What we are looking for in our next family home

I have spoken a few times about how we are nearing the end of our (somewhat slow) renovation of our current home and will be fingers crossed putting it on the market this year so we can move. This has got me thinking a lot about what we are looking for in our next home, nothing lavish or anything but for a variety of reasons our current house really doesn't tick our boxes and was always bought as an investment to do up and then sell. While our current home does have some pros such as a nice sized garden and a light and airy kitchen extension I do have a list of things I would love to see in our next property although of course we are realistic about the fact there is never a perfect home and you do have to compromise somewhere but not on everything. Character over a New Build I'm just putting this out there but I am not a huge fan of new builds, I certainly wont discount them altogether because at this point we have to consider all our options but we have always lived......

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Make it Matter & Making a difference Locally

You may already know that I have been working with Marks and Spencer on their Make It Matter campaign and I recently wrote about the small things that make the days matter to me and my family. I truly believe that happiness and worth comes from our actions we do for ourselves and others and rarely from material objects we own and as a collective people can do amazing things for one another.  I was recently invited to see this in action last week as a group of store workers volunteered their time to bringing an otherwise empty yard at a homeless shelter in Merthyr, one of the most deprived areas of South Wales, into a space for the residents to relax, unwind, open up as well as socialise by bringing in colourful plants, re-painting, redecorating and providing garden furniture and flower beds. While I was there I had the chance to talk to on of the social workers who described how excited she was to finally have a useable outdoor space not only for the residents......

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5 Tips for Helping Children Adjust when you move home

I know I've been talking about us moving for ages but we really are nearly at the finishing line in terms of getting the house ready to put on the market. This will be the 3rd move for our eldest so we have learnt a few things along the way about making the move less stressful and as easy an adjustment for the kids and wanted to share that with you if your planning to do the same soon.  You cannot mask the fact that no matter how organised you are to some extent moving will take it's toll on every member of the family. The realities of your move become a much bigger deal when you think about the impact on your family, especially if you have children.While adjusting for an adult might not seem like a total life-changer, keep in mind that leaving behind most everything that's familiar to your child can be potentially difficult. To children, moving to a different city or state could be akin to moving to an entirely different planet. Thankfully, moving your family ......

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Windows - Making the best choice for your home

I have to admit that if you’d asked me a few years ago whether my first choice when it comes to windows would be uPVC I would have certainly shaken my head with a defiant NO. I have always been a keen preserver of all things original, especially in period properties, and my heart would always sink when I would drive past a beautiful bay fronted Victorian home where they had ripped out the lovely sash windows and opted for uninspiring uPVC ones. However, over time my mind has slowly been changed as now there is so much choice, and with quality companies such as G2S producing high quality window frames in keeping with the original style of your home, while offering the most eco friendly option in terms of keeping the heat within your home, it really does feel like it’s the best choice not only for your utility bill but also the environment. Maybe the shift has come with age or perhaps the fact that it's become more and more apparent that as a society we need to d......

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Helpful DIY tips

There aren't many things more satisfying than completing a DIY project around the house. You save some money on repair or upkeep costs, you gain a sense of accomplishment, and you often even pick up some new skills along the way. But as most experienced home DIY'ers know, it's not always as easy as it looks to complete a project like this. You'll likely need to research who to do a given job, plan it out carefully, and practice on-the-go. But perhaps above all else, you'll need the right tools and equipment to get the job done. This is something all too many of us have realised when reaching for an old, forgotten toolkit only to find it sadly lacking or depleted! With that in mind, here are some general supply tips that can benefit anyone who regularly takes a DIY approach to home projects. Stock Up On Protective Gear When considering supplies for home improvement projects and similar efforts, it's easy to think only of utilities. There's alway......

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An Italian dream

Everyone has a wish list or dreams they want to see be fulfilled, I have always liked the idea of having a place to call my own overseas, maybe because I am an expat living in the UK but my mind and soul always wonders to thoughts of warmer Mediterranean climates such as the stunning countryside and coast of Italy. I am not one who needs to put down roots, in fact I like the feeling of freedom which is why a property overseas suits my longterm ideals as it could be a bolt hole or a building project, just somewhere different or inspiring. So why Italy? Well I have been lucky enough to do some travelling around this truly beautiful country with main highlights being Venice, Milan and Bologna but I hope to go back soon and explore Tuscany and the South more. There is something so right about the Italian lifestyle, the food, wine, long lazy warm summer days spent eating outside with friends and the strong family community feel. I think it would be the perfect place to invest......

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Home Wrenovation and homely touches

In the past five years we have moved three times, huge renovations were done on our first house with everything being ripped out, walls taken down, extensions put on, floors repaired, the whole works, we then went on to sell that house for a decent profit before moving into a rented cottage for a year while we planned our next move. We then came across our current home which we purchased partially as a stop gap but also as a mini project as it needed work but not a full renovation. We now hope to take this property to market this year and perhaps move onto a more long-term project. To say it's been easy would be a lie, moving is stressful and with small children even more so but we believe it's going to be worth it in the longterm and eventually we will find a house to fall in love with, a place that we can really call home. One of the things that attracted us to our current property was the fairly large garden and the fact that the only room in the house that......

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Getting your family home ready to sell

As some of you may already know we are currently working on our home in preparation to put it on the market, we are aiming for early this summer but with a newborn and a 4yr old that is easier said than done. For Mr A this will be his forth move and hopefully the last for a while (well I say that now but we do love a project). We have learnt a fair amount about renovating and moving with young children in tow and how to get a house ready for market and those all important Estate agent photos. Here are our top tips for getting your house ready to sell 1. Dress up your home - don't leave anything unturned, your house should be in the best condition possible, especially when people are coming to view it. No one wants to see laundry on the floor or dishes in the sink, you need to sell a lifestyle and that lifestyle needs to be desirable so make sure each room is clean, tidy and ready for viewing. A clean and tidy nursery  2. Space is key so use this time to detox you......

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The bath is back

So for the past two weeks the bathroom has been a bit of a war zone. Our bath had sprung a rather bad leak which meant water was running into our living room - not a good look. As we are planning to sell the house this year we were hoping not to replace the bath as it was very solid and when buying the property didn't appear to be an issue but things don't always turn out how you think they will. If we were going to be living here for a longtime we would of gone for a roll top bath and different tiles but when renovating a property you need to detach yourself a little an we opted for something plain and neutral. All I can say is I am very happy to have a bath and new shower back in before the baby arrives. Like I said if we were staying in this house longterm we would of gone with something a little bit different, not that we don't like ours now, it's a cute little room in the eaves which we have made a fair amount of changes too with new floor and wall ......

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A few home truths

We knew buying our current property that we were taking on a bit of a project. It was in better condition than our last (a total renovation) as some of the rooms had been "finished" but as we delved deeper and had a better look we came across some very interesting takes on DIY. Our first stop was removing all the bad Artex on the bedroom ceilings - who ever thought Artex was a good idea I don't know. Unfortunately the floorboards upstairs simply could not be stripped so we opted for re-carpting throughout which was already a huge improvement on the tired and stained carpet which was there when we moved in. What we noticed along the way though was not only had all the doors only had one thing coat of undercoat but where all also on the wrong way! In the living room we have two Alcoves, when we moved in they had awful wooden boarders that didn't fit properly and one of the alcoves had shelving which we used for books for the first few months before getting aroun......

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When we open the door

So as many of you may already know we only just moved into our new house in December and we still have months of work ahead of us to make this house a home from upgrading, renovating and painting there is a lot to do although we are slowly getting there. There are a few sections of the house that I do love, one being an alcove to the side of the front door and it holds a few of our favourite things. The three little cacti never fail to make me smile, as does our authentic vintage radio and little trinket box from Australia. Underneath the ledge is a side table which still needs to be painted and an umbrella stand we picked up from a bric a brac store. For some reason Mr A likes to put on and take off his shoes right next to the front door so it's also somehow become his own personal shoe space, which it what happens when you become a parent. I love the retro feel and would love to carry this through the hallway and love this inspirational image below which would be my dre......

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5 Ideas to Consider Before you Renovate the

The southern hemisphere countries such as Australia have the perfect climate is great for outdoor living and even though her in the UK we don't have constant months of sun it's doesn't mean we don't enjoy our outdoor space just as much. If your home doesn’t have an outdoor area, or if the area doesn’t really facilitate spending lots of happy hours enjoying the fresh air, perhaps it’s time to consider a renovation. Mr A getting ready to tackle our old garden When most people think of renovating they think of adding a spare bedroom or extending the kitchen. Rarely do folks consider renovating their outdoor area and yet it really can be one of the best features of the home. A great outdoor area will improve your lifestyle and will also create an excellent first impression to visitors. There are lots of examples of outdoor areas online, just click here and be inspired. There are a number of things to think about before you begin your outdoor area renovation. Her......

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