Dependning which index you’ve looked at you’ll think house prices are doing very different things. One has to assume that the limited numbers used for the Nationwide index make it less reflective of the whole market, and that the land registry figures are more accurate.
The Telegraph has an article on this discrepency
Author: Diane
A house cake mould
Possibly the strangest thing I’m going to post on my blog but I thought it was cute and if you had a friend who was moving house then you could make them a celebration cake with it!
The house cake mould is only £4.99
Flexible silicone non-stick cake mould which allows you to make several house shaped cakes. A fun and amusing idea that we think you’ll quite enjoy using and eating the results. Perfect for house warmning parties.
Kevin McCloud Book
Kevin McCloud’s Principles of Home: Making a Place to Live
Kevin McCloud’s Principles of Home: Making a Place to Live
An interesting book looking at different aspects of the home and discussing amongst many things sustainable housing such as that built by his company Hab Housing.
Kevin addresses very real and solvable domestic issues: What is the perfect kitchen layout? How to create a feeling of space in traditionally sized rooms? How to create an extension that works? How best to choose colour for function? What to use for insulation? How to shop for second hand? And how best to manage home waste and recycling?
Zero Carbon
Zero Waste
Sustainable Transport
Sustainable materials
Local and Sustainable Food
Sustainable water
Natural Habitats and Wildlife
Cultural Heritage
Equity, Fair Trade and local economy
Health and Happiness
Solar Protection Blinds
I was recently reading about thermal blinds that are designed to keep the heat in, and thought what a good idea they are.
At 247Blinds they have Solar Protection Blinds which are dual purpose – they help keep the sun’s heat out during the summer and keep the warm in during the winter. These ECO2 blinds can provide energy savings of up to 12% which sounds like a fantastic idea especially as energy bills seem to be going up all the time.
Picking the right blind colour can be tricky but luckily they allow you to order swatches as samples to check for colour matching. Sometimes it’s nice to use a bold colour and use this as a highlight on other accessories.
It sounds very simple having blinds that help keep the heat in, but perhaps something we should all be looking at doing for every room in our homes!
Designer Wallpaper
Is designer wallpaper worth the money?
Many people think that by having a beautiful home, you enjoy it more and are more happy and content. The whole idea of having wallpaper up you don’t like would be silly, especially when there are so many lovely wallpapers. But do you have to have a designer wallpaper?
To compare similar wallpapers it’s nice to get samples and at Wallpaper Direct you can have two samples free and if you want to add more then there’s a small charge! They’re A4 sized samples to give you a real idea of what you’ll be buying.
How to use a sample of wallpaper. As well as holding it and feeling the quality of the paper, you can fix it up on the wall you’re going to put the paper on and spend some time looking at it. Imagine how it’ll look when you do the whole wall. Use the sample to see how it’ll look with your furniture too, and your carpets and curtains!
There are some utterly stunning wallpapers such as this 50’s Housewife wallpaper that is a really wonderful unique pattern that will look funky in whatever room you put it in!
It’s made by Dupenny who make some really unusual wallpapers that have been used by top designers like Pearl Lowe.
If you’re after something with more wow factor then a designer paper is more likely to do this! There are lots of bold wallpapers available too that are considerably cheaper than the Dupenny range. These will still give you a feature wallpaper with colour and pattern! You should pick something you like so you’re not stuck looking at it wanting to paint over it! Sometimes a paper will grow on you! Wallpaperdirect have the new Arteco by Jeff Banks. This collection is full of stunning geometric designs in metallic ink finishes and water colour effects. is an interesting designer range with patterns explored in a range of colours to suit you.
English Housing Survey shows problems
English Housing Survey (EHS)
Shows that a third of private rental homes ‘have safety hazards’
Government housing report says almost 40% of converted flats and older properties have category 1 hazards, which can cause death, burns and loss of limbs
Article on Guardian
Document here goes into detail of what hazards are and how to spot them – covers all sorts of things
Mobile phone signal
For some people it’s important to have a really excellent mobile phone signal, others want to be as far away from the phone masts as possible.
This map allows you to search for phone masts. Near me it shows that there are plenty of t-mobile masts which makes it look like I’d be better off on t-mobile if signal is an issue.
Very useful site!
Moor Hall in Ormskirk
Moor Hall, Aughton, Ormskirk
Grade 2* listed property with 8 bedrooms.
Lovely gardens and lots of features inside the house. It has a lake with a jetty, a fan entrance way with a lodge gatehouse and some amazing fireplaces.
Hometrack report
Housing turnover the lowest in 40 years
Hometrack estimates 840,000 houses will sell this year – about half the 2007 figure – while scarcity is propping up prices
“An expected 840,000 sales in 2011 is almost 50% lower than in 2007 and equates to the average private sector home changing hands every 26 years.
Iron Age Fort
Another house with a fort – Rallt Deg has approximately 11 acres of mixed land consisting of pastures, woodland and a unique “Iron Age” hill top fort
3 Bedrooms, Spacious Kitchen & Lounge
Approximately 11 Acres Of Useable Land