Home and Garden Articles
posted on 4 April 2013
The biggest enemy in the battle to keep your house warm is the problem of drafts that enter through ill-fitting windows and doors. These can literally suck the warm air out of your home and let the cold air in. There are many solutions to this on the market and many are inexpensive - don't think that your doors and windows have to be replaced. A good craft solution to drafty doors is to sew a 'sausage' of fabric that will fit beneath your exterior doors. Stuff the 'sausage' with old rags and it will keep drafts away. Use a fabric that blends with your decor. Heavy curtains are invaluable when it comes to keeping the heat in your home. These can often be bought inexpensively and remember to keep them closed during cold weather. Smart crafters may be able to make their own. If you have a fireplace that isn't used, consider opening it up and using logs a log fire is such a treat on a cold evening. If you have rooms that aren’t often used, be sure that the doors remain closed and don't heat rooms that aren't in daily use. If necessary utilize space heaters to boost colder areas of your home or room. If you have central heating set the timer appropriately - don't heat the house when you're out at work or in the middle of the night. Study your home and see where heat might escape and check that you're not paying for heating that quickly escapes from your home. Furnishings can go a long way to making your home seem to be cozy and warm. A few colorful throws in warm colors can have a visual effect and can be used to snuggle into when the temperature drops.
More home heating ideas for your house: Nevelli
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posted on 11 December 2012
I remember holidaying in Brisbane a few years back and finding a restaurant there called "Home from Home". It's concept was simple - the restaurant looked like a normal house with the usual soft furnishings and Baumhaus hardwood furniture. It was small, it had a living room and a dining room, with enough room for about 8 to 10 guests at a time. You plonked yourself anywhere where there was room, and you ordered your food (just like a normal restaurant). You could wander into the kitchen (which truly was a normal kitchen) and watch your food being cooked there too. You could chat to the chef. The food arrived and you ate. You could watch the TV (with consensus from the other guests as to what channel to watch), and you couldn't help but "mingle" with the guests as the atmosphere there was one of "shared accommodation" - almost like a student flat - very interesting concept.
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posted on 4 December 2012
Once upon a time, my wife dropped a vase on our toilet. That impact made a very small crack. I guess it looked harmless. Turns out that was not the case. About 6 months later she notices a very small puddle under the tank. This is when I discovered the toilet rocked just a little when you sat on it. This caused a little drip. Then I noticed that each time you flush, a table spoon or so of water trickeled from the aforementioned crack, down the bowl into the hole where the johnny bolts go. This, over 6 months, softened our floor. I went down to my local Graham Plumbers Merchant to get the necessary tools, and I pulled the toilet and removed the subflooring with a claw hammer. Luckily the damage was confined to the subflooring as the joists were actually dry. I proceeded to cut the damage out square and replace with new subflooring. We had to look at this patch for a few months until we saved up for new tile. Once completed the floor looks great and we did replace the drippy toilet.
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posted on 19 October 2012
There is a problem with the garden next to my front porch. In recent years, we have experienced long dry summers, and as a result, the clay soil beneath the concrete slab of my porch has receded considerably. In fact, we're thinking of ripping out the marshalls paving slabs and getting ourselves a wooden gazebo instead.
Why?
This has created a void under the porch which, unfortunately, provided a home last winter for a skunk. My challenge at the moment is figuring out a way to keep the skunk out without causing any damage to the porch. Should the ground beneath the porch ever expand, I will need to ensure that fill material does not cause the porch to crack. Alternatively, I might be able to install a series of heavy rocks on the ground next to the edge of the porch. This would avoid any danger of cracking while denying the skunk access. I plan to take care of this before winter sets in.More on this Topic: microsofttranslator.com | flickr.com | nationalgeographic.com |
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posted on 2 September 2012
I love having a garden, but I live in Suburban Los Angeles and do not have a whole lot of yard space to have a big garden. So instead of having a standard "vegetable patch", I decided to plant my garden in different places around my yard in the various flower boxes. Next to the roses in the front yard, next to my gazebo (with solar security lights bought from Ecofreak), I had a couple of nice pumpkin plants that made a nice display in the front yard around Halloween time. On the side of the house was a nice patch of sweet white corn and Indian corn. A couple of squash plants were next, both Zucchini and Yellow Crook Neck, which grew quite well in the Southern California climate. Further back in the yard were some Habanero Pepper plants, and an Anaheim Chili plant (perfect for homemade Chili Relleno). In the side flower box in the backyard, I had a couple of beautiful Tomato plants, as well as a Watermelon plant that grew a prized 16 3/4 lb. Melon that was sweet as can be! You don't need a lot of room to grow a garden like this - most of these plants do not need much space on their own. You don't have to live in the country - with a little ingenuity, some elbow grease, and a couple of flower boxes, and you could have a wonderful little garden.
Further reading: Wikipedia - Gardening | EcofreakFurther Reading: info.com | nationalgeographic.com | scribd.com
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posted on 31 August 2012
I strongly believe in the dictum 'East or West - Home is the best'. This applies to me whenever I think of the house where I live. I live on a street called National Residency. It is most beautiful arena that has plenty of trees and the cool lush green experience.
My house is protected on all four sides by walls and the gate is always open for visitors. It is painted white as the color stands for serenity. On entering the house, the first entry will be to the living room. It is filled with lively furniture and also provides enough sunlight. One can take their route to the kitchen straight from the living room, and when you get there, you'll see one of those modern and unique kitchens you see in a fitted kitchen brochure - a delight to the eyes.
On the adjacent side is the dining hall. There are also two bed rooms in the ground floor. Towards the middle of the left side there is a stair case with wonderful stairs that takes you to the upper floor. There are two bed rooms there. I use of them and the other one is for guests. There is also a hall there. The balcony of the upper floor provides you with the most beautiful mornings and evenings. Whenever I watch out from the balcony during the morning, I could feel the radiant sun showering blessings upon me. All the rooms in my house have attached bath rooms. The back side of the house is also neatly kept, thanks to my mom who pays special attention to it. There is a vegetable garden in the backyard and a lawn in the front. My house is located in a quite neighborhood. Every day my house fills me with the feeling that it is the best place for me. In the years I have developed an attachment with my house.
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posted on 4 August 2012
I would really love to take a vacation to some of my past vacation spots: Cancun, Maui and the Bahamas. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do this because of the recent purchase of my home. I am on a tight budget and would rather put money into my house then take a week vacation. I've also bought the backyard a garden gazebo - replete with led bulbs - and am working on landscaping the area too. I want to fix up my home and that is what I will be planning for the summer. I do plan on planting flowers and buying new patio furniture to make the pool area look more inviting. I do plan on swimming in my pool this summer and pretend I am at some exotic location. I also plan on taking my niece to Disneyland throughout the summer and enjoy the attractions that I have seen. If my budget is not too tight, at the end of summer I plan taking a short getaway to Las Vegas. I enjoy going to Las Vegas since there is so much to do there.Other Sources: tagged.com | publicrecords.com | citysearch.com | cracked.com |
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posted on 12 July 2012
I live in a 2 story house. It has regular asphalt shingles, vinyl siding, and some exposed brick. We just redid the kitchen with Galaxy Granite counters, new custom cabinets, and a 14ft window overlooking the back yard. We recently put in Bamboo floors as well. I love the fireplace. I love the neighborhood. I love our back yard and its little garden office I bought from a quality garden studio supplier nearby. One cannot find a place safer than a gated community. Over the years we have progressively upgraded everything in the place and made it our own. It started with the floors in one room, then two, then three, then the whole house minus the basement. The next step to getting it to be a place we wanted to stay was convenience. We wired it to network computers and have one for each TV. Another thing we love in the Homeowner's Association. It makes sure our property value stays up where it should be. Overall, I absolutely love my home and am so happy with what my family and I have done with it.Other Sources: yellowpages.com | movieroomreviews.com | www.green-studios.co.ukFurther Reading: thefreedictionary.com | citysearch.com | buzzfeed.com |
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posted on 8 June 2012
I have a fairly decent sized home with living room, kitchen, 1 1/2 bathroom, 2 bedrooms, a dining room - all with designer radiators as we live in a very cold climate - and a very large basement. One thing that I would like to do to my home would be the size of our daughter's bedroom. It is a very small room with no closet, with her bed and dresser in it that pretty much takes up the entire thing. I would like to knock out one of the walls and expand it by at least 7 feet. I would also like to add in a closet to the room. Doing this will eliminate the space needed for a dresser and would provide more space for all her toys, as well as some new furniture. Also, I would like to sand down the walls inside of her room because it has that popcorn type texture to it. The popcorn texture is difficult to paint without having the white dots from the groves that your paint brush did not get to. With it sanded down I could repaint it and have a smooth surface to finally put up the border I bought many years ago. That is one of the first things I would improve/change about my home, with many more to come!
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posted on 1 June 2012
Ever since moving into my current home 4 years ago, I have wanted a vegetable garden. I love the idea of working with my hands, planting seeds, and seeing something grow from all my effort, maybe protecting my most delicate growths with a gazebo. I also love the idea of saving money at the store when I harvest my fresh vegetables. However, year after year one issue has plagued me: how to get enough light for my vegetables. At first I tried a garden at the back of my property. It started well, until we had moles. Then I bought some mole repellers which seemed to do the trick. Then the neighbor's tree grew in the summer and blocked the sun! I tried along the side of my fence, and found similarly that there just wasn't enough light. This year I planted a garden in raised beds in my front yard. Success - or so I thought! Everything did so well in the spring, and has just petered out as the weeks have gone by! This time it may be an issue with not enough water, as it has been a dry year. Maybe I'll get the balance right next year!
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posted on 5 May 2012
Bringing a spa into your world is a truly life-changing event. We bought our Hot Springs model - a second hand hot tub on sale - right after sitting in our friends’ spa for half of a New Year’s day to recuperate, and wonder how we ever lived without one. Lowering ourselves into the therapeutic sea of bubbles always elicits an “ahhh.” And, why pay a masseuse? After a long, hard day at the office (or at home), we head right for the spa to re-balance ourselves and let the jets soothe our muscles with their gentle massage. On a cold winter’s day, the warm water welcomes us and wraps us in a blanket of relaxation. In the summer, we turn the heater off and enjoy the cooling rush of water flowing around us. Besides all of the health benefits, the greatest thing our spa has given us is a sense of escape. We’ve stopped looking forward to staying at hotels that had spas since we’ve created our own vacation hotspot from which we don’t want to stray. |
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posted on 1 May 2012
French bottle drying racks are very interesting items. These come in various sizes and are essentially conical racks with an array of small hooks.
Many people use French bottle drying racks for shop displays and for presenting collections of personal effects. These look delightful when used to hang collections of porcelain tea-cups, ribbons, jewellery and interesting small artefacts. I have even seen them used as very stylish and contemporary Christmas trees, with glass baubles and beads.
These French bottle drying racks are usually made from galvanised metal. These come from the vinyards of France, and also in the cider producing areas of Normandy and Brittany. They are designed to dry the inside of all the wine bottles, ready for refilling with the new season's wine harvest - something we all look forward to.
Today these are pretty difficult to find but still remain extremely popular with both craft makers and interior designers. |
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posted on 9 April 2012
If I had unlimited funds, I would remodel my kitchen. Most of the equipment and all of the cabinetry are original to this 29-year-old house. The floor is linoleum that is scratched and cannot ever seem to get completely clean. The windows do not provide the most efficient seal against weather. I can feel the cold air from the basement when I walk barefoot. I would remove all the cabinets, lighting, window and appliances. Anything that is still usable, I would donate to Habitat for Humanity. I would take the flooring off and discard it. I would replace the underlayment so that those pesky squeaks and sags would be gone! With an empty room, I would put in a bright cork floor. That would make it easier to stand for long periods of time. add some bright brass door handles to replace the current door knobs. I would install light, Shaker-style cupboards and drawers. That simple look is very appealing. I would have Corian counter tops and a double sink put in. I like the seamless combination. Plus, I can choose from an endless array of colors. A few of the cabinets would have glass fronts and lights inside. There would be lots of task light throughout the kitchen. I would select stainless steel appliances, chosen for their high Energy Star ratings. An island with a large work surface and seating on one side would take the place of a dining table. I imagine my family joining me for a chat as we prepare delicious meals. With a beautiful, freshly designed kitchen, I might actually turn the light on and use thisFurther Research: about.com | wikihow.com |
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posted on 7 April 2012
If I had the budget to make reparations in my house I would simply add another room, or even better transform my room into a home made intermediate studio. That would include full isolation of the room with an expert sound engineer, getting the right equipment (microphones, speakers, monitors, mixers...etc) for the job and a comfy sofa. It would also be nice to decorate the studio room in the style of your own choice, so it would give more pleasing atmosphere for creation and concentration. What needs to be taken care of in the beginning is the volume control, so volume testing must be done before anything of this is put to use. We wouldn't want the neighbors to scream and call the police each time you are recording the drum set or a screaming vocal. So we simply do some volume measurement and improve the isolation if the results are not satisfying. That would be the start to a cheap home made studio. My friend has one of those self build houses so I may well ask him for advice.Other Sources: chacha.com | pinterest.com | www.jewson.co.uk
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posted on 18 March 2012
Having just installed new stair parts to our staircase, I reluctantly turn to the bathrooms in the house for the next project to work on. Yes, I would love to change the bathrooms in my home. I have wanted to remodel for years, but I have not really had money. The tubs are a mess. I would like to get a walk in shower to replace what I currently have. I would also like to get one of those toilets that sprays and massages while you sit down and use it. I saw it on a home improvement show and I have wanted one ever since. I guess the biggest thing that I would want is to change my sinks. The counter tops are ugly. I would love to change them to granite counter tops. I believe this would increase the value of my home. I don't know if the bathroom is big enough, but I would like to get dual sinks in the master bedroom bathroom. My guest bathroom has dual sinks, but the master does not. |
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posted on 9 March 2012
Any major home improvement is going to cost the home owner money. Think of the material costs alone - the bathroom supplies, the tools etc. If the purpose of the improvement is for vanity only, the benefit may only be seen if the owner sells. Even then, the added sale price from making a home pretty may not be as high as the cost that goes into it. Therefore my home improvement ideas would focus solely on more practical ideas. I live in an older house, and the heating bills in the winter are huge. I keep the thermostat set at 62, so I'm not trying to live in a suana, but due to the inefficient heater and leaky windows I'm paying around $140 dollars more in utilities in the winter than the summer. If I was able to save the money I'd replace my furnace and all of my windows and doors. The cost of this would be quite high, though if I was able to secure a loan to pay for them, in the winter months the average savings would almost pay for the loan. If I kept track of the average energy usage before and after the installation, I would likely see myself saving money in the long run.More Info: simplyhired.com | reddit.com | infoplease.com | apple.com
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posted on 23 February 2012
Right now my house features a three car garage. Most people would be satisfied with this, but I am not. I would like to upgrade my garage to a six car garage. My dream gagage would consist of a six single door car garage. The floor would be tile for easy clean up. It would also feature a sitting area equipped with lamp tables, couches and televisons. It would have many storage cabinets and shelves so I could maintain an organized area. It would be around one thousand square feet so I would have a lot of work space to do certain projects. I would also put a waterfall and stereo for relxation. Last but not least it must be equipped with the perfect tools so I could take advatage of my new space and work on the projects that I would like to work on. After this addition my house would be complete.
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posted on 10 February 2012
I don't have a great deal of home DIY experience apart from choosing amongst the hardwoods selection we had to make for our new wooden floor! However, I like to dream about what I would do if I had the money even more. The one thing that I dream of doing the most is installing skylights all over the house. I love the idea of going to sleep and being able to look at the stars before closing my eyes, or if I can't sleep then being able to just watch and wander about the universe for a while. I would love to add these to the kitchen as well, except I would make the entire roof of glass so that it is filled with natural light. Also in the kitchen I would change the floor in to glass with lots of plants growing underneath and maybe a little water feature. I don't have the skills or the money to do this but I would love to build up my skills so that one day I could at least partly fulfil my dream and create my fantasy home.More Info: reuters.com | www.internationaltimber.co.ukMore on this Topic: snopes.com | info.com | eonline.com
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