Homes & Gardens

How to get your house ready for summer

Summertime is right around the corner, and many people are excitedly preparing for it. After months of cold, wet weather, everyone could do with more than a little sunshine in their lives. During the summer, you’re likely to find a string of gatherings, garden parties and barbeques taking place as a way of welcoming the sun and celebrating its presence with loved ones. If you are hosting them, you want to get your house ready. Even if you aren't hosting any gatherings, you may just want to liven it up. Below is how you can get your home ready for summer.

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No Sale, No Fee estate agents

In back days we used to have only two methods to sell a home.

What to include in your home maintenance to-do list

As the summer months approach, many of us are finishing off the spring cleaning and getting ready to enjoy our holidays. Before leaving your home, though, it’s important to take care of regular summer maintenance to avoid any issues in the autumn, especially considering that construction and repair costs are on the rise in Exeter and throughout the UK. Here are some of the top things that you should be sure to include in your home maintenance to-do list in the coming months.

A guide to pile foundations for homes

Piles are simply long cylinders made using strong and robust materials such as concrete that are pushed into the ground to provide steady support for a structure built on top of the foundation.

We use pile foundations in situations such as:

#1. Instances where the top layer of soil at the construction site is weak. Such a layer does not provide ample support for the weight of the building. As such, the piles are used to transfer loads of the structure to a stronger and sturdier layer of soil or rock.

Hospiscare’s Open Gardens shows off Devon’s hidden treasures

This year will once again see Hospiscare teaming up with local residents who are gladly opening their gardens in support of what is now a favourite staple in the charity’s calendar. This year, Hospiscare Open Gardens is entering its fifteenth year and to date has raised the awe inspiring amount of £227,000.

How to give your bathroom that Instagram worthy look

At one time, home and bathroom inspiration was delivered to us via glossy magazines. Next came online magazines, shortly followed by Pinterest. While we’re still a nation who endlessly pin those stunning styled shots of other people’s homes on our own ‘dream interior’ boards, we’re now obsessing over Instagram.

Finding home and bathroom ‘inspo’ is now something we can access in an instance. We can simply be watching TV while scrolling through hundreds of beautiful bathrooms.

What are your responsibilities as a tenant?

Tenants of private rented buildings have various rights and responsibilities under the UK law. As a tenant, it is important to know your rights and what the landlord can rightfully do in different situations. For instance, your landlord should ensure the building structure is well maintained. Boilers, water works, electricity, air conditioners and drainage systems should also be working efficiently. You can always sue the landlord if they fail to meet their end of the contract or if they harass and jeopardize your legal entitlements.

Risky Brits don't check if gas engineers are working legally in their homes

A third (33%) of UK adults admit they’ve not checked if the engineer working on their home’s gas appliances is doing so legally by being on the Gas Safe Register, according to the latest research findings by the Government’s official gas registration body.

The findings come as the Gas Safe Register nears completing 2,000 illegal gas work investigations in three years, more than two thirds of which (69%) were found to be unsafe meaning the people living in the properties investigated were in potential danger from faulty gas work.

Summer Home Selling Tips - How to Stage Your House

Staging is so important when it comes to selling your house. It is the best way for potential buyers to get a feel for the space and really start to picture themselves living there.

We have put together a list of tips to help you with staging your home, to make sure your house gets snapped up quick!

First Impressions Matter

Potential buyers will be examining everything as soon as they approach the property. So the last thing you want is a messy garden or flaky paint on a garden wall.

5 bathroom accessories you should never miss in your home

It may often be the smallest room in the house, but the average person spends 1.5 years of their life in the bathroom.

And many people see their bathroom as a sanctuary where they can enjoy some precious solo time. It's also where we go to wash away our troubles or prepare for a busy day ahead.

More than half of Devon residents suffer health problems due to condition of their rented home

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act has now come into force across the UK and Devon’s tenants might be feeling positive. After all, it’s now easier for them to sue a landlord who fails to keep their home in a habitable condition.