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West London’s best kept secret – ARRO at Southall Waterside

Located on the banks of the Grand Union Canal and the equivalent of 36 Trafalgar Squares in size, Southall Waterside is one of West London’s most exciting regeneration projects to date. And for those first time buyers looking to invest in their first home in an up and coming location, ARRO at Southall Waterside is just the answer.

Catalyst Homes’ latest Shared Ownership development, ARRO at Southall Waterside features 66 studio, one and two bedroom Shared Ownership apartments. The development forms part of Southall Waterside, which when completed, will create a whole new neighbourhood of 3,750 homes offering great connectivity with an extensive leisure and retail offering, a new primary school, a community hub, piazzas and parks.

The average Brit spends a HUGE 44 days sat on the sofa every year

The average Brit spends a whopping 44 full days (that’s 1,060 hours) sat on the sofa each year, according to new research2. But binging boxsets on the couch could be having more serious implications, as a quarter (24%) of the nation admits experiencing back pain at least once a day.

Exploring the nation’s relationship with their sofas, the study reveals that the average Brit spends 20 hours and 24 minutes relaxing on the couch per week, which means that throughout the course of a year, people spend just over 44 days sitting, lying or slouching on the sofa.

Additionally, one in 20 (5%) admit to spending a huge eight hours or more each day relaxing on the couch, whilst one in 10 (10%) complain they never get time to rest on the sofa.

Desperately seeking gardens - the UK’s Forever Home revealed

The UK’s Forever Home costs £470,000, has a front and back garden, garage and at least three bedrooms, according to new research by The Nottingham.

The building society asked the nation what the top priority in the search for their Forever Home would be, and what amenities are most important to them when choosing a property for life. It also asked aspiring Forever Home owners how much they expected to pay.

Unsurprisingly, a back garden was the most coveted feature for a future Forever Home, chosen by over two thirds (68%) of respondents. This was followed by a front garden, an essential feature for just under half the nation (49%) and a garage (45%), highlighting just how important outdoor space is.

Is there anything to help first-time buyers?

To combat the decline in first-time buyers in the UK, there are several initiatives that can help people get on the property ladder.

The 7 easiest ways to boost your home value

You know what they say: a home is where the heart is.

But what if your heart is in that lovely new build two streets down — the one that just stretches past your budget?

Of course, you’ll need to sell your current house before you can move into your dream home. But if you’re really honest with yourself, the faulty shower and threadbare carpeting you’ve become accustomed to isn’t going to do you any favours when you’re haggling for the best price.

“A lot of homeowners jump into radical changes to their home assuming that they’ll improve the house’s value,” says Ian Greenhalgh from home glass replacement specialists Cloudy2Clear, “Often, though, smaller cosmetic changes can have just as significant an impact on the home value and cost far less to implement.”

Leading developer shines a light on ‘five star’ pupils at school

Barratt Homes Sales Adviser, Juelee, with the winners of the rising stars awards

Barratt Homes has awarded five pupils who are considered to be ‘rising stars’ at a primary school in Nuneaton, to celebrate its recent ‘five-star’ accreditation from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual customer satisfaction survey.

The Rising Star award winners and Saxon Meadows Sales Adviser, Juelee Taylor This is the tenth year in a row that Barratt Homes has received the top rating and to mark its continued success, the housebuilder awarded five ‘star’ pupils at Camp Hill Primary School, which is near to its Saxon Meadows development on Queen Elizabeth Road.

Couple use help to buy to upsize to their dream home

Dom and James in their new house that they got thanks to the Help to Buy scheme

A couple have recently been able to secure their dream home, using proceeds from a previous house sale and the Help to Buy scheme at Marston Fields in Bedfordshire.

Dominic (46) and James (41) Chapman-Hunt recently decided that they wanted to buy their first house together and upsize and they fell in love with an Eden style property at the David Wilson Homes development in Marston Moretaine.

Kingsbrook residents in Aylesbury back great british butterfly count

A wildlife friendly space at the Kingsbrook development in Aylesbury in anticipation for the Big Butterfly Count

Leading developer, Barratt and David Wilson Homes have joined forces with wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, to participate in the annual Butterfly Count (19th July– 11th August) at its Aylesbury development, Kingsbrook.

The Big Butterfly Count is an annual nationwide survey where participants are encouraged to spend 15 minutes looking for and recording 17 species of common butterfly and two day-flying moths, during three weeks of high summer.

The Count has the backing of Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham and has rapidly become the world’s biggest butterfly survey, with over 100,000 people taking part in the UK last year and over one million butterflies counted in total.

A room-by-room guide to giving your home a fragrance makeover

A room-by-room guide to giving your home a fragrance makeover by Rich Quelch, Global Head of Marketing, Lifestyle Packaging

It’s true; many of us are guilty of ignoring how our home smells or simply placing gifted candles and diffusers on spare surfaces without giving it much thought.

However, home fragrance should be a key consideration when it comes to styling your home. That’s because scent plays a bigger role in how you feel than you might think. In fact, smells are processed by the part of the brain where emotions and memories are processed.

5 Ways to Make your Kitchen a Social Family Space

The kitchen is a beloved part of the family house, a social family space – it’s a room for parties, meetings, dinners and dancing, and according to a recent survey by British cooking appliance brand Belling, 70% of Brits see it as the heart of the home. We reportedly spend an average of three hours a day in the kitchen, so making it a warm, welcoming space can go a long way in helping nurture happy family life. Here are five ways you can make your kitchen a perfect social family space.

Wiggle room