Out There Blog

Staff from the office of propertyfinder.com have taken to the football pitch and formed a 5-a-side team playing weekly in the London City Powerleague.

Formed in April, and already seven games in to the season, the team are playing well, starting to put in some classy performances.

Despite having to forfeit their first two games through late late entry, the team have turned things around and with some good wins under their belt are beginning to climb the table.

The season runs for a total of 14 games and is played at the indoor centre near Liverpool Street.

Let's hope their good fortune continues, and in eight weeks time we have a success story to report back to you.

Posted by at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A private pool is no longer a rarity and, strangely, nowhere is this more evident than in Central London where there has been a huge increase in demand at all levels of the market.

Stuart Overington of Rainbow Pools notes:

In the past five years we've seen a tremendous surge in interest. We're not talking about the kidney shape pools you look down on when you land at Gatwick. Our London clients are very design and engineering-led. They want something sympathetic to their existing architecture, which will add to, rather than detract from, the value of their property.

Tom Tangney of Knight Frank recently completed the sale of a £28 million house in Holland Park that gave new meaning to the phrase 'lap of luxury'. Here, the indoor pool came complete with a full-sized film screen at one end:

At a certain level of the market it's almost become a question of not whether a house has a pool, but if not, why not.

A number of factors have contributed to this passion for personal pools. Partly, of course, the demand springs from the wealth inundating the best postcodes of Central London. The world's richest buyers - billionaires from India and China, Russia, Europe and the US - insist on a London base and are determined that their property comes with every toy. For many of these buyers, the paddling pool is an essential part of the playroom furniture. Brigitta Spinocchia of Candy & Candy confirmed:

It's become one of the USPs - like a view, lateral living or outside space.

But it's not just the excess funds that have powered the trend. The high cost of moving and the shortage of desirable property mean that many home owners are determined to make the most of what they have. For the time-pressured and the celebrated, having your exercise facilities on hand is preferable to the trek to a distant gym and, if swimming is your preferred sport, then even the smallest pool can be equipped with wave resistance to offer an effective workout.

Home pools are not just there for keeping fit. They reflect the expanding demand for the indulgent "spa exercise" to which owners have grown accustomed in luxury hotels.

Even in the rental market a pool can help a property to make a bigger splash. Katherine Scott of Cluttons, Wapping is marketing a three-bed penthouse in New Providence Wharf for £1,800 a week, with the tempting addition of a rooftop pool:

It's a spectacular flat with panoramic views of London, but the pool and sauna means we've been able to price it quite aggressively. Without the pool it would probably go for £1,500 a week, but the pool gives it that added wow factor. When you come here the pool and views take your breath away.

Factbox

• According to The Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association, prices for outdoor pools start at about £30,000, customised concrete pools at about £40,000. After that, keep counting: Rainbow Pools is creating a £750,000 indoor pool.

• To save energy, cover up. Thermal bubble covers retain heat and can raise a pool's temperature by as much as 20F.

• Heating and maintenance of an average pool costs about £500 a summer. Maintenance - testing and cleaning - takes about half an hour a week.

• Unless your property is listed, you will not generally need planning permission for an outdoor pool.

Posted by at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't given the quality of your bed a second thought recently, the UK's Sleep Council would suggest that you do.

A mattress has a shelf life of seven-to-ten years and if you're suffering disturbed sleep, waking up un-refreshed or with aches and pains, or if your mattress shows signs of wear and tear, chances are it's time to change yours.

The Furniture Industry Research Association shows that beds can deteriorate by as much as 70% over ten years. Plus, if you've changed your sleeping partner in that time, you may need another mattress - for health reasons as much as diplomacy.

Here's what to know about beds:

• Ideally buy a base and mattress together; they're engineered to work in tandem, and the base affects the performance of the mattress. A new mattress on an old divan may also invalidate the manufacturer's warranties or guarantees.

• Your bed should be four-to-six inches (10-15cm) longer than the tallest partner. Anyone over 6ft (1.8m) should get a longer-than-standard bed.

• Partners of differing weights (three stones/18kgs) or more, may need two single mattresses zipped together which offer differing tension.

• Check if the mattress is adequately supportive; lie on your back, the slip the flat of your hand under the hollow of your back. If your hand slides in easily or there is a gap, the bed is too firm. If you can't slide it in at all, it's too soft.

• Quilted mattresses tend to have a smoother flatter surface. Tufting (those secured by tags or washers to prevent loose fillings from being dislodged) may not be the best choice for some who are sensitive to the tufts (although a mattress protector may help). Side-stitched mattresses may help the mattress stay in shape longer.

• Sprung mattresses need to be turned regularly, so 'No-turn' varieties are a good alternative. Latex and visco-elastic (foam) mattresses don't need turning, but should be rotated about once a month.

• Foam mattresses have the best heat retention, so if you're sensitive to heat, look for cooling covers and make sure the mattress is well ventilated.

• For luxury, try a pocket sprung mattress; the springs work independently to adapt to your body weight.

• Always air your new mattress for four hours after delivery.

The Good Bed Directory

• Tempur (08000 111083) have adjustable beds which you can raise for reading, plus mattresses and pillows made with visco-elastic foam which distribute your weight evenly. Ideal for those with back or neck pain.

• Contact Allergy UK (01322 619898) for information about beds and bedrooms.

• Find a range of allergy-free bedding at Healthy House (0845 450 5950).

• Get a personalised online profile of your ideal bed from The London Sleep Centre (020 7725 0523).

• Sealy has a range of luxurious non-turn mattresses with stay cool fabrics.

• Visit John Lewis (08456 049 049) for a range of mattress toppers and protectors.

• The Sleep Council (0845 058 4595) has advice on how to choose the right bed.

Posted by at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Investing a little time in tending your garden can really pay dividends when you come to sell your home, according to the latest research by propertyfinder.com.  Home buyers and sellers believe that a garden can add as much as 17% to the value of a property – on an average property this is an excess of more than £35,000.

Gardens really add to a property’s appeal, and it is not just families who desire outside space.  57% of all people rate a garden as essential in their choice of a property, whilst a further 26% said it was highly preferable.  Only 3% of people would rather not have a garden of any kind.
 

Green fingers grow money

But Nicholas Leeming, director of propertyfinder.com warned home sellers not to be complacent about the state of their gardens:

There is a tendency to think that merely having a garden is enough to attract buyers.  The reality is that 85% of dwellings in the UK have a garden and one that is in a state of disrepair is more likely to put off potential buyers than attract them.  84% of people are put off by bad décor in a house, this sentiment extends to the outside of the property and the garden.

Nearly 75% of people said that they would be instantly attracted to a property that had a well tended front garden, whilst 93% would be put off by a neglected and littered front lawn.

Nicholas Leeming continued:

House prices obviously depend to a large extent on the wider market, but there are things sellers can do to add to the desirability of their property and this will directly affect the price the property commands on the market.  A well tended garden is the ultimate value add.

 

Neglectful sellers lose the spring in their step

Sellers are more optimistic than buyers about the amount of value a garden could add to a house, with almost a third of those questioned believing it could add more than 25% to the value of their property. However, an equal number of sellers admitted tending to their garden just once a month or less, diminishing their property’s value.

Nicholas Leeming concluded:

Spring and early summer are traditionally the busiest seasons in the property market, and also the time of year that the weeds grow most quickly.  For people looking to put their property on the market, it would be foolish not to make the extra effort to show off their properties to their full potential.  Property prices are ultimately dictated by the consumer – who on average expects to pay quite a significant premium for a well tended garden.  It truly is a case of money growing on trees!

Visit our special Love Your Lawn section for stories and pictures of some lawns in need of loving.

And for helpful Tips and Advice in the garden, see what our experts say.

Posted by at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to all of you who took the time to write in and tell us why your lawn is in need of some loving.

We've had a phenomenal response with hundreds of stories, poems and photos received. But as with all competitions there can be only one lucky winner (or in our case, two).

Drum role please...

Austin Dack from Cambridgeshire- Cut me in

We were impressed by Austin's ability to rhym and his passion for the amazing Fymo Visimo.
 

Seth Davies from Leicester - It's Like a Jungle Out There

Our 'Love your Lawn' competition opened Seth Davies' eyes to 'the awful mess of his lawn' and we think that his plea for help deserves it. His jungle of a lawn certainly needs some loving, so we hope that by winning this competition he'll get in there, chop it down and move his toad on to a new home.

Congratulations to you too Seth, you're our second winner of a Flymo Visimo Mower (pictured below).

To read and see all the entries, visit our 'Love Your Lawn' section.

Posted by at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Juan-Carlos Rodriguez says:

I would love to love my lawn every week and introduce it to a Flymo Visimo which would give it the love and attention it needs.

Alas, our lawn mower has seen better days and often comes to a juddering halt when a thick bit of grass crosses its path.

As for the strimmer, it only works when you swing it from side to side, which does not please the local cat.

I often find myself tangled up; strangled. I now know how our flowers must feel as the weeds approach...

Posted by at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Willett says:

I am lonely and need some love myself.

What on earth has that got to do with loving a lawn, I here you say?

Well, it's like this. With global warming making the winters warmer and the springs hotter, the grass is growing higher & higher all the time.

Helen, my better half, went onto our lawn to feed the birds, clear up the hedgehog's mess and check the bulbs, and I haven't seen her since.

That was in early February. I think I hear her calling sometimes and that makes me feel even more lonely.

I would love my lawn cut so I could find and be with her again.
 

Posted by at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Andrew Humphrey from Stockport, Cheshire says:

My Lawn needs a love because it has to satisfy sooooo many people.

There's Bill and Ben (The plant pot men) and there's the blue cat.

Then there's the bird bath and the hedgehog - not to mention the greenhouse and sheds.

My lawn looks after them all !!! And the second photo shows who the real boss is - the black cat who will not allow anyone else on our lawn !!!!

Posted by at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jo Bryan from Peterborough says:

My poor lawn has suffered terribly because of two main factors, one my love of the Internet has taken me away from looking after it.

The dandelions, moss and some strange spreading weed has nearly taken over and the grass needs saving.

The other reason for its poor state is the new game my tins found last year which was laying a hose on the slide and shooting down it along the grass on a mat. It never really recovered.

Posted by at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jenny Robertson from Liverpool says:

My lawn looks so tired and slightly worn out,
with tufts of weeds and old toys strewn about.

A slide, a pool, a table and chairs,
with spots that have gone brown beneath the suns glare.

We take it for granted, I guess you could say,
but it's there for my children, who all love to play.

It suffers the weather, the football and general wear,
but what would I do if my lawn wasn't there?

It would no longer be green or soft to walk on,
it would no longer be welcoming when the sun shone.

I think I would miss it - that thought makes me sad,
it's the only real lawn that I've ever had.

I should take more care of it, I promise - I do,
I'll pick up the toys - and there are quite a few!

I might even cut it, a little water maybe,
I could plant some flowers to keep it company!

I do love my lawn, it's part of my home,
A safe little haven all of my own.

Posted by at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Toni and all the hens and goats from Black Roack Sanday say:

These and these are responsible for this...

Rescue chickens, cocks and seven rescue goats all named houdini have caused chaos on my lawn/green mess.

Their pen was so badly damaged in this years gales I cant keep them in/out of garden. The lawn is in an awful mess and hasn't been helped by the loss of all my tools and mower, not to mention the water damage from the same gales (and insurance being snail like in dealing with loss).

Eight weeks on and still no further, so please be nice and help me twice, send me a mower to make my lawn nice... please!

Posted by at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Victoria Hill from Darlington says:

We are in the process of doing our garden after moving house, getting married and having a baby but rather than tell you about all of that we've created a little ditty:

Round and round the garden struggling with weeds and turf,
My old lawn mower has seen its best it makes me want to curse.
I'm dreaming of a lush green lawn to fill my heart with pride,
I'd use the Flymo Visimo every week as it's far too good to hide.
I can see my neighbours watching as we glide across the grass,
Using a Flymo Visimo would really cut a dash.

As you can see from the photo it's really starting to take shape, although it still has some way to go.

Posted by at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today it arrived all rolled up from a harsh journey in the back of a truck all the way from Reading. Imagine having to travel to your new home all rolled up!

Anyway after the arduous journey it was unrolled onto some dirt that had been meticulously cleared of stones and debris by two hard workers one of whom found it so exhausting that they needed to sit down and rake their wellington boots (picture shows the preparation).

So that our lawn loves it's new home we really need a Flymo Visimo to keep it looking it's best and the envy of all the neighbours.

PS - We really do need one as we have not got one!

Posted by at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

D. Radford says:

It's the sweetest little mower and it has a heart of gold

It does its little best only like me it's getting old

So are you only ordinary just the same as me?

I don't tell this to everyone but I have ESP

Don't grass on me.

Posted by at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You’ll notice that my lawn doesn’t need a thousand words, just a few… Jungle, Jungle, Jungle!

I know you want me to tell you why my lawn needs some loving, but I think the pictures do that themselves. I thought about ‘air brushing’ them in Photoshop but I can’t hide the fact that it’s more Amazon Jungle than Titchmarsh’s ‘Contemporary, Amazon themed landscape with accompanying pagoda!’

In-fact, I really just want to thank you for running this competition which I stumbled across as you have opened my eyes to the awful mess of my lawn and to the stark reality that the Toad living in there  (who I now call my friend) needs to move on!

My wife won’t step foot on the lawn because of that little chap and now until the point of sending this mail...I felt no shame.

However, in literal terms I can't see the wood for the trees…

Can you help me please?
 

Posted by at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Original poem by Mrs Eileen Watson,
Matlock, Derbyshire:

With life so fast we all agree, we spend too much on economy.
We tend to our homes, ourselves, our cars.
But never a moment, do we think of our grass.
We all should take the time to show, how grateful
we are for what we know.
What would it take, for us to give,
A water, a feed, what more does it need.
Just keep it healthy and looking fine,
Please just stop, and take the time.
To think of our lawns and what they need.
Without them the world would be gloomy indeed.
Not nice and tidy and never replaced
The ground would be a messy place.
Take just a small time, to wonder because.
Our grass is so special just treat it so thus
Make it feel loved and needed so we.
Will benefit forever.
With the grass that we need.

Posted by at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Annerhc says:

I've just bought a property that needs a little attention....after I've removed the 100ft of brambles!!

Just look at them in this photo!!

Posted by at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Praven says:

My back garden needs loving to stop my husband using it as a dumping ground, as you can see from the photo I have started working around his junk in the hope of getting the garden ready for the summer.

In the meantime the grass just keeps getting longer and longer and longer...........HELP!

I also have a front lawn that needs some TLC. We share it with our neighbours and he is a bit of a fanatic. We each look after our own half and I would love to have a perfect stripe on my side just to show him we can.

My old Flymo is past its best now and I would love one with a grass collection box.

Posted by at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mrs C. Y Smith says:

My Lawn needs loving because I have 3 dogs, a lurcher a greyhound and a westie and last year they decided to use the garden as a racetrack, which you will be able to see in the following picture.

This year I have tried to repair the lawn by filling in with Topsoil and receding, it is not looking as bad but no where near as good as it did before the dogs decided to destroy it.

But I would not part with the dogs, I have built a fence to keep them off the lawn at the moment. It is in need of tender loving care.

Posted by at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ms Webster says:

My lawn is in need of some TLC as my dog Holly has run around on it since we got her as a rescue puppy.

Also my son's trampoline has helped to make it worse.

Posted by at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mrs Holczimmer says:

Our son is an 8 yr old Frank Lampard clone; he therefore practices dawn to dusk on our once healthy looking lawn!!

Our current flymo was great until the rabbit, Starsky (sad  I know!!), decided he fancied the cable for breakfast.

So we are now in need of a new one and would love the opportunity to get our hands on the Visimo, which would be kept well out of his reach and hopefully help us restore some life back into our football pitch!!

Posted by at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 Viv says:

This is my back garden. As you can see, it really does need some tender loving care. My old mower is on its last legs and refuses to maintain a low cut height so the grass is cut to all sorts of different lengths! My house is up for sale and I'd like to keep the garden looking better.

I have two dogs so the grass really does needs some help. The resident pair of blackbirds would, I'm sure, enjoy a smoother "bowling green" finish! I'd put the Visimo to very good use I promise. Fingers crossed

Posted by Bronwyn at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monica says:
I am a childminder whose cared-for children enjoy the garden to the full. "Dandelion clocks" have been blown so much that my lawn is just a mass of weeds. Buttercups and Daisies get picked frequently for gifts (or appologies), and of course wheeled toys race around like it's Brands Hatch. So if you can offer one per-cent of the love I have for the children to my poor over-worked lawn, we'd...(weed!!).. excuse the pun..be very very grateful. 

Posted by Bronwyn at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Posted by Bronwyn at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Margaret says:
At the risk of getting boring, this is my front garden taken today.  I always thought grass grew anywhere but it looks like I was wrong.

It really isn't for the want of trying.  There is still some at the back to cut and a new lightweight mower would be very acceptable.

Posted by Bronwyn at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Bronwyn at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

D Crossling says:
I am absolutely out of my mind since my FLYMO lawnmower stopped working, I loved that machine, I stupidly thought that buying a Black & Decker mower (because it was a few pounds cheaper & I am quite strapped for cash @ the moment) I thought I would get pretty much the same results.

But never again its just false economy if it just isn't up to the job. As you can see I have even had the council serveyors round, complaints from the neighbours saying my grass is blocking out there light, but even on its shortest setting this is the best the inferior mower can do.

Please help before my neighbours attack me or the council evict me. All I need is a Flymo & I am sure I can get my unruly lawn back under control. 

Posted by Bronwyn at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Bronwyn at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

R Hobbs from Derby:

My lawn needs some loving because it is the main battle ground for the most feared creature in our close....my cat Bobbin. Oh yes in the photo she looks sweet, fluffy and cute but you wouldn't say that if you were a visiting feline. passing through my garden. The small gauges across the lawn were visiting moggies make a sudden turn and dash for safety are the tell tales sign that Bobbin rules this area!

Posted by Bronwyn at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

D Smyth from Essex says:
I’m Dave and I’m disabled, so my dear wife looks after our council house garden in Harold Hill. She tends it so carefully and when our present lawnmower can not cut the grass, she gets down on her hands and knees with a pair of shears and cut the grass, even though she is sometimes in pain.

Compared to the state when we first moved into the house, it’s really looks nice, and with a little help I have started a small tunnel of roses in deep red, to go through to the back gate in memory of my grandmother also to show the wife how much I love her.

She is the best person in the world and although we have been married seventeen years in now of this year (we met and married within six weeks) there is never a day when I don’t tell her how much I love her.

She comes from Philippines and is a truly remarkable person. We would love this machine to have as it might be a lighter one for her to cut the grass then the one we have. I hope I win this machine so that she does not have to bother if this one ever breaks down.

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ashleigh DeCordova says:
I have recently Moved back home and I brought a puppy with me and he has run round in circles in me mums and dads garden and wrecked it so now me mum and dads garden is in need of some loving.

Keren Curran says:
My lawn mower is a petrol one but due to problems with bricks and tree roots in my garden its now falling to bits, I’ m thinking of throwing it away and could do with a new one which I can use in my lovely front garden, which myself and partner have spent a great deal of time getting it right.

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A & J Jennings says:
Our lawn needs more than a little bit of TLC.
It is uneven and looks unloved despite best efforts.
It is patchy, and the grass seems to choose where it wants to grow.  The lovely examples you see on TV of lawns are a million miles from ours.
I would love to win this item to help us try and make it easy on the eye and make us enjoy it in the summer months

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mrs Smith from Norwick says:
My husband is a landscape gardener, and as you know what then happens - our garden never gets a look in.  All he has it large petrol mower which I find hard to push, but I need to find them first in his garage.  Well, we have recently moved (well last May) and I now have a new lawn, every night I go and water it and make sure its bedding in nicely, but alas, it now needs a cut and i'm dredding looking in the garage for his mower, trying with all my might to pull the pull cord (hoping the neighbours aren't looking) and then speed off round the garden until its done.

I would love my own mower, so I could lock it away in my own shed which he has brought for me. So I could cut the grass without all the fussing around.

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Melanie from Bristol:
‘ Me' lawn would like one of those' fancy Flymo Visimo's
That mower looks a little thin;
I’ll make sure it’s fed up nice ‘n’ good – if I win!
I’m all ready fed up moving my lawn, doing it even made my trousers torn.
Finishing the job would be a good thing, so hopefully I’ll be winning!

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

B Porter says:
For months I've ignored the small space outside my backdoor remembering back in the summer when my grandson played and the family gathered for barbeques.

Then a nice trim lawn with no nettles, today the news was buzzing its a very warm day and its going to be warm all week, so armed with a book and sun cream I walk out into my garden.
You guessed it my garden had turned into a wildlife paradise I forgot grass grew in the winter. Now panic stations I ask my husband to cut the lawn but he neglected to tell me that the lawnmower I had lovingly bought him years ago was rusty and broke.

So please consider us for a new flymo and I assure you I will look after it and my garden with pride.

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Georgaline says:
My garden is 3/4 acre and we have a ride on mower which I hate and I can't use it in the area were I keep my three very cute dogs. My own mower for my own area would mean the world to me; I would never have to wait for my husband to do it or have to nag him. My cats and dogs could just roll all summer long.

Posted by Bronwyn at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Bronwyn at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)