Home and Garden

Australian homes are notoriously cold in winter — draughty, with poor insulation, thin glass and inadequate heating. But there's a growing movement of people retrofitting their homes to make them cheaper to run and more comfortable year-round, while also reducing emissions. 

To keep your puffer jacket, ugg boots and Oodie looking good for many seasons to come, we've got some simple cleaning tips that don't involve a drycleaner.

A survey of more than 1,000 people in NSW found that 39 per cent of respondents that had their energy disconnected were from middle income households.

Some of our favourite indoor plants are tropical, so cold weather and heating can make their lives harder.

Readers recommend using cardboard and towels to prevent ice from forming, plus a handful of inexpensive tools to deal with an icy windscreen at the start of the day.

If you want to get a sense of the "insane" nature of Perth's property market right now and the breakneck speed at which homes are selling, look no further than Craig Townsend's experiences last week.

For those living in a cold climate without a garage or an undercover park, a frozen windscreen may be a familiar — and possibly frustrating — sight. So, how do you fix it?

Whether your priority is to make life in your rental property less of Survivor-style experience, keep energy costs down, or just to be cosier, winter can be a season of challenge.  

We speak to science communicator Lish Fejer, one half of FixIt Chicks, for her top tips and "unconventional ways" of drying laundry this winter — without the cost of a dryer.

It was once a common way of staying in touch, but after we explored the etiquette of an unannounced visit, opinions were divided. This is what you had to say.

Ron O'Brien lives most of the year wandering around his island home in solitude, living off-grid away from the pressures of the rat race. It's a "great lifestyle".

When it comes to reality television, the arguments and scandals of Married at First Sight aren't for everyone. So why does the real estate reality television genre continue to appeal to such a broad demographic, when other shows fail to? 

Along with seven bedrooms, almost 6 hectares of gardens, and servants' quarters with a Downton Abbey-like bell system, this heritage-listed property up for auction in the Blue Mountains comes with an interesting backstory.

Winter is here, and experts say there are ways to stay warm while saving money on your power bill. One of them is to avoid setting the heater temperature too high.

One photographer looks at three households embracing communal living to see if Australians can adapt their way of life as housing becomes ever more unaffordable. 

Justine and her partner cut their losses and sold their home cheap in the inner suburb of Darwin after months of no takers. 

Dropping in used to be a common way of staying in touch, but is it still OK to do it? An etiquette expert says unexpected visitors can be a horrifying thought for many.

Paying a mortgage is just one part of home ownership. Here are some of the other expenses to factor in.

The political airwaves since last week's federal budget have been dominated by the Opposition's claim that it can free up housing for Australians by cutting migration.

A Queensland landlord says he has been left thousands of dollars out of pocket trying to evict renters who refused to leave after their contract was up, delaying the sale of the house.

In using his budget reply to rail against foreign investors buying up existing properties, Peter Dutton almost made a case that could really help first homebuyers.

It will have eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 14 car spaces, a ballroom, two wine cellars, two lifts, and have room for a dining table that seats 22.

Former churches are being given a new lease on life as homes and holiday accommodation, as places of worship close their doors and are sold.

In a worm farm during a warm season, a cotton T-shirt can take just three to four weeks to break down in your backyard compost.

When Rio started building a tiny house during COVID lockdown, moving 3,000 kilometres across the continent wasn't on the cards.