Garden Security Alert!

Much as we might all revel in the joys of extended summer evenings, according to insurance company Aviva, the welcome additional hours of daylight can signal a distinctly unwelcome flurry of activity from opportunist thieves. 

New figures from Aviva predict a 25% rise in the number of backyards, garages and sheds being targeted as soon as Britain’s clocks go forward for British Summer Time. 

Bicycles, lawnmowers, garden tools and children’s outdoor toys represent the most likely targets, with the average haul at this time of year usually totalling around £900 worth of goods. 

Aviva estimates that thefts from outside the house can increase as much as 10% once the evenings get lighter, compared with the dark nights of January. Household underwriter at Aviva, Jonathan Cracknell says “Extra light means that all those expensive power tools, bikes and golf clubs could now be on full show for everyone to see, including a passing criminal … Garden security or lack of it, is much more visible so we would urge all homeowners to make sure their sheds and summerhouses are properly secured and remember to clear up the garden every evening so there is nothing left lying around to tempt the opportunist thief”.

You have been warned!

Kerb Appeal

Don’t just consider your home’s kerb appeal when you are looking to attract a buyer! Make your home the pride of the street by lavishing some extra special care on the so often neglected front garden. Although the front garden creates a lasting first impression for anyone visiting your home, it is usually the area of outdoor space which receives the least attention.

Hours are spent pondering how to create the ultimate back garden retreat but the majority of homeowners only spare a thought for the front garden when they are looking to sell. This could be due to the fact that often the front garden space is difficult to manage and hindered by expanses of concrete or gravel – but with careful planning and creative flair it is possible to work wonders. Some simple ideas include:

    * Position a couple of imposing bay trees either side of the front door to create an immediate impression of grandeur
    * Arrange a selection of fragrant flowers in beautiful pots within your front garden area to encourage a welcoming ambience
    * Introduce a splash of bold colour to exterior walls by potting up some hanging baskets – and if you have a colourful front door, choose some bright zesty flowers to complement it
    * Go for a style makeover of just the bed or border at the front of the house. Rethink your choice of plants and the layout of the bed

– for the simplest of transformations why not contact Lime Orchard to come up with a full planting plan for the bed which includes plant variety recommendations, position and suggested size of each plant – and of course a totally professional ‘installation’. Call 0845 539 1467 (local call rate) or visit www.limeorchard.co.uk for further details.

Join the Self Build Revolution!

Yes, sorry we bring you news of yet another revolution! This time we are referring to the growing army of aspiring self-builders in the UK. At the beginning of the year, Housing Minister Grant Shapps called on this influential body of home developers to make a housebuilding revolution their New Year's resolution. Self-builders are already Britain's largest housebuilder, and account for one-fifth of Britain's new homes each year, but for far too long the aspirations of ordinary people to build their own home have been thwarted by barriers and infamous red tape.

These obstacles have resulted in the UK having one of the lowest proportions of new homes built by self-builders in Europe - so the Minister has pledged to make self-building more accessible. Barriers that stand in people's way will be torn down - including the current complex and bureaucratic planning system, regulatory burdens, and lack of access to land and finance.

A new Community Right to Build will offer communities the chance to give the green light to new developments without the need for specific planning applications.
This could be local people working alone to build their own homes, or entire communities coming together to build the homes the area needs.

At the moment, self-builders complete as many as 10,000 building projects each year - so making it easier for more people to build their own home will provide a welcome boost to the ailing housing market.

Mr Shapps has asked the National Self Build Association (NASBA) to work with his officials to develop an action plan to boost the number of self-builders across the country - and address the common barriers aspiring self-builders face, which include:

availability of land - including making public sector land available for house building
availability of finance - working with lenders to ensure self-building communities can get the finance they need

availability of expert support - how self-builders can support communities looking to build the homes they need, and how those new to self-building can be supported

Building your own house (and of course creating your ideal outdoor living accommodation) has to be the most rewarding – and often financially savvy – means of achieving your dream home. So is it time you joined the revolution?

Join the Revolution!

And we are not talking the Grow Your Own revolution this time! According to Smarta – ‘the ultimate advice and networking resource for anyone starting and running a small business’ – ‘the chicest, most bang-on trend for office space this season is …the humble garden shed”.

Shedworking is fast becoming a national phenomenon with many home workers choosing to locate their business premises in the garden. So if one of your new year resolutions is to start your own business, or even to try and maintain your current role but working from home, consider the following benefits of a garden office:

• free from the disruption and distraction of the traditional office, working from a dedicated garden office you are likely to be more productive and focussed
• cutting out the daily commute means that you get to spend more time actually working and less time wasting precious hours sitting in traffic or on a crowded train
• no more costly train fares or petrol expenses – AND a reduced food bill as eating from home is far cheaper than buying lunch from your local sandwich bar
• opportunity for parents to embrace flexible working patterns – the time you save on travelling to and from work can be put to better use doing the school run / attending children’s school events
• psychologically you are likely to perform better without the stress associated with travelling to and from work, and the natural garden landscape provides a comforting environment and an enhanced sense of work / life balance
• a good garden studio can add up to 5% to the value of your property, and works well as a selling point in competitive markets

Why not contact Lime Orchard to discuss how a home office can be blended into our garden landscape? .

It Pays to Improve - Not Move

House prices are said to be sliding again and some are saying Chancellor George Osborne’s  spending review will accelerate the market’s decline.

Even before the Chancellor announced his £81 billion cuts, property prices were coming under severe pressure. The prospect of nearly 500,000 public sector job losses will make things worse by increasing the number of distressed sales.

Last month mortgage lending hit its lowest level for a decade at just £12 billion, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. This followed shock figures from Halifax showing a record 3.6 per cent drop in house prices in September, the biggest fall in 27 years.  So if ever there was a time to sit tight and ensure you exploit the full potential of the property you already own it’s now. 

"Improve, Don’t Move" has become a tired phrase but it still rings true for many home owners, who may be forced to opt out of the buying / selling chain but nonetheless need to ensure their current home really does tick all the boxes.  And it goes without saying, why move when you can gain extra living accommodation from your outdoor space!   Garden studios and outside offices continue to grow in popularity while decking and patio installations can provide a year round entertainment and / or safe play area.  Speak to us for details of how to design these new features into your existing garden landscape.

Improve - Don't Move?

Talking to The Telegraph at the end of July, TV property expert Phil Spencer reckons the property market is difficult to read right now “It is very difficult to fathom what is going on at the moment,” he says. “One set of stats says the market is going up and another says it’s going down. “Then you have to look at the year we have had so far. First, there was the snow, then the general election. Next, everyone said wait until the World Cup is over, then everyone said wait until the summer is over.

 “Clearly, the market overall is not going to be rising by 10, 15 or 20 per cent a year, like it has done in the past, but I do believe it will rise by small amounts, maybe two or three per cent a year.

“What this means, of course, is that owning a home is not, in itself, going to earn you enough money to move up to the next price bracket, to the next rung on the property ladder. You can’t just sit back and wait for your house to make you enough money to move on. You are going to have to take active steps to create that extra value for yourself.”  

One of the examples Phil cites as a way to add value to a property investment is to ‘bring the garden into the house … and to view the garden as another room’.   That means extending your indoor living accommodation quite literally to the space outside. According to Phil, transforming the garden into a welcoming outside room, can add two per cent to the house value.  Glass patio doors, outside lighting and a deck are all useful features to incorporate if you want to encourage a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor living – speak to a member of the Lime Orchard design team for more details.

Courting Kerb Appeal

September often marks a window of opportunity in the property market, capitalizing on the period when the mayhem of summer is over and the chaos of Christmas still looms in the future.  If you are thinking of putting your house on the market, remember the importance of ‘kerb appeal’ if you want your property to attract potential buyers. 

Initial impressions really do matter so if the first feature that catches a prospective purchaser’s eye is an unkempt front garden, scruffy path and battered gate – there is a good chance they may just drive on!  Property Ladder TV presenter Sarah Beeny advises "Imagine if the garden was over run with brambles and there was rubbish blocking the pathway. First impressions count for a lot. A bad appearance can do a lot of damage." It doesn't take a great deal of effort to change this though, Sarah suggests

 "However small the space is, add some greenery. You don't need a big garden to plant a creeper, and houses look beautiful with plants trailing up them. And you can easily make window boxes yourself. Just paint a plastic planter and plant it with some draping ivy. Landscaped beds with colourful planting and box hedges set off the front of a house; or for smaller spaces, such as either side of the front door, think about investing in some planters with box topiary.” 

Why not talk to a member of our design team to find out how you can enhance your property’s kerb appeal!