EDITOR’S LETTER

August 2018

Regular readers will know we’re not incredibly seasonal as far as magazines go.

( Although we do live vicariously through our sister titles Period Living and Real Homes. I’ll let you into a trade secret here — while most of us are firing up the BBQS and packing for holidays, many homes magazines are attending Christmas press shows in July!) As such, we’re not afraid to tackle topics such as heating and insulation, even when temperatures reach 20°C+, as we know that you, our reader, will be planning these elements of your project at any given time of the year.

That said, we’ve taken the opportunity this month to cover two topics particularly relevant in the warmer months — overheating, and the garden.

Overheating in new homes has become a real issue in recent years and while we all enjoy glorious expanses of glazing and energy-efficient houses, no one wants to be sweltering inside come summer. With this in mind, we’ve asked David Hilton to share his wisdom on how to prevent overheating (page 162). Should you need further cooling down, he also explains what you need to know about air con on page 147!

Landscaping and hardscaping is an often overlooked but vital aspect of most projects. Our new landscaping series (page 174) is set to address the unique set of challenges faced by self-builders and renovators and explain how to transform that muddy plot into a great garden. H