Designing our dream bathroom

We managed to get onto the property ladder last year when we were able to buy our first home. Once we bought the house we spent six whole months renovating it before we could move in. There was so much work that we needed to do as we basically had to scratch from scratch with every room. 

Although the renovation process was hard work, exhausting and expensive work it did have a silver lining and that was being able to design each room ourselves.  

When it came to the bathroom I knew what style and look I wanted to achieve from the get go. I wanted the entire bathroom to be tiled, both floor and walls. I opted for spotlights as I wanted an even distribution of light and find them to feel a little warmer. I also wanted a four piece bathroom, a free standing shower, separate bath, toilet and sink.

The only issue we had when renovating the bathroom was which tiles to go for. There are simply so many to choose from and with them being so expensive we had to get it right. We deliberated for weeks on end before we decided to go for travertine effect tiles because we loved the colour and size. 

A year on and our bathroom is complete but there are still a few tweaks I want to make, such as bathroom furniture and perhaps a few potted plants to really complete the look.

What does your dream bathroom look like? 

Childproofing the Garden for Spring

Getting the garden ready for the Spring and Summer can ensure you don’t miss any opportunities to play in the sun this year – making the most of the beautiful weather. Here we offer a few tips to child-proof your garden, keeping the kids (and your flowers) safe this year.

Plant Responsibly
Particularly important for children of kids who are prone to putting everything they find in their mouth and treating life like a taster menu – ensure everything you’ve planted in the garden isn’t hazardous if consumed. Here is a list from the Royal Horticultural Society detailing all the common garden plants which are potentially harmful to humans. Whilst the effects of ingesting many of these plants are minimal, it is better to be safe than sorry. Additionally, it is important to stress the importance of not eating plants – instilling a basic understanding in children.

Cover the Pond
If you are lucky enough to have a pond in the back garden, it will naturally attract the attention of toddlers and young children excited by water, frogs and lily pads. Creative Pond Covers stock a variety of pond covers which can help prevent kids from falling into the water whilst allowing them to still enjoy the pond life. The range of different styles can help ensure you won’t ruin your garden’s beauty.

Secure the Shed
If you store the lawnmower and garden tools in the shed, it’s vital that there is no way kids can break in and put themselves in harm’s way. Make sure the door and windows are locked and secure. If wood, paint or window panes have been damaged during the rainy winter, it may be prudent to replace them or cover in a preserving coat. Ronseal stock a selection of preserves which can help protect woods from the forces of nature – keeping the exterior of sheds strong and more durable against the attacks of toddlers and young children.

Treat the Kids
Although much of the garden childproofing process will involve removing and covering up features – adding an extra play area or feature can help the kids enjoy the great outdoors more and keep them safer in the process. A tried and tested play area, built by a trusted manufacturer can offer kids a safe area to play, removing the temptation to climb trees and fences. The play and picnic centre climbing frame range from All Round Fun features a play area, picnic table and sandbox to enjoy during a hot summer’s day.

Prep the Emergency Kit
Whilst you can take every precaution imaginable, kids are absolute experts at finding new ways to hurt and injure themselves. Make sure you have a fully-stocked emergency kit to hand so when the almost inevitable accident occurs, you can be the first on the scene to make them feel better. A sugar-free lollipop usually seems to help the healing process as well.


How are you preparing your garden for Spring?

Buying our first home

Last year we were lucky enough to buy our first home after renting numerous properties for the past few years. I say lucky but we needed to save, save, save and thankfully our bank had an offer on at the time which was a first time buyer discount. With the deal we only needed to pay the 5% deposit which was exactly what we needed. If that offer wasn't available then we would probably still be renting today. 

House search - 
The mortgage application was very complex and long winded but once we were both accepted then we were able to start the search to find our home. Having family in different towns we did contemplate many different area's but we decided to stick with my partners home town where we were currently renting. We made a note of all the area's that would be suitable and the area's that wouldn't and that narrowed everything down for us. 

Everyday we would start our search online by tailoring our search by area, house type, number of bedrooms and price. We would then make a note of all the houses that could be a possibility. We found that looking online through street view really helped as we didn't need to go and drive out to every property to get a scope of the area. If the area looked okay online then we would drive over in the car at different times of day to get a feel of the location. In the end we only arranged a viewing for 3 properties.

Viewings -
The first house that we viewed I loved as it was huge and in a fairly okay location. Once we viewed the inside of the property we noted lots of issues that would cost an obscene amount of money to try to repair. We were open to do work but the issues were too much for us. The kitchen was full of mold and the entire house had movement as it was situated on a hill. It was a shame because I did get a good feeling from the house, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

The second property looked fine on google street view but we were deceived as it ended up being in an awful area and the house itself was run down and tiny. What was worse is they were asking for a lot of money for it too, far too much. We only needed to step into the house to know it was a no from us, we couldn't get out of there faster!

Last but certainly not least was the property that we ended up buying. The house needed a lot of work but it was work that we would be able to afford and manage with the help of our family. It's in a fantastic area which is close to everything we need and we instantly knew it was the one for us.    

Making an offer -
After viewing the third property we knew it was the house for us. We saw past the avocado green bathroom and bright green carpets and decided to make an offer. The previous owner had recently reduced the asking price as they wanted a quick sale but as first time buyers we needed to buy our first house for as cheap as we possibly could. With this in mind we went in at £10,000 less than the asking price which was £20,000 less than they were originally asking for. At first they declined our offer and tried to make a counter offer, which we firmly declined. We stuck to our guns and eventually they caved in and accepted our offer. It did take a few months for us to finally sign everything over and we had months and months of renovations ahead of us but we were finally home owners! We had bought our first home! 

If you are looking to buy, sell or even value your property then I would recommend taking a look at My Online Estate Agent. In a digital world where we do our shopping, banking and holiday bookings online it makes perfect sense to seek an estate agent online too. Not only do they provide everything that you would receive from a regular in store estate agent but they are an estate agent with a twist! You can set wheels in motion all in the comfort of your own home, with ease and with a fraction of the usual costs. My Online Estate Agents offer fully professional services for a fraction of the cost with their fabulous upfront package fee's. I wish I had of heard of them sooner as I could of saved ourselves a nifty sum which we could of put towards our renovation. 

What are you experiences of moving home? Have you recently bought or planning to sell?

My top decorating and renovation tips

When we bought our first family home last year we had no idea how much work we had ahead of us. It was a house with potential but one that was expensive and needed a lot of hard graft but we totally underestimated how much work there was to do. 

When viewing the run down property we had to try and see past all the faults and try to envision what it would look like after everything had been completed. This was easier said than done with the bright green carpets and avocado bathroom but we just knew it was the house for us. 

I'm not claiming to be an expert when it comes to all things DIY but I have certainly learnt a thing or two on our journey so I thought I would share a few of my top tips which I hope will help you save time and money. 

Be realistic - 
If you have a dozen jobs on your renovation to do list then add another twenty because once you start the work more and more will crop up. It's better to be prepared for this because we were often disheartened when we had completed one job to find another two a long the way. It's better to be realistic.

Do your research -
It's going to save a lot of time and money if you have some sort of idea on what you want. From the colour of paint on your walls to the type of carpet on your floors. Do you want paint or wallpaper? Do you want luxury carpet or engineered walnut flooring? I found that google was my best friend during this process as I searched for idea's on every aspect of our renovation.

Bargain hunt -
We had a limited budget to work with but you would be surprised with how far we managed to make our money go. We would often buy second hand products on eBay, car boots or buy and sell pages. Items were often into next to new condition and you can save extortionate amounts of money. There is nothing wrong with not buying new. 

Upcycle - 
With a new house you often want to buy new furnishings but don't throw away that old side table, it can easily be revamped with a lick of paint. Many of the furnishings in our house are family hand me downs or charity shop finds that we have upcycled by simply sanding and repainting white.


Do you have any tips that you would like to share? 

Five tips for a healthier home in 2015

The new year is the perfect time to make your home healthier. Here are five simple tips that will help you create a fresher, healthier, and altogether happier place to live in 2015. 

Let the light in
It can be tempting in the drab winter months to close the curtains and curl up on the sofa with your favourite TV box set. Unfortunately, a lack of natural light can lead to irritability, headaches, and even sleep disturbances. So make the most of the short daylight hours by sitting near a window when possible, or invest in a special lamp that replicates sunlight. 

Improve your air quality
With the windows closed and heating on, the air in your home can become stuffy and unpleasant. Even worse, excess humidity can lead to mould growth and trigger allergies and colds. The best way to combat this is to get a dehumidifier, a handy gizmo that removes excess moisture from circulating air. Your home will feel fresher and you will feel healthier too. 

Bust the dust 
Dust isn't just unsightly, it's a health hazard too. Not only does it exacerbate allergies, micro-particles of dangerous compounds such as lead, toxic cleaning products, and pesticides can concentrate in dust deposits. The best defence is a good offence, so try to vacuum twice per week, and get a duster for those hard to reach nooks and crannies. 

Hurrah for hand sanitiser 
Everyone knows they should wash their hands after using the bathroom, but few people are aware of the importance of regular hand washing when at home. From door handles to food preparation surfaces, there are many places in your home that harbour microbes with the potential to cause illness. Try placing a few bottles of squeezable hand gel around your home, in easy to spot places as a reminder of the importance of proper hand hygiene. 

Ditch the sofa 
You come home from work, do your chores, eat a (healthy!) dinner, and then what? Veg out on the sofa of course! Unfortunately, barely a week passes without the publication of a new study on the health risks of excessive sitting. It's bad for your posture, bad for your heart and blood pressure, bad for your spine, and causes a host of other issues. Try replacing your sofa for a few hours a day with a more upright type of seating to improve your posture, and take regular walking breaks to keep your heart happy.

Our home: The kitchen

It's been a while since I last updated you on the progress in our kitchen so I thought it was about time I blogged about it. The kitchen is probably the room in the house that has been transformed the most and I'm so happy with the way it's turned out. I had a vision in my head of how I wanted my dream kitchen to look and I've got it. 

Here is a visual update on our kitchen from start to finish- 

Designing your dream kitchen

This year we were lucky enough to be able to escape the renting rut and place our feet firmly on the property ladder by buying our first home. If you are a regular reader of your blog you will know that for the past 9 months we have been renovating the house and it's been such a long and tiring process. We still have the odd jobs to do but we are pretty much at that finish line now and as stressful and tiring as the whole experience has been it's so worth it and we are ever so grateful to be in this position.

One of the huge benefits of buying a house that needs a full renovation is that you can start from scratch and put your stamp on every little detail in the house. My partner let me take charge of decor and design as he admitted he didn't really have a clue (not that I did either) and he fully trusted me with it. 

My favourite room to design was the kitchen. 

When we moved into the house the kitchen was a total nightmare. The red tiles and dated cabinets hadn't been altered since the 1970's and everything was falling to pieces. One of the first jobs we did was to rip the kitchen out and start with a blank canvas.

Once I had that blank canvas the fun really began.

I knew that I wanted a kitchen that had a farmhouse and homely feel to it without it being too old fashioned. I'm a huge fan of cream and wood together so we chose cream shaker style cabinets with a wood effect work surface. I think this combination works the best for the style that I wanted to achieve.

What I really struggled with was deciding which tiles to go for as there were so many options. I liked the rustic looking tile but as so many more people preferred the glossy underground tiles I had to take their opinion on board. I had also noticed how on trend they were so that helped me make the decision too. I'm really glad that we went for them as I think they look perfect in the room and do give it more of a modern edge. We chose a wood effect tile for the floor and I think they finish the kitchen off perfectly.

Of course when all this was completed we then had an empty shell of a kitchen. When designing the kitchen we opted for some of our cabinets to be intergrated so we could have our washing machine and tumble dryer in the heart of the kitchen. We already had our matching kettle and toaster but needed to buy a new microwave as we had broke ours months ago. I don't know how we managed for so long without one as we've found ourselves using it everyday since it arrived.

Now the new kitchen has been fitted, decorated, tiled, floored and filled with our appliances and belongings it's finally completed and it feels fantastic.

- This is a PR collaboration. 

A renovation clean up

We were fortunate enough to buy our very first home earlier this year. We bought it at a steal of a price because it needed an entire renovation. Fast forward 5 months of blood, sweat and tears we are finally in our house! The work is still ongoing but the house is livable and we are almost finished now. There are only two big jobs left to do and that's the hallway and dining room. Both rooms need new flooring and need to be decorated but these cosmetics we can deal with. Other than that there are a dozen little jobs here and there that still need to be done.

As you can imagine under going a full house renovation the house can get very dirty. Most of the walls in the house had to be knocked back to the brick and had to be replastered. For months we have been battling endless and relentless dust and dirt. The minute I walked into the house I could feel in on my skin and in my hair. There was rubble everywhere, pulled up floorboards, holes in the walls. We've really seen the bones of our old house. 

But the dust and the dirt, it's been a nightmare. No matter how many times I hoovered, mopped and swept up it seemed to just continue to appear, until we received and started using the a Dyson DC59 Animal which has really helped us out. It has been a godsend with it's digital motor, superior suction and with it being cordless! (It had me at cordless!) I found myself spending a lot less time vacuuming as it's such a powerful machine. 

Here are some of my top tips for cleaning up after a renovation-


Wipe down: It's scandalous how much dust is created when renovating. You see it everywhere but what's worse is that there's even more than you can't see and it always seems to come back. My top tip is to keep on top of the cleaning and wipe down with a damp cloth after every job. After each big job I would begin mission wipe down and start by dusting down the ceiling, moving onto the walls and then begin wiping down everything else in the room. I found doing this more and more frequently helped minimise the dust coverage around the house which you will be thankful for later. 

Sweep: Before you vacuum it's very important to sweep first. There's a whole array of different materials that are distributed throughout the house and sweeping is ideal for picking up the bigger bits of debris that you shouldn't try to vac up. Using a broom is also good for brushing dust off hard to reach places such as door frames, skirting boards and picture rails. 

Vac: After the sweeping comes the vacuuming as it picks up all dust that is not just impossible to sweep but to see too. Dust continues to settle days after each renovation job so you do find yourself vacuuming often. Thankfully the Dyson DC59 is a joy to use and maneuver and has saved me a lot of time and effort as it is just so efficient.

Mop: Now it's time to bring out the mop. The debris that cannot be wiped down, swept up or hoovered has got to be mopped. After the mopping I would sigh a breath of relief until it was time to do it all over again!  

I have found myself doing these 4 steps continuously these past 5 months. Sweep, vac, mop, repeat! Have you been doing any renovations lately? Or do you have any cleaning tips you would like to share? 

Upcycling with Rust-Oleum

I've been a busy body lately with the house renovation but I have also been keeping busy by upcycling old pieces of furniture. I wanted to spruce them up a bit so they fit in with the decor in the new house. 

When Rust-Oleum offered to send me a few bottles of their famous Painters Choice spray paints (which I was already a huge fan of) it couldn't of come at a better time as I had numerous projects which I wanted to begin. 

As we have pretty much finished our house renovation and have moved in I have been focusing a lot more on dressing the house rather than just the home improvement side and it's been ever so refreshing. 

Our bedroom was one of the first rooms we needed to set up and sort through as of course it's one of the most important rooms in the house. After we brought up the bed and dressed it I knew I had to dig out the shabby bedside tables that I had bought off ebay a few months back. 

They were an aged cream colour and I knew that I wanted to repaint them white to fit into the theme and decor of our bedroom. There are multiple Rust-Oleum shades to choose from but for this upcycling project I decided to use the Rust-Oleum Painters Choice in White with the Matt finish.  

I didn't want to spend hours sanding down both bedside tables so I invested in some easy surface prep which is basically a tacky liquid which coats whatever surface you wish to spray or repaint. After cleaning the tables I slathered them in the ESP, wiped away the excess and waited 2 hours for it to dry. It's a wonderful product because it eliminates any need to sand and provides the perfect surface to begin painting. 

Once the tables had dried I removed the drawers and took off the handles with a screwdriver as I didn't want them to get covered in paint. I then took both tables and both sets of drawers into a suitable environment to spray. I chose to do them in our garage but if it was a mild day with not much wind I would of sprayed them outside. 

It was then time to start spraying! If you are new to spray paints then I would recommend you have a few tester sprays on some cardboard first. I didn't do that first off and I ended up spraying to close and it created big drip marks. It is also vital that you shake the Rust-Oleum for a good minute or two before you begin to use as this makes sure all the paint is evenly mixed. When applying I held the can back around 30cm as it coats more evenly and there's less of applying too much and creating drip marks or making mistakes like spray marks. 

Less is really more when it comes to spray painting furniture. Apply a little and gradually build as you go. I like to apply in a sweeping motion as I find I achieve the best results. If you take your time with it and remember to shake and hold back the can you can achieve a flawless finish. 

It took me less than 30 minutes to spray the bedside tables which is invaluable when you have many projects to do and not much time on your hands. Rust-Oleum can be a little pricer than a regular can of paint when you are planning on painting numerous pieces but it makes upcycling so much easier. So much easier that I wouldn't hand paint a piece of furniture ever again!