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DIY MakeoverLin and George Watkins first spotted their 1830s four-bedroom home in the spring of 2004, and although it was in poor condition, they loved it straight away. “All the woodwork was stained a mahogany brown, which made it look very dark and gloomy,” says Lin. “There was a badly laid mahogany laminate floor throughout most of the downstairs, and in the kitchen some of the worktops were scorched where hot pans had been put down.” But with some DIY skills and artistic flair it’s possible to transform your home without spending the earth, as Lin explains in the August issue. READ MORE »  OTHER ARTICLES
Homes with IncomeSpare room? Inviting tenants into your home can provide companionship – and tax breaks. Handled correctly, this can be an income-boosting way of providing a good home for your tenant and making the most of the space you have available. So advantageous are the tax breaks on the Rent a Room scheme that it is worth considering by anyone struggling with their mortgage repayments or the hike in the cost of living. After all, around £4,250 in annual tax-free income can go a long way towards those mortgage costs.
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Bedded BlissThis May ‘Somerset Life’ suggests ways to make your bedroom beautiful. The bedroom is a great room in which to express yourself in design terms. It is the perfect place to go to extremes. Go mad with colour, back to nature with natural tones and neutrals or create a soothing tranquil oasis of calm or a masculine tailored space. READ MORE » 
Keeping it SimpleAs a young family strapped for cash, blitzing their run-down home with white paint seemed like the best solution. Now Hilary Sinott’s white walls and glass furniture give her house a very distinctive look. READ MORE » 
Just PerfectThis January we cross the threshold of Halswell House, which has recently been named as possibly the most perfect house in Britain. Halswell House in Goathurst, near Bridgwater, sits on the edge of the Quantocks, behind pillars of deep-red stone, and consists of a beautifully proportioned 17th-century three-storey front bolted on to a Tudor manor house. It was bought in 2002 by multi-millionaire property developer Grahame Bond. Having been educated at Millfield, Grahame always regarded Somerset as home, and he now lives in the main house while members of his family live in the ten estate cottages surrounding it. READ MORE » 
Innovation in the HenhouseWhen Jennifer Newman made the move from London to the Somerset/Wiltshire border with her partner, Bernard Rimmer, little did the couple know how much their lives and careers were to change. For as Jennifer could not find the right type of furniture to suit their new home – a converted chicken shed – she set about designing her own. And she did this so successfully that her Groove Table and Cube Stools outside furniture was a finalist in the 2006 Grand Designs magazine award for Best Garden Product. She has also exhibited a new product at Liberty and has started exporting to the US. READ MORE » 
TO THE LIGHTHOUSELife in the round throws up some challenges in this unusual conversion featured in the September issue, but after 120 steps to the top floor the view says it all. Hear tales of hauling a gas cooker on ropes to a seventh-floor kitchen, curved shower cubicles and learning to abseil in order to paint the house! READ MORE » 
| Industrial SpaceConverting an old warehouse provided the opportunity to create a unique home for one Bristol interior designer. Helena Angelides bought a scrap-metal dealer’s old warehouse in Bristol in February 2006 then spent six months converting it into her home and studio. “It covers 1,200 sq ft, was just a shell with a sub-floor and is part of an old industrial site,” she says. “In fact, someone turned up here recently asking for the scrap-metal dealer himself.” Her story is told in the June issue of ‘Somerset Life’. READ MORE » 
Home on the GrangeMore than 800 years ago the great Cistercian Abbey at Cleeve was built. At around the same time, a few miles away, a large stone granary for the Abbey was also built and today this is known as Binham Grange. Just two fields away from the sea, it dates back to at least 1291 and is thought to have been where the rents and tithes of the local people were paid in grain and subsequently stored. This glorious property has now been restored to its former glory as ‘Somerset Life’ discovers in the April issue. READ MORE » 
Old EnglishWhen ‘Country Life’ held a survey to find the oldest inhabited property in Britain, Saltford Manor, situated between Bristol and Bath, was deemed to be the winner. Well-known architectural historian Dr John Goodall considered hundreds of suggestions from both readers and national experts (excluding royal palaces and former church buildings) before declaring Saltford Manor as the oldest. Here we take a peek inside… READ MORE » 
Contemporary ChicFor 16 years Geraldine and Jeff Alden lived in Sneyd Park in Bristol where they brought up their two daughters, Rebecca and Vanessa. They had a big three-storey Victorian house, but when their children flew the nest, they took it as an excuse to move from the Victorian era into the modern age. "We didn’t need such a big house any more and felt like a complete change," says Geraldine. When they found a property in the process of being built they found they could have much more input in the final design then they expected. READ MORE » 
Get GardeningIf you’re looking for a property with plenty of space for exercising your green fingers then, this October, we offer a round-up of properties that could be perfect. Terraced lawns, pergolas and fish ponds are among the features in the gardens of Random Thatch in Milton Clevedon near Bruton, Wood Cottage in Tolland near Lydeard St Lawrence, and Avonwood House in Corston near Bath. READ MORE » 
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Somerset Walks
Whether you choose a woodland trail, a stroll through Lorna Doone country, a walk centred around impressive geological features or on spectacular viewpoints, our wonderful selection of Somerset walks, which feature monthly in the magazine, will bring you chance encounters with Exmoor ponies, feral goats, rabbits, kestrels, buzzards, red deer and butterflies.
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Garden Visits
Inspirational visits to gardens across the county feature in Somerset Life every month and here we give you a taste of just six of them, most of which are open to the public and guaranteed to enlighten and enthral.
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Celebrity Interviews
Characters from the county talk to us every month about their lives and loves, and this selection captures the flavour and variety of six of these celebrity interviews. You can catch up with the latest interview in the current issue of Somerset Life.
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10 good reasons to visit...
In this popular series which features every month in Somerset Life, we take a deeper look at what there is to see and do in villages and towns across the county.
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