insideKENT Magazine Issue 83 - February 2019 | Page 144

PROPERTY
NATIONAL HOME IMPROVEMENT MONTH ON THE HORIZON
– Top tips to make the UK ‘Love The Home They Live In’
69% of Brits do not love the home they live in. To
help resolve this, National Home Improvement
Month will be encouraging the UK to improve one
area of their home during the month of April to
make their house the haven they have always
dreamed of.
To help with this exciting challenge, National Home
Improvement Month is pleased to have recruited
BBC presenter, DIY enthusiast and property
developer Georgina Burnett to be an official
ambassador for the National Home Improvement
Month challenge commencing this April. Georgina
has expressed her excitement for being a part of
National Home Improvement Month: “I'm so
excited about inspiring people to make at least one
change to their homes in April. It's so important
to love our homes, because if we don't have that
harmonious space to call our own it impacts
negatively on the rest of our lives. Just one small
change can make such a huge difference to how
we feel about our homes. It also becomes very
addictive once you start to make improvements.”
Research conducted by National Home
Improvement Month found that only 28% of people
carry out home improvements more than once a
year with the main attributing reasons being expense
and lacking DIY skills. 52% of Brits do not feel
comfortable applying wallpaper and almost half
(48%) are unsure of how to put a shelf up. To help
ease the daunting task of making a home
improvement and show you why it doesn’t have
to be an expensive, mammoth task, here are
Georgina’s top DIY tips.
1. If you don’t know where to begin with your home
improvements, do an inventory of your home of all
the things you'd like to improve and list in order of
priority. This will allow you to develop a clear plan
and not become overwhelmed by impending tasks.
2. If you're struggling with motivation, start with
something small – even if that is to say 'tomorrow I
will buy a paint brush'!
3. Prep and prep again! There's a temptation to skip
this bit, but if you do you will regret it. Part of your
preparation could be simply watching YouTube
videos on how best to do a task. This will ensure
your home improvement is completed to the best
possible standard.
4. Take the time and invest in the right tools, as it
will take less time to complete the task and deliver a
better finish.
5. If you are struggling with inspiration, throwing
together a mood board will spur you on to greater
things. Keep visualising that end result and your
home improvement will live up to what you imagined.
6. Avoid distractions and half completed jobs by
scheduling some time in your diary for your home
improvements so you are fully committed and 'life'
doesn't get in the way of you completing them.
National Home Improvement Month is challenging
the nation this April to make one change to their
home to ensure they love the home they live in.
NEW HOMES SNAPPED UP LIKE A SHOT AT OLD
GUNPOWDER WORKS SITE
There are just five new homes
remaining for sale at a housing
development which has
transformed the site of a
19th-century gunpowder
factory in Kent.
The last few properties available
at Bellway’s sought-after 1811
development in the village of
Leigh are four and five-
bedroom properties priced from
between £709,995 and
£729,995. The development is
named after Leigh Gunpowder
Works, which was set up in
18 11 at the height of the
Napoleonic wars before closing
in the 1930s.
Mark Harrop, Sales Director
for Bellway Kent, said: “We’ve
been delighted but not surprised
by the response we’ve had to
the new homes at 18 11. It’s
been a great success. The
houses have all been built to
our usual very high standards
and have appealed to a wide
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cross section of people right
across the board from families
to commuters and first-time
buyers as well as professionals
and investors.
“There’s a glorious community
woodland on the site itself –
bringing the countryside right
into the heart of the settlement
– and it’s also superbly located.
It’s just a 10-minute drive to
Tonbridge town centre while
Leigh railway station is just five
minutes away by car and a bus
route runs right through the
development.
“The final properties would be
ideal for families looking for the
perfect place to settle down –
but with just a few remaining
I’d advise them to get in quick,
while they still can.”
More information about the
new homes available at 1811 is
available at bellway.co.uk