Despite my efforts to stay cool, some parts of my home hit 29 degrees in the heatwave — this is what I'm doing to improve how it handles heat

Kitchen with extension into side return with cream shaker-style cabinets and tongue and groove island, leather stools and suede bar chair on the wall is a neon sign.

I don't think any of us were expecting temperatures to exceed 30°C in May, and for me, it felt like a bit of a scramble to get my home heatwave ready.

While I aspire to be one of those people who has a consistently cool home in summer, I do have a way to go, and so I'm taking stock of how my home faired in this first proper hot spell of the year. After all, if past summers are anything to go by, these record temperatures are going to be more commonplace, and as someone who isn't that heat tolerant, works from home and has a pet, keeping as cool as possible is a non-negotiable.