The Property: A disused Victorian water tower plus two gatehouses.
The Place: London SE11
The Price: £995,000 for the three properties, or £395,000 for the water tower, £350,000 for gatehouse 1, and £250,000 for gatehouse 2.
The Pain: Eight floors, all of them Grade II listed, with a water tank on the top. This is a challenging project, [...]

It takes a certain amount of courage to go for contrast rather than seamless integration, but this wonderful cedar extension makes a fine job of it.
Although it stands in stark contrast to the existing brick and tile-hung house, the use of warm timber and the simple barn-like aesthetic also manages to complement the rustic original.
And [...]

OK, some of our younger readers may not be familiar with the name, but back in the early 70s the sight of Suzi Q in a leather catsuit had quite an impact on impressionable young lads.
Throw in the wailing voice, the thumping bass and the promise that Your Mamma Won’t Like Me and, well, old [...]

Our latest House Prices & Affordability Index (published today) reveals that the average UK asking price is £218,654.
What, you might ask, can you get for that?
Well, in Wales – and apologies to all you Londoners who may be shelling out an equivalent sum for a one-bed basement flat – you can get this beautifully converted [...]

Weary of the high-tech digital age? Nostalgic for a world of brass, wood, iron and steam? For the dials, rivets, cogs and pistons of classic Victorian design?
Well, you’re not alone. The Steampunk movement, which filters the modern world through late Victorian science fiction (H.G. Wells, Jules Verne) and Victorian technology and design, is just as [...]

Here’s a very clever bit of extension invention in London N1 (Canonbury) – a basement conversion that makes smart use of an existing light well to create a glowing glass lantern that hovers over the new dining room.
The extension has a full-height sliding glass door opening onto a fanned staircase that leads up to the [...]

This flat in Green Street, Mayfair was the Beatles’ first home in London (1963) – and it is, apparently, the only place where they ever lived  together as a band.

The story goes that manager Brian Epstein found the top-floor flat so they could escape from their screaming fans -   they’d just had a big hit [...]

The Property: Grade II listed barn for conversion
The Place: Bardney, Lincolnshire
The Price: £190,000 (Guide)

The Pain: It’s listed, and in pretty bad shape, so don’t expect this to be easy.
The Gain: It has planning permission for two three-bed houses – but it may also be possible to convert it into one large home (subject to [...]

Russell Brand, comedian, serial shagger and professional Andrew Sachs botherer is selling his London pad.

And what would his place look like?
Well, there’s lots of black obviously … black and silver wallpaper, black chairs, a black sofa, a black bed, and a luxurious en-suite bathroom with yes, you’ve guessed it, black floors and walls.
There’s also, in [...]

And very lovely it is too: a Grade II Listed Georgian farmhouse with six bedrooms, three receptions, a very classy conservatory and 6.54 acres of gardens and paddocks.
Strangely, the couple are struggling to sell it, and the Telegraph reports that the price has been slashed from £3m to OIEO £2.25m. Nothing funny about that.
Strutt & [...]