Mendip Living Oct - Nov 2020

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Renovating to add value With UK officially in recession, some homeowners look towards increasing the value of their home as property becomes an important source of equity following the economic slump. As such, research has revealed which parts of the home to invest in for the best return The 2020 Renovation Nation Report – by mortgage comparison site money.co.uk – has found that the UK’s homeowners have invested an average of £4,035.70 each on home renovations since lockdown began. And it seems that Brits are sacrificing more than ever for their perfect pad as the prospect of more time at home becomes the new normal. Garden upgrades (34%) top a list for the most popular lockdown renovation projects, closely followed by the living room (23%), bedroom (22%) and kitchen (22%) as together the nation’s homeowners invested £55bn* in their properties. The findings also suggest that homeowners have abandoned all hopes of a holiday. Almost a quarter (24%) stated they have used money originally intended for a holiday to finance their new home improvements, which is second only to general savings (26%). When asked why they chose to invest in their home, over a quarter (27%) of homeowners cited adding value to their home as a reason. Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said: “While many have struggled with the impact of lockdown restriction on their finances, our research found that having to spend more time “Balance short term wishes with long term gain. The financial impact of investing in your home should always be a concern and ensuring you add value to your home through the work you do to the property is essential.” at home has inspired almost two-thirds (65%) of homeowners to invest in renovations to their properties. “Almost three quarters (73%) of the property owners we spoke to said they will continue to stay home as much as possible even with lockdown easing, it looks like the trend for investing in homes looks set to continue. “For those looking to renovate or improve their homes, they will need to balance short term wishes with long term gain. The financial impact of investing in your home should always be a concern and ensuring you add value to your home through the work you do to the property is essential.” Pandemic changing renovation dreams - but will they add value? When asked which home project homeowners would consider investing in as a direct result of the pandemic, garden projects again reigned supreme: • Over a third (34%) said they wanted a garden summerhouse/studio • Over fifth (21%) are craving a greenhouse/vegetable patch • 14% dream of raising their glass to their own pub. Inside the home, work and leisure are on the wish list: • Indoor gyms (17%) and bike storage (9%) • Home offices (16%) • Leisure rooms/home cinemas and snugs (17%) • ...and even classrooms (2%) making the list. Property expert, Adam Parson, Area Supervisor (SE) Andrews Property Group commented: “During these unprecedented times what has become immediately noticeable is the lack of attention people had previously given to the most social areas of the home i.e. garden and living room. “As we emerge from lockdown the perception of importance has changed, and the specialist areas will be seen as an asset rather than a novelty. Areas such as a garden studio, leisure area or pub/ bar area that add a point of difference, escapism or an improvement to wellbeing will be seen as a necessity. Going forwards, we believe that the home buyers in today’s market will take more notice of these areas which increases their potential to add value to the overall property.” For more information on what post pandemic renovations will add value to your home can be found in the 2020 Renovation Nation Report at money.co.uk. The research of 1,022 UK homeowners was conducted by Perspectus Global on behalf of Money.co.uk during July 2020. *76% of UK homeowners spent money on renovations in their home during lockdown 0.76 x 18,090 million equals 13.75 million homeowners. UK homeowners spent an average of £4,035.70 on home renovation during lockdown. 13.57 million x £4,134 equals £55.48bn 42 | www.mendipliving.co.uk
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN PLANNING next year's springtime Matt Biggs is our resident garden advisor. Here he gives us advice on how to prepare our garden for next year. Matt trained at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and has presented numerous television programmes including Channel 4’s Garden Club. There is no doubt that this year has been a year like no other. It has changed so many things in so many ways, and one of those is the time that some of us have had to spend in our gardens. Whether you are a true ‘son of the soil’ or someone who wouldn’t necessarily know a daffodil from a daisy, we have had time to contemplate that space outside of our window, be it a window box, courtyard or garden. Gardening offers us so many benefits - the opportunity to exercise, space to think, space to grow new plants, delicious edibles and fabulous fruit, play with the kids, count butterflies, feed birds, and there is another, really important thing that it offers us - the opportunity to plan for the future. With so much uncertainty in life there is something very life affirming about planning our gardens for next year - and now is the time to do that. Ornamental bulbs are in our garden centres now - bulbs are amazing! They require very little care, takes almost no skill at all to plant - even if you plant it upside down it will still appear - kids love to help choose and plant them and then there is that wonderful day when a green shoot spikes its way out of the ground heralding the beauty to follow. So this month get out to your garden centre or nursery, take a pen and paper and make a list or check put a bulb catalogue and start planning for a new year filled with colour and optimism - and bring some excitement and colour into your life next spring - all from a little brown bulb! To find out more about Matt’s love of gardening please visit www.matthewbiggs. com where you will discover some inspirational material. Mendip Christmas Tree Farm The Authentic Christmas Tree Experience Choose and cut, or freshly cut T: 07508 399 366 W: mendipchristmastrees.co.uk Located between Frome and Shepton Mallet at Dean on the A361 Sat Nav: BA4 4RZ Open: 27 November to 20 December Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10.00am-6.00pm | Weekends 9.00am until 6.00pm Last Entry for Choose and Cut: 3.30pm £2.00 OFF with this voucher Members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association www.mendipliving.co.uk | 43
Page 3 and 4: Contents A Note from the publisher
Page 5 and 6: ADVERTISING FEATURE Meet the FROMIE
Page 7 and 8: SHOP ONLINE VISIT SOPHA.CO.UK INTRO
Page 9 and 10: CONTEMPORARY NEW HOMES NOW FOR SALE
Page 11 and 12: The Bath & West 2021 Mendip Living
Page 13 and 14: in Bath SPECIALISING IN CHINESE AND
Page 15 and 16: Why buy a Christmas hamper from Kim
Page 17 and 18: ADVERTISING FEATURE chewing the fat
Page 19 and 20: Recipes and words from James Martin
Page 21 and 22: all the time to prevent it from bur
Page 23 and 24: KEEP ON TRACK The key to these chan
Page 25 and 26: www.mendipliving.co.uk | 25
Page 28 and 29: Environmentally responsible waste r
Page 30 and 31: Keeping you on track All you need t
Page 33 and 34: MAKING A GUEST ROOM W feel like hom
Page 35 and 36: The amazing sofa in a box company S
Page 37 and 38: TIP Discuss your requirements with
Page 39 and 40: Farmhouse Bathroom A bathroom renov
Page 41: Residential property at our central
Page 45 and 46: RETIREMENT Time for a change post-C
Page 47: The Fireplace Fitters Shop Supplier

Mendip Living Oct - Nov 2020

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