Larkfleet needs your vote!

Our sister company Larkfleet Homes has been shortlisted for two First Time Buyer Magazine Readers’ Awards.

It is in the running to pick up the ‘best website’ and the ‘best family home’ awards. But Larkfleet will only win if enough people vote for them!

Please do take a look at www.ftbawards.com/vote-now and – if you think Larkfleet are worthy winners – give them your vote. And maybe you could encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Judges shortlisted the company's entry for ‘best family home’ based on the Windsor House at Hempsted Park in Peterborough.

The three-bedroom Windsor is ideal for a growing family. It is a semi-detached property type with a garage and a good-sized garden to the rear for play and outdoor entertaining.

The ground floor comprises separate dining and living room areas and kitchen. The available floor space has been designed to provide optimum convenience for all the family. The master bedroom has an en-suite bathroom while the dining room and lounge are separate spaces. Family members have space to socialise or find privacy when they need it.

Solar panels are fitted as standard, allowing residents to generate their own electricity.

The Larkfleet Homes website (www.larkfleethomes.co.uk) was shortlisted because of the advice and information it offers to first-time buyers (and other people, too!).

The site includes mortgage and stamp duty calculators. Buyers can work out quickly what they can afford. Detailed information of finance options and how to find them is presented clearly and concisely.

Advice pages and information about schemes such as Help to Buy are tailored for first-time buyers.

Navigation is easy. Buttons and links are clear and easy to see. Information is presented in plain English to make all the options and services on offer clear. Jargon-busting pages offer clear definitions of finance and property terms. First-time buyers can make informed decisions about their choices.

Larkfleet developments - like developments from Allison Homes - feature many properties suitable for first-time buyers. Details of these properties and the help available to assist in their purchase is clearly signposted on the website for what we hope is a perfect user experience.

Larkfleet would really like to win these awards because it is customers and potential customers – people like you – who select the winners! But they need your vote to win!

Create a reading haven at home for World Book Day

Do you enjoy reading? More importantly do you enjoy reading with your kids?

Now in its 21st year, World Book Day, a celebration of books and reading, is just around the corner – Thursday 1 March to be exact.

It's a great time to bond with your kids over a good book.


The main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.

To help your kids, encourage reading at home. Have a room in the house where they can sit comfortably without the distractions of the telly or the internet. Make sure it’s a well-lit space as well. There’s nothing worse than squinting at a page in dim light. It’s uncomfortable at best and at worst you’ll damage your eyesight.

Here are a few ideas for reading friendly rooms. Ideal Home also has some really good ideas for creating the ultimate kids’ reading corner at home.

As well as encouraging your children to read for pleasure, read to your children at bed time. It has so many benefits. Their own reading will improve, and you will be settling them down for a good night’s sleep.

You could always use World Book Day to reinforce what your kids are being taught at school. Encourage your children to dress up as their favourite characters. You could even join in. Reinforce the idea that reading is fun.

Most educators and a vast number of parents agree that reading for pleasure is an important part of any child’s development. There is a lot of research to suggest that reading for pleasure helps children do better at school so there are many benefits in helping your kids join in with World Book Day.

Kids who read for pleasure learn to read more quickly, they have improved general knowledge and their understanding of other cultures is better than those children who don’t read for pleasure.

Most schools participate in World Book Day. In partnership with National Book, children are each given a £1 book token which can be exchanged for specific books published for World Book Day. Get yourself down to your local participating book shop or library. Who knows, you might even find something that grabs your attention and sets you off on your own journey of imagination.

More house hunting fuels housing market recovery

Who says winter is a tough time to buy a new home? Online property company Rightmove recorded its busiest ever month for house hunting in January with over 141 million visits to its website.

According to Rightmove, there are signs that the increased home-hunter activity is fuelling a recovery in the number of sales agreed.

In the final three months of 2017 these were running at an average drop of -5.5 per cent compared to the prior year. Taking the first full month of 2018 as a snapshot, sales agreed numbers in January have now recovered to -1.6 per cent down compared to a year ago.

There are marked local market differences. The Rightmove analysis of properties that have been newly listed since October 2017 and have been marked as 'sale agreed' reveals that several of the top ten fastest selling locations are the East Midlands.

The average house price in the East Midlands is £217,646, up 1.9 per cent on January, with properties taking on average just 65 days to sell – compared with 83 days in Greater London and 92 days in the North East. In Corby, where Allison Homes has developments, the number of days before a sale is agreed is just 22 days.

Demand for housing remains resilient, with an active start to 2018. Indeed, the number of monthly visits to Rightmove in January is at its highest ever level, at over 141 million. This has helped to fuel a degree of cautious optimism among new-to-the-market sellers in most regions of the UK, with average asking prices up by 0.8 per cent (+£2,414) this month.

Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst told, us: “While it’s the norm for new sellers’ asking prices to be buoyant at the start of the year, the first complete month in 2018 is seeing more pricing optimism than the comparison period in 2017. The political and economical uncertainty is out of sellers’ control, but they are in control of their asking prices, and in general they are not being over-ambitious and setting too high an asking price. This month’s rise of 0.8 per cent is well below the 1.6 per cent monthly average  over the past 10 years. It is wise for sellers to be cautious and not to over-price given stretched buyer affordability.”

Allison Homes opens new show home in Pinchbeck, Spalding

Our CEO Karl Hick has officially opened a new show home at our brand-new Pinchbeck Fields development near Spalding.

We marked the official opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of an invited VIP audience. Following the ribbon cutting, the public was invited to join in the celebrations and share some light refreshments.


The show house will give prospective buyers the opportunity to experience a ‘real life’ version of their potential new home. It includes features such as family rooms, open plan living areas, luxury dining, bathrooms and spacious bedrooms.

Pinchbeck Fields is an exciting new development of 2, 3, 4 and 5-bedroom houses on the edge of the Lincolnshire village of Pinchbeck, combining the charm of rural living with all the amenities that the bustling market town of Spalding has to offer.

New Allison Homes properties in Pinchbeck Fields are built to last using traditional brick and block construction.

The official opening gave local estate agents, solicitors, mortgage advisors and potential customers a chance to see for themselves the quality and finish of Allison Homes’ newest development.

Karl Hick said: “This new Allison Homes development at Pinchbeck Fields demonstrates our commitment to deliver developments in rural areas which cater for a full range of housing needs.

“The quality of the traditional build is testament to the esteem in which the Allison Homes brand is held and we are committed to carrying that forward.

“New homes in Pinchbeck Fields will enable first time buyers to join the housing market while growing families are catered for with 3, 4 and 5-bedroom homes on offer.

Pinchbeck Fields is located just to the north of Spalding, close to some of the best schools in Lincolnshire. There are rural trails, traditional pubs and restaurants and tranquil waterways right on the doorstep.

Residents can enjoy the rural lifestyle and the arts, entertainment and shopping facilities of Spalding. There are also excellent transport links to Bourne, Boston, Kings Lynn, Peterborough and Stamford.

The new show home at Pinchbeck Fields, Spalding, is open seven days a week between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Take Larkfleet's survey for a chance to win up to £1,000

Our sister company Larkfleet Homes has launched a survey to get the thoughts and experiences of house buyers. Complete the survey and Larkfleet will enter you into a prize draw for a chance to win £500.

Agree to a follow up interview and you will be entered in a second draw to win a further £500.

Go to www.tiny.cc/larkfleet-survey to take part in the survey.

The Larkfleet Homes and Allison Homes  teams are constantly working to develop new ways to provide the best possible products and services to our customers. We want to know what house buyers really think of the housing market and what they want from housebuilders like us.

To help us, we have teamed up with First Time Buyer Magazine, What House and What Mortgage to develop and deliver a comprehensive survey to find out what you, our customer, is really looking for in a new home.

The survey covers everything from the type of property people are looking to buy or have bought (whether it’s for their own use or an investment) through to topics such as location, size and energy efficiency.

It takes less than ten minutes to complete at www.tiny.cc/larkfleet-survey. The survey is being managed by independent marketing company OlsenMetrix Marketing and all the data collected will be anonymous.

Bringing the outdoors into your home

We all want to make the most of the available space around our homes – but we don’t all like gardening, or even to be outside.

There are plenty of sunny days in the UK, but they don’t always have the temperatures to match. That’s when a conservatory or orangery comes into its own.


Conservatories let you enjoy the sunshine, even on the coldest days, without setting foot outdoors. They have the added benefit of adding living space to your home. A premium quality conservatory can make a substantial extension to your home, increasing your property’s value.

You can use your conservatory to entertain guest when the typical British summer weather lets you down. It can also be a space to grow exotic plants -  Mediterranean olives, cacti, or bougainvillea for example.

This article from House and Garden has a raft of ideas for creating a conservatory.

If you have a conservatory already you will know that it’s also important to maintain the glass and frame to keep it looking its best. An expanse of glass covered in moss and leaves can make your space look dour and unappealing, especially in winter.

Here are a few tips for keeping your conservatory in tip-top order:

• Give the glass a deep clean at least once a year.
• Keep gutters clear of moss, twigs and debris.
• Keep locks and hinges moving freely. Oil them at least once a year.
• Keep your conservatory well ventilated in the summer to avoid overheating and keep it well heated in the winter to avoid problems with condensation, damp and mould building up.
• Vacuum clean blinds regularly. Roof blinds can collect a lot of cobwebs, dead insects and dust. Use a hairdryer to blow out debris from difficult to reach places, then sweep up or dust as normal.
• Inspect all mastic seals regularly. Any damage should be repaired immediately to avoid leakage.

Allison Homes' tips for hosting your own Chinese New Year party

Looking at the weather outside, you might think that at this time of year there's nothing much to celebrate. But you'd be wrong. It seems that we’re becoming more multicultural when it comes to looking for an excuse for a good party. We've had Burns' Night and Mardi Gras. Now it's China's turn.

Chinese New Year begins officially on  Friday this week (16 February). According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the Year of the Dog. The Spring Festival to usher in the new year lasts until 2 March.

Some cities with significant Chinese communities will be hosting special celebrations. In London this year a variety of cultural events will be held on Sunday 18 February. It’s the largest Chinese New Year celebration held outside Asia, so it’s definitely worth a visit.

If you prefer to stay at home, why not host your own Chinese New Year themed party? Here are some ideas of things that you can do to make your celebrations go with a bang. Literally, in the case of the last idea on the list!

• Clean the house before the party – cleaning symbolises sweeping away accumulated bad luck.
• Prepare boxes of candied fruit or chocolate coins to give to your guests.
• Get lots of your favourite Chinese food in to share with guests and family. Cantonese chicken and fish is particularly good.
• Dress up – the key colour is red. Wear a red jumper, scarf or shoes. This will bring you good luck in the coming year.
• Buy something red for the house – paper cut window grilles, lanterns and dog toys are ideal decorations for the home and garden.
• Serve oranges and tangerines – they represent wealth, good luck and happiness.
• Give a gift of a small amount of money to parting guests – older generations often give gifts of money in red envelopes to the younger generation in Asian cultures.
• Get some Chinese fire crackers to let off – but do consider the neighbours and remember to follow the firework code and be safe.

Fun facts – what’s in a name?

Have you ever had a look at the place names around your local area and wondered what they mean? Well, we have. Knowing a bit about place names can tell you a lot about the area you live in.

Did you know, for example, that place names around South Kesteven and Bourne are Viking in origin?

Places ending in ‘by' are Norse in origin. Lincolnshire was widely settled by the Vikings and villages like Careby, Carlby, Aunby and Thurlby all have Norse origins.

Villages with the word 'Thorpe' in their names – Manthorpe, Wilsthorpe, Othorpe, Grimsthorpe and Scottlethorpe – are also Norse in origin. The word 'by' means farm or village in Old Norse. 'Thorpe' means a secondary settlement. The first part of the place name usually belongs to the person who founded or farmed that settlement.

Bourne, where Allison Homes is based, is also Norse in origin. 'Bourne' is based on the Old Norse word 'brunnr', which means a well or spring. These settlements were established by invading Norse armies from 865-896, during a period known as the Danelaw.

When we name our developments, we look closely at local history and tradition before coming up with a name. Take Oakley Rise for example. It is part of the Oakley Vale development, an ongoing large-scale development on the outskirts of Corby – note the Viking name. The development gets its name from the nearby village of Great Oakley.

Oakley in turn is the name for the narrow strip of open pasture, the oak ley, along the valley within a broad tract of woodland.

We like to reflect the local area in our place names when we can.

Join us in Pinchbeck today!

We’re delighted to be officially opening our new show home at our Pinchbeck Fields development near Spalding today (9 February).

The ribbon will be cut by Allison Homes’ CEO Karl Hick. You are invited to join in the opening celebrations by coming come along to take a look at the house from 3:00 pm this afternoon and share some light refreshments with us.

The show house will give you the opportunity to experience a ‘real life’ version of a new Allison Homes house. It includes features such as family rooms, open plan living areas, luxury dining, bathrooms and spacious bedrooms.

Pinchbeck Fields is a brand-new development of 2, 3, 4 and 5-bedroom houses on the edge of the Lincolnshire village of Pinchbeck, combining the charm of rural living with all the amenities that the bustling market town of Spalding has to offer.

The development is located just to the north of Spalding, close to some of the best schools in Lincolnshire. There are rural trails, traditional pubs and restaurants and tranquil waterways right on the doorstep.

Pinchbeck Fields residents can enjoy the rural lifestyle and the arts, entertainment and shopping facilities of nearby Spalding. There are also excellent transport links to Bourne, Boston, Kings Lynn, Peterborough and Stamford.

Following its official opening today the show home will be open seven days a week between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.

The perfect time for a romantic day out

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. It’s become really commercialised over the past few years. In the UK alone in 2016 we spent more than £960 million on gifts, food and drink, cards and wrapping. But we still enjoy it.

You might not buy into the rampant commercialism and avoid sending cards and flowers – but it’s the perfect time to enjoy a romantic day out and an intimate meal in your favourite restaurant.

Here are a few ideas courtesy from the team at Allison Homes for days out and dining for you to draw romantic inspiration from.

Kirkby Hall -  Enjoy a romantic visit to this historic house then enjoy a quiet meal for two at the Old White Hart in Lyddington or the Sondes Arms in the village of Rockingham.

Houghton House - Wander around and take in magnificent views. If you enjoy seafood why not try Loch Fyne at Woburn. For traditional dining visit the Black Horse pub in Woburn or the River Room at the Swan Hotel, Bedford with its romantic river views.

Rutland Water – Take a romantic walk around Rutland Water and enjoy the views and the wildlife. There are several very nice dining options including Barnsdale Lodge, Hambleton Hall, The Noel at Whitwell and the Horse and Jockey in Manton.

Stamford – Wander around the narrow streets and lanes of this beautiful Georgian town. Visit independent boutiques and shops. Romantic dining options are abundant. Try the George Hotel, Candlesticks Restaurant or the Crown.

North Norfolk – Breathe in the sea air and have a stroll along Cromer Pier with the oldest end-of-pier theatre in the UK. Once you have worked up an appetite go for dinner at the Gunton Arms – an atmospheric 'inn with rooms' set in a magnificent deer park.

Bon Appetit!

Bored with pancakes – try Mardi Gras this Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, is next week. But are you bored of the usual pancakes and fancy trying something a bit different?

Why not host a Mardi Gras party? Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday in French – is the pre-Lent festival when people feast before the Lent fasting and the serious business of Easter.

Perhaps the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations are those held in New Orleans in the United States. From Twelfth Night on 6 January until Ash Wednesday New Orleans is a serious party town.

Famous for its Jazz music, Cajun cooking and French culture, New Orleans’ streets come alive with carnival parades and crowds. Revellers throw strings of inexpensive plastic beads and doubloons to the throngs of people lining the main thoroughfares like Bourbon Street or Canal Street. The whole thing culminates in Mardi Gras day celebrations.

It’s all very American, but like the Super Bowl it’s catching on over this side of ‘The Pond’.

If you fancy it, the Allison Homes' team has tracked down some Mardi Gras tips for you.

Decorate your home in the traditional colours of Mardi Gras – green for faith, gold for power and purple for justice.

Make sure you have a choice of Trad Jazz; New Orleans brass music and Louisiana Zydeco music playing and bedeck your guests in Mardi Gras beads as they arrive.

Make yourself a King Cake - King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. The cake is topped with a delicious glazed topping and then sprinkled with coloured sugar. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season.

Get some masks. Masks have been worn in New Orleans during masked balls for centuries. Masking originated with secretive organizations (carnival crews) and the secret upper class. No one knew who they were. The concept of wearing masks moved to the street where everyone would wear a mask and have a big celebration on the street. What better way to break the ice at your party? Everyone will not know who everyone else is and it is so much fun to discover who is behind the costume. It is also fun to see people get creative with their costumes and masks.

Serve up some hot and spicy Cajun food. The main meal at your Mardi Gras party could be a traditional seafood gumbo – here is a handy recipe.  The other signature dish, apart from anything with Crawfish in it, is Jambalaya.

Mardi Gras drinks are strong and tall. Cocktails include the Hurricane, Mint Julep and Mojito. You could even serve the very British Pimm’s, which is popular in New Orleans in the sizzling summer months.

The Spanish anise liqueur called Ojen is also a traditional Mardi Gras drink

Serve canapes that are based on seafood, especially crab and shrimp, with your drinks.

Have fun!

Reviving your exterior wood - weekend DIY jobs

Although technically we’re still in the grip of winter you will have noticed that the days are getting a little longer and the weekends are a little dryer and brighter. It’s a perfect time to start some of those DIY jobs that you have been putting off. Now is a great time to revive your exterior woodwork in time for spring!

Summer houses and sheds
Inspect your shed for any rotten wood. If you find any holes fill them with an appropriate waterproof wood filler.

Where there is extensive rot it is best to replace the wood. The exterior skin of most sheds and summer houses is made of individual wood slats of one kind or another eg shiplap or sawn larch lap. Identify what type of panels you need then pay a visit to your local DIY supplier. Wickes is good for shiplap for example.

Chop out the old rotten cladding. Examine the frame beneath. It might need attention and replacing too. Replace the old cladding with new and then repaint your shed.

Check the interior. If you find damp check for water ingress. You may also need to repair or replace the roof felting as well.

Furniture
Take a wire brush and rub off any flaky paint and rough wood. Give the surface a further rub with wire wool and sand it carefully. If there are any holes, knots or splinters in the wood fill them with wood filler and sand smooth. Apply a coat of primer, brushing in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Allow to dry then rub with a fine grade sandpaper. Then it’s time to paint your furniture.

Brighten up your garden. Use bright colours to give your garden a new lease of life and turn it into an outdoor living space to entertain in. Stay on trend by using purples and complementary tones in keeping with Pantone’s Colour of the Year, ultraviolet. Create a little oasis of tranquillity in your garden. Ultraviolet has long been associated with calm and meditation – great for anyone looking for refuge from our overstimulated world.

Ronseal has a nice range of garden paint which is available at good DIY stores.

If you want to retain the natural beauty of your wooden furniture, consider using oil-based preservatives. There are various oils available but Danish oil, Teak oil and Linseed oil are the best choices. If the wood is too damaged, use a wood stain to deliver an even finish.

Fences
Examine your fences. There has been quite a bit of windy weather this winter. Replace any missing panels. B&Q has some handy advice on how repair wooden fences

Once you have repaired your fence, give it a liberal coat of preservative. Where you have a large area of fence to paint, spray preservatives are a good choice.

Do the same with any gazebos, pergolas or trellises that you have. Replace any missing or rotten wood and repaint using a non-toxic water-based paint or preservative.

Bird tables
The part of a wooden bird table most likely to be in need of repair will be the base. It’s in contact with the wet ground and prone to rotting through. Here are some images for inspiration 

Ebay has this handy guide on making your own bird table.

Make sure you give the bare wood a good coat of non-toxic paint or wood preservative to protect it and keep it looking good for the coming year.