Category Archives: Home Improvement

Types of Landscaping Lights

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Category : Home Improvement

Outdoor landscape lighting is an important consideration in trying to illuminate your patio, entrance, yard, landscape garden or deck. But, sadly though, outdoor lighting is often ignored. Homeowners should remember that outdoor lighting can give the sense of “completeness” in their homes. Therefore, considering very detail of its decoration is essential to achieve a completely beautiful and presentable area that will surely catch every guest’s wandering attention. Landscape lighting tips will help brighten your gardens and landscape during the evening hours. Some landscape lighting tips are meant to show off different areas of your garden landscape. Landscape lighting is not only popular to homeowners but also business owners to highlight the business building during the evening. Everyone enjoys low voltage lighting and solar lighting because they are inexpensive and easy to install and are available to purchase almost anywhere.

The outdoor lighting you chose to have will not only add an important aspect in the appearance of the area and in helping you light your place rightly, but it will also give you a sense of safety and security for your house. All that you needed to do is to make the perfect choice of the lighting that will just be fitted for your house and your taste, and then you will all be set in achieving beauty and security. Consider the following types of landscape lighting:

1. LED (Light Emitting Diode) Landscape Lightings – these are one of the possible great choices for outdoor spaces lighting. Since, at the present time, many homeowners are enjoying spending time outside their houses, LED lightings can accentuate any outdoor space that may need lighter than the others. This type of lighting can come in different voltages so that finding the perfect one that will meet your standards for intensity, color, and brightness, or any of your personal needs will be made easier. This can be used in illuminating your patio, driveway, or garden. Not to mention that this is also one of the few lighting that can also be environmentally friendly since they are an energy saver type of light. People even in businesses choose LED so that they will save their resources, especially in paying their electric bills, and to do their part in saving the environment.

2. Solar Landscape Lighting – is a perfect way to bring forth light to your pathways around your house or business areas. Different manufacturers have come up with different styles that are also environmentally friendly and will not require the use of electricity in order to make it work. Solar lighting makes us of the sun’s full light so that it can operate at night. It makes use of small solar cells to charge the batteries that are already built in. This is so when you have fully charged it the whole day, it will provide the all the needed light in the night. One thing to consider in purchasing this type of lighting though is the PV panel. The PV panel is important because it is needed in the charging of the battery; it needs to be located somewhere it will be conducive to have more sunlight on it, otherwise the battery will not charge properly. It would also be wise to find out if there are available replacements for the batteries and bulbs also. Take note that the best types of this lighting are those that are that are weather resistant, durable, and stainless steel.

3. Garden Lighting – having a garden at home enhances the beauty of the place even more. And having a garden should be enjoyed at any season or any time of the day. And to make the garden even more attractive even at night, adding lighting on it can really make all the difference. Planning will also make the big effect on the goal that you would like to achieve. Garden lighting can be used to accentuate the general layout of your garden. If your garden has a seating area on it, it would be wise to put the lighting there; while adding a touch of green will be better if you use solar lights accompanied with lampshades. But if you have a pond on it, it will enhance it even better if lights will be placed underwater. Putting fountain lights can also add effect and offers another option you can take. Garden lighting can also be solar powered so even if your garden is located far from an electrical source, it would not pose any problem. Highlighting some trees can also be dramatic in the different seasons of the year.

4. Low Voltage Landscape Lighting – if your discretion is to save energy efficiency, using low voltage landscape lighting that will illuminate outdoor spaces can be ideal for you. Low voltage lighting can be very economical and practical in times like these. And no activity will be hampered just because of the lack of light; low voltage lighting can also provide spotlights for you on times when you needed them most. Three types of low voltage lighting can be considered as good options for this purpose. One of them is pathway lighting; this can be the lowest voltage of all and primarily designed to give a downward or even an outward glow. Then there are mood lights that can cast a soft or warmer glow appropriate for a romantic dinner or even just to have a personal conversation. And finally, there are also the accent lightings which can draw your guests’ attention to whatever special and unique features that your garden is offering. They can be your ponds, any outdoor sculpture, waterfalls, or trees. Securing and ensuring that these lightings will last for several and all types of seasons will be the topmost consideration here.

5. Deck Lighting – since decks are most likely to be used during nighttime rather than the day, any lighting arrangements done here will complete the beauty and grandeur of the place. Lighting here will give the deck a more appealing look especially after sunset; it will make your deck dazzling and even more strikingly pleasing. Opting for low voltage lighting along your deck will make it also shine. There are post-cap lightings having removable lid or cover that will enable easy access to the bulbs in there. In fact, there are enough choices of low voltage lighting for decks that add that scintillating effect.

Get in touch with Aqua Spray Irrigation Inc to install your landscaping light that will enhance the beauty of your garden in the best way possible.

Knocking Down to Rebuild – Benefits and Considerations

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Category : Home Improvement , Home Renovation

Do you feel like you’ve outgrown your home? Or maybe it’s gotten shabby and no longer suits your needs? While renovating, buying a new home or building elsewhere are three possible solutions there’s a fourth option that many people are now turning to: knocking down your house and building a new one in its place.

Given the many advantages of tearing down your home and starting afresh, it’s not hard to see why this is an increasingly popular solution. If you’re curious to see if it’s the right option for you, have a look at some of the benefits and concerns listed below for a fuller picture.

1. It can be a smarter move financially

One of the main draws of opting to tear down your existing home and rebuild is that it can be more cost-effective than renovating.

Experts state that it is not uncommon for extension and renovation projects to be 50 per cent more expensive to build than new homes on a square meter basis, partly because renovations often require a lot of time-consuming demolition and alteration work before the new work can even begin.

Also, some costs associated with renovating and extending a home are difficult to determine during the design stage. Some examples are when new subfloor, underpinning or plaster rectification are required. Allowances for such costs need to be built into the contract. It can be tricky to determine the exact level of allowances to be made.

This obviously won’t factor into your financials if you choose to knock your house down and rebuild, since your existing home will be totally demolished, allowing you to start afresh.

2. There are fewer surprises

While everyone loves a good surprise, you’re not likely to encounter many of them when renovating your home. Unforeseen problems like leaky pipes, damaged wiring or undetected asbestos can put a dampener on what was initially an exciting home makeover project.

Knockdown-rebuilds, on the other hand, don’t have as much uncertainty around them in terms of cost and budget blowouts like extensions and renovations do.

3. You can stay in the same neighborhood…

While demolishing and rebuilding your home has plenty of financial benefits, this building approach has a positive impact on your lifestyle, too. KDRs are a great option for families who love where they live and are loath to leave but are in desperate need of a new home that fits their lifestyle better.

4. …Or buy a house to raze and rebuild where you love

A shortage of land in and around metropolitan areas has been a driving force behind the popularity of knockdown-rebuilds. However, properties in well-established areas can be pricey, no matter how dilapidated they are, so it’s worth weighing up the cost versus the lifestyle benefits to make sure the price of the purchase, demolition and rebuild is worth it.

5. You start with a clean slate

Another advantage of a knockdown-rebuild is the creative freedom you can enjoy, not being shackled by needing to work around existing structures. While you still need to consider the general site layout, it is refreshing to have a clean slate to explore new ideas and challenge the previous layout. Building a new home gives you more options in terms of the style and size of the home, sustainability and the use of technology and modern building practices.”

6. Improved site access for a quicker build

KDRs also enable your builder to have unlimited access to the construction site, which will increase productivity on-site and could reduce your overall build cost and, ultimately, build timing. Efficient programming means you can move in faster, reducing the cost of other out-of-pocket expenses such as rent and storage costs.

7. You can go green(er)

Starting from scratch means that you can optimize the orientation and layout of your home and the placement of windows, to allow for maximum sun exposure in winter; shade and coolness in summer; and cross ventilation.

Knockdown-rebuilds give you the opportunity to construct your new home from the ground up, using sustainable materials and incorporating the latest smart, eco-friendly fixtures, features and gadgets too, which will improve your home’s carbon footprint and reduce your household energy spending.

Some Things to Consider

Sold on the idea of a knockdown-rebuild? Here’s some extra advice to take on board before you take the plunge.

  1. Get Advice Early – speaking to experts early can save you money in the long run. For example, working with professional home builders like Elite New Homes can guide you through the process; help answer the difficult questions; deal with the local council, builders and tradesmen, etc. Finding the right designer is key, and it’s a task that should not be rushed. Make sure they can demonstrate experience in meeting similar budgets and briefs to yours and ensure that you understand the fees and services delivered.
  2. Size up the existing structure – Check the existing foundations and the state of the existing building. For instance, if there are a lot of cracks in the walls, you may need to have some engineering work done to the foundations before you begin building.
  3. Have a buffer in your budget – while unforeseen conditions are less likely on KDRs, it’s always worth being prepared if something crops up along the way.
  4. Decide where you are going to live during the renovation – unless you are ok with living on a construction site, it’s likely that you will need to rent a property for the duration of the rebuild. This will add to your project cost and needs to be accounted for in your budget.

Have you embarked on a knockdown-rebuild project? Do you have any advice to share for people who are considering this building approach? Tell us in the comments below.

Decorating Tips for the Whole House

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Category : Home Improvement

Every now and then, we want to show off the beauty of our house to people who would love it. It’s not done in a way to make the other person jealous but to show our hard work in decorating something we love and gain appreciation from them. Decorating tips and basic design principles to follow when adding accessories to a room.

Identify the focal point of the room. It could be the major piece of furniture in the room or an architectural element in the room like a fireplace.

It is usually the first thing that dominates when entering the room. Dress it up to capture the feeling of the room.

For example if the focal point of the room is the fireplace, the mantel could be accented with a painting hanging above it and something tall like a vase on one side and a shorter bowl or sculpture on the other.

If the focal point is the bed, dress it with beautiful bedding, or with a sofa, you can accent it with pillows with loop or brush fringe and a glamorous throw.

The windows of the room could be focal with beautiful treatments that supports the style of the space.

After establishing and playing up the focal point, anchor the main area of activity with an area rug that will also define the space.

Area rugs should be thought of as accessories since they provide an excellent opportunity to add warmth and embellish an area with color, texture and pattern. They also can establish a style that your other accessories can support.

Area rugs can be used to define seating arrangements or to differentiate and separate areas of a large room. And the best part? They can be changed and easily moved within the same room, or to other areas of the home. Try them on an angle to open the room up.

After the focal point has been established and the rug in place, add more interest to the room with other accessories but keep your displays simple to avoid a cluttered result.

Emphasize and create interest to certain areas in the room by being purposeful with your accessories. Accessories should balance with each other and the other elements in the room.

Wide with Wide, Tall with Tall, and Narrow with Narrow are easy decorating tips to remember for the scale, weight and proportion of your accessories.

Fill your wide spaces with fat accessories, accent the narrow spaces with pieces that are thin, and fill up the tall areas with tall accessories or accessories that are layered for height.

For example when addressing a wide wall space use artwork that has wider frames, a tall narrow wall space between two windows calls for a tall and narrow piece. It could also be two smaller prints hung one on top of the other, or a wall corbel with a tall vase on it.

Leave breathing room around the items. This way the eye has a chance to process the display and you avoid having it appear cluttered.

Other accessory decorating tips are to leave the chunky pieces together and the same goes for the more delicate items you may be using.

A pair of delicate figurines would go nicely on an antique sideboard of a delicate scale.

Each display should have its own focal point.

Add interest by using a variety of elements with different textures, shapes, colors and sizes and vary the heights for both wall and your table top displays.

Mix in horizontal shapes with vertical lines and throw in a round shape to balance all the right angles and squares.

Decorating tips for accessory groups, is to use like items together. Don’t spread out your collection, instead create more impact by using an odd number of items in small clusters.

Groups of three works well but in formal settings where symmetry is an important factor using pairs is more effective.

Plants are some great calming accessories to add to your interior. They are cost effective and bring a bit of the outdoors in. They also help to clean the air and they can sometimes add a subtle fragrance.

Even authentic looking artificial plants can beautify a space and provide relative calm to a room. Look for artificial plants that have quality leaves and stems and invest in the best quality your budget allows.

Place tall plants behind sofas, chairs and tables to create a sense of depth. Situate a tree in a corner and smaller plants for on the top of wall units, armoires and on shelves for texture.

Fragrance is one area of a room design that is sometimes overlooked but adds a great deal to the overall mood of the room.

Candles are an inviting way to perfume the air and decorating tips for factoring fragrance into your space. As well as room diffusers, and essential oil rings you place around a light bulb.

Accessories make your home beautiful but avoid using too much.

It is easy to start gathering these wonderful home jewels and wind up with too much of a good thing. Keep it simple and start small in an area you feel needs a new look and use what is meaningful to you.

Choosing a Color Scheme That Matches Your Home

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Category : Home Improvement

If you are building or decorating your new home, the interior design and color scheme can be quite a daunting task. This is because there are so many color combinations to consider, and determining the best one is not easy. The house has different sections, and each of these sections is unique in their way as they are used for various purposes.

It would be best if you considered the living area, the bedrooms, the kitchen, and even the bathrooms. The most important parts of the house are the bathrooms, the living room, and the kitchen. This is because these are the areas used most around the house, and your guests access these areas every time they visit. However, this does not mean the other areas don’t deserve great color schemes; they do.

Color schemes for the living area

It is essential to select your living room’s color scheme carefully. You need to determine the feel you want to bring to your living room. It would help if you decided whether or not you prefer a warm cozy feeling, a bold or neutral feel, or a simple homely feel. Once you determine the feel you want to accomplish, you are halfway through to settling for the most appropriate color. You can also choose a color scheme that reflects your personality.

Kitchen color schemes

Getting the ideal color scheme for your kitchen can be tiresome. There are thousands of kitchen color ideas to look at, and they will all seem great for your kitchen, but not all of them are. The color scheme you go for will be the difference between having your dream kitchen or a disastrous makeover. The most important aspects to consider are your preferences, the kitchen lighting, and the size of your kitchen. It would help if you were daring; do not fret about using bright colors as they can work perfectly in a kitchen. Find a great way to blend several bright colors.

The size of your kitchen is also of importance when it comes to lighting. Figure out whether you depend on artificial or natural light most of the time. Dark colors are not ideal for small kitchens as they make them look even smaller. You can go for intimate colors like red, brown, or gold to offer an intimate feel to your kitchen. If your kitchen does not get much natural light, you can use bright colors to make it brighter, even with the lights off.

Bathroom color scheme

The bathroom is the other part of the home, mostly used. With the right color scheme, the bathroom can have a very calming effect. It is important to select colors that you love. If you are clueless, try bright aqua colors like ocean blue and even snow-white or even other bright colors like lime yellow. A bright color insinuates cleanliness and comfort. Dull colors, on the other hand, can be uncomfortable for bathrooms. You can also choose bathroom lighting, toilet bowls, sinks, and even bathtubs that reflect the wall and décor of the bathroom. However, be careful not to overdo the colors as too many colors can be uncomfortable. Choose a maximum of two colors and blend them.

Tips in Decorating Your House With Warm Colors

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Category : Home Improvement

Winter is all about staying in and enjoying the comfort and beauty of your home. As much attention is given to the furniture and accessories, the same should be given to the walls and ceilings and also to the colors that are added to the décor. Adding warm colors to your existing décor is a step that will change the overall look of your home. Warm colors are often the combinations of reds, yellows, oranges, and yellow-greens. These colors are known to increase adrenaline and breathing rates, as well as raises the blood pressure, and body temperature, thus making you feel warmer. One of the best ways to work with warm colors is to turn into a statement piece that will bring more attention to it.

If you are planning to have a warm color added to the palettes of colors in your home, then here are some tips that you will need when decorating your home.

Add colors in more layers

Having a colorful centerpiece in your room is great, but more often than not, you will find that one piece is not enough. To truly bring a sense of warmth in a room, you will need to layer your warmer colors into the spaces that you want to accentuate. You can create layers of colors that might sound complicated, but it is simple, as all it requires is that you use similar colors in different ways in different parts of the room. Remember, layering allows different elements into the room to relate to each other, thus creating a unified and cohesive look.

Consider darker colors

If you think that dark colors make your room look a bit on the juvenile side, that is a valid concern. It might be a bit risky, but looking a little deeper at the darker shade, you can expect that the décor will turn out to be one of its kind. To start with dark colors, opt for green colors as it is the perfect choice for bringing a warm touch to space, particularly in a dark and moody tone. A tip is to have green paired with a neutral black and a warm brown to create a more sophisticated and warm environment.

Level with wall arts

Bringing warm colors in your living room or any part of the home should not be limited to furniture only. Do consider hanging wall arts that have warm colors in them as it brings a variety of colors to your space. Create a gallery wall to give your home a higher level of visual interest.

Go for dark-colored wallpapers

One way of adding warmer colors is to add wallpapers that will accentuate the beauty of the room in a more visually pleasing way.

7 Ways to Brighten up a Dark Room With Natural Light

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Category : Home Improvement , Home Renovation

Not only is a well-lit room more inviting, but it also helps in improving your sense of well being by boosting the mood and lowering stress levels. From incorporating simple accessories to flooring or ceiling remodel, we’ve gathered a few useful ways to brighten up your rooms with natural light.

1) Replace Walls With Windows

Replacing sections of your wall with windows allows in a considerable amount of natural light where otherwise, no light would be entering the room. Moreover, you can also take advantage of a beautiful exterior view. If you’re searching for new ones, opt for glass windows with minimal framework. Windows with more exposed glass allow plenty of light and ventilation to an area.

2) Hang Mirrors Strategically

Placing mirrors strategically to walls or across anywhere else can double the amount of sunlight entering the room. This is possible as mirrors are reflective surfaces that catch and disperse light throughout the home. For instance, adding a range of small mirrors can help natural light to lighten up dark staircases. Track where beams of light move within the room and position mirrors or other reflective surfaces like glass furniture, shiny objects, or silver photo frames at the right angle and height to increase natural light and give the space a whole new feel!

3) Get rid of the heavy and dark curtains

Curtains made of thick and dark fabrics absorb light and prevent it from coming through into a room. The type of material and color that you opt for can profoundly affect the amount of light you allow in. Choosing lighter colors such as white or other neutral colors will instantly brighten up a room on its own and also enables sunlight to pass through. If you don’t want to remove your dark and heavy curtains, invest in some curtain holdbacks. Practical and stylish, these allow you to tuck the curtain back and let natural light come in. Moreover, they also come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to suit the style of your home. For instance, wrought iron handles shaped like leaves will complement traditional spaces.

4) Install Skylights in the room

Skylights are an effective and incredible way of bringing more light into a place, especially for high traffic spaces such as the washroom or living room. This light-transmitting structure is installed into the roof space of an area to allow daylight to pass through. For example, the sun tunnel skylights consist of a tunnel passing through the roof to the ceiling. The ceiling diffuser used to install the sun tunnel skylights blends seamlessly with the ceiling while bringing soft and restful light to an area. Additionally, skylights are also energy efficient and help to reduce your electricity bills. Seek a professional for the installment of your skylights to avoid any unexpected issues!

5) Prune the Trees by Your Windows

Make sure that any trees or bushes by your windows are regularly trimmed. If not, the trees will be too high and dense, and the foliage will prevent sunlight from entering. Not only will trimmed trees allow natural light to pour in, but it also enhances the exterior look of your home. Pruning will allow the plant to produce more flowers and also enable you to maintain your desired plant shape. Now, you can have a great looking landscape to enjoy at home as well!

6) Think ‘’Light’’ for the Colors of Your Ceiling and Interior Walls.

Color choice is an essential factor to consider to allow light inside. Generally, dark colors absorb light and make rooms feel more confined. Alternatively, light colors are known to reflect light into spaces, and for this purpose, nothing is better than white ceilings and walls! White paint will brighten up the room and open up the area, making it appear larger and fresher. For those who do not like white walls and ceilings, including things such as a white or light grey rug can help in adding light. You can also play around with different other lighter tones and hues until you feel like you’ve achieved the best result.

7) Clean Your Windows!

This one is too obvious and probably the easiest fix. However, cleaning your windows at least once a month can make a drastic difference upon how much light streams into a room. The more dust, dirt, and splatters on windows, the lesser sunlight can peek into the areas. Moreover, glass windows are little maintenance and dry rapidly. It’s also easier to clean than installing more windows!

Natural light is often overlooked when purchasing or remodeling a house. Luckily, there are various ways to adjust and allow more natural light to your home. We hope that these few tips have been able to get you started on transforming the dark spaces in your home into a light-filled oasis!

The Pros and Cons of Popcorn Ceiling

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Category : Home Improvement , Home Renovation

Popcorn ceiling, also known as stucco ceilings, textured ceiling, or cottage cheese ceiling, is a type of ceiling that has a certain paint-on or spray-on treatment. The materials used for popcorn ceiling include styrofoam or stucco, which gives them a bumpy appearance similar to popcorn and hence the name. We’ve listed a few pros and cons of popcorn ceilings below.

Pros

1) Hide Imperfections

The bumpy appearance of the popcorn ceiling makes it perfect for camouflaging any imperfections. This is possible since its texture on walls creates small shadows that darken the shade of the surface when there is light. The darkening effects help to better mask a multitude of imperfections such as cracks, leaks, damage, poor drywall artistry, and others.

2) Cheap

Popcorn ceilings are a more affordable option than painting and can effortlessly be installed. You can easily find a contractor to do it or even do it yourself if you’re used to painting as it is a sprayed-on textured installment.

3) Noise Dampening

Popcorn ceilings offer noise insulation qualities due to its increased surface area. Noise reduction is possible as the thick textured raised bumps help in absorbing sounds. This can be especially helpful in rooms where noise is an issue such as high-traffic entryways or hallways, rooms that echo due to high ceilings, or a great advantage to grab your midnight snack without causing much noise! The thicker and more porous the texture, the better it will be at muffling sounds.

Cons

1) Difficult to repair

Repairing popcorn ceilings can be hard. If there’s a leak, crack, or other ceiling damage, the destroyed part will need to be cut out replaced by a perfectly matched color and texture, which can be extremely difficult to achieve. In many cases, the recurrence of the issue is most likely to happen. If you want a uniform and perfectly repaired ceiling, unfortunately, the entire ceiling will need to be redone from scratch.

2) Difficult to clean

The bumpy surface of the popcorn ceiling makes it hard to clean as dust, cobwebs, spiders, and other little insects attach to it quickly. A brush head or vacuum cleaner might help to get rid of dirt, but constant cleaning using such devices can also break the popcorn ceiling, resulting in more harm than good. Dirt in between the crevices is too hard to reach and clean. Moreover, smoke can also stain the popcorn ceiling.

Are you considering popcorn ceilings for your home?

3 Helpful Tips to Paint Your Ceiling

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Category : Home Improvement , Home Renovation

Whether you’re trying to revive a dull and stained ceiling or simply enhance a room, painting the ceiling is often a tiring and messy task. Luckily, we’ve gathered a few tips for you to have a smooth ceiling painting project!

1) Use a Paint-Roller

Using equipment like a paint sprayer might indeed be easier to paint the ceiling. However, if you’re all about quality, you can’t go wrong with a paint-roller! Not only is a paint-roller affordable, but they can also provide you with better coverage. A good paint sprayer costs a lot more than a decent paint-roller, which is also easier to find. Moreover, by the time you finally manage to set up the paint sprayer and complete the pre-painting prep, you could have completed the ceiling paint with a paint-roller. From over-spraying to frequent clogs, you’ll also face unpleasant outcomes if you haven’t been maintaining the paint sprayer. Using a paint-roller causes less splatter than paint sprayers. It also provides a better color consistency through a thicker paint layer, which makes the finished product beautiful and spotless. Paint sprayers also come with a lot of wastage when the atomized paint drifts away, whereas each drop of paint is used with paint-rollers.

2) Use an Extension Pole

With the added leverage, extension poles enable you to paint faster. It lowers the amount of physical labor required to paint ceilings. For instance, you won’t have to bend down to low areas or get off the ladder constantly to reload the roller with paint. It also becomes easier to reach the ceilings without extending movements of the body, which can cause problems like backache.

3) Use a White Ceiling Paint

Opting for white ceiling paint is certainly not a mistake. It will never go out of style and has many more advantages than choosing vibrant colors. A white ceiling will brighten up any room and make it look clean and neat. It will also make rooms appear bigger since white paint gives an illusion of additional height to ceilings. Additionally, you won’t have to worry about clashing colors since white goes with anything, giving you the freedom to choose any other color for the remaining walls in the room.

Have these tips been helpful to you? What are other useful tips you know to paint the ceiling? Share it with us in the comments below!

Steps Towards Safer Stairs

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Category : Home Improvement

Stairs, indoor or outdoor, are an essential aspect of any home, office environment, or place of work. Stairs provide access to different levels of a building and serve as a safe means of passage between floors. Stairs are also commonly used as emergency exits and fire escapes.

Although stairs allow us to access different areas of a building easily, they can also pose a potential safety hazard. Individuals with back problems or walking difficulties could find it hard to climb a set of stairs without injuring themselves. Furthermore, poorly designed stairs with inadequate safety features could be dangerous to use. Most stairs installed in a home or an office do meet minimum safety requirements but may not have advanced features that will prevent accidents.

If you want to ensure your stairs are infinitely safe, why not consider some of the below safety features that are easy to implement?

By adding secure handrails or banisters

The most common way to make stairs safer is to add railings on both sides of the staircase. This will provide something to hold on to while climbing up and down the stairs. A staircase without a handrail or banister can be a huge safety concern. For those who lack stability on their feet, or find it difficult to walk downstairs, a handrail is an absolute necessity. A handrail or banister provides something an individual can hold onto for balance and safety when walking downstairs.

A handrail can easily be installed, and aside from the improved safety, it can also make a staircase look aesthetically pleasing. Handrails can be simply screwed into the staircase wall, or, if the stairs are open, you can consider a banister complete with vertical rails. This simple safety measure will ensure that anyone using the staircase has an anchor point to hold onto.

By adding LED lighting

If stairs are enclosed, they can often appear dark. Furthermore, if a dark shade of material is used for the actual stairs, people with poor sight may struggle to see each step. Poorly lit stairs can lead to people missing their footing or stumbling down a staircase.

A simple solution that can make a staircase more visible is to add LED lighting. LED light strips provide a fantastic source of light, and they can be combined with little effort to a staircase. A common best practice is to attach LED strips underneath the lip of each stair – this provides simple illumination and can make a huge difference to the visibility of the stairs. Furthermore, if a pale color is chosen, such as white or golden yellow, your stairs can be transformed into a beautifully lit walkway.

By adding traction mats

Stairs are often made from smooth surfaces such as wood that are slippery. A carpeted stair will provide a significant amount of traction, while a wooden stair will not. It only takes someone to slip on uncarpeted stairs, causing injury and serving as a real danger hazard.

Traction mats can provide additional grip on a staircase and can significantly improve a person’s traction. This type of tread is usually made from rubber or other rough materials that have a high degree of resistance. This functional device can be installed for a minimum cost and could potentially save businesses thousands in accident claims.

By implementing a contrasting color scheme

A staircase will often feature a single color scheme – each stair will be painted with the same color. This is perfectly fine from a design point of view, but it can cause a potential safety hazard. A mono-color staircase can make each stair hard to identify. To rectify this, you could consider using a contrasting color scheme – why not paint your stairs in alternative colors, so each separate stair is noticeable?

Keep hazards out of your way

Always make sure no objects are present on the stairs. No matter how small an object might be, it is a trippy hazard that increases the risks of falls.

Pay attention!

Similar to when you drive, pay attention to each of your steps up or down the stairs. Avoid texting, emailing, or searching on your smartphone. A trivial distraction such as checking on your social media notification might cost you a fall. Avoid carrying anything which encroaches on your line of vision, or which prevents you from holding on the handrail.

Stairlifts

Adding a stairlift is another way of making a set of stairs safer. Stairlifts can be installed on both curved and straight staircases. Often installed for seniors that have limited mobility, they can easily move from one story to another.

As you can see, improving the safety of a staircase is not complicated. All it takes is a little planning and consideration. Review the safety of your staircases today and see if you would benefit from these improvements.

Everything You Need to Know About Pool Services

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Category : Home Improvement

Oh, summer, the sweet sun and endless time spent in the pool! Well, that’s how most of us prefer summer. Chilled beer and unlimited soaking time in the pool is what Australian summer is all about. It is known that your swimming pool needs a regular check-up to be at its best. This is why it pays to develop a strong basic understanding of pool maintenance essentials. Here is everything that you need to know about swimming pool services. They are the doctors of your pool and the saviours to your summer water feast! So before you end up employing a service, however, there tend to be a number of elements an individual must keep in mind.

About pool services

A few pool owners go for a do it yourself system in pool care, but some find it worth it to employ another person. Knowing what services the pool company supplies is definitely vital in determining just how to deal with the servicing connected with your swimming pool.

The majority of swimming pool companies provide similar servicing duties, many on a weekly time frame. Several of these types of tasks may well include things like retaining the pool’s appearance by scrubbing up walls and steps and skimming trash off of the water’s surface, maintaining equipment in operating order and balancing the chemical compounds throughout the pool. Some services also provide swimming pool installation. You should take a look at whether your pool installers perform swimming pool services also since if they do, this is the most exceptional quality service an individual can find. This individuals already know your pool, and consequently, these people understand how to take care of it in the highest possible way.

Besides, if perhaps you do not keep your pool available year-round, a pool service can certainly also open and close your pool for an added cost. Opening a pool involves the removing of the cover, a chlorine treatment, re-installing the pump and filter, as well as the ladders and diving board. Shutting down the pool calls for draining the water, cleaning the water out of the water pump, taking off the ladder and diving board and ultimately covering the pool.

Cost of the services

Lots of companies provide primary services for close to $145 a month with swimming pool openings and closings from $100 to $150 each time, yet a few swimming pool owners quote up to $400 for monthly services. The price of pool services is remarkably variable, with numerous adding elements. Here are some questions to ask yourself when determining the price:

Just how large is your swimming pool? The size of your pool impacts just how many gallons of water have got to be treated with chemicals as well as just how long the swimming pool guys will have to brush off walls and steps, therefore when you currently have a big swimming pool; you might be charged more for chemicals and working hours.

Just what exactly are the usage and circumstances of your swimming pool? Elements like the consistency of utilization along with just how much trash falls into your swimming pool may signify more or fewer appointments from your swimming pool service in a month.

Exactly where do you reside? The location in which you live can have a significant impact on the cost of pool maintenance. Many swimming pool providers in your region can produce more aggressive costs. Fuel and chemical costs furthermore influence service prices, because the pool provider may factor that straight into their fee.

Exactly what type of equipment does your swimming pool have? Swimming pools have distinct filter systems, skimmers and vacuum cleaners that influence the consistency of servicing the pool will require. Excess equipment, including heaters and lights, may suggest more repair phone calls to the service.

What to consider for hiring?

Selecting the incorrect service can be an expensive oversight. Though there tend to be quite a few excellent providers out there, swimming pool maintenance can be a transient business. In advance of choosing, be positive that the service is covered by insurance and knowledgeable. How long has the company been around? Are they a part of an honest business association? Do a little investigation before hiring.

Interviewing the provider is also essential to be sure that they have competent employees. Are these people knowledgeable with regards to your pool’s equipment? If you have a heated pool, does the provider understand how to repair the heater if it breaks? Do they know the critical maintenance of your specific filtration system? All these are concerns to think.

Finally, it is essential to look around. Assess fees and services of different providers. Consult neighbours asking what provider they employ. Choosing to retain the services of a company can take away the burden of taking care of the overall health of your pool, but hiring the inappropriate one can turn out to be even far more of a problem. Consider all of the specifics and make your decision properly.

If you are looking for a provider in the Sydney area, then please give leakinc a call, and they will provide you with a free quote.

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