Real Homes is the complete home improvement magazine and website. In the current issue there are some amazing prizes to be won. Plus all the latest decorating trends, news and expert advice. Also this month – practical ideas to update your bathroom and how to save money on your extension, as well as over 40 pages of reader projects, a wealth of shopping ideas & trade secrets revealed.

What's inside the April issue

Real Homes

Rescuing a derelict cottage

Susan Williams and Mike Holland took an uninhabitable semi – with no mains services, kitchen or bathroom – and, on a tight budget, turned it into a charming period home. As well as transforming the interiors, they stripped and restored the metal windows to the front of the house and repointed the brick walls.

Rescuing a derelict cottage

Real Solutions

Adding a new kitchen

Taking on a major project to create their ideal home had always been the dream of Virginia and Norman Britton. As its centrepiece, they wanted a large kitchen with a traditional look. The layout was designed to Virginia’s exacting specifications for a practical and efficient cooking space.

Adding a new kitchen

Shopping & Decorating

Easy update: wall stickers

If you are looking to update a room quickly and on trend, then wall stickers are the perfect choice. A great alternative to wallpaper, wall stickers are simple to apply with many striking designs to choose from to make a real focal point in any room

Wall stickers for every room

Expert Advice

Household repairs

Homeowners across the country are counting the cost of the recent bad weather, with an estimated 5.9 million homes hit with an average repair bill of £343, according to a report by HomeServe. Damaged roofs were among the most expensive repairs as well as problems with central heating and broken boilers.

Household repairs