competition - homestyle - interiors

Win £100 John Lewis voucher with Everest Home Improvements

January 19, 2016 - By 

I love this time of year. The sun is feeling warmer, the days are noticeably longer and I’ve been using my free afternoons when my daughter is at nursery to tackle some much-needed decluttering. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the winter months but there’s something about taking down the Christmas decorations and finding a home for all those Christmas presents that makes me want to have a big tidy up!

I thought I would share my top tips for decluttering in case you want to start, but don’t know where to:

Write a list of those areas you want to tackle – I actually need to tackle the whole house which scares me (perhaps this is why I have been putting it off for so long).

Concentrate on one area at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed – I think is really important as having a whole house to declutter is overwhelming. By breaking it down into smaller chunks it becomes more manageable and therefore you are more likely to succeed.

Sort unwanted things into piles for the charity shop, School Fair or to sell on Amazon or eBay. Knowing that your unwanted items are going to go to a good home, or making you some money, is a good incentive for carrying on with the task.

Involve your family and get them to put things back where they belong. My husband and children are terrible at never putting books, or shoes, or toys away and I spend a lot of my time tidying up after them. By involving them I’m hoping they will learn some good habits which will help me out.

I’ve already mentioned that this is the year we will be re-decorating a lot of our house. Decluttering is the first step to  reclaiming the house and clearing space to imagine colour schemes and new furniture layouts. I can’t wait to open the bi fold doors and let some much-needed fresh air in. With two young children I think it’s important to have a comfortable, child-friendly home but one that can be enjoyed when they go to bed and their toys are safely packed away.

Win £100 John Lewis voucher with Everest Home Improvements

I am delighted to team up with Everest Home Improvements to offer one of my readers the chance to win £100 in John Lewis vouchers!

For your chance to win please answer the question via the Raffecopter widget below and leave a comment on this post. Don’t forget to follow Everest Home Improvements on Twitter and Facebook to find out more about their windows and offers, or visit their website Everest.co.uk.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions

  • There is 1 prize of £100 John Lewis vouchers. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is offered
  • Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding employees and relatives of the gingerbread house blog and Everest Home Improvements
  • Closing date for entries is insert close date here
  • Entrants must log into rafflecopter and leave a comment to enter this giveaway
  • Optional entry methods are available but not mandatory
  • The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries
  • The winner will be informed within 14 days of the closing date and will need to respond with a postal address within 28 days or a new winner will be chosen
  • The winner’s name will be announced on this post
  • Everest Home Improvements is responsible for prize fulfilment which will be sent within 28 days of receiving the winner’s address
  • This is a joint promotion between the gingerbread house blog and Everest Home Improvements
  • Entry to this confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions

Related Posts:

Related Posts

{Giveaway} 10-Minute Taylor Activities

{Giveaway} 10-Minute Taylor Activities

September 11, 2025
{Giveaway} Aquabeads Nail Studio: Stitch Nail Designer Kit

{Giveaway} Aquabeads Nail Studio: Stitch Nail Designer Kit

July 15, 2025
The Essential Guide to Pattern Making

{giveaway} The Essential Guide to Pattern Making

May 27, 2025

734 Comments on “Win £100 John Lewis voucher with Everest Home Improvements”

  3. I’d re-do the whole of the downstairs bathroom! I’d put new flooring in, new shower cube, toilet and sink too and give the walls a new lovely coat of paint!

  4. I’d have the bathroom ripped out and turned into a shower room, DH has osteoarthritis and a walk in shower would be so much easier :o)

  5. I would extend the kitchen into he outhouses for my mother. She cannot use the stairs.

  11. New carpets where needed. One of the things that’s putting me off is moving everything! 🙂

  16. I would LOVE a brand new kitchen as mine is council but a lovely quite big kitchen. Would look great all made over. Thanks for the chance to you and Everest x

  17. a new bathroom, the last owners left it in a state but its so expensive to buy a new one!

  19. I would sort out my junk room and turn it on to a nursery for my baby girl. Can’t afford to do it at the moment so she is with me

  22. My husband and I are both disabled, so having a fully equipped house for our needs would make thing’s so much easier, but it’s very expensive.

    1. I hope you can get some help with this. Here is a good website with some info on help you might be eligible to , you may have already researched it but if not there is some good tips on where to go on there

  33. Make a lovely big bathroom out of the fourth bedroom and turnthe bathroom into a small bedroom

  34. My kitchen needs updating completely but at the moment I’d rather spend money on experiences with the children

  39. i would extend our kitchen into the out houses and have a whole new kitchen if i had the money

  50. It would definitely be a new bathroom. It is well used and there’s only so many repairs that we can do to keep it up to scratch!

  55. I would have a brand new kitchen.But prior to doing that I would have to declutter….the WHOLE house!

  74. We are just waiting to get a planning permission decision for a two storey side and front extension to our home! It’s quite a life changing decision because we will either stay in that house for many years to come, or we will have to move and find a bigger house! fingers crossed!!!

  77. The whole of my flat needs updating, but I think I’d want to start with a new bathroom, it’s horrible!

  78. There is so much I’d like to do, a lot of the house needs a good paint, and our loft needs boarding out. If money was no object I would also change and possibly extend our kitchen, I won’t get started on the garden plans too! haha

  79. I would really like to decorate my hallway and stair way! They are both rooms I have put off

  107. I’d like to re-decorate my front room and really need some new curtains, mine have seen better days

  110. I’d completely replace the central heating system but the cost coupled with having to take all the floors up and replace is just too much.

  114. I would build an extension across the kitchen and dining room and then fit new kitchen units etc

  117. Definitely relay some carpet in my bedroom! New kitty decided to pee all over it so I had to pull it up 🙁

  120. I’d have new carpets throughout, I’ve still got the same ones the builders put in my house 10 years ago!

  125. I would buy one of those cupboards that go round the bathroom sink as they look really nice and you can store things in them to keep the bathroom looking tidy

  138. I would redecorate my bedroom and have an inbuilt wardrobe (just for my clothes, I get fed up of hubbies clothes encroaching on my space)

  139. I would redecorate my living room which is currently stripped of wallpaper but redecorating it hasn’t happened yet due to an arm injury and lack of money

  140. I’d put in a better heating system, the house is always cold, especially at the moment!!!
    Super giveaway, thank you 🙂 x

  142. I’m a big fan of making lists so two thumbs up for that!

    If I had the money I would definitely make improvements to our bathroom. A nice new bath and better storage.

  148. I would install a wet room. My arthritis makes it so painful for me to climb into the bath

  155. We had a leak in the ensuite thats been patched up, woul love to redo the whoole thing

  160. I’d love to get a bigger bath installed, my fiance is 6″4 and he is far too small for our current diddly little tub! 🙂

  173. We would love to update our bathroom, brown floral tiles might be retro but they’re not cool!

  174. All the blinds have been ruined by mildew from condensation so I would replace them to help freshen up the flat.

  184. I can’t decide between a new bathroom or a new kitchen! Both are 40 years old, so both need doing!

  193. I would love to do our bathroom but perhaps I should wait until the teens leave home so there is less mess to clean up?!

  207. New bathroom, it’s was old when we moved in 10 years ago, 2 kids later it is in dire need of replacing

  209. Would love to decorate my bedroom after water coming through the ceiling fromt the roof over Christmas

  217. New wardrobes to replace the completely useless built in ones which were here when we moved in. They’re tiny!

  221. I would so love to re-tile my bathroom, and new fittings it’s an absolute disgrace and the tiles are disgusting

  231. I’d pop a sink unit into our spare bedroom to ease a little of the morning congestion when our lads are here with their g/f’s!

  242. I really need a new metal bed…as the current wooden one is being used as a scratching post by the cat!!

  253. I would love an orangery to take advantage of the beautiful rural views at the rear of my home

  257. I would sort the curtains and decor in my baby’s nursery 🙂 Due date 17/04/2016!

  260. To make a proper dining room in the conservatory with a nice table and chair set and a sideboard.

  261. We hope to buy our first home this year si I think there will be lots of upcoming plans 🙂

  270. Decorate our bedroom, Weve lived in our house for 5 years and its still the same since we moved in so would be lovely to put our own stamp on our bedroom x

  272. Well if money was no object i would be getting that pool put in!! Pool partiessssss! xx

  278. If money was no object, I’d have an orangery built across the back of the house with access from the kitchen and lounge. I can but dream!

  280. I’d completley redo my back and front garden and make the whole thing wheelchair accessible for my son

  285. I would love to redocate my daughters bedroom with new carpet, cabin bed, shelf’s etc.

  290. all new carpets, some have been down since the 70’s and the rest have been damaged by 20 years worth of cats, dogs, and children

  291. We have cheap laminate flooring from the previous owner throughout the flat, its chipped and looks awful. I would change this to some solid wood flooring in most rooms.

  302. I would love to decorate every room and remove the window and place some patio doors instead with a small patio area outside from our living room.

  322. I would have our old lean too taken down and a lovely new extension built with a big kitchen 🙂

  328. I would turn the outbuilding into a spare room/reading room. It it a proper brick building with plumbing etc. Just a bit of a mess.

  335. We don’t own our own home, so that would be a start! But to this home, it would be lovely to get new couches, as the landlady’s couches are knackered and something cosier would be great.

  338. Definitely our drive! Drop the kerb, widen the entrance – my reversing skills are shocking, it’s only a matter of time before I prang the car! ??

  340. my back door is on the side of the house, I would move it to the actual back of the house.

  353. Tough choice between bathroom and kitchen as both desperately need upgrades. I’d probably go for the kitchen first

  358. I would love to fix our laundry room. It was created from what used to be an old scullery, and we re-used the old steel sink, an old Formica counter top and a couple of very dated base cabinets that were in our kitchen before we remodelled it over 10 years ago. Because the room is tiny, it has very little storage so we put up some shelves on the wall above the washing machine, but it’s not really sufficient. The room is a hotch potch of salvaged bits and pieces and hard to keep clean and tidy. I’d really like it to look coordinated and to have space for my ironing board which is currently stuffed into a space that used to house an old water tank.

  359. I would love to build an extension in order to have one more bedroom so visitors could stay.

  361. I would absolutely adore a walk in wardrobe if I had the money! I like everything to be organised and co-ordinated and it would give me no bigger thrill than to walk in a room where all my shoes are neatly colour co-ordinated on a shelf, followed by dresses, tops, jeans and so on!

  364. Convert the stairs into individual storage drawers, To combat all the squabbling wars, Everything would have its place, All hidden away in the staircase,
    Every step would have a spotlight, Keeping it lit throughout the night.
    This is the improvement I would love to see, Great for all our family.

  372. I would knock the wall down between my kitchen and living room to create one big open space

  381. If I had the money I’d like to improve the master bedroom, as it’s really large and could quite easily be turned en suite. I’d also love to pull out all the carpets and have hard wood all the way through the house 🙂

  383. I would love a door through from my house to my garage, as that is where my washer and drier is

  387. I would add an ensuite to my bedroom, I currently have to go downstairs to shower every day.

  391. i would decorate my living room as it still has not been done after four years of living here

  400. I would put in a new kitchen. Our current one is ok but I would redo it with better storage for our needs.

  401. Our house is rented and we are due to move 400 miles away in August to another bigger rented house. So we would love to have some new furniture rather than a new room as such. The things we are wanting desperately, if money was no object, are; A new Mattress for our bed, A new sofa/sofas, bunk beds (May need wardrobes too if the new house doesn’t have built in ones)

  404. I’d do up my 2 year old’s room, it’s a bit baby like and I’d like a new theme for him because I know he’d be so excited.

  407. I would adore underfloor heating, and I would also love to extend my kitchen which is miniscule.

  409. I’d move house but if I had to stay where I am I would decorate my bedroom to make it luxurious and opulent and get one of those fab crushed velvet beds

  421. I would love to buy new settee for my mum to put in our living room. She hates her settee and has never had a new one xx

  427. My house is in a conservation area and I have to go through so much paper work to make the smalest change but I would love aa new kitchen window.

  439. If I was intending on staying in this house I would replace all my windows and patio door. But hopefully will be moving next year, so not much point

  445. I’d fix my leaky roof! I’d get my kitchen done too, but the fixing the roof would definitely be a home improvement lol!

  448. I would love a conservatory to connect my house to the garden. I would love to sit in the sunshine and read or just relax even when it is breezy outside 🙂

  451. I’ve always wanted a little window seat where I could sit and read my books. Nothing particularly fancy, just a cushioned nook to tuck myself into! I’ve seen some beautiful ones that I would love to recreate in my room.

  466. I would give my bathroom a complete revamp as it is lurking somewhere in the seventies at the moment!

  467. I would knock through to the spare room and have an ensuite in the main bedroom 🙂

  471. I’d give my front room a make over at the moment its become a bit of a dumping ground & has bit of 2 motor bikes of my husbands in it ,so a new sofa & perhaps a desk for doing paper work would be much needed

  477. I would take out the old gas fire. It’s at least 30 years old and even the gas engineer recommend we isolate it.

  481. If I had the money I’d have a new boiler and central heating – it desperately needs doing but it’s so hard getting that chunk of cash together 🙂

  490. I’d install double glazing. Our Victorian house is freezing as the wind blows off the sea straight onto the bay window, rattling the panes. New double glazed windows would be fantastic.

  493. A new kitchen would be my priority. the day of dark oak with marble look worktop is looooong gone and I need brought into the new century.

  494. Quite happy with my home so would have to be my garden!! It’s a total mess – would love a nice tranquil place to sit and enjoy with family/friends x

  495. A new kitchen would be fantastic. I would love knock down the wall between the two rooms and have one very large kitchen .

  497. My kitchen looks like something out of the 1920’s so would be great to give it a facelift 🙂

  501. I would love to redecorate and get a new bed/furniture for my daughters room before she gets home from uni in the summer!

  503. son’s bedroom it could really do with a make over and it’s a strange shape with sloping roof

  505. I would knock the conservatory down take a new extension out as far as the kitchen, remove internal walls and make a huge family room/dining/kitchen.

  506. SOME NEW WINDOWS AND DOORS HAS THE DRAUGHT THAT COMES THROUGH THEM IS UNREAL ,WE HAVE TO CLOSE THE CURTAINS EARLY TO KEEP THE WARMTH IN

  508. I live in a rented property but would love if the landlords would completely re-do my kitchen and utility room…and extend the house….I can hope! 😀

  510. I’d alter one of the rooms upstairs to create a walk in wardrobe… It’d be lovely to have a bit more space for all my clothes!

  518. We don’t own our own house yet, so I can’t really answer. The whole place needs new carpet though!

  524. I would get a conservatory as it would make more room and be a great place to relax. It makes summer feel longer as conservatories can still be bright and warm when the weather is getting chilly

  531. An extension would be nice so we could have a new kitchen and dining room and also have a wet room for myself as it would make life a lot easier.

  532. I would love a second toilet. One in a four bedroom house is not very good, especially when we have visitors staying 🙂

  539. I’d love a conservatory. That was the plan after the kitchen was extended and re fitted but I’ve never been able to

  546. I’d fix the roof.

    We “might” have a couple of leaks.. (okay, it pours in everytime it rains..oops)

    @Cloudyskies29 on twitter

  549. We need to move are ateps as they are so steet now illigal!hopefully getting it done in march

  560. I would put in a downstairs toilet (or a second toilet anywhere it would fit – we argue too much about the toilet lol ).

  563. We’re moving house soon, so I would definitely use the money to put my stamp on our new place – specifically the kitchen.

  570. A new kitchen or bathroom. Or maybe new furniture. We need a lot of improvements right now!

  572. i’d convert my room (the biggest) into a playroom/bedroom for the kids and I’d move into the smallest room

  574. A new shower in the enquite, its very small and impractical and theres a gap between the doors so theres always a puddle of water after a shower

  581. I’d get new heavy duty vinyl flooring put down throughout the flat. I have 4 cats and a dog and a messy toddler running around so the floors get absolutely filthy and I spend half my time mopping them and the other half hoovering! The flooring I have done is just cheap laminate that was laid by a friend who did an okay job but never id the finish so there are gaps around the edges and it’s been down for about 10 years now so it’s scratched and broken a bit in parts. Every time I save to do it something else comes along that is more important

  582. I would love a new kitchen as I don’t have any kitchen units but can’t afford one as yet.

  590. I’d convert my attic and knock through my kitchen to the indoor coal shed and utility room

  593. I would love an extension on the side of my house, so I could have the perfect kitchen I’ve always dreamed of

  599. I would love to revamp the kitchen which is exactly as it was when I moved here 10 years ago. New fronts to all the cabinets, new work surfaces, paint, and then some new appliances, all matching, but most of all a microwave to save time, energy and money.Just bring it into the 21st century.

  605. I only have a front door and a side door,the main problem is that I’ve three dogs,two you can say out you go,pees and poohs in the garden and they will go without any bother.The littlest one sees it as a personal challenge to make a bid for freedom and bolts so we have to carry her into the garden,which is totally enclosed.This is ok until it’s pouring rain,freezing cold and blowing a gale as you have to go into the garden with her at ten at night.If I had the money I would put french doors from the small bedroom into the garden and then I no longer would need to go out in it,I could just open the doors and stay inside,that would be wonderful x

  607. I would love to improve my garden. I’m not much of a gardener, but I do love growing my own veg and herbs on my little veggie patch.

  621. I would actually just like a bigger house – would be easier than building an extension!!

  626. My youngest son’s room needs a revamp he’s now nearly 15 and its still decorated from when he was a baby so would like to modernize that for him

  628. We would love a new bathroom 🙂 Fantastic #competition 🙂 Would love to win! Thank you ever so much.

  630. There is so much I would love to do!! I’m getting a new kitchen fitted in a few weeks which will be fab! But I would really love to put new flooring downstairs and replace carpets upstairs!

  638. I would love to get my Kitchen done,it needs a lot of work so we just can not afford it at the minute.

  647. We had a dreadful experience with a tiler which resulted in all tiles needing to be removed – and the job (re-tiling) is next on the list

  649. I’d makeover my girls room -perhaps give them there own area by somehow splitting the room in two

  650. I’d have air conditioning installed. I know it’s not that often that it gets extremely hot but having the luxury when it does would make me a very happy bunny

  668. I would remodel my kitchen and living room as the family spend so much time there

  670. I am DESPERATE to extend the front of my house, conservatory (by less than two meters only) as my lounge is waaaaay too small.

  678. I would convert the cupboard under the stairs into a downstairs toilet because my sister-in-law suffers with Motor Neurons Disease and they cannot visit very often or for very long as she needs easy access to a loo. So if we had one we would see my brother and sister-in-law more often.

  689. I’d revamp the big bedroom shared by my two youngest and have a completely bespoke room made for them x

  698. I would buy some nice new bedding and curtains for my bedroom which is the only room in my house that has been neglected. I want to make it a sanctuary where I can go and relax of an evening. Something nice and colourful for the Spring season would be fabulous!

  699. a few kitchen gadgets to helps us cook better food and a few storage solutions in the bathroom

  700. Our conservatory is cold in winter and boiling in summer, so putting on a proper roof

  726. Rise up from the dark ages and have a shower installed. Absolute nightmare trying to wash your hair without one xD

  730. if we had the money we would probably re-carpet our whole house, at the moment we have quite hard wearing carpets but we would much prefer some softer and cosier ones 🙂

Comments are closed.