House and Home

February 2021

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In Pictures: 'Unique' Ballymena country estate on sale for £1.2m attracting lots of attention

A unique 18th century country house and estate on the outskirts of Ballymena has gone on sale for the princely sum of £1.2m.

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January 2021

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NI house hunters can go on virtual tour thanks to firm's new software

Homebuyers can now view properties virtually before they are even built.

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December 2020

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Holywood couple create their dream home on a shoestring... Fiona and James tackle fixer-upper with video tutorials and elbow grease

When Fiona Anderson and James Davies managed to furnish a rented house for under £100, they got the bug for bargain hunting.

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November 2020

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Northern Ireland's Hollywood Hills: Millionaire pumps entire fortune into row of dream homes near Bangor

A local self-made millionaire with a passion for property and fast cars has just built four of Northern Ireland's most luxurious family homes.

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Top 10: The most sought-after homes on Propertynews.com as site marks 20 years

Propertynews.com is marking a big birthday this month as it celebrates 20 years of helping people find their dream home.

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September 2020

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Ormiston House: A dream home rises from the ruins

For decades Ormiston House in east Belfast lay empty, gathering dust, festering in damp and rot as its roof and floors grew close to collapse. But in an extraordinary undertaking, Ciara Denvir and her husband Pete Boyle took the house - one of the most historically significant properties in the city - into their hearts and through years of hard work, sweat and tears, transformed it into their family home.

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House hunting: Derry lodge built 280 years ago on market for £550,000

One of Northern Ireland's most historic homes, which dates back almost 300 years, has gone on the market in Londonderry.

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August 2020

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Let there be light: Derelict Belfast church transformed into heavenly homes

A landmark listed former church in north Belfast has been carefully transformed into luxury apartments bursting with beautiful original architectural features.

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'Floodgates opened' on house sales as prices start to settle

Average house prices are stabilising, according to the latest figures released by Ulster University. But Northern Ireland will have to wait until the end of the year before the true impact of lockdown on the property market is really known.

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Our DIY disasters: Lockdown inspired many to tackle jobs around the home but not always with successful results

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July 2020

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The Earl and Countess of Erne on their magical wedding and life at Crom Castle

It has been an extraordinary first year of marriage for the Earl and Countess of Erne. The man of the house, the seventh Earl of Erne - Lord Erne, John Crichton, or "John John" to his friends - wed Harriet Patterson in May last year, transforming the history of art graduate into a Countess on a sunny afternoon by the lakes in Co Fermanagh.

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How many would be willing to shell out £1m on NI home? You'd be surprised...

A stunning Georgian residence dating back to the early 1800s is on the market for almost £1m - and is already attracting interest.

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For sale! Ten of the best houses in NI with home offices

A home office has become top of the wish-list for many people moving house in Northern Ireland after lockdown. For many parents, months of trying to juggle space with children home schooling while they work from home has meant a dedicated work space or office is the new must-have for many house hunters.

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June 2020

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Belfast home designed by Mater Hospital architect goes on market for £1.7m

A six-bedroom detached home designed at the end of the 19th century by one of Belfast's most renowned architects has just come on the market to give home buyers with deep pockets a chance to live in a unique piece of history.

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Northern Ireland's most popular property listings as market reopens after lockdown

The Northern Ireland Executive has lifted restrictions to allow the resumption of activity on the local property market.

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Stars of the east: Stories behind east Belfast's grandest homes

When Rev Richard Burgess Labarte, the rector of what is now St Mark's Church on the Holywood Road in Belfast, departed for a new incumbency in England in 1871, the entire contents of his residence, St Helier's on the Belmont Road, were advertised for auction, as was customary. Most of the sale items were unspectacular, but one would hope that a suitable new home was found for his "Thirty Singing Yellow and Splashed Canaries in fine health and plumage".

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Tips from hospital cleaners to make sure your home remains virus-free

It's always nice to have a clean home - and right now, home hygiene is especially important. Although it's unclear exactly how long the Covid-19 virus lingers on surfaces - and the risk of infection depends on lots of things, including the type of surfaces contaminated and the amount of virus shed - but keeping aware and on top of cleaning routines is generally a good idea.

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Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin's top 10 tips for transforming your outside space into a perfect party venue

I grew up in suburban Dublin in the 1970s and '80s, in a place where most people had gardens that were generally obscured by net curtains or Venetian blinds.

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May 2020

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How three NI people transformed their gardens in coronavirus lockdown

Disability campaigner Michaella Hollywood (29) is furloughed and in self isolation in Crossgar with her mum Marie, dad Michael and dog Charlie.

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Pranks made Derry man Adam Beales a YouTube star... but buying his parents a new house was a gesture from heart

YouTube sensation Adam Beales has come a long way from the eight-year-old boy who used to prank his friends and video the results with his ancient Nokia phone.

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How to style your outside space for summer socials

With summer well within our sights, there couldn't be a better time to home in on design ideas and projects outside, preferably under blue skies.

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Picture perfect... Co Tyrone photographer Jim Kerr finds solace growing his own vegetables

A Co Tyrone man who turned his hand to growing vegetables in his front garden during lockdown is seeing some green shoots of hope.

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How do you preserve historic books, keep a huge chandelier sparkling or dust precious heirlooms in NI's great homes... the National Trust shares its secrets

Lockdown has done wonders for our homes as most of us get stuck into cleaning to pass the time. The May bank holiday traditionally heralds the start of our annual spring clean regime and while most of our homes are already sparkling, for Northern Ireland's stately houses it is one of the busiest times of the year.

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Six ways to transform your home with these simple DIY projects

Decorating projects are usually something many of us put off, or happily call in the professionals for.

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April 2020

How you can give your home a facelift cheaply

There is a certain irony to home improvements right now. On the one hand, our interiors have never been so central to our lives, nor have we had so much time to improve them. On the other, lockdown also means the nation's purse-strings are tightening, and browsing shops and showrooms isn't an option.

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Northern Ireland's grandest homes have weathered many storms down through the ages... but how are they managing to cope with the coronavirus?

As NI’s most historic properties often rely on income from hospitality, weddings and other events, Lorraine Wylie asks three owners how they’ve been affected by the pandemic.

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Hot tubs, playparks and vegetable gardens: How Northern Ireland people are embracing lockdown DIY

When Kaitlyn McCoubrey couldn't bring her daughter Gracie on her daily outing to the play park beside their Belfast home she decided instead to bring the park to Gracie.

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Things you can do now to prepare for your next move

Whether your plan was to buy your first home or sell your old one, it will have been put on hold by the coronavirus, leaving you with the feeling that there’s nothing you can do except sit and wait.

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Zoom with a view... take virtual tour and home in on your dream property

A Co Antrim property firm has launched Northern Ireland's first virtual viewings.

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Don't replace your home's appliances - repair them

When a household appliance breaks down, chances are many of us would just bin it and buy a new one rather than get it mended.