Home Improvement

Water damage is the enemy of all homeowners. It rots wood, producing mold and weakened support. It leads to foul odors and potential electrical hazards. Combating it can be time consuming and expensive. But the alternative is worse.

Tackle any sign of a leak at the first opportunity.

A leak doesn’t have to be an active drip. It can be something as simple as a crack or hole in caulk around the plate that backs a shower control. Water will inevitably move into that hole, where it then gets trapped. Some will evaporate. But some will remain behind, leading to weakened drywall and mildew build up. Continue reading ‘Leaky Pipes Cause Water Damage’ »

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It is safe to say that the current economic climate has not been easy for the heating industry. Nonetheless, installers should not be put off by the economic downturn. They should not be discouraged and wait around hoping for the situation to get better. Installers have a number of opportunities available to them. It is just about spotting these opportunities and making the most of them.

Unfortunately many installers fail to recognise these opportunities that come to them and take advantage. One particular area is the radiator market. This area of the market has grown in popularity over a period of time and there are many products available. Continue reading ‘Specialist Radiator Market’ »

Few jobs are as tough, or as satisfying, as painting your house. Professional painters really do earn the high fees they get. The areas are always larger than they seem. The quantity of materials is always greater than the initial estimate. But few other projects around the home can be carried out by do-it-yourselfers without special expertise or long experience. Some simple guidelines can lead anyone to a very satisfactory painting result.

Paint selection is task #1.

Naturally, everyone has difficulty picking out the desired color. It’s hard to visualize a whole wall from a single, small square. Paint color changes after application, too. It always dries a slightly different shade than what appears in the can. But with some research and a little experimentation you can pick out just what you want. Today, every shade the eye can perceive can be mixed up. Continue reading ‘DIY Paint Like A Pro’ »

We forget that solar power comes in many guises. Stand alone solar lighting can provide simple efficient lighting to the outdoor areas of your home. Either installed as off the shelf or a DIY solar panel hook-up, it can provide garden, garage or porch lighting for home security and enhance your homes appearance. When it comes to solar, we are so used to seeing solar hot water systems and solar panel electrical systems, that we forget that the suns heat and energy can be used in many other ways.

Home designers these days are well versed in passive solar design. However, these features are not always adopted unless asked to do so by the client, or unless required by local regulations to implement them as energy saving measures. If you are considering a new home, you are well advised to discuss the many design features that would make your home highly energy efficient and practically free of heating and cooling costs, simply by applying good design. Continue reading ‘Putting Solar to Work – Solar Energy is Not Just About Making Electricity, It’s for Heating & Cooling as Well’ »

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There have been many stories in the newspapers surrounding the tragic consequences of unsafe gas work. There have been reports of people suffering from brain damage and paralysis from carbon monoxide exposure. Often this would be a result from faulty fitted or badly repaired gas appliances. Unfortunately the sting in the tale is that most of these tragedies could have been prevented, had the correct safety measures been in place.

The relevance of the Gas Safe Register

The basis for the Gas Safe Register is to make sure that the public is protected at all times from unsafe gas work. This involves keeping track of all the reports that come in outlining faulty appliances and repairs. The Gas Safe Register takes all of these reports that threaten gas safety very seriously. Continue reading ‘Unsafe Gas Work’ »

Water heating is never much of a problem in homes where there is low water usage. A combi-boiler is usually satisfactory and if the home is big then a system boiler and a storage cylinder proves to be worthy. This type of system can work fine in smaller homes. The complications only arise when the house is bigger.

Nowadays many houses have more than one bathroom. Other types of buildings to be taken into consideration are commercial buildings. Commercial buildings often prove to be quite valuable in providing profit to the heating installer. Continue reading ‘A Better Approach To Water Heating In Homes’ »

Taking care of a yard is a year round job for some. For those who get a brief break due to snow on the ground, there are still some things you might want to study up on before Spring.

The first thing to keep in mind is that Spring isn’t the only, and not always the best time to do prep work. If you need to re-seed bare patches, just before the first snowfall of the year is a good time to start. The seeds will get worked into the soil by the weight of the snow and lay dormant for Winter. Continue reading ‘Lawn Care 101’ »

The three aspects of lighting – ambient, task and accent – apply to exterior lighting just as they do for interior illumination. But the way they’re implemented will be very different.

Where an interior room angle is, say, 90 degrees the outside corner is also thought of as 90 degrees. But, measured the same way, it’s actually 270 degrees. That difference produces just one of the many wrinkles inherent in an exterior lighting scheme. Add to that the presence of bushes, trees, few if any enclosed hallways or spaces and you have a decidedly different environment to illuminate. Continue reading ‘DIY Exterior Lighting Ideas’ »

Tile and plumbing are natural neighbors. Bathrooms, kitchens and other areas that use water are often laid with tile because homeowners expect to splash it around from time to time. But those two can be good neighbors or bitter enemies.

Properly laid and sealed tile will keep water from getting into unwanted areas for decades. But sometimes caulking isn’t perfect and it can dry out and crack. Taking the time to make a good seal the first time around can prevent expensive repairs later. Continue reading ‘Tile And Plumbing: What You Need To Know’ »