Green Belt... Where is it now?

I was reading about countryside getaways in the London commuter 'home county' of Hertfordshire, which started me on another path... with all the additional new housing estates spreading from villages that had charm and character, are these properties safe from development? The article includes Grade I and II listed buildings, which should have some degree of protection; one property is surrounded by 17 acres of landscaped garden and is adjacent to a small wood with public footpaths.

If you are lucky enough to have sufficient funds and the appropriate lifestyle, a private apartment in a beautiful setting could be the perfect solution.

However, people who chose a rural village life may not be so happy with changes that have been forced upon them. Here are few examples in North Herts: 

• 900 new homes, separated from Graveley by one field
• proposal for 759 new homes, including 598 on three new large sites to the west and east of Knebworth village.
  
• 150 new homes proposed for this Woolmer Green site.
• proposal for Codicote  developments (pdf) - two developments are under way and there is a third proposed housing site.
• Just 52 new homes proposed for St Ippolytes, although this may be increased to 84.

So is there still a 'green belt' around London and, if so, where is it? It's still where it always was but maybe not quite so green since governments have tweaked the rules to allow significantly more developments.

Apparently, the Mayor of London is keen to build around a million new homes, the majority of which need to be in London's green belt. 

Onwards and upwards, as the saying goes!

Living the dream... 

city living

Minimalism - grey and white décor - is it here forever?

How often do you meander through homes for sale on Rightmove, Zoopla, etc.? Internally, newbuilds are painted white, with grey or white kitchens installed, white bathroom suites and often grey tiling.

But have you noticed an absence of personality when it comes to family homes that are being lived in? Often, the only colour display comprises the toys in a young child's bedroom. It's as if people are creating a blank canvas for selling - which is fine - but are choosing to live in that soulless, sanitised 'hospital' environment because it's the trend to avoid colour inside the home. Actually, there is more colour in most hospitals than there is in these homes.

And, by the way, child psychologists will suggest that colour is a stimulant for young minds to develop.

These photographs were found on Google today under 'uk homes for sale'.

So... are we happy with our white rooms? We moved in to a new-build, painted white throughout, with pale laminate flooring and a grey slab kitchen sporting a white quartz worktop. I quite like light bouncing around plain walls in bright rooms = and after a few years, we didn't even notice the decor (or lack of) other than the kitchen was so incredibly boring. 

Original kitchen on moving into the house

However, it needs a refresh so we've started painting some walls with pale neutrals and some spot colour. We couldn't agree on the kitchen colours so most walls are magnolia with two contrasting areas of a deep sandy yellow. The rest of the kitchen-diner has been adorned with an eclectic mix of 'clutter'. We're not sure if this works but everything's reasonably cheap and easy to change. Above are some snapshots of the original installed kitchen and below is an idea of the way the kitchen make-over is shaping up at this stage. 

Baking area to the right of the kitchen

The dining area (at the opposite end of the L-shaped kitchen-diner)

Love it or hate it? Do feel free to comment with your suggestions.

New Build vs Very Old Property

In 2021, we moved from a flat in a Grade I listed building to a brand new home which was built to the current government standards and recommendations.

Old House

There are eleven apartments or flats, heated by radiators in every room plus the communal corridor areas, served by a huge gas boiler housed outside the main building. The Grade I listing meant that upgrades to the building were carefully controlled - for example, windows were single-glazed, metal framed, leaded light style, and therefore could be draughty at times. Additionally, a septic tank took care of all the waste. 

Except for the occasional times when the heating system was off, it was quite comfortable. Nothing that couldn't be fixed by another couple of layers of clothing. 

New House

It is fully insulated with British Standard glazing. To counter this, there is an air-flow system which brings in fresh air and pumps it around the house after warming or cooling it. The heating is underfloor throughout. 

It was an error to believe that the air-flow system would be a substitute for air conditioning, as its temperature is only adjusted within a maximum of +/- two degrees centigrade. This renders it all but useless in extreme heat so we purchased two mobile air-con units (ugly but effective) plus two large fans for the summer. As a fall-back option in case of heating failure in a cold winter, we opted for a log burner to be installed during the build. 

Lifestyle 

We can't compare running costs as the years between have seen price hikes for pretty much everything. However, we can list some pros and cons for each. 

Old home - pros: spacious flat, quiet, several acres of lovely grounds, a committee takes care of organising such things as gardeners and arborists, window cleaners, cleaners for the communal areas, building maintenance and insurance, compliance with governing rules for gas boilers, emptying the septic tank and so much more.
Old home - cons: service charges, no control to override heating when off, no balcony and no lift which means that weekly shopping has to be carried up 50 stairs, often two it three times per shop (however, this could also be listed under pros as it contributes towards fitness). Also, there was no w.c. on the ground floor, which was a problem when using the conservatory and terrace for a gathering of friends - older family members could not easily manage the stairs up to the flat.

New home - pros: stepping out from the house directly onto the patio, wheelchair-friendly (although this hasn't applied so far), parking within a few steps of the kitchen doors to carry in the weekly shopping, fall-back option of a log burner. Our particular location is walkable to a mainline rail station. 
New home - cons: rooms are either too hot or too cold (can't work out why), should we want carpets, this would hamper the underfloor heating, there is a lack of storage - mainly because the local council would only approve homes of a certain height, which means that three bedrooms are effectively in the loft with very few vertical walls (which means, for example, that we have to store paintings that would otherwise be displayed, as there are few places where we are able to hang them).

All in all, you choose the home that suits you at the time and hope you enjoy the best of living there. 

   

Old Home

   

New House

Sofas, Updated.

If you're looking for a fully functional sofa, take a look at the TechSofa range, series 1 to series 7 - prices start from £1695 for the two seater but can be considerably more for more seats. This review is for the series 6 sofa.

Functionality: you could be forgiven for thinking that you are piloting a luxury aircraft. The plush feel of pseudo-suede or the pseudo-leather options are practical for spilled drinks, for example if you're in the reclining position and mis-judge the distance or trajectory between the chilled cup-holder and your mouth. In additional to the smooth electric reclining controls, there is a seat-warmer. Warm seat, chilled drink. Wow.

Inside the centre storage console there are 2x 13Amp sockets. You also have 4x USB chargers plus a wireless charging pad. And the sound from the Bluetooth speakers is incredible - the best we've heard in a sofa! You can finally have a seat at home that is as good as your car seat - it's been a long time coming.

We chose a 'small' (it's not small) corner unit. It's perfect for two people to share a cinema or gaming experience plus there's enough room to invite a couple of friends in to watch a televised game of football. Also, it accommodates people who may be considered of the wide / heavy persuasion and the frame is guaranteed for ten years.

Customer Service & Delivery: purchasing went smoothly, delivery was on time and the guys were efficient and friendly. The gave a run-through of the features and answered all our questions.

Expensive? Let's say "not cheap" but...
Value for money? Yes.

Links:    2 seater    4 seater corner    

Sofas and Chairs

If you're looking for something a little bit different yet stylish and very practical, have you seen the fabulous Fama furniture collection from Julia Jones? 

Innovative designs in a range of colours, the quality of the Fama furniture is good and this retailer, a family-run small business, has an excellent customer service ethic. 

Choose from lounging chairs and sofas, sofa-beds from 4ft width to 6ft widths, modular furniture - with a choice of fabrics and leather finishes. Recliner options are manual, battery and electric. 

We purchased a sofa-bed and swivel-recliner chairs a few months ago. Unfortuately, the delivery company damaged one of the chairs but Julia Jones ensured that this was replaced, as soon as possible, without fuss. We have been happily using the furniture all day, every day. With so many seating options, it's impossible not to be comfortable! 

And, just to be clear, this review was not requested nor have we received any financial incentive.

 

Choose your Style: Bathroom ideas

Bathrooms and Shower rooms. 

Do you prefer traditional or contemporary? Perhaps you'd like to accommodate both - for example, a traditional bathroom for a long relaxing soak after an energetic day plus a contemporary shower room to refresh your body and mind? Alternatively, go for a hybrid of the two.

Bathrooms.

The trend for traditional baths mixes styles from various Victorian to WW2 eras. The images below show free-standing baths near walls with wooden panelling to protect the plaster from bathwater splashes, especially from the 'hand-hose'.

  

The bath shown below is a nod to earlier times and probably costs a fortune but is gorgeous! Search Copper Bath for images to find simlar products in various shapes, including slipper baths.

The image below shows another free-standing bath, sited in a bathroom with traditional units. These baths have been popular for many years, off and on, subject to having enough space in a bathroom. Note the use of traditional wall lights.

Below is a more modern take on the above bathroom, yet it remains traditional with shaker units, panel and hidden cistern with wall-hung wc. The slatted wooden blinds are perfectly complementary.

Below is a no-no or possibly a no-no-NO! Coloured suites date so quickly. In the 1970s, the (very) popular colour was avocado; in the early 1980s, it was Bermuda blue or a couple of pink shades; later that decade, more subtle colours were preferred - ivory cream and whisper grey. By the mid-1990s, it was back to 'playing safe' again and most of the coloured suits have now been ripped out and replaced by standard white, which rarely seems to get dated.

Not all contemporary bathrooms are white, but many are. Black, deep neutrals and/or natural stone are often featured heavily, as shown in the images below.

Shower rooms.

There is a trend for shower walls to be printed with fabulous photographic images: beaches, waterfalls, pebbles, etc., either from the suppliers' collection of prints or using a hi-res photo of your choice. These can be used to amazing effect but there are two considerations:

• choice of image - ensure that it isn't too personal (for when you want to sell the house) and that it's an image that you won't tire of too quickly;
• choice of medium - most suppliers print onto glass and this can be tricky for installation, e.g. cutting round the wall-mounted shower elements and access for repairs if something goes wrong in the wall behind the glass shower panel.

The following images are a selection of glass and acrylic printed shower panels: 

 

 

 

 

https://www.showerscape.co.uk/custom-designs

Follow this link for more ideas for your bath/shower rooms

The photographs used in this blog post were found on Google images. We do not have any rights to them. Image owners - please advise if they should be removed or acknowledged, thank you.

Bathroom Wall Panelling

Using waterproof vinyl or laminated panelling for bathroom walls and shower enclosures is becoming more popular than ceramic tiles.

Advantages of panelling over traditional tiles include faster installation and no grount to maintain.

There are various suppliers of panelling and we have chosen two examples to compare. Use this link and scroll down the page to Multipanel collections, probably the market leader. There is also another option which is a soft touch, light weight option from Vilo Moltivo, which is cheaper.

Both are available in lengths of 2.4 metres (standard room height) and suitable for bathrooms. 

Multipanel is a solid option, available in widths of 1200mm and 900mm (great for shower walls) and also 595mm width (great for splashbacks).

Vilo Moltivo has a much thinner profile and has a hollow construction. It is suitable for areas where there is little chance of damage. It is supplied in packs of 4 x 250mm panels (i.e. 1 metre) that click together.

Both systems require edge profiles - check with the supplier websites. The end-caps are for straight tops, bottoms and sides; there are also internal and external corner profiles. It is recommended that the you order the correct adhesive from the panelling suppliers. Warning: if you need an external corner profile for the Vilo system, they are not easy to find.

Glass Shower Walls

A more expensive but very stylish alternative to these panelling systems is glass. You may have seen glass splashbacks? They are also available in larger sizes for shower enclosures, wet-rooms, etc.. There are some amazing images available and some companies will custom-print from your supplied photographs.

The downside is cutting the template to install the plumbing - so be sure to choose a company that offers a full service.

The glass wall Palm Tree image is available from Purple Frog Interiors.