ARTICLES BY IAN GRAINGER

Small businesses often run on very tight budgets and the thought of outsourcing certain services is rarely appealing However, while the temptation to manage things like IT and computer networking in-house is there, it is often a mistake

When it comes to designing a new room or redesigning an existing one, it pays to take the time to draw out the dimensions, place appliances, furniture and fittings and make sure you have the space, the right look and the right layout The reason for this is that it will save you both time and money later when you come to actually make the changes

When it comes to selling a property you need to know that the estate agent you employ is going to be working hard on your behalf to both sell the place quickly and achieve the sale price you want for it In theory this is what every estate agent should be doing because they only get paid when the sale goes through and the more it sells for, the more they will be paid

One of the great ways to add value to your home and give it a fresh look for yourself is to redesign your kitchen Updating and changing the way your kitchen looks and works can give you a real boost, but it’s very important you spend plenty of time in the planning stage

Manchester, particularly Manchester city centre, has become a very desirable place to live Many new and fantastic properties have been built there over the last 10 years

Whether it is your own home which you intend to let or an investment property you have bought to rent out there are certain steps you have to take before it is ready to go on the market Most big London, Birmingham or Manchester letting agents will advise you on much the same

When most people consider the design of their bathroom the first image that comes to mind is something white, something chrome and something plain There is nothing wrong with this design style, of course, but with a bit of imagination you can have a bathroom that is unique to you

CAD (computer-aided design) software has been around for quite a few years in one form or another and as the power of computers has increased, so has the abilities it provides for engineers and designers Current computer-aided design software packages allow 2D vector-based drafting, 3D solid and surface modelling and plenty in between

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in any household despite being one of the smallest That throws up certain challenges when it comes to designing your ideal bathroom, but with manufacturers offering more and more innovative designs in terms of fixtures like showers and sinks and especially storage there’s plenty you can do to create a lovely but functional bathroom

When searching for a property one of the key considerations is, of course, price Many people reject a property simply because it is out of their price range – even if only a little

A bathroom is a place to relax, unwind and let the troubles of the day wash away yet many designers don’t take this into account, allocating it the smallest space they can in a house and equipping it with only the bare essentials There are many ways to create the perfect, relaxing bathroom through good design and layout, whether you’re starting from scratch in a new build, extending a bathroom space or remodelling an existing one in a set space

When people – especially business people – hear the word ‘cheap’ it is both appealing and off-putting at the same time Everyone likes to save money but nobody wants to get something that is substandard

Having the right clothing for cold or wet weather is, of course, essential and perhaps the most important item of clothing you need to think about is a jacket One that keeps you warm and dry but allows freedom of movement is ideal and they come in various materials and styles to allow you to remain fashion conscious at the same time

One of the most important rooms in a house for your child is his or her bedroom It needs to be welcoming, comforting and safe as this is where they will sleep but it also needs to be engaging and entertaining as it will be where they spend a lot of their time playing and learning

Many people are put off renting because they are unsure of the process and what will be required of them This is unnecessary, however, as the process itself is relatively straightforward (though it can take up to two weeks) and with a little preparation on the lender’s part it should be a smooth one

There are a couple of periods during a year when it is a good time to sell a house and a couple of periods when it is definitely not a good idea In this article we’ll look at both periods and discover WHY it is a good or bad time to sell

Once the gown is chosen, the shoes picked and the hair and make up all painstakingly prepared, what is left for the bride to think about but saying “I do” A hairpiece

As any family will know, the bathroom can be one of the busiest rooms in the house, especially in the mornings as the adults get ready for work and the kids get ready for school That’s why an efficient but attractive bathroom design is essential for a household

Most businesses would agree that email marketing is a very useful, very powerful and ultimately successful form of marketing Why, then, do a significant number of said businesses not actually have an email marketing campaign

Any business selling products online faces two challenges: driving traffic to the site and then converting them into paying customers The former can be done through a number of ways, from search engine optimisation (SEO) through social media to online marketing

While a lot of business and personal maters can be dealt with online via email, websites, instant messaging, social networking and a host of other options available on the internet, there is no getting away from the fact that sometimes you have to have hard copy or printed materials The question is, how much should you spend on it – and that very much depends on what it’s for

If you are unfamiliar with organising, hosting or even attending corporate events, trade shows, exhibitions, awards dinners and the like then your initial thought when you hear the term “event planner” is probably something along the lines of a party planner To a certain extent, you’d be right, but there is far more to it than just arranging a bash

A quick look at the shops on the high street or a Google search for “designer clothes for men” clearly shows that the men’s designer clothing industry is truly booming Once the domain of women, designer clothing is now also a male phenomenon, with hundreds of designers and thousands of stores all vying for the attention of the fashion conscious man

The addition of a conservatory or sun room to your home is a wonderful thing – it adds more space, gives you a lovely location in which to relax (especially in summer) and offers you the opportunity to be creative in terms of décor But what makes a well decorated conservatory

For over six years the issue of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) and how it was mis-sold to customers has been a big issue and the business of reclaiming PPI has boomed, with thousands of customers claiming back the money they spent on mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance But how were they mis-sold the PPI in the first place and by whom