Home and Garden Articles
posted on 7 February 2012
I've worked in plumbing supplies, so I do have a bit of an insight when it comes to DIY, and certainly have an interest in it. I have been living in an apartment in Canada for the last 4 years and there is one major disadvantage to this sort of living arrangement It isn't easy or convenient to paint my walls a new colour. Most people who live in a house are able to repaint whenever they want, but I am limited since I am moving to a new place every year. What I wish I could do was paint my office in bright colours. I have a home office with incredibly high ceilings which means that our lights are much farther above than normal apartments. What ends up happening is it appears as if there isn't very much light. This simple problem, not having enough light, could be easily solved with a can of lime or salmon coloured paint. By painting the walls I wouldn't just have a new and fun project for me to complete, but a whole rejuvinated and more workable office space. |
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posted on 3 February 2012
In search of good service providers, we tend to forget about the services that we may need beside the actual services that we are hiring service providers for. If for instance you are hiring slating and tiling contractors, you are hiring them to install that kind of roof on your building. You may also need them to choose the best tiles for you, which are durable and attractive, so that they can make your building great in the end. Choosing tiles is never part of their work therefore you have to request them to do it for you as a favor. Some service providers will not demand a pay for such an extra work because they want to make you happy so that you can come back for more services. It is always good to confirm that from the service providers in order not to get surprised later on when they demand a pay, like some do. This is the reason why I prefer professional service providers because they can do so much more for you without asking for a pay. |
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posted on 2 February 2012
We've only really ever done small improvements to our house - buying furniture like the shoe chair we bought recently, and small renovation works. But the next job I'd like to do would be more involving: adding solar power to it. My wife and I are first time home buyers and we recently purchased a house. We have yet to understand the full scope of our energy bills but coming from a small apartment we expect them to go way up in a home. People tell us that in the winter time we should expect to pay at least 200 dollars in heat alone. By adding solar panels to our roof we hope that it would help us save on our electric bills to find one way to save money in our new place. With the high costs of home ownership, trying to save money in any way we can is a plus! We have been researching solar panels and are hoping to find low cost installation so the cost of installation does not exceed what we would be saving on electricity. |
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posted on 1 February 2012
One of the things that annoy me the most is those phone calls from people who dialed the wrong number. I mean seriously don't they double check the number before they actually dial it? Over the years (we've had this phone line for around 3 or 4 years) I have answered a gazillion phone calls all from people who dialed the wrong number. There was a time when I received a call from a kid who asked if he has called in the phone delivery for McDonalds. Okay that was amusing and I actually smiled while telling him he got the wrong number. There was a time when I answered a call from a rough sounding man calling in about electricians in fleet and I told him point blank he got the wrong number. I complained about these instances to Mickey who only laughed and said things like that do happen and there's nothing we can do about it. Seriously, that's all she has to say? It's very annoying I tell you and it's not like it happens once in a blue moon, no sir it happens at least once a week. |
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posted on 1 January 2012
We have started a collection of lovely old copper saucepans hanging up in my farmhouse kitchen. These copper saucepans make a stylish and warm addition to any chefs kitchen.
These look great hanging from the wall, above a cooker or cast iron range or off an oak hanging frame. The sheer size and shape difference and colour and patina variations, make more an obsessional collecting heaven. From the amazing rectangular turbot pans, huge copper stew pots with lids, incredible salmon copper fish kettles with zinc liners and copper lids, to a collection of small sauce or saute pans, all gleaming away in the kitchen, add to the charm of a copper collection.
The amazing patina of any special copper pan manufactured many decades ago, embossed with it's proud makes mark, and nestling in the far recesses of the kitchen shelves, always add to the charm of a copper collection to any home. |
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posted on 28 December 2011
In 2006, my spouse and I bought an attractive 10 year old American colonial house. We'd toyed on the idea of going for a self build, but fell in love with this regal-looking property. For several years after we moved in, we had wanted to finish the basement. Time, money and other obligations have caused us to continuously put off this project for years. With +800 square foot to spare, the extra space added on to our two story house would be quite welcome to our family of six. Due to the rising cost of bills and the declining economy, my spouse and I debated on whether or not to create a living space and rent it out for some extra income, or to create a theater room that could be enjoyed by everyone. We eventually decided on a rec room. We finally took the plunge early in 2010, and hired professional contractors to help with the renovation. In about two months, the basement was finished, painted, decorated, and ready to be enjoyed by the whole family. When all was said and done, it ended up costing us roughly 32K, but I consider it to be a an investment, and money well spent. |
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posted on 26 December 2011
I feel that those who are saying there is nothing to this ozone level being depleted is nothing but a scare tactic are wrong and if we do not continue in the efforts of clean energy such as the electric car and solar energy, we will be in serious trouble. I can notice myself that there is something definitely happening in our environment. For example, this month we have recorded the most rain fall we have ever had, and it seemed that this past summer was the worst we have had in years. We need to get away from using fuels such as oil and go to wind or solar power. I feel that solar panels can be used just as well as oil to heat your homes and provide power for your appliances. There are also economic benefits to living off the grid such as less cost for electricity, and in some cases you can get paid for providing your own electricity. |
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posted on 8 December 2011
Twas the summer time. I was grateful to be working. Many friends were unemployed and getting bitter. We were living in a rented house, tucked away in a suburb. I took my purse to work that day and plopped it on my desk. When it was break time, I zipped open my purse, and the wave of roaches that poured onto my desk and my arm, was none other than a biblical plague. Horrified and humiliated, I squished them as quickly as I could, trying to be discreet, so my manager wouldn't hear my shoe pounding on my desk. In case you have never noticed, roaches can be incredibly hard to kill. I'd dealt with flies before easily with fly killers (sprays, zappers) - roaches are more durable than flies!
So, once I came home we telephoned our home's landlord and he came promptly, loaded with some homemade concoction that was supposed to kill the roaches in our house. He smeared this mysterious substance underneath all the kitchen drawers and in the corners of the living room. Although I was skeptical, I kept my mouth shut, because I really wanted to hope and believe that this mysterious roach recipe would work. But lo and behold, the roaches kept marching and thriving, virtually ignoring the substance that our landlord swore by. So, why am I telling you this story? Sometimes, if something looks or sounds too good to be true, it usually is. The next time I have a roach problem, I will call in the experts, and never trust a homemade concoction again. |
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posted on 3 December 2011
I always felt that the way you style your home is a reflection of your innermost parts of yourself. I do enjoy DIY - choosing the hardwoods, the paint colours, the layouts - it's a creative process.
When we first visit a home from a friend we always find out new things about them, things they like, hobbies, books they read, music they listen. A long time I thought that my fast track life doesn’t allow me to spend so much time in decorating the home, but lately some spark of creativity started to emerge and I felt a need to change something, and I wanted to do it by myself. First I redid the lining of my sofa, and changed the color of the textile to red, because I like strong and bold colors, and because I think it emphasized it more. I also wanted to change the colors of the walls to go with the color of my new sofa, but I didn’t want many strong colors on the walls because I think colors like that confide the space and make it look claustrophobic. For this reason I decided to paint one of the walls in white, and the other in alternating lines of pink and light red. I also am very fond of art, I like to paint, usually on canvas, so I framed three of my biggest pieces and hung them on the white wall. Later I decided to change the tiles on my balconies with dark red marble, and inserted some interesting facade decorative panels to reshape the overall appearance of the house. |
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posted on 5 November 2011
It was the Winter of 2006, early January. Grandmother was still living in the house, I was trying to adjust to late-night sleeping, and my father was nestled in the confines of his room upstairs. We were all in our little worlds that Winter until the constant disturbances rattled our intermediate family. It started with a bunch of nibbled paper in the three utility drawers and soon progressed to a collection of droppings in our cereal, grains, and varied mixes and spices. They came by the dozens and were finding comfortable homes in every nook and cranny of our old house. They rustled through paper at night, gnawed on candles in the daytime, and sang soft little mice songs when a mature lover was nearby. This was their heaven and we were the humans in the way of ultimate paradise. Now, it was well-known that all creatures wanted to get in out of the Chicago cold. WE stayed in doors to avoid it. What WASN'T kosher was finding all of our food pre-chewed and pooped on. Something had to give. My father began to lay out the typical mousetraps with cheese. Oh how I wish mice were as easy as flies to deal with - some fly screens for doors can sort those little blighters out! The mice were too slick and would steal the cheese before the traps went off. Out of 5 traps, we only caught two mice. With an upgrade to peanut butter, we caught more and more. Suddenly the little darting creatures running into walls and corners at night stopped. There were no more love songs at night and no more bits of food and poo everywhere. A week after things quieted down, two more attacks happened. When I went to get some crackers, a mouse leaped out of the box and landed on my leg for a split second. I screamed as he scurried to some random location. A night later, my grandmother would quietly knock on my door complaining about rustling in the closet. By this time we were setting glue traps for anything left. The rustling was the sound of a baby and its mother stuck to a trap. It hurt to look into those beady trapped eyes as I carried the sticky trap to the garbage. I thought of cutting baby and mommy loose until I remembered the dozens of mice running through our house that month. I tossed the trap into the garbage and walked away in relief, hoping to never have an infestation like that ever again. |
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posted on 15 October 2011
Many will be able to empathise with my situation of having my front door in my living room. Not even beginning the mention the blistering cold blowing its way in through the letterbox all day but the conastant opening and closing with my sons and their friends in and out all the time. I wouldn't even mind if there was a porch there and he had two doors to open. If I had the money I would build that porch, complete with a porch canopy of course. Not ony would it be a simple hub with an extra door, but I would have to add two extra functions, which would be for it to automatically turn the TV up when someone comes in and also to blow warm air towards me. I've always wondered why houses were ever built with the front door in the living room. It's just a shame you don't always get the option to choose! |
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posted on 7 October 2011
Pest Control is bugging me out! Make it stop, and I don't mean the bugs!|Once a long time ago, when we didn't have any money, we lived a tiny little horrible old apartment. The decor was from the 1980's, and the ceiling and walls were cracked and drafty. But the worst part of it all was the bugs. We had cockroaches. And not just any kind of cockroaches, but the super hard to get rid of, resistant to all kinds of pesticides German cockroaches. My experience with pest control is not a very happy one. Apparently, the manager took it upon himself to "control" the pests. Also apparently, in Illinois where I live, if you're a landlord all you have to do is show the health inspector that you're doing something to control or get rid of the bugs. This something includes putting down 3 traps per apartment for approximately 3 million cockroaches that live in the walls. He never did any more as far as pest control than that. It was terrible. A cursory look online will tell anyone there are all kinds of pest control devices and sprays available - from bed bug powders to electric flea traps!
The one time we complained enough to get him to do something more than put useless traps down, he called a real pest control expert. Guess what he did? He put down MORE traps! Eventually, our pest control problem lead us to greener pastures. Pastures that were bug free. |
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posted on 15 September 2011
During the winter months, my cats had gotten a bad case of the fleas. I have no idea where they came from, or why indoor cats would get fleas. It was a mystery. We normally have pest problems in the summer - particularly flies - and we deal with them with door fly screens. But fleas seem to be "hardy perennials" when it comes to pests! We tried several products. Upping the ante each time. Flea shampoos, then flea spray, then flea collars, then flea bombs, ultimately leading to the purchase of a carpet steamer, and expensive flea treatment. None of it worked. They'd go away, and come back. It turns out that our neighbor, who shares a wall with us, brought in a stray cat. A trip to the vet and a flea bath later, both our houses were almost flea free. There were some stragglers here and there, but after a few passes with the carpet steamer, they'd be gone. Some of the fleas retreated to the far corner of the house, but believe it or not, borax helped to kill them all. The fleas did settle in some of our clothes, but we had to sort our laundry anyway, and get rid of some old clothes that didn't fit anymore. We washed literally every article of clothing and bedding in the house. Once we found the source, the stray kitten, the nightmare was nearly over. After that cat was treated, it took about four days for the infestation to subside. The moral of the story is, treat ALL of the cats in the house, even if they're not yours. Also, don't let your neighbors take in stray animals when you have healthy ones. This time it was fleas, but it could easily have been another disease. |
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posted on 11 September 2011
One of the most beautiful enhancements you can do for your outdoor space is to install an outdoor fireplace. It makes your outdoor space look really stylish and gives it a more welcoming appeal. Customized outdoor furnaces can be really expensive and time consuming to build.
Luckily you have the option to choose a prefab outdoor fireplace. These are ready made fireplaces that come in a box and all you need is to assemble them by yourself. Just follow the instructions on the manual on how to assemble and install the fireplace and you are ready to go!
Choose a spot in your outdoors where you want to install the fireplace. Make sure its on a flat and stable surface. Avoid grassy or wood surfaces for these tend to catch fire and are unsafe. Surfaces made of stone, concrete or brick are highly recommended for installing your outdoor fireplace. Most of all, keep a good distance away from your plants, furniture and your house when installing the furnace. |
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posted on 2 September 2011
One day when I was about five or six I started to hear a faint buzzing sound in the fireplace. It seemed to be something that no one took seriously. I assumed it was flies. We'd had a fly problem that summer and our windows were taped up with fly screens.
Then one day when I got home from school my mother would not let me go inside the house. At I was wondering what in the world it could have been, and when I looked inside all I saw were several piles of dead bees. I was smart enough to know that I was lucky enough not to be home when they finally broke free took over. A true exterminator had to come in and kill all the bees. It looked like they had Hazmat suits on and a large hose of some sort that would spray a killing agent on the bees and it was a few hours before anyone was allowed inside the house. I was told they were simple honey bees that were trying to recolonize. Luckily there was no one inside the house when they went free and no one got stung. |
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posted on 29 August 2011
During my wife’s birthday, I surprised her with a gift that I knew she will like. I’ve always wondered why she stays in the bathroom for so long in the morning and I only use 15 minutes of my time to prepare for the day. I’ve come to realize that she is using so many things such to fix her hair, makeup and a lot more. These often create a clutter on the sink that I often get confused with the things I own which leads me to my decision of getting her bathroom storage furniture. These are storage cabinets that are placed in the bathroom to make things more organized. She can take a few shelves for her things and I have my own space too. This way, we do not mix up the things we use in the bathroom. You can guarantee that most of these are made with MDF boards which are water resistant. Even if water hits the cabinet, you will not have to worry about molds and other things. You can try to look at possible bathroom storage that you can also add to your lovely bathroom. |
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posted on 8 August 2011
As you plan out your home remodeling tasks, you might as well consider hiring professional remodelers. This can be a very wise move towards your home improvement plans. When you are planning to remodel your house, you just need to hire a professional who knows how to get the things done right. You can truly save your time, money and effort as you delegate all the tasks to your hired professional remodeling contractors.
Your hired professional remodeler should have the technical training and experience in remodeling projects. You need to make sure your remodeler should know how to handle plumbing, electrical wiring and foster home safety.
A professional remodeler should know how to plan out a home improvement plan which is within your specified budget. You need also to determine that your hired professional should maximize the space and budget that you have. Your interior space should be given ample attention to create a more comfortable living condition for your entire household. |
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posted on 17 July 2011
Moving across seven seas is no child’s play, it involves a lot of responsibilities. Right from the time you process your documents, to customs and ensuring that all your belongings, including the most fragile items are taken across with care. To get all this done, you should ask for help from reputed international movers, who would be happy to assist.
For the common man to move internationally with everything in place, it could get quite stressful. But when you have international movers as the best alternative helping hands around, you know for sure that everything would be taken care of and with smoothness that too.
The best international movers around town would get you access to all customs knowhow you would need and that too for more than a hundred nations worldwide. Plus they would also let you know if the country you would be moving to would allow you to carry certain belongings or not. |
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posted on 10 July 2011
My sister's house is very beautiful and she is the envy of all her neighbors. Her yard is beautiful because she takes care of it every day. Her flowers are pruned properly and they flourish well and her front yard is an amazing site. The decor inside her house is top notch too. During the summer, she does not turn on her air conditioner to cool the house during the day. This is because it is always cool and this is possible due to the roofs that have been put in her house. When she replaced her roof, she hired the roofing company in nuneaton because it was the nearest one to her. She asked them of good ideas of her next roof and they suggested that she choose a roof that is not of a dark color. This was because such roofs had a reputation of absorbing all the heat in to the house. They suggested a brighter color and this was important because such roofs do not take the heat in. Instead they reflect the light back to the atmosphere. |
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posted on 14 June 2011
A plumber who has gained and expertise in all kind of plumbing work can be referred as someone who would help you with leak detection as well. He is one who has excellent knowledge in setting up of pipelines. Every care should be taken while setting up the pipelines that they are set up correctly as little carelessness can lead to unpleasant results.
The use of superior materials like that of pipes and proper sealing materials can help in avoiding messy situations, say leak detection experts. A plumber is one who has gained proper and sound knowledge in such works, and is always suggested that one should go for the services of these professionals when it comes to any kind of plumbing issues.
It is easy to get hold of leak detection experts, but one should make sure that that they establish contacts at social levels to have the proper kind of work done for them. |
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