Author: Jack Shackleton
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What is Artex, and What Should You Do About It?
Artex ceilings are everywhere. Of all the things we’ve inherited from the 1970s – disco, prawn cocktails, dysfunctional railway administration – Artex might be the most enduring. Across the UK, you’ll find Artex, clinging to the ceilings like Gollum. Happy. Undisturbed. But now, as another generation (i.e. my one) has started to buy houses, we’ve been…
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Where to Get Solar Panels on Finance in the UK
If you’re looking to get solar panels, one thing won’t have escaped you. They are expensive. Roughly £8,000 on average (see the details on my post here). The thing is, they save you money too. So you could either wait and save up, paying those greedy energy companies as you do. Or… Can you get…
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Soft or Firm? How to Pick Your Mattress
When it comes to buying a mattress, there are really only two things* to consider: how big, and how soft? How big is easy. Pick based on room size, and how far away you want to be from your partner. How soft… now that’s more difficult. And it makes a huge difference. A mattress is…
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Fitted Wardrobes: Costs, Benefits, and Best UK Installers
When we moved in 2023, the new house came with a welcome gift. Fitted wardrobes. I’d never thought about fitted wardrobes before. But since then I’ve thought about them a lot. Good thoughts. Warm thoughts. In fact, I think I love them. I then started wondering: how much did these cost? I started reading. One…
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Heat Pump Costs from Official UK Data
The average cost of an air source heat pump in the UK is £12,868. You can get £7,500 off using the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), leaving the actual cost at £5,368. This data is according to the MCS dashboard, based on November 2024 numbers. These are average figures, and it must be said that heat…
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Frog Tape Review
My first meeting with Frog Tape started like many an adventure story: by the checkouts at B&Q. It was in those wire bins by the till. An upsell. You know, ‘chuck it in, it might work’. So I did. And let me tell you, it has changed my life*. *(At least, the bits of my…
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A Proper Guide to Air-to-Air Heat Pumps in the UK
When people talk about heat pumps, they usually mean one type: air-to-water. These directly replace your boiler, and variously delight or outrage people, depending on their existing hangups, past experiences, and whether they’re in the comments section of the Daily Mail. The truth? Air-to-water (A2W) heat pumps are great, but often have complications. However, there…
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The Truth About Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation continues to be a hot topic. With a history of dodgy installations, and stories of mortgage woe, it’s fast becoming the bogeyman of the eco revolution. The House of Commons library has even written a paper about it. But as an interested (and quite cynical) reader, I’ve found it quite difficult to…
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Heat Pumps for Flats: Pros, Cons, and Costs
Can you get a heat pump for a flat? Yes, absolutely. In fact flats are often particularly suitable for heat pumps, due to their high levels of insulation. Unfortunately, there are obstacles too. Namely, red tape. Pros of installing a heat pump in a flat Pro #1: Low heat loss Heat pumps are not ideal…
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The 6 Types of Loft Conversion at a Glance
There are two main types of loft conversion: dormer and Velux. There are four less common types: hip-to-gable, pitched dormer, mansard, and piggyback. In most cases you’ll want a dormer or a Velux conversion. But I’ll give you a rundown of all six types, explaining where they’re suitable, their downsides, and if they need planning…
