This is not a drill...why we’re all discovering DIY is fun

When I was seven my family moved from a cosy council house to a dilapidated Victorian flat above a toy shop, which almost made up for the fact we had mushrooms growing out of our walls.

My dad transformed it into a home, knocking through walls and installing central heating, with nothing but his trusty Reader’s Digest DIY manual for guidance.

Three years later we moved into a 100-year-old house “in need of modernisation”. It smelled of damp and for the first six months my brother, sister and I slept in the same room, wearing jumpers to keep out the cold. I once overheard a school friend I’d invited over telling someone that we were so poor we couldn’t afford carpets. Never mind the carpets, we didn’t have floorboards in some rooms.

It was all worth it when we eventually had a beautiful home to grow up in. Looking back, I have great admiration for my dad who taught me there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.

It’s a lesson many of us have learned during lockdown, judging by the parent company of Screwfix and B&Q’S record 600% jump in profits.

So, this week we have dedicated the issue to our homes. On pages 6&7, Scotland’s Home Of The Year judge Kate Spiers gives us a tour of her recently renovated Glasgow flat and on pages 26&27, a London couple tell us why they swapped city life for an off-grid Highland hideaway.

Plus, we have five pages of gardening advice, al fresco style ideas and spring interiors to inspire you. Because our favourite DIY involves a glass of wine and a spot of online shopping!