Sorry if this isn’t a practical post. . . .but last week I reached some significant milestones for this Blog.
Here is a copy of the Google Analytics Page for 25th August
Thanks to all of you who visit the Blog . . . you are helping me continue to grow the blog at over 20% a year!
This photo of a disused underground public toilet doesn’t seem very home like.
But this 2nd photo shows what can be done!
I’m not sure whether I would be happy with watching people walk over the skylight though.
Want to find out more? check out this link; crystalpalacetoilets.blogspot.com.au
A guest post by Hubert Dwight
An entrance way or hallway of a house often gives an immediate impression of your home to anyone stopping by.
For that reason alone, it’s important that your hallway is decorated in a way that expresses your unique personality, and sets the tone for the overall style of your home.
It’s also important to remember that this area should feel as if the house is welcoming your friends and company, not overwhelming them.
Your hallway should convey a gracious and friendly feeling, not blast visitors with an outlandish design. We’ve gathered a few tips for using fabric as a way to enhance the hallway of your home.
Adding colour and design to the walls is one of the first things that people think of when it comes to decorating their house or apartment, and if they want to add a pattern or design to the walls, wallpaper is often the first choice.
Wallpaper can be used to easily add colour and pizazz to bare walls, but fabric can add so much more.
There’s a reason that the most beautiful palaces in the world used fabric to line their walls.
Fabric adds a texture and sensory delight that wallpaper just can’t provide.
Whether the fabric is a woven pattern of plaid, checks, or stripes, or a beautifully delicate weave of flower blossoms floating on air, fabric fills your walls with personality.
It’s one of the best ways to enrich the hallway of your home.
Another way to use fabric in your hallway is to display it as an art piece.
Again, let’s take a look at those castles in Europe.Fabric hangings were a way of life in castles or palaces made of stone.
Wall hangings not only acted as a minimal form of insulation on those cold stone walls, they also provided visual interest to walls that were difficult to decorate.
Although you probably don’t live in a castle, framing and hanging beautiful curtain fabrics is a wonderful way to add impact to your hallway.
The fabric you choose to hang doesn’t have to be an ornate pattern or a pictorial weave, but it should be something that adds a definite statement to your walls.
For example, if your hallway is lined with a deep aubergine solid fabric, a framed square of a lime-coloured pattern of leaves, plants and grapes can create a gorgeous contrast that calls attention to both the wall and fabric hanging.
Another way to add impact is to actually downplay the colour of your hallway walls.
A cool grey or beige burlap-type weave is a great choice for your walls if you want to highlight a certain object or piece of art.
Your hallway will still have impact but in a different way. For instance, if you have an original Warhol print, you would want that to have centre stage on the wall.
And what if you don’t have a Warhol original to hang on your wall?
The focal piece of your wall doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to make a statement.
Something as simple as a large mirror with a dramatic frame can be your objet d’art.
Antique tools and saws, framed book covers, and Edwardian table linens are just as notable and amazing as a print or painting.
The most important thing to remember is that whatever you feature in your hallway should reflect an aspect of you or your family.
After all, when someone comes to your home, they’re there to see you.
However you decorate it, just make sure that when people walk into your hallway they receive a charming message of “welcome to my home.”
So I thought it was a good reminder that solar panels aren’t just fit and forget. . . . if they get dirty performance will go down
Here are some of the issues:
The main issue is birds perching on the top edge so either a wire, spikes, or a plate like this one will reduce the risk.
You will know that all windows get dirty over time so its the same for solar panels.
Having a reasonable slope on the panels is a good start so rain will wash away the majority of dirt.
It may also be worth investing in one of those glass shield products that makes the glass ‘smoother’.
People on the Alternative Technology Forum have found this can be a problem.
At the very least it could be worth aiming to inspect the panels once a year and give them a clean.
Guest post by Hubert Dwight
Many people are quick to complain about how high their energy bills are, but they fail to take any real action to minimise the expenses.
Inside the home, lighting, electrical appliances, hot water, heating and cooling dominate energy consumption within their property.
Improving consumption habits will make a difference, however leveraging energy efficient technology will allow people to make greater energy savings with very little effort.
Here are a few ways improvements can be made to the home.
A roof that is a lighter colour will reflect more light and heat, which keeps the home cooler.
According to Steve King, Senior lecturer of architecture at the University of New South Wales, this can potentially cut down air conditioning usage and costs by 1/3rd.
Many homes tend to have the wrong kind of glazing for the climate in their area.
For example, homes in warm climates that have large double glazed windows may find that their property gains too much heat, thus forcing people to use air cooling systems more.
Alternatively, properties located in areas with a cooler climate tend may be losing considerable heat due to single glazing.
People can reduce their lighting energy consumption by fitting their property with LED light bulbs.
LED technology is great because it allows people to continue with their lifestyle, while drawing less energy to illuminate an area.
The bulbs are more expensive than incandescent, or fluorecent fittings, but they last much longer and provide better lighting.
Savewise, who are specialists in residential and commercial LED lights can help secure government subsidies for those people that are interested in upgrading their existing property to use energy efficient lighting.
Air conditioners are an essential appliance that will make a property feel more comfortable.
It’s important to invest in an air conditioner that is energy efficient because it will consume less energy and incur a lower running cost.
People can provide additional insulation to their property to keep the heat from escaping.
Additionally, investing in heating through reverse cycle inverter air conditioning can be a cost efficient way to increase your room temperature without incurring a high energy consumption cost.
Refrigerators run 24h a day in the home and tend to consume a lot of energy.
To minimise the energy consumption costs, look out for appliances that carry the energy star logo and any energy guides that will advise you on the running costs of the fridge.
Another tip when purchasing energy efficient refrigerators is that a top mount refrigerator uses 15% less energy than a side by side refrigerator.
Investing in an eco-efficient dishwasher will help to save water and electricity.
Look out for dishwashers that have a high energy star rating and also keep in mind that you should run the dishwasher overnight to take advantage of the ‘off peak energy tariffs’, or if you have solar panels when the sun is shining.
These are some simple ways to improve the eco-friendliness of your property and it should reduce the overall energy consumption, which will save you money over the long run.
Review the appliances that are being used in your property and see where you can make an upgrade today!
Would you like a house built out of waste plastic?
Well this might be practical thanks to an idea developed by the BYFUSION team. . . check out the video:
This uses any sort of waste plastic to make these ‘Lego’ like bricks.
Well PCI stands for Practical Completion Inspection. . . . but what does that mean?
Practical completion is when the building work is all but completed, and the house meets the requirements for an Occupation Certificate.
There may be minor works required and some of the appliances may not be installed but you should be able to get a good idea of the final finish.
The normal process is the building supervisor and client will go around the houses and agree on a list of items that need to be attended to.
Its always useful to have a checklist like the one in the PCI Guide, that I sell from this site, to make sure you don’t miss things
Following the PCI there is usually a short gap of around two weeks for the builder to attend to the issues.
This may be extended if there are a lot of issues that need attention particularly as the house must be habitable.
The builder has a contractual obligation to repair all defects, and most builders would attempt to do complete them before handover.
Any items not attended to should be attended to during the maintenance period, which typically runs for 6 months after handover
Yes, every house has a letter box. . . but not every house has a letter box like a house.
I saw this photo on www.collegehumor.com.au
In this Olympic year are you inspired to get fit?
Wondering how hard it would be to run 100m and beat Usain Bolt?
You could buy a 100m shed to do some serious sprint training.
Just one idea from Tiger Sheds in their Summer of Sport series.
Only £14900.00 ($24,330) although I don’t think the free delivery applies to Australia.
You don’t want to injure yourself, or damage your possessions so here is some advice.
You can buy a basic trolley for less than $50, or hire a more expensive stair climbing trolley for about the same amount.
This can be used to both carry boxes and move large items such as refrigerators.
If your furniture can be disassembled, then get the screwdriver and allen key out.
It’s going to make lifting and carrying it easier.
Taking it apart can also mean it will take up less less space on the truck.
Even if you are using removalists taking things apart, in advance, will save time. (and money if you are paying by the hour)
Even if you can’t take it furniture apart you may be able to cut down the weight.by taking out drawers.
Empty the contents
Use smaller boxes, especially for heavy items like books.
