When the homeowner bought their East London Victorian terrace home over 20 years ago, her parents thought she was ‘a bit mad’- and not without reason. ‘It was the kind of property a builder would buy to do up, because it needed to much work,’ she says. ‘But I could see the potential of this place, even though I knew it was going to be a long, hard slog.’

Over the next three years, she worked her way through the house within the constraints of her budget, but in that time managed to replace electrics, plumbing and heating. ‘I often referred to it as, “the house that Jack built really badly,” but it had its saving graces,’ she says.

‘For example, underneath the hardboard panels that covered each door, was the original Victorian detailing that clearly wasn’t very trendy in the 1970s.’ ‘But thanks to some budget living room ideas, I was able to transform the space.’

While the homeowner took pride and satisfaction in bringing her house up to scratch, there was one area she knew would have to wait to update until funds allowed.

‘So many aspects of the kitchen didn’t work, not least the lack of cupboard space- the only storage was a 1950’s upright kitchenette cabinet with fluted-glass doors and a pull-down work surface,’ she says.

But finally, in 2016, she was able to remortgage to raise the money for a rear kitchen extension. The new space meant she could now have the storage she’d been missing all those years, and she struck lucky when she came across some stunning kitchen base units on display at the Ideal Home exhibition, which she managed to buy ‘for a song’. Paired with self-designed plywood wall cupboards and a splashback made of floor tiles in a metallic finish, her dream kitchen was becoming a reality.

The kitchen

Buy now: Springfield Yellow rubber flooring, £63sq m, The Colour Flooring Company.

A plumber made the unique, one of a kind light on the kitchen ceiling of this East London Victorian terrace.

So many aspects of this house have come about as a result of the homeowner’s clever, budget decorating ideas, resourcefulness and ingenuity, and the lighting in the kitchen is just one example. ‘One day while the plumber was working here, I asked him if he could use some of his copper pipes to construct a ceiling lighting system based on the London tube map,’ she explains. ‘He obliged and I think the finished result is pretty unique.’

Equally distinctive is the kitchen flooring. ‘I was going to go for polished concrete until I came across a company that specialises in rubber surfaces,’ she says. ‘To have this type of finish meant I had to have the floor rescreeded to get it perfectly smooth, otherwise every tiny bump would show. But once down, the bright yellow lifted the room to another level and it’s now the biggest taking point when people come round.’

The sitting room

Buy now: Ceiling in Light Bronze Green; blocking in Mister David and Olive Colour, all intelligent matt emulsion, £35 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene

The latest ares to enjoy a makeover is the sitting room, where the homeowner gives a lot of the credit to her decorator who displayed an incredible degree of patience.

‘I knew I wanted to colour block here using my favourite greens and yellows, but it took us hours to get the geometric wall pattern marked out using a tape measure, spirit level and masking tape,’ she says. ‘But the finished scheme was exactly as I’d hoped when I planned it out, and it’s one of my favourite living room wall decor ideas.’

Colour blocking  the walls has given this room a unique identity, which works wonderfully in this East London Victorian terrace and is a great clever living room paint idea.

The striking colour blocking continues onto the floor, almost acting as a space divider. ‘My favourite item is my Ikea sofa which I reupholstered in a lush olive green velvet, making it look like a designer piece,’ says the homeowner.

The snug

Buy now: Eero Saarinen floor lamp, £50, Habitat

‘This is where I come to read my book and chill out,’ says the homeowner. The painted ceiling adds to the room’s sense of luxury.

The main bedroom

Sumptuous furnishings create a relaxed, hygge feel.

This is a home that us undoubtedly impressive and the homeowners daughter will often bring home friends who will all vouch for  the street cred of this East London Victorian terrace. Being a creative soul, the homeowner is always itching for the chance to use her interiors talents and shares her design ideas on Instagram account @Untillemonsrsweet.

The bathroom

Buy now: Roll-top bath, £200, Preloved.

‘This scheme is reminiscent of my auntie’s 1970s-style avocado bathroom, perfect for a Victorian terrace.’ says the homeowner. ‘I wasn’t sure how to paint a bath, but quickly learnt it was an easy makeover.’

‘My dream project is to build a home abroad, but I’d never sell this place,’ she says. ‘This house will be my daughters and is my legacy to her.’

The post This Victorian terraced house has a cool vintage vibe that doesn’t shy away from colour appeared first on Ideal Home.

With the cost of everything from putting food on your plate to fueling your car rising, the last thing you’ll want to do is spend a penny more than you need on your home insurance.

However, scrimp on your home insurance too much and there’s a risk it doesn’t do the job you need. You could find that you do not get the payouts you expect, or worse that claims are rejected altogether.

Getting a good deal on your home insurance isn’t about getting the cheapest price or shelling out for the most comprehensive plan; it’s about finding the best value and choosing a policy that suits you and your home.

GoCompare’s home insurance expert, Ceri McMillan, says: ‘To get the right level of home insurance cover at the best price for you, it’s important to shop around. Policies can vary widely in price, and also in terms of the cover they provide.

‘Ultimately, the most important thing is making sure your policy offers the right level of cover for you. So, read policy documents carefully before making your decision.’

From shopping around to advice calculating the value of your possessions, find out how to cut your home insurance bill without sacrificing the cover you need.

1. Buy combined home insurance, but only if you own your home

Home insurance is actually made up of two policies: buildings insurance to cover the structure of your home and contents insurance to protect everything in it. It’s usually cheaper to buy both policies in a combined plan with the same insurer but always compare it against the cost of two policies to be sure.

‘If you own your own home you’ll need both, so consider buying a combined buildings and contents policy,’ suggests Sarah Poulter, media relations manager at Aviva. ‘But, if you rent, you would only need contents insurance.’ This is because it is your landlord, as the owner of the property, that is responsible for the structure of the property and buying adequate buildings insurance.

2. Shop around every time you renew

It’s quick and easy to renew your home insurance with the same provider each year. However, even if it was the best deal a few years ago, it’s unlikely it still is. So next time your policy comes up for renewal shop around on a comparison site, such as our sister brand, GoCompare, before you agree to another year with your current insurer.

Once you’ve purchased your policy, make a note in your diary a month or so before it’s due to renew to ensure you have plenty of time to shop around once again. Jessica Willcock, home insurance expert at Confused.com says: ‘Historically, data has shown that shopping around about three weeks before your renewal date could save you the most money.’

3. Choose the right level of cover for you

Sarah Poulter says: ‘It’s important to choose a product that best fits your needs. Many insurers offer tiers of cover and you may find that a lower tier is suitable.’

While a five star, bells and whistles policy might give you peace of mind, it won’t give you value for money if the additional benefits it offers aren’t relevant for you. There’s no point, for example, paying for extra cover in the garden, if your garden is basically the kids’ football pitch and there’s nothing more than old flower pots and junk in the shed.

4. Take care valuing your possessions

Try and ensure you calculate the value of your possessions so you don’t end up buying cover you don’t need. Jessica Willcock says: ‘Overestimating this by a significant amount could mean you’re paying more, as insurers will see this as being a more expensive claim. But if you don’t need £40,000 worth of cover, don’t add it, and you might see your price reduced.’

5. Don’t confuse the rebuild cost of your home with its value

If your home is damaged beyond repair, in a fire for example, your home insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding it. For this reason your insurer will request a rebuild cost figure for your house, however it’s important not to confuse this with its current market value, which will be higher.

Willcock says: ‘These are not the same thing, and matching the rebuild cost to the value of your home could see your price increase, as insurers will base the rebuild claim on this.’ Few of us will know how to accurately estimate this figure, however there are online calculators that can help such as this one from the Association of British Insurers.

6. Choose a higher excess level

The excess is the amount you need to pay towards any claim. Sarah Poulter says: ‘Most home insurance policies have a standard excess if you make a claim, but you can choose to pay a higher excess to lower your premium. Just check you could afford to pay for it if you needed to make a claim.’

7. Check if your home is in a flood risk area

If you live in a flood risk area ask potential insurers if they are signed up to the Flood Re scheme, suggests Sarah Poulter. This scheme makes home insurance more affordable for people who have homes with a higher risk of flooding. ‘Some insurers are not part of the scheme and premiums may be higher for people living in high-risk areas, or they may exclude flood cover altogether, so it’s important to check.’

8. Work on your no claims discount

It seems counter-intuitive not to claim on your home insurance, it’s the reason you bought it after all. However, just like your car insurer, your home insurer will usually offer a no-claims discount. The more years you can go without claiming, the bigger the discount you’ll get and it shouldn’t usually matter if you switch insurers either.

This means it’s worth thinking twice before putting in smaller claims, where you can easily afford the cost of repair, and keeping your insurance for bigger, more costly disasters.

9. Improve your home’s security

Upgrading your home’s security will not only reduce the risk of a burglary, it may also lower your insurance bill. Jessica Willcock says: ‘Any burglary deterrents could ultimately mean you are less likely to have a break in and make a claim.’

10. Stay on top of your property maintenance

Just as you want to minimise the risk of a break-in and losing possessions, if you want to reduce the risk of claiming it’s also important to take care of your property itself. This includes insulating your pipes (so they don’t burst in a cold winter), unblocking your gutters and removing tall trees. In fact, insurers may not pay out for claims if they think the property hasn’t been properly maintained.

11. Think carefully about add-ons

When you take out your home insurance, think carefully about adding bolt-on cover to your policy such as accidental damage, for an extra fee. It could be worth its weight in gold if you like red wine and pale carpets but, if accidents are few and far between, or you’ve a slush fund that could cover any emergencies, it may be an unnecessary expense. Also think carefully about whether you need personal possessions to be covered away from – your phone, for example.

12. Don’t double up

If your possessions are covered by your home insurance, don’t fall into the trap of buying additional cover when you buy new items. Sarah Poulter says: ‘You may be asked if you want to take out insurance when you’re buying a new sofa, carpet or mobile phone, so make sure you aren’t already covered by your home insurance, especially if you have cover for accidental damage.’

13. Look at multi-product discounts

‘Some insurers will offer you a discount, if you have more than one product with them, for example home, motor, travel and even health insurance,’ says Sarah Poulter. Buying all your insurance from one provider isn’t necessarily the cheapest option, nonetheless it’s worth taking advantage of these discounts if you’re happy with the insurance company in question and are the sort of person that likes to keep everything in one place.

14. Pay for your insurance in one go

Your home insurance can cost you several hundred pounds and so you may well be tempted to spread the cost of your insurance over the year by paying monthly. However, while some insurers will permit you to pay monthly, you are effectively borrowing from your insurer when you do this. As such interest will be charged so you will pay more overall as a result.

15. Know the limits of your policy

When you buy home insurance it’s vital to check your most valuable – and precious – possessions are covered. Sarah Poulter says: ‘Contents policies usually have a single-item limit, often between £1,000 and £2,000.’ This is the maximum the insurance company will pay out for any one thing.

‘Insurers will usually state that any items above this limit should be listed separately on the policy, to ensure that the items are covered.’ You’ll usually have to pay more to ensure these items are properly insured, but this is one area where you don’t want to scrimp – especially if items have sentimental value too.

The post How to cut the cost of home insurance – without losing cover appeared first on Ideal Home.

A few weeks ago, Fujifilm held its first (of two) X-Summits of 2022. Livestreamed from Omiya Japan, this event was long awaited by Fujifilm users for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the hope of getting new details about Fuji’s upcoming stacked-sensor camera. Now that the X-Summit is over and done, I’d like to step back and talk about what the recently announced products mean for Fuji’s future.

Before you read the news from the photography world, let me start with an important message. In temperate regions around the world, the breeding season for many species is at its peak. If you find a seemingly small, vulnerable and abandoned chick in the wild, tame your emotions and under no circumstances “save” such a chick. In 99.9% of cases it does not need your help. This was the case with three blackbird chicks I came across in the forest undergrowth a few days ago.