Don’t drive out nature

As new rules make it harder to concrete over gardens, here some greener alternatives

• Top ten eco solutions for off-street parking

Garden hedges - the great divider

When it comes to marking out your territory in style, there’s nothing to beat a hedge

• Types of hedges

Casa nostra

Sicily’s housing market is opening up to outsiders - so find a bargain before it gets mobbed

A guide on where to buy property abroad

Unstable politics and long-haul flights are no barrier to holiday-house thrill seekers

• Buy property in the Limpopo-Lipadi game reserve in Botswana

• Buying property in Cuba

A guide to affordable housing schemes

From shared ownership to rent-to-buy, first homes are within reach, despite the gloom

The big sleep

We spend about a third of our lives in the bedroom, so make sure yours is the stuff of dreams

A simple design for your home

Thanks to the credit crunch, frills are out and simplicity is in - but it’s not always cheap

House of worship

Glasgow flats remodelled from a church have fine city views

Radical architecture in the Chilterns

• Glass house joins Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery

• The architects style wars