The thief, who set the renowned historic furniture store on fire in South London and flaunted it all over the Facebook, was finally sentenced to a long term prison. The accused, Gordon Thompson set fire to the historic furniture store with a cigarette lighter.
Some reports have revealed that the robber was seen asking for a cigarette lighter a few seconds before he set the historic furniture store, 'House of Reeves' on fire. The furniture store got completely ruined and the fire spread to the neighborhoods too, making it difficult for the citizens to save their lives.

This hazardous destruction caused risk to the lives of a lot of people and resulted into damage worth 3.5 million pounds. The judge responsible for giving the verdict in this case opined that "The Reeves family lost their historic furniture store business and it is a great loss as a number of generations had worked all their lives to set up this wonderful store."

The historic furniture store had endured during two world wars and had been a part of the life of at least five generations of the Reeves family. Mr. Reeves senior said that "The thief has brought a great trauma to our family and I don't sympathize with him."

With real estate not increasing in value, people are thinking of their houses more as homes than as an investment. This has led to home maintenance being more targeted than extreme, with the emphasis on comfort and practicality.

Home maintenance is expected to post a solid growth in the second half of this year, making 2012 the strongest year since 2006, according to a report Thursday by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Driving the home maintenance market will be midsize kitchens and bath projects, maintenance work and energy-efficiency upgrades.

In fact, Americans are now spending more on home maintenance than on new construction, says Stephen Melman of the National Association of Home Builders. And with home equity loans in short supply, many are paying cash for renovations, so the projects tend to be smaller and focused.

According to a reader survey released by Better Homes and Gardens magazine, 61% of readers said it was important to get the maximum value for the buck and slightly more said they'd spend extra time looking for bargains, The survey found consumers of home maintenance are most interested in style upgrades, followed by general home maintenance, decor updates, efficiency and home organization.

For those interested in undertaking home maintenance by themselves, there are websites which not only offer products but also advice and tips on how and what to do.

Go ahead and indulge in some home improvement activities to turn your house into your home.

Spring is the season of home improvement and many home owners are looking to invest in green technology. Investing in energy saving features or green technology is always advisable as they help cut costs in the long run.

Energy savings are paramount in any home improvement process and what better way to do so than to use full range dimming CFL and LED lights. Lutron's Skylark Contour C*L Dimmer offers a control unit and improves the performance of CFL and LED lights by dimming them as needed. It accomplishes this by reducing the excessive flicker and controls to adjust lighting.

It is very important during any home improvement process to find out the gaps and cracks in the house walls since they amount to a substantial amount of space which can leak away the heating. These cracks are more prevalent near the windows, doors, electrical outlets and plumbing lines. By filling these gaps with Dow's Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks, an airtight seal is formed which reduces the amount of draft and also helps in controlling pests.

There are currently 46 million homes in the U.S. which are not insulated properly. Use Owens Corning's EcoTouch Pink Fiberglas Batts & Rolls during the home improvement program to insulate the attic space. This insulation is Greenguard verified and is made of 99% natural materials.