Locks & Bolts - Can You Ever Really Have Enough When It Comes To Home Security?

When it comes to looking at things objectively, there is a fine line between pessimism and realism. I have always considered myself an optimist or in layman’s terms a “glass half full” kind of girl, however when you are faced with real world issues it’s only realistic that you consider all options to safeguard yourself.

Security is something that is consistently spoken about in the media, whether it’s to do with protecting your financial assets, identity theft, safeguarding your children etc. Whilst certain topics get more of the limelight then others there is one particular situation that normally slips under the radar of your average news headlines, and that’s burglaries! These incidences have reduced over the years particularly since 2005, however they are still occurring across the globe.

Last year my Grandma decided to up and move from her four bed semi-detached family home, as she was struggling to get up and down the stairs. Upon moving to a bungalow around the corner from my parents, and five minutes away from the local shops she knew that she had made the right decision whilst she was still able to do so. Her surrounding neighbours were and still are for that matter pretty elderly, so you can imagine it’s a nice and peaceful area, or so we thought!

About two months after she moved in she was out and about in the nearest town catching up with her retired pals, only to come home and notice that she had been burgled. As she desperately scrambled around the house to figure out what had been taken, she soon came to discover that all of her jewellery that she was going to pass on to my cousins and I was gone. These items were family air looms that had been passed down for generations, and unfortunately no money would ever be able to replace those memories. As if it couldn’t get any worse a load of tools and brand new land mower were also missing from her garden shed. She was lucky that they didn’t manage to take anything else, and it could have been a lot worse. I dread to think what might have happened should she have been there when the burglars broke in.

Although the likelihood of that occurring again was pretty slim, my parents and I could see how traumatised it left my Gran, and in all fairness if I was to put myself in her shoes I wouldn’t blame her. To help put her mind slightly at ease the next night we ordered some door locks online from a London brand called A & H Brass, who I dare say had quite the collection. I genuinely didn’t realise that you could get that many different styles of locks?

We purchased a mortice latch to re enforce the front door, as it already had a lock and key. For extra security measures we booked a black smith to change the front and back door locks and cut new keys. We also bought a household security alarm system, and installed the trigger points on the doors and windows, as well as giving her a panic button in case she was ever in trouble.
 

As for the garden shed that had also been broken into we needed something a tad more durable for the outside weather conditions, so we fitted a digital lock giving my gran her own unique pin code to get in and out of the shed at her leisure.

Since then it has taken some time to get her back to how she was before the burglary occurred, which is why it’s really important to raise awareness to those who haven’t taken the proper precautions to safe guard their property. Remember it’s more than just material items, the proper security could be potentially lifesaving!

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Exteriors - It’s The Simple Things in Life That Make the Biggest Difference!

My best friend Sarah and her fiancé recently bought their first property back in the summer. As it was incredibly dated from the previous owner, the following few weekends my friends and I would go over there and help them strip all the old wallpaper, rip up all the old carpets, and paint all the walls. By a way of thanking us for all our support, Sarah and her fiancé wanted to throw a big house warming party on Bonfire’s night and get everyone together.

The week before the party Sarah and I were catching up over a coffee, excitedly discussing who was coming and the food that people said they will be bringing. It then dawned on her that she hadn’t even thought about the state of the back garden, given that at one point in the evening everyone will be outside watching the fireworks. Apart from the small patio at the back, the garden was slightly hazardous where they had ripped up parts of it earlier in the year. She realised that if people would be standing outside they would need to see where they’re going for health and safety reasons, so it was vital to get some sort of outdoor lighting. It was there and then that we used what little WIFI the café provided to surf the web to see what we could find.

Using Google as our search engine god there were plenty of things we found that would be perfect for the event. However Sarah was keen on getting something more long-term instead of a temporary fix, as they would have needed to install something later in the year. She was also searching for more traditional outdoor lighting to keep in line with the décor of the house. As the party was several days away we needed a UK supplier who wouldn’t cost a small fortune for quick shipping. Luckily after about ten minutes of scrolling through Google and Amazon we came across an iron mongers in London called A&H Brass. They had a vast collection of outdoor lighting, could provide a speedy delivery, and had exactly what Sarah wanted at an affordable price! With a click of a finger the order was placed, and we resumed our weekly catch up.

When the event finally came around everyone was praising Sarah and her fiancé on what a great job they had done renovating the property, many of which were enviable of the new kitchen extension including myself if I’m honest. As the girls and I stood their chatting, whilst our partners were setting up the firework display, I noticed out the corner of my eye the new outdoor lights that Sarah had ordered several days before. They were perfect for the occasion and kept the patio a glow whilst we all huddled together to keep warm. Sarah definitely made a smart choice as the lights really did go with the décor of the rest of the house. 

For the rest of the night we indulged on a feast of finger food, drank mulled wine to our hearts content, giggled till our cheeks ached, and gazed upon the night sky as the fireworks exploded into the crisp night’s air.

I look forward to the day when my boyfriend and I will be able to buy our own house, and can then return the favour of hosting such a fun night of entertainment, with all our favourite people. If we ever manage to get a property with a garden I will keep A&H Brass in mind, as they also had some amazing modern outdoor lighting. Until that day comes there will be plenty of social events in between to look forward to, and I couldn’t be more proud of what Sarah and her fiancé have achieved!

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From Mum and Suburban House Wife to Interior Designer!

My name is Julie and I have recently moved with my husband and three kids into a lovely detached house in Richmond. Up until now we have always lived on the outskirts of London, however as both my husband and I want my youngest son Joshua to go to one of the local preparatory schools, we felt it necessary to move closer to avoid all the issues we have had in the past with the commute. 

My two other boys Jack 25 and Jason 18, have now both moved out and are working in the city. Both of them went to the same preparatory school as we want Joshua to go, however back then we didn’t have the finances to move to Richmond. Since then we had a loss of a close family member, however it meant that my husband has become a Property Manager and has a small portfolio of properties, which has drastically improved our income.

Up until the last 5 years I was pretty much a house wife when I first had Jack, and as much as it’s been great to be a stay at home mum and watch my kids grow up, I have to say it was a relief when Will asked me to go into business with him, in the property market. Both Will and I make a great team and whilst he looks after all the manual labour, I take on the role of the interior designer.

As each property in our portfolio is for rental I tend to make sure the design is fairly minimal, as we will have do the maintenance on it from time to time. Given that I apply most of the same designs to all the properties, you can imagine my delight at doing something a little more creative for my own home. First things first the exterior! I absolutely love the sash windows that our new home incorporates, however they are slightly rotten and desperately need replacing. I have been looking online for different styles, and I have found a selection that I particularly enjoy and also some polished nickel sash window fittings. If nickel isn’t quite your style then have a look at some of the polished brass window fittings in the market!

The polished nickel window fittings I found were from A & H Brass, who are an ironmongers in London, you can browse their full collection here https://ahbrass.co.uk

With a lick of paint and a new front door our house looks polished and good as new from the outside. Moving onto the interior, I want the living room to be nice and cosy so I’m thinking of a large family sized sofa surrounded by oak furniture, with a log burner in the chimney cavity. The Kitchen suite will have marble tops, and black gloss cabinets. I’m also thinking of light grey walls to compliment the kitchen with warm orchid accent colours.

The bathroom will also be fitted with a brand new white suite, with Moroccan style floor tiles. As for the hallway and bedrooms these are yet to be decided, but I’m so excited to watch this project transform into the perfect family home.

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