Starting out is an emotional rollercoaster of highs, lows, and intense worries. The highs can be euphoric; you’re finally going to get a place you can call ‘home’, you’ve reached that age where you need to invest in what the golden oldies refer to as ‘life necessities’. There is something about buying your first washing…
Tag: diy
Seven ways to reduce the cost of moving house
I consider myself something of an authority on the subject of moving house, having done it close to 50 times. I lost count after move number 48 (which was an international move, to add to my household removals CV). Not only is moving house considered one of the most stressful life events, it’s also bad…
Just what do you have to do to get your tenancy deposit back?
I’ve had the misfortune of getting contractually embroiled with many a rogue landlord in my time, but this one really took the biscuit. My family moved into a rented house in Surrey after handing over a whopper of a deposit (nearly £2000). ‘As long as the house is still standing when you give the keys…
The eight unmissable tricks I discovered while house hunting
Drum roll and deep breath… we’ve found a flat! We had an offer accepted and are now entering the mind-numbing stage of paperwork and more paperwork. While we’re still a few crucial steps away from the final exchange of contracts, I thought I would share a few lessons we learned during our hunt for the…
How to brew your own beer
Beer is ace. I interviewed my best mate and all round good egg, Andy, who has mastered the knack of making tasty ales of all descriptions. How long have you been brewing? About three years, I started out with kits. How long, or how many attempts, did it take til you made something drinkable? I…
Recycling rage? Sometimes saving the planet is an expensive business
What a game this recycling is turning into. Here I am, yours truly, a very keen recyclist (is that a word?) While I use lots of rubbish to make pieces of fine art, with all other rubbish I have to admit defeat and commit to the recycling pile in my cupboard. All the time I am hoping that…
Cash cow: how I got a new garden for free thanks to Mother Nature
Living in York means that you aren’t ever very far from the glorious Yorkshire countryside, a fact we were reminded of very recently. My partner David lives on the edge of farming land and can enjoy city and country equally. This all seems idyllic until the country invades the city. We had been out all…
DIY disasters: why it’s time to stop putting off the odd jobs
If you’re anything like me, you spent your bank holiday lying in bed thinking up excuses to get out of DIY. The wardrobe doors you’ve had for a year without any handles, the broken slat at the bottom of the cupboard, that mysterious and slightly worrying patch of damp appearing on the living room wall…it’s…