Play by the rules

The weather's finally warmed up, which should signal the start of the DIY season.

Good wood

Many period properties (as well as some modern ones) were built with wooden windows, but in more recent decades, replacing them with UPVC ones has been popular.

Stand up for your rights

If you've outgrown where you live, adding space is often more cost-effective than moving home, especially in more expensive parts of the country.

Going, going, gone

Buying a house or flat in this country can take a very long time, even if it's chain free, and if you want to speed things up, buying at auction could be the answer.

Make your home stand out

As well as major home improvements likely to add value and make your home more sellable, there's a lot you can do to make it more appealing to buyers without spending too much.

Make your money go further

You do home improvements to make your home more suited to your lifestyle and taste, but unless it's your forever home, you may also be interested in what would make it more sellable and valuable when you come to sell.

Make the space work harder

If you're anything like me, you can never have too much storage at home, but it's something that a lot of houses and flats lack and unless you like cluttered living, it's not something you can do without.

All change on the home front

If you have a house or flat with a bad layout, or you're thinking about buying one, changing the layout can be expensive and won't necessarily be easy, but it could transform your home life.

Every little helps

Last week I explained how the Government's new Green Deal scheme works. It provides a loan for you to invest in improvements that make your home more energy efficient, such as double glazing, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.

Deal or no deal?

There's been a lot of coverage in the media recently about the Government's Green Deal, a new scheme designed to help us make our homes (and businesses) more energy efficient.

Water world

After so much snow, excess water is a problem, if anything, but it probably won't be long before we're being told to save water because of a drought.

Go natural

Want a different kind of carpet? Forget wool and synthetic fibres and go for natural flooring, such as seagrass, coir and jute, instead.

Draught busters

Suspended floors are one area where there's often room for improvement. If you have a period house or flat with original floorboards, they'll have a cavity underneath, which can make the room above draughty if the floorboards are exposed.

Wrap up

One of the best ways to make your home more energy efficient is to improve the insulation. Two of the areas that benefit most from being insulated are the loft and exterior walls, where a large amount of heat can escape.

Create a centrepiece

Millions of us live in period properties and one of the joys of doing so is being able to admire their original features.

New year, new look

This is a good time to start thinking about how you'd like to improve your home in the year ahead.

Wonder wall

A feature wall is a simple but effective way to give a room a focal point and, depending on the effect you choose, can be quick and easy to do.

Get ready for guests

The first thing that visitors see is your home's front door and front garden, if it has one. You may only have time to do quick and easy things such as tidying it up, cleaning the windows and door furniture, weeding the flowerbeds, etc, but you can do more with a bit more time.

Vinyl revival

If you've got tatty flooring in your bathroom or kitchen and you don't want festive visitors to see it, there's still time to replace it before the big day.

Make a splash(back)

December's here and if you're looking for easy ways to freshen up your home before the hordes of friends and family descend at Christmas, the kitchen is the obvious place to start because it'll be the centre of the action.