Top 6 Most Common Home Disasters

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Recently I visited a friend’s house with a water problem. By that I mean the floor was covered in water and there were clear skies outside. The culprit was a broken seal from a newly installed tap and a friends over confidence and good nights sleep. Water damage is a common home disaster but my friends experience got my thinking about other common home disasters so I thought I would try to compile a list of the top 6 home disasters. In all cases prevention is most definitely better than cure but if you do suffer from a home disaster and particularly if it involves dangerous conditions such as electricity or structural damage remember there are companies that cleanup home disasters safely and professionally. Don’t expound the damage with a home remedy clean-up if you don’t know what you are doing. So without further adieu and in no particular order here are my top 6 home disasters:

5 Taps to Blow your Mind – Not Your Budget

After attending an engagement party for a friend recently, the overarching question of the night was “have you used the taps?” After using the bathroom the reason for the question was obvious:

Tips and Tricks of Professional Decorators

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Professional home decorators are masters at creating maximum effect for minimal cost. They understand how to design décor that meets the functionality needs of their clients… all within an established budget. Using their tips and tricks, amateur decorators can employ the same strategies within their own homes, creating a winning style without breaking the bank. Here are three tips and tricks that professional decorators use to achieve great results.

1. Start from the Ground Up

Professional designers never forget that people spend much of their time within their homes sitting, so it’s important that interiors look great from a seated position. As a taste for wall-to-wall carpeting continues to decline, designers are more likely to opt for wood floors, both as an easy-care surface and as strong style statement. By installing affordable hardwood floors, decorators achieve grand style at a reasonable expense. Area rugs are often used to add texture, pattern and color. Many decorators also use area rugs to establish the room’s color scheme.

2. Include Unifying Elements

Today’s homeowners prefer rooms that look as if they were decorated over time rather than purchased all at once as a coordinated suite. By including unifying elements, decorators are able to include furnishings and accessories from a variety of decorative styles and periods. The key to this eclectic look is repeat colors, finishes and forms throughout the space to give the room a cohesive look. Whether through light fixtures with the same brass finish, a geometrical shape that’s repeated in several fabrics or wall treatments that echo the primary shade of the room’s color scheme, unifying elements help the room look polished and professional.

3. Strong Design Statements

Every room needs focal points to keep the space from looking cluttered and chaotic. Architectural elements like fireplaces, windows and archways are natural focal points that decorators often enhance to give the space a distinctive style. When architectural elements are absent, focal points can be created with furnishings and accessories that make strong design statements. From an ornate cabinet for a room in a traditional design style to a cutting-edge pendant lighting fixture in mid-century modern room, stellar design statements define the style and character of the space.

With a few design statements that arrest attention and unifying elements to tie it all together, professional decorators make the most of a small budget to achieve a grand style. Anyone can use these three basic design strategies to add a professional flair to their own interiors too.

Why Is Conservatory Roof Insulation Important?

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Whether you use a conservatory for growing plants or as additional useable space, it is important to explore the benefits of conservatory roof insulation. Climate control is vital to both growing plants and human comfort, but besides the obvious, there are a number of additional benefits which many people are simply unaware of. First of all, the right insulation can lower temperatures in bright sunlight by as much as 32°C and can reduce the amount of heat lost in cold winter months. In addition, proper conservatory roof insulation can actually improve the integrity of the structure itself.

Also, insulating the roof can reduce noise levels by as much as ten percent and will also greatly reduce glare. Conservatory roof insulation installed by Roof Cozy is known to have an ozone depletion level (ODL) of zero and global warming potential (GWP) is extremely low as well. This particular product is eligible for reduced VAT, down from 20% to 5%. However, when installed by Roof Cozy, conservatory roof insulation has a 2 year guarantee that is insurance backed which so many installers simply don’t offer.

Conservatories are becoming much more popular in today’s market because they can be a literal multi-purpose room. Some families use them as bright and sunny dining areas where others like to raise some of their own fruits and vegetables year round. When insulated properly, a conservatory can add value to a home, especially if this frees up space within the home to use as an extra bedroom. The point is, the housing market is still experiencing difficulties in the UK as mortgage loans are extremely hard to qualify for.

As a result, homeowners are expanding living space by converting conservatories since it is almost impossible to find financing for larger homes. To explore further benefits of conservatory roof insulation, visit the Roof Cozy website where you will find complete details on innovative products and services available.

Setting Up Your House For Sale

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When it comes to selling a house something often overlooked is the presentation. Sure people tidy up, make it smell nice and give it a quick clean, but they are not presenting the house for their potential buyers. Its know as projecting, and its what all buyers do when they look at a house, the key is to present your house in a way that allows the buyers to project positively on the house.

The most important aspect of presenting a house (after ensuring its clean) is setting up the décor and furnishings. And unless your house is architecturally distinct, or somewhat historical you should be focusing on a modern décor. The short tip is to try and style your house like a magazine, but of course there is more depth to it.

One mistake I see a lot of people make is to mix emotions with taste. Sure that sofa may have been a big part of your family life over 10 years with plenty of happy memories, but a potential buyer sees an old, worn sofa bringing the aesthetics of the house down. So replacing that sofa with a Modern Sofa would be a good idea. Now the sofa has been replaced does the rest of the furniture match well or do you need to style the whole house with Contemporary Furniture ?

Before you begin worrying that I am advocating spending thousands on replacing the furniture of the whole house, I am advocating the hire of Modern Furniture to style your house whilst you are selling it. It’s cheap and it makes a huge difference for potential buyers. Earlier I mentioned projections and this is where your styling skills come to the fore. Your goal is not to over-stylize the house, but to show the function and potential of each room, and to promote its potential.

Have a look at these two examples before, both nice rooms, fairly simple but the way they have been styled makes all the difference. The first uses modern furniture, clean layout, high quality furniture, showcasing the function of the room, and consistent with the rest of the house.

The second image shows another nice room, with dated furniture, clashing colors and styles, and a fake TV and fireplace to really emphasis the word “cheap”. Assuming the houses were exactly the same structurally which one would you choose?

Here are some tips to help you style your house properly:

  • Show the functionality of a room – If it’s a living space add a sofa, if it’s a bedroom add a bed (you will be surprised) and so on.
  • Neutral Styles – You’re not styling for yourself but for potential buyers. Having red and black themes throughout your house, quirky or unique furniture or other personal touches may help you with some buyers but hurt you with others. Let their imaginations do the work for you, stick to neutral themes and they will “project” their own ideas on the house
  • Go modern, go high quality. New, quality furniture will bring a wow factor to the house. Although its neutral in colors and style it will add to the overall appeal of the house, quality by association.
  • Along with your furnishings, hiring of some indoor plants can be a good idea. Its add freshness and a splash of color to a house.

So please no more ratty sofas, no more home gyms in a bedroom, no more multi functional rooms, no more houses with 10 different styles throughout, spend the money on presenting the house properly and you will be rewarded in the final sale price.

5 Cleaning Ideas To Add Value To Your Home

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We talk a lot on this site about adding value to your greatest asset: your home. We tend to focus on the big things to add value; new kitchen, new bathroom, new floors, new rooms, extensions and so on. Sometimes it is often overlooked the amount of value you can add to your home by the smaller, cheaper and easier things. One of those that is overlooked far to often is cleaning.

Now I am not talking about wiping the dishes, or washing the dog, but cleaning jobs that can make a difference to the appearance of your house and ultimately its value. Here are my top 5 cleaning ideas to add value to your house.

Dont Delay, Fixing a Leaky Tap is Easy!

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The incessant dripping of a leaky tap is an infuriating sight, sound and drain on your water bill. Often the problem can be solved without the need for contacting the local plumber, which represents a further financial burden to this pesky problem.

The most likely cause for a leaky tap is an old worn out washer. If the spout is leaking even when the tap is turned off tightly, then it’s time to dig out some basic tools and start the replacement.

Unclutter to Unwind

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Have you ever heard the urban legend about the elderly man who refused to throw away his old newspapers? There were piles of them throughout his house: in the garage, attic, cupboards and hallways, even the kitchen. And like the beanstalk that sprouted from Jack’s magical beans, these newspaper stacks grew; high and higher, up and up until the only space between them and the ceiling was a tiny crack for spiders and cockroaches to take refuge in. But if you have heard this story before, then you’ll know that’s not the worst of it. You’ll remember that one day the old man’s cat knocks over one of the tallest stacks right on top of him, trapping him in the hallway until he eventually starves to death.

Now, we may not be in any danger of being crushed by an avalanche of decaying newspapers, but we’re all guilty of holding onto things that we really should have gotten rid of a long time ago. It’s so easy to do. How often do we say to ourselves, ‘Oh, I’ll deal with that next weekend.’ Or even, ‘It can wait until spring-cleaning.’ Raise your hand if you’ve ever skipped spring-cleaning before. I know both my hands are in the air. The bad thing is that research is now showing that all that clutter in our house, well it’s getting us down. That’s right, as unsightly as those piles of junk might look to us, that’s nothing compared to how they’re making us feel.

So, how can we cut down on the amount of useless junk and rubbish in our houses and bring a little more relaxation into our lives? The answer is simple. Dumpster Rental, just say to yourself: Trash, Donate, or Keep? That’s the question we should be asking ourselves about every item in our homes on a regular basis.

Simple Steps To The Perfect Lawn

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It’s hard to deny the appeal of a lush, green, well kept lawn. An attractive lawn is aesthetically pleasing and more likely to be respected by neighbours and visitors alike. If you are seeking the appeal and admiration won through maintaining a luscious lawn, then check these ideas out:

Home Improvements On A Budget

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Home renovations can be an excruciating exercise in emptying the bank account. If you’ve been delaying action due to the fear of potentially soaring costs of improving your home’s appearance, then take a little glance at some of our budgeting tips. These ideas should help keep you out of the financial red zone…