HOME & GARDEN

Experience, service and quality

Local craftsman Lee Duggan is the driving force behind Stork Renovate a new home renovation business that is set to leave it’s expert mark on properties in the area.

If walls could talk then who knows what secrets may be revealed. Some secrets will stay hidden but through skilled craftsman Lee Duggan there are many homes which can now share their story.

The launch of Stork Renovate starts a new chapter for Lee’s business, after six years working under the trade name LD Home Improvements Ltd. With a renewed focus on domestic and commercial renovations the business has a new look, new name and a new drive to work with clients looking to transform their homes.

“In the early days I was working on my own but since then I have grown the business and want to focus more on renovation projects,” said Lee, who is proud of his track record in home improvements from ensuite revamps to kitchen makeovers. Now, with an experienced, skilled team, Lee is looking forward to taking on larger projects including more complete home renovations. The team cover all trades from groundworks, brickwork and plastering to the final brush strokes. The only work undertaken by subcontractors is electricity and gas with Lee project managing the complete process.

Lee will also be looking to work with architects for Stork Renovate to manage their high-end projects for them from end to end.

This starts with potential clients discussing ideas with Lee who can not only source appropriate materials but understands what can and cannot be done in homes which can date back to the 1930s, Victorian era and even earlier decades.

“Some clients may live in an older home and want to give it a contemporary look while making the most of the original features while others will want to enhance a home’s heritage features like intricate plaster coving to reinstating a coal fire,” said Lee.

“We talk through options, look at colour schemes and design through to sourcing materials that will complete the look.”

Realistic quotes which include a contingency pot for any unexpected work gives clients the peace of mind to go ahead with projects that can transform their day to day lives.

Lee said: “While we still take on home improvements there is something really satisfying at seeing a home which has fallen in to disrepair or been stripped of original features to be brought back to life.”

Stork Renovate – experience, service, quality – we deliver! Insurance claims can be a challenge but there is a solution. Lee’s wife Kylie is an experienced loss assessor for Aspray (Northampton) Services. When there is a crisis from fire to flood damage, she can help policy holders make successful buildings insurance claims.

Expert help with insurance claims

The free service supports clients throughout the entire process from managing the whole claim process to working with Lee’s specialist team to reinstate the property.

To find out more see the website at: www.aspray.com/northampton

Your local home renovation experts

n Free quotations n Extensions n Full house renovations n Refurbishments n Insurance reinstatements

Experience, service, quality – we deliver!

Office: 01604 871196 Mobile: 07931 605647 email: Lee@storkrenovate.co.uk www.storkrenovate.co.uk

T&K Home Improvements offer a range of environmentally sourced and produced products for your home

Making the world a better home

T&K Home Improvments are leading the way with their approach to offer customers environmentally sourced and produced products.

Aforward-thinking approach to increasing sustainability is at the heart of an ongoing mission at T&K Home Improvements to be a leading competitor in their industry.

This approach to business means while products and services are still affordable, it is not at the expense of the environment.

The business, which celebrates its 44th anniversary in 2023, works hard to find innovative solutions and build partnerships with other companies who share similar ethics to ensure sustainability for their products and customers for many years to come.

A lot of hard work and determination means the business can now boast CHAS, SMAS & Constructionline Gold Accreditations. In addition, the highly coveted Environmental Management System Standards, ISO 14001 has been awarded year after year. These standards reflect the importance the business puts on health and safety and sustainability working practices.

The ISO 14001 is also held by leading glass manufacturer Saint Gobain, one of T&K’s trusted partners. The framework follows a cycle – plan, do, check, act which allows businesses to drive continual improvement and achieve environmental goals. Saint Gobain’s commitments includes a decision to manufacture and supply glass to only UKbased businesses helping to reduce transport emissions and air miles.

Another partner is Veka, a specialist in recycling materials. Old windows and doors are too valuable to be taken to the landfill site. Instead, materials like aluminium and glass are recycled and an environmentally-process turns the uPVC into pellets which can be used to create high quality doors and windows.

Not only do they look good but improvements in thermal efficiency improve heat retention and lower fuel costs.

The same approach to sustainability, which is not a recent decision, is reflected in T&K’s operations. Solar panels, installed more than 20 years ago, continue to power the factories and have saved over 16,000,000 million plus air miles and counting.

Adrian Timbers, Sales and Marketing Manager, said: “It’s important to take a step back and look at how our long-term plans and processes are having an impact. It’s easy to get immersed in the dayto-day running of the business without looking at it from another perspective, we are always looking to put the customer and the planet at the heart of what we do and like to take a step back to ensure we are continuing to do so.”

In the last year there has been a £1 million investment to fund four new fuel-efficient Volvo FM Rigid trucks with five more on order. These trucks meet the latest Euro 6 emission standards with aerodynamics capable of improving by fuel efficiency by 50 per cent compared to previous models.

Other projects include the Wellingboroughbased production facilities undergoing a complete facelift. This includes the replacement of old toilet systems and hand dryers which again reduce consumption by up to 50 per cent.

Adrian said: “T&K is committed to taking a proactive approach. We want to maximise what we can do to help make the home improvement sector more sustainable and will continuously look for new ways to try to improve this for years to come. This is our commitment to customers and in return we hope they have the confidence to see the value of taking the decision to improve their home with a company that cares.” We want to maximise what we can do to help make the home improvement sector more sustainable” – Adrian Timbers, Sales and Marketing Manager at T&K Home Improvements

T&K Home Improvements is a family run business that has provided quality windows, doors and conservatories since 1979 in Northamptonshire and the surrounding areas. To find out more about high performance energy efficient glazing options and how much you can save visit our website: www.tkhi.co.uk

T&K guarantees the work unconditionally for ten years with the fitting undertaken by the familyrun company’s team of experienced fitters.

Take a look behind the scenes - sign up for a free tour of the Wellingborough factory to see first hand just how much work goes in to creating your doors, windows and conservatories. To find out more scan the QR code >>

DIGGING DEEP

Recycle responsibly

For a few weeks it is at the centre of our celebrations – decked out in baubles and bling, it’s somewhere to pile gifts underneath, and an object of desire for those homes who have resident puddy-tats!

Lots of effort goes into choosing ‘the one’ when it comes to our Christmas tree, and we spend ages decorating it, and giving it pride of place during the festive season.

And then? January hits and it’s out with the old and in with the new, and that includes the tree.

If you want to enjoy a real tree, you should act responsibly when Christmas is over, too.

You definitely don’t want to throw it out with the household waste and expect refuse collectors to deal with it. The last thing you want to do is send it off to landfill.

If you opt for a tree with its roots attached, it is possible to replant it. In fact, some tree nurseries will even take them back for another year, and then the same tree can spend Christmas with you in another 12 months. How cool is that?

But if you can’t replant your leafy pal, there are still plenty of ways to be environmentally sound.

Real trees are biodegradable and will rot away in a year or two without any assistance, save for initially cutting it into small pieces. Then pile the pieces up in the garden in a shaded area and let it do its thing.

It will be out of your way and, rather than add to the environmental burden, as it slowly decomposes the tree will be used for food and shelter by many insects and wildlife. If you have a little space in your garden to do this, the soil will be improved by its arrival too, so it really is a win-win.

Other ways to be smart and sustainable?

If your tree isn’t so big, why not pop it in a heavy, stable pot that won’t be at the mercy of any winds, and replace your festive trinkets with bird feed balls and treats?

Food is scarce for birds during the harsh months of winter; they will welcome the food source and your garden will become a hot spot for our feathered friends – watching them from the warmth of your home is a fantastic way to decompress and appreciate nature.

You’ll have your own live version of Winter Watch! The only thing missing will be Chris Packham, sadly. You’ll even get to identify individual birds and will see their different personalities. And we write from experience.

It’s a great way to encourage children to take an interest in nature too, and they will enjoy making simple fat balls and seeded treats – a quick google will give you lots of ideas.

Apples and pears that are bruised or past their best can also be hung and will be welcomed by little beaks.

Start a log pile in a corner of your garden with your old Christmas trees and create a haven for insects and wildlife

Pic: Flickr

Top Tip...

Fresh rhubarb from the garden... do you take yours stewed with custard, or cooked into a yummy crumble?

Rhubarb crops over a long period, and can flourish in all types of garden soil.

Now is the time to plant dormant crowns, but fight the temptation to harvest during the first year – pick from year two, and always leave more than you take, to encourage active growth.

The leaves are suitable for composting, but are absolutely not edible – they are toxic.

Oh, and while we all consider the tasty stalks to be a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable!

How does your garden grow?

A dark, cold and damp month. To find the little snouts of snowdrops pushing through the soil heralds a new year of pleasures in the garden. Growing over the door is a climbing hydrangea, which needs pruning to make it an effective feature. I will try to root as many cuttings as possible. As the days begin to lengthen, I will clean the greenhouse windows again; more light will encourage new growth. The schoolchildren’s sowing of broad beans and peas has proved successful and interesting. The onions and garlic bulbs are flourishing in the plots. The Spartan apple tree fruited well; boxes of the apples left on the grass verge were soon emptied by pupils on their way to school. I am going to prune the long summer’s shoots back to one third, to encourage fruit buds to develop. The Red Sentinel crab apple tree has produced so much fruit that the boughs are hanging down over the hedge and the lawn. I am looking forward to seeing the migratory birds eating their fill during this month. The Christmas tree will be collected by the council; if you can shred it yourself, azaleas and rhododendrons will thank you for the mulch. I wish you a happy and busy New Year.

Ralph Westmoreland, Denton & District Gardening Club member

> Denton & District Gardening Club is a small, friendly club which meets on a Monday evening every month. New members and visitors are always welcome. For more information please contact Margaret at m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk or 01604 890875.