The gold-award garden that council said was an overgrown mess and threatened to prosecute its owners unless they tidied it up

Rita Grootendorst and her husband Peter at home in Sidcup, Kent, and the wildlife garden the local council told them to tidy up (right)

When does a house become a home? After 17 months and 12 days once we have spent £5000 improving it

It takes months for home-owners to make their house feel like a home and they spend thousands on decorating

During that time the average Brit will have spent £5,044 personalising their space - first the living room, followed by the main bedroom and kitchen.

Bing

Teenage super sleuth, 16, tracks burglar down in ONE HOUR on Facebook after raid on home and gets him jailed for two years

Teen detective: Connor Kendall managed to track down the thief who burgled his family home in just one hour

Connor Kendall, 16, managed to track down the thief who burgled his home in Bodmin, Cornwall, in just one hour despite police claiming there was little hope of ever finding the culprits.

Council houses for the middle-classes to stop families being priced out of central London

The councils say too many people on middle-incomes cannot afford to buy homes in expensive parts of London like Mayfair

Three London boroughs - Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington and Chelsea - are to ask ministers to be allowed to borrow more against their assets to build homes for professionals who cannot get on the property ladder.

At least the neighbours are quiet! Spooky Victorian cemetery lodge complete with 2,400 GRAVES in the garden goes under the hammer for £60,000

The Victorian two-bedroom detached house in Bath, located in a cemetery, which is now up for sale

St James Cemetery Lodge in Bath, which is located next to a graveyard, is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000 when it is auctioned tomorrow.

Historic 300-year-old Chelsea pub taken over by squatters who plan to serve Sunday lunch

Closed up: The 300-year-old Cross Keys Pub in Chelsea was closed by its owner after it stopped making a profit

The 300-year-old Cross Keys pub in Chelsea was boarded up by its owner Andrew Bourne earlier this year after it stopped making a profit.

Charity closes Ted Heath's house after it flops as a tourist attraction with less than 40 visitors a day

Arundells, the house Sir Edward Heath will be sold after it failed to be a lucrative tourist attraction

Arundells, the home of the former Prime Minister (pictured) in Salisbury was opened to the public in 2008 and at its peak, some 14,000 visitors came through its doors every year.

Homeowners face £1,000 bill to have infected ash trees cut down as insurers and government refuse compensation

Felled for fungus: Homeowners may have to pay up to £1,000 if ash trees on their property are infected with ash dieback (pictured) need to be felled

Homeowners may be landed with huge bills if ash trees on their property are infected (pictured) with killer fungus and need to be felled.

Multi-millionaire who lost his £1.8m home and had to move into a rented flat in 'disastrous' divorce is given reprieve by judges over 'too favourable' settlement to his wife

Christos Malialis outside London's Appeal Court. He has been fighting before top judges over his multi-million pound divorce from his ex-wife Elizabeth

Christos Malialis, 59, pictured, argued that a £1.45m payout was handed to his ex-wife Elizabeth by an 'unfair' and 'biased' divorce judge.

First glimpse of stunning views of London that will dazzle Shard visitors when skyscraper opens to the public next year

Incredible panorama: A view across London of Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf in the east, from the new visitor attraction 'The View from the Shard'

Visitors to Europe's tallest building in south London will be greeted by this stunning view when they arrive at its 69th-floor viewing deck from February next year.

Gran designs: From bobbins to buttons, the crafty styles your grandmother will love

Old-style crafts are most certainly in vogue. Snurk Granny bed linen set, from £70, and Lily crochet rug, £375, heals.co.uk

The dining table that doubles up as a train track (does that mean dinner will always be late?)

Pass the chocs! Trains can transport treats around the table to dinner guests - choose Brio's motorised engines to keep the food flowing

Parents are frequently telling children not to play with their food. But now it looks as though they will have to eat their words, as a range of dining tables that actively encourages fun at meal times goes on sale.

Never mind your remote, you could lose your CAT down the back of the sofa

cat sofa

Korean product designer Seungji Mun came up with a practical piece of furniture that integrates a cat play toy with a comfortable couch.

Turning Japanese: Exotic designs with a taste of the Orient will give your home a beautiful, timeless look

Oki Nami table, £795, chairs, £250 each, and rug, £375, heals.co.uk

Even if you’re not heading east on your travels this summer, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate a bit of exotic flavour into your home.

Hamptons estate belonging to cosmetics heiress Jane Lauder 'destroyed' by Hurricane Sandy

Aerin Lauder in her Manhattan office.

Something to sing about! Adam Levine 'purchases six bedroom Beverly Hills home for $4.8 million'

Something to sing about! Adam Levine 'purchases six bedroom Beverly Hills home for $4.8 million'

A $20 million payday: Adrienne Maloof offloads her huge Beverly Hills mansion in the wake of split with husband Paul Nassif

Adrienne Malouf

The big sale comes just a month after putting it on the market, with the house originally listed for an asking price of $26 million.

Revealed: How RFK Jr received $1.3m in FREE eco-friendly renovations to Westchester mansion... and he's just sold it for $4m

Kennedy House

When Robert Kennedy Jr. sells his sprawling Bedford estate for close to $4 million he'll be reaping the windfall of more than a million dollars worth of expensive eco-swag he got for free during a massive home renovation project.

Paradise by name paradise by nature: Scarface mansion El Fureidis listed for $30,000-a-month

Spacious: The property is set on 10 acres of luscious land

Ever wanted to live like a gangster? Now is your chance as the stunning home and star of Scarface goes on the market for rental. You will need to be earning a mob boss salary to match, however, as it is listed at a hefty $30k-a-month.