash in on the property boom. That’s according to a report by the BBC. Pub closures are currently running at 56 every month. Many are due to a loophole in the law that allowed developers to demolish pubs without the need for planning permission. To turn a pub into a residential dwelling, planning permission must be got from the local authority. In addition to this the owners must prove they have made an effort to sell the pub as a business. Despite this local people have claimed the pub owners often price pubs unrealistically or deliberately run them into the ground because it is more profitable to sell them to property developers.

I recently went back to my home town of Sevenoaks and was greatly saddened to see that The Farmers where I have spent many a happy evening, no longer stands. The 150 year old pub was demolished despite having a thriving local community and despite local petitions with over 2000 signatures to try and save it. All because the company that owned it wanted to cash in on the sale of the site which will now become flats. The Campaign for real ale has called for new housing developments to include a pub, it will be interesting to see whether this leads to new premises being built. Sadly its too late for The Farmers.



The Farmers as it was in Sevenoaks Kent.
posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 3:44:52 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, August 15, 2007

A homeowner who awoke to find a burglar in his house could be arrested after the burglar fell from a window. Patrick Walsh startled the burglar who fell out a top floor window and later died. It is not yet clear whether the home owner will face any charges. Stories like this make me rather angry, yes its unfortunate the burglar fell and died but he really should not have been in the house in the first place. It seems we should welcome burglars into our house and make sure they are safe whilst they are stealing our hard earned possessions. After all burglars have rights too. In my opinion A burglar gives up all his rights when he enters a property illegally and the home owner should have every right to defend themselves from this kind of intrusion.

posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:51:52 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, July 20, 2007

Last time we moved we did it ourselves hiring a van which my Dad drove. Since then we have gained a lot more stuff and next time we move we will certainly be using a moving company.  I found this useful directory of moving companies. You can search by area and by the type of service you need. They also include services for moving internationally as well as storage rentals.

posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 1:06:07 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, July 19, 2007

A couple in Vancouver are currently living with 80 bats which have built a nest inside the walls of their condo. Despite the fact that they risk exposure to rabies a court has ruled the bats cannot be evicted for another three weeks. Under the current legislation the bats are protected during the breeding season, so until it is over they are allowed to stay. The human residents of the condo are looking forward to the day when their unwelcome guests can be re-homed.

posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:17:47 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, July 16, 2007

With the recent rises in mortgage rates it’s getting harder to find the money to buy a home especially for first time buyers. I remember when we purchased our house four years ago we struggled to find the money for our deposit and the fees and had to borrow from family, just to get on the property ladder. We have always made sure we choose a fixed rate on our mortgages, mainly because we would find it difficult to cope with any rise in interest rates and would struggle with increased payments. However if you do have problems there are people that can help you with bad credit remortgages and debt consolidation. We are now trying to find the money to purchase our second home and finding it equally difficult to find the money for fees. We have worked out that to buy a new house and sell ours will cost around £10,000 just in Stamp Duty, Land Registry fees and solicitor’s fees and thats before we start paying the mortgage.

posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 7:50:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, July 06, 2007

This cool cave home is literally carved out of the limestone cliffs; it has a sitting room and a front door but no water and electricity. That didn't stop it from fetching a cool £100,000 when it was auctioned a couple of days ago.

posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 5:36:09 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, June 29, 2007

Tesco have announced its latest step in their move towards world domination, not content with being the biggest supermarket in the UK, they have now decided to move into the property market. Their property sales service will let sellers list their homes on a Tesco website for a fee of £200. Sellers will also get a Tesco branded for sale sign to put outside their house. The idea is that the website will be for private sellers and Tesco say it will save them money and is a real alternative to instructing an agent. It will be interesting to see if there are any hidden fees when its launched.

posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 6:36:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback