Homes & Gardens

How to make a water feature work in a small garden

Fancy a water feature in your garden but don’t have much space?

Don’t worry, you can still enjoy a tranquil rippling pool or fountain to provide an eye-catching highlight, a magnet for wildlife, and give a home to aquatic plants which will add colour and form to the scene....

Pets are taking over our beds

Two in five owners let their dog or cat share their bed while one in three humanise them so much that they refuse to change their clothes or be naked in front of them. According to the survey, over two thirds (67%) let their pets on the furniture, just under half (49%) will give their pet human food and another third (31%) will happily let their pets lick their face.

Half of Brits...

Seven things you only know if you were obsessed with the Argos catalogue as a child

It is, to quote Friends’ Rachel Green, the end of an era: after almost 50 years, Argos has announced it is axing its catalogue.

“As most customers are now browsing and ordering online, we have decided that the time is right to stop printing the Argos catalogue,” said Simon Roberts, chief executive of Argos’ parent company Sainsbury’s.

When you think about it, it’s...

Estate agency fees revealed as the cost to sell hits £32,430 in some parts of Britain

The latest research from estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk , shows the average estate agent fee in Great Britain is 1.51%, up 0.26% when compared to this time last year.

Based on the current average house price, that means homesellers are paying £4,154 to sell their homes.

The highest percentage fee

Of course, in some parts of the property market, this...

TV sitcom Friends apartment converted into more bedrooms

SpareRoom redesigns Monica’s apartment from Friends, showing how it would look with the living room taken away and converted into more bedrooms

It follows new research by SpareRoom revealing that a quarter (26%) of flatshares in the UK don’t have a living room

83% of flatsharers who have living rooms believe this space is important for their wellbeing, helping them form...

Overwhelmed Charity Shops - Help Reduce the Burden

Recently, charity shops have been forced to turn away donations due to the huge influx of contributions following lockdown clear-outs. The Sunday Times reported that the British Heart Foundation in St Ives saw a 197% rise in donations and The Guardian noted there are 67 million items of clothing waiting to be donated.

GivingAssistant.org also found that searches for ‘charity shops...

Weekend car use nearing pre-lockdown levels

Weekend car use is returning to pre-lockdown levels, according to figures released today by the Department for Transport (DfT). However, weekday car trips are still well below normal.

While weekday car use remained on a par with weekend use through much of the lockdown, weekend car trips have risen more sharply than weekday journeys over the last four weeks.

The weekend of...

Woman takes on month long eco challenge

A businesswoman from Lancashire is taking on an epic month long eco challenge after coming face-to-face with her household’s single use plastic usage.

On a quest to raise awareness about the sheer volume of plastic Bristish households get through every day, Joanne Machlachlan, who runs an e-commerce business called The Eco Friendly Living Co, collected and photographed all of the...

Lockdown Green-up: Food waste down and recycling rates up

It looks like the enforced lockdown has made us better at recycling as we’ve changed the way we deal with our rubbish.

According to one waste management company, it looks like recycling rates have skyrocketed during the lockdown period, and less food being thrown away.

UK based waste collection company BusinessWaste.co.uk are thrilled with this news, as it shows that...

Research reveals buyers need to act now to reap stamp duty discounts

The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk , has revealed that so far this year, the time it takes to sell a property has increased by 14% when compared to last year. With an average time of 144 days or nearly five months, from listing to completing, homebuyers looking to take advantage of the recently announced stamp duty holiday need to act now.

GetAgent.co...

Ten of the best gardens to visit this summer

Still short of things to do during summer holidays? Why not visit some of our most glorious gardens, which have reopened to the public.

They all detail the Covid-19 safety measures they’ve put in place on their websites. Most require pre-booking tickets (check websites for specific details) and all have regulated social distancing – take a mask to be on the safe side too.

...