New homes in London's Zone 1 on a Zone 2 budget
Our exclusive research shows a "price wall" formed by the Northern line, with property values to the east less than half those in the west. We reveal the emerging lower-value districts in Zone 1 for buyers on a Zone 2 budget.
Embassy exodus returns acres of central London to its residents
As the embassies exit Mayfair and Marylebone, their former bases will free up stunning family homes. While the move of many embassies to Nine Elms at Vauxhall is creating a new residential quarter including thousands of new apartments.
Oxford spotlight
The small city of Oxford is famous for its university and honeyed stone architecture, but its huge range of property - from affordable new homes to luxurious Victorian houses - and one hour commute to London, are big attractions to home buyers.
Brighton spotlight
The East Sussex city of Brighton and Hove offers its residents the best of both worlds: a relaxed life at one end of the line within an hour's commute of London, and a good mix of Regency terrace houses, seafront apartments and family homes.
Clerkenwell Design Week 2013
Discover one of London's most creative neighbourhoods at this year's Clerkenwell Design Week. This three-day event showcases the hottest trends in design, architecture and cutting-edge furniture.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views.
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens.
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
East Grinstead spotlight
East Grinstead in West Sussex is 30 miles south of the capital in the High Weald. The town's exclusive gated estates attract celebrity home buyers such as Tom Cruise, while London families are drawn to the area's good mix of period homes and modern flats.-
Buy of the week: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views. -
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens. -
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
Property search
Making the most of your DIY weekend
It is the little things that make the biggest difference. Barbara Chandler suggests weekend DIY projects and the advice centres that can give you help
Give old furniture a lick of paint
Jazz up your junk
Give old furniture a lick of paint; even rusty items are covered by Hammerite's Direct to Rust Paint (£6.49 for 250ml).
Help: a guide to painting furniture is on homesandproperty.co.uk; for tips on painting metal go to hammerite.co.uk.
Put up a pole
Replace a dreary old curtain track with a smart pole and buy some ready-made curtains. Tab tops or eyelets are cheapest, with no need to buy rings.
Help: find an excellent guide to fixing a curtain pole on polesandblinds.com.
Banish wall scuffs
You'll need to paint the whole wall to avoid a patchy look - apply two coats for a good finish. B&Q and Homebase have good own-brand colours at about £15 for 2.5 litres (enough for most rooms), though a big can of white emulsion is likely to be cheaper. A designer paint will cost £22-£25 (see farrow-ball.com or firedearth.com). To change a room's look add stencils or stickers.
Help: most painting info is on the can. Tips and a free iPhone app are at dulux. com; or call 08444 817 817. Crown also has a colour/painting app at crownpaint.co.uk. B&Q does interactive room design at diy.com. Stencil designs/tips are at hennydonovan.com and stencil-library.co.uk.
Melamine paint gives kitchen units a facelift
Cupboard love
Give dreary kitchen units a facelift with a specially formulated paint for melamine. A new type by International gives a lacquer-like shine (six colours, £24.99 for a litre, right). There are also special paints for tiles and appliances. Help: there are painting videos and tips at international-paints.co.uk.
Date with a blind
The quickest way to change a window's look is with a new roller blind. Buy one for £10 to £20 at a DIY store, or pay from £30 to have one made to measure.
Help: video tips on measuring and fitting blinds are at web-blinds.com.
Board already
Hire a sander and sand your floors. Then, either add a couple of coats of lacquer, or simply paint them. International Quick Drying Floor Paint costs from £27.99 for 2.5 litres. Painted floors stand up to traffic amazingly well.
Help: for a step-by-step guide, go to hss.com, which has all the tools you need for hire. If you are painting, the tips are on the can.
The right filler makes fixing cracks easy
Fill in the cracks
Fixing chips and cracks is easy if you have the right filler. For example, Fine Surface Polyfilla erases hairline cracks and little chips. Flexi Gap tackles holes around door frames and skirtings. Liquid Sanding brushes on to grotty old paintwork making it all ready for paint.
Help: watch step-by-step videos on polycell.co.uk; or call the Polycell advice centre on 08444 817 817.
Hang it
New "paste the wall" wallpapers mean you don't need a table or messy glues. Prices start at around £20 a roll.
Help: for calculations, designs and video tips, download a free iPhone app from superfrescoeasy.com/index.
If you do need to call in a professional, visit www.homesandproperty.co.uk/tradesman.
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