Homes & Gardens

The Most Common December Pests and How to Stop Them?

When temperatures drop and winter sets in, many pests begin searching for warm places to hide. Unfortunately, that often means moving into homes, garages and workplaces. December might feel too cold for insects and rodents to be active, but it’s one of the busiest times of the year for pest control callouts. Understanding which pests are most common at this time of year, and knowing how to deal with them, can help protect your home and stop infestations before they become serious. This guide explains the top December pests, why they appear, and the steps you can take to prevent them....

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Cosy Devon to visit Teignbridge Libraries

Find out if you could benefit from free energy saving home improvements worth around £3,050 at a 'pop-up stall' in Teignbridge’s libraries next week.

Energy saving scheme CosyDevon will be at Teignmouth library on 13th August (from 9am to 6pm), Dawlish library on 15th August (from 9am to 5pm) and Newton Abbot’s Passmore Edwards Centre on 16th August (from 9am to 4pm).

CosyDevon is an energy saving scheme launched this month by nine local authorities across Devon, including Teignbridge and energy company E.ON. The scheme will invest £9 million into improving homes...

PORE people pushed out of countryside

Want to buy a house in the country? The average worker will need a 150% pay rise People living and working in the countryside are being pushed out, as house prices in rural areas soar, second homes lie empty and populations become older and more vulnerable. Figures released by the National Housing Federation to mark Rural Housing Week show rural areas have become some of the least affordable places to live in the country. On average house prices in rural areas are 11 times the average salary, meaning potential homebuyers working in these areas would need to see wages rise by a staggering...

Cranbrook is 'Help to Buy' hotspot

More local people are getting a foot on the property ladder in Cranbrook through the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme than almost anywhere in the country, according to Government figures.

East Devon’s new community of Cranbrook is one of the country’s top 'Help to Buy' hotspots with 101 loans in the EX5 7 postcode which covers the Cranbrook area, second only to a postcode in Humberside, which has 143.

Local people have been quick to take advantage of the mortgage support scheme, which allows people to buy houses (worth up to £600,000) with a five per cent deposit, with the Government...

Help to Buy creates 4,000 new homeowners

Over 35,000 aspiring homeowners have been helped onto the property ladder through the Government’s Help to Buy schemes, including 3,941 in the South West, Kris Hopkins announced yesterday.

The Minister welcomed the key role this scheme is playing in the Government’s long-term economic plan, both helping people buy their own home but also boosting housebuilding and creating jobs in construction.

New figures today show that since the launch of Help to Buy 14 months ago, 2,871 people have bought newly-built homes through the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme. There have also...

Developer doubles sharers' accommodation

Exeter’s largest and most exclusive luxury student accommodation development, Dean Clarke Lofts, is doubling the amount of sharers’ accommodation available in a bid to meet demand from students looking to live in the lofts during the 2014-15 academic year.

Dean Clarke Lofts, located in the Grade II listed Halford Wing of the former Devon and Exeter Hospital in Southernhay, let all 30 lofts ahead of schedule last year and the developers behind the scheme – Burrington Estates – are also making the accommodation available to professionals in training too.

Mark Edworthy of...

Restored Gothic Villa open to public

Withycombe House, the former Hillcrest school in St John’s Road has been painstakingly restored to form luxurious homes as part of a new housing development by C G Fry & Son.

The multi award-winning independent developer is holding an open-weekend to view this magnificent house on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June from 10am-4pm.

This is a unique opportunity for locals and visitors alike to view the Gothic style villa built c. 1850 which was Grade II listed in 1949 and retains many unique architectural features. Latterly the period manor was converted into a school for day...

Banish those bank holiday DIY blues

DIY projects are set to top the agenda this bank holiday weekend despite the fact that many end in disaster.

A survey, by One Poll, has highlighted how busy people in Exeter will be working on their homes over the May bank holiday – even though more than 80 per cent of people said they would prefer to spend their time with friends or family, taking part in a leisure pursuit or just relaxing.

Commissioned by housebuilder Barratt Homes, the report reveals that almost 50 per cent of people in the south west could be spending the bank holidays on a DIY project with some...

Labour increase majority on Exeter Council

The Labour party has retained control of Exeter City council following yesterday’s elections. Thirteen council seats were up for up for grabs in the election including seven from Labour, three from the Conservatives and two from the Liberal Democrats.

Labour gained two additional seats taking a ward from the Conservative and one wards from the Liberal Democrats.

Local Conservative group leader Yolanda Henson lost her seat in Polsloe to Labour's Christine Elizabeth Raybould-Gooding.

Following the election the Labour hold the majority with 27 Seats, Conservatives hold...

Art is where the home is at Exeter development

This bank holiday weekend, works by top artists, including rock legend Ronnie Wood, move into an Exeter development with the help of a local art gallery.

Castle Galleries, Exeter, on Cathedral Yard has joined forces with Linden Homes to create a pop up exhibition at the City Glade development off Topsham Road.

Until Monday 26 May, the showroom will showcase an array of artists from the likes of Paul Kenton, who creates beautiful and striking cityscapes, to Caroline Shotton, who’s famed for her fun and colourful bovine art, which includes pieces such as ‘Spider-moo’. This is...

The best way to rid a garden of snails

Gardeners wanting to rid their spring flowerbeds of pesky snails can ditch the beer traps and egg shells and instead develop a strong throwing arm. This is according to a new study published today, 16 May, in the journal Physica Scripta, which has used statistical models to show that removing snails out of the garden by a distance of over 20 metres or more is just as effective as simply killing the snails. According to the researchers, from Queen Mary University of London and The University of Exeter, their results prove that snails are part of larger colonies that live in the garden, and...

Homes & Gardens

The Most Common December Pests and How to Stop Them?

Cosy Devon to visit Teignbridge Libraries

PORE people pushed out of countryside

Cranbrook is 'Help to Buy' hotspot

Help to Buy creates 4,000 new homeowners

Developer doubles sharers' accommodation

Restored Gothic Villa open to public

Banish those bank holiday DIY blues

Labour increase majority on Exeter Council

Art is where the home is at Exeter development

The best way to rid a garden of snails

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