The AnswerBank Articles

Green Fingers Can Put Thousands On the Value Of Your Home

Tidying up a scruffy garden can add as much as £8,600 to the value of your home claims new research, but most people are missing out by failing to exercise their green fingers. Two thirds of homeowners missed out on the premium when they moved home last year, passing up a potential £5.9 billion in total. Th...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Weigh DIY Carefully

Many people find they cannot afford to move house but would like a change, some may turn to DIY to make improvements. All DIY projects may prove equally challenging to the novice handyman, but some are liable to add a good deal more to your home than others new research has revealed. A fitted modern kitchen is most lik...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Doctor Warns Of DIY Risks

Doing DIY jobs around the home yourself can be fun and saves money. But it seems we need to take more time to consider the health and safety issues involved in Doing It Yourself. Making a few home improvements could be detrimental to your health, with medical experts highlighting the risks associated with common DIY i...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

DIY Benefits 'Not In Kitchens And Bathrooms'

People looking to add to the value of their home may be interested to hear that a bathroom or kitchen renovation is not necessarily the best way to go about it, a finance company has claimed. In fact the top three modifications homeowners opt for - combined - would not increase the value of a home by as much as an esta...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

DIY Disasters - The Real Story

Instead of moving house, many people are now doing up their existing home in an attempt to beat the credit crunch. As an additional saving DIY has become more popular, yet there are problems with this DIY revival. DIY may not be the saving it seems as it is claimed more than half a million people in the UK have their h...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

UK Households 'Full Of Unfinished Business'

Whether it is putting up that shelf, fixing that leaky tap or something more adventurous it seems that our houses are full of DIY jobs that are half finished. The research revealed that 1.7 million households have been living with an unfinished DIY or home renovation project for more than two years with bedrooms accoun...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Homeowners 'choosing DIY over moving'

Many homeowners who were looking to make a move before the recession have now decided to do some DIY rather than move into a new property. "Homeowners are choosing to carry out DIY rather than buy another house", according to one study. "At a time when the property market is slumping, people choosing to enhance their c...15:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Have you got a mouse about the house

Mus domesticusYou have Well, lucky, lucky you! No wonder Walt Disney chose this sweet, shy, moustache-twitching little furry fellow as his inspiration for Mickey Superstar. And we've all been00:00 Mon 25th Nov 2002

Tell me about the yucca plant, please

The yucca is a succulent, tree-like plant native to southern North America, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean - in other words, the hot bits! It thrives in drought and blossoms with creamy clusters00:00 Tue 23rd Jul 2002

Building a garden wall

With summer coming, now is the time to get to work in your garden. A new wall can make all the difference, whether it is used to separate your property from your neighbours or as an internal feature.00:00 Tue 30th Apr 2002

With the temperatures rising should we be starting to think about the garden pond

A. This isn't the time to start clearing out debris or changing the water, that should be done in late autumn or early winter when things are dormant. But the pond is starting to come alive now00:00 Sat 20th Apr 2002

Is solar heating just for the environmentally conscious or is it viable for most households

A. While we are dragging well behind many of our European counterparts (there are 60,000 homes in Holland that generate electricity by way of solar panels, for instance) solar heating is no longer00:00 Sat 20th Apr 2002

Is Chelsea the biggest flower show of the season

A. No, although it can certainly lay claim to being the most famous, probably in the world. The biggest is actually the Royal Horticultural Society's Hampton Court Flower show. It is held at the00:00 Sat 20th Apr 2002

Why has bamboo become so popular in our gardens

A. The first bamboos came back to this country with the planthunters and merchants who opened up the Far East, particularly Japan and China. The early introduction commonly made their way on to00:00 Thu 21st Mar 2002

Garden spring clean

It may not feel like it, but when the clocks go forward this weekend it is officially British summer time. With spring just about sprung it might seem a bit premature to start thinking about those00:00 Thu 21st Mar 2002

What is the National Trust for

A. Its exact role and direction in 2002 is the subject of much debate at the moment. However, basically its core functions are, as they describe it themselves, 'to preserve and protect the00:00 Thu 21st Mar 2002

Why has growing herbs become so popular

A. Loads of reasons. For a start they are extremely easy to start and maintain and you don't need much room to grow one. Then there are the plants themselves, which often have attractive foliage and00:00 Thu 14th Mar 2002

How do you go about stripping a piece of wooden furniture that has been painted

A. Every week thousands of us either find some old wooden furniture in the attic or uncover something at a junk shop or sale, but the true character of the piece is disguised by an often tatty00:00 Thu 14th Mar 2002

Why are ground cover plants so useful

A. There are plenty of very beautiful ground cover plants that have a place in the garden in their own right. However, as well as their decorative value they are also very useful, problem solving00:00 Thu 14th Mar 2002

Why do we prune plants

A. There are a number of different reasons why we go round the garden lopping bits off here and there. There is the formative function, either to keep a plant within certain bounds or to encourage00:00 Thu 07th Mar 2002