The Guardian | Home improvements
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Latest news and features on Home Improvement from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice.
The Guardian | Home improvements
2w ago
Lack of UK regulations means anyone can set up as a builder – and cowboy traders are thought to cost homeowners £3.5bn a year
The nightmare began with a leaking roof. Andrea Giles* duly sought out a specialist company to repair it. But in the space of a month, Giles, a full-time carer for her disabled husband and two special needs children, had lost almost £13,000 and part of the roof of her home after falling victim to two sets of cowboy builders.
Her plight highlights the lack of protection for householders who are conned or persuaded into paying rogue builders for botched or unnecessary rep ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
2M ago
We can’t remedy a damp problem as our windows were installed just the day before it went into administration
The day after our windows were installed by Safestyle, the company went into administration. We now find that the £6,000 job was not registered with Fensa, which monitors and certifies installers, or with the warranty provider, Installsure. We are therefore unable to remedy a damp problem, presumably caused by incorrect fitting. Moreover, Fensa says that since Safestyle is no longer a member, it can’t certify the job as compliant with building regulations, and we’ll have to pay our loca ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
3M ago
From electric blankets to a warming gilet, I tried out products designed to heat the human rather than the home – and found some of them shockingly effective
If you have heard Martin Lewis’s phrase “heat the human, not the home”, but don’t know where to start, I’m here to tell you that we live in an age of wonders. Heated textiles are portable, and come in a range of colours, textures and sizes, they are energy efficient and some are even battery charged. You can buy heated items for every part of your body, from hat to socks. And lots of us do: last autumn, Lakeland reported that sales of hea ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
3M ago
Installation horrors have struck terror in the heart of householders
The case of an 83-year-old man who lived with kitchen units in his living room for months after Wickes botched an installation has prompted cries of anguish from fellow sufferers.
The company’s declared vision of “a Wickes project in every home” should strike terror in the heart of householders, judging from those who have experienced its take on home “improvements ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
4M ago
From banishing bin juice to blitzing bathrooms, cleaning your home doesn’t have to be laborious. Here is how to keep yours sanitary without losing your sanity
Everyone likes living in a clean home but how can you take the drudgery out of scrubbing? By being smug about the shortcuts you use to make it shine (and following the safety instructions for all household cleaning products, of course). Cleaners share their top hacks for the worst household chores ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
4M ago
Mercury Stardust makes DIY home repair videos centering renters – and the person who thinks they can’t fix anything
In April 2021, Mercury Stardust, a Wisconsin maintenance technician, was “cleaning someone else’s poop off myself” after a clogged toilet came apart. She happened to see a video of someone asking how to use a ratchet strap, one of those complicated-looking thingummies often used to tie down cargo. As soon as she tidied up, the 33-year-old responded as digital natives often do: she recorded an instructional video, wearing a (clean) flannel shirt and overalls while skillfully handl ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
5M ago
From security to heating, wellbeing, food and pets, there are many ways to help stay warm, healthy and safe
Keeping your car or bike on the road
Top tips to keep your energy bills down this winter
The clocks change this weekend, and suddenly there’s no escaping that winter is on its way.
Over the next few months it will be darker and colder, the heating will need to go on, and you may feel more nervous about leaving your home empty in the evenings ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
5M ago
Cheap or no-cost tweaks around the home can reduce the annual costs
Winterproofing: how to get ready for Britain’s cold months ahead
Keeping your car or bike on the road
There are a number of cheap or free steps you can take to cut energy bills.
For example, households can typically shave £160 off their annual costs with three “no-cost tweaks” to their home heating, according to Katy King, the deputy director of sustainable future at the charity Nesta ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
6M ago
During her five-month renovation, Kelly Eng learned how to play Tradie Tetris and discovered wisdom in the ‘unattainable triangle’
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We had to move home. It’s never fun, is it? So we decided to minimise the stress by finding somewhere close. We bought an apartment 15 metres up the hallway. The new abode was, in real estate agent parlance, a renovator’s dream. Or, as others pointed out, parts of it resembled a public toilet. It needed a serious spruce and we had five months to do it.
I knew moving and renovating, while working and parenting, would be ..read more
The Guardian | Home improvements
6M ago
Kingfisher says people are staying put as mortgage interest rates and household bills soar
British consumers are continuing to spend on improving their homes and gardens as an alternative to moving home amid soaring mortgage rates and a surge in household bills, according to the owner of B&Q and Screwfix.
Sales at Kingfisher’s UK and Irish business rose 1.7% in the six months to the end of July as homeowners bought 11% more insulation materials at B&Q in an attempt to offset winter heating bills and were also revamping bathrooms and gardens ..read more