Tired of having to lift a heavy table when you have visitors.
Well you need a walking table!
Month: June 2017
Why Asphalt is a Good Choice for your New Home’s Driveway
A guest post from John Ray
Having the luxury of being involved at the design stage allows you to really make the home a perfect place for you and your family.
Aside from the many other components, your choice of driveway material is one that requires some thought, as there are several options open to you.
Concrete is one option, but in fact, a popular material for surfacing driveways is asphalt.
If you are yet to be convinced, here are just a few reasons why asphalt may be the best material for a residential drive.
Durability – Asphalt is extremely durable, which is ideal for the harsh Australian climate, and if it is applied correctly, the surface will remain in good condition for many years. If your new home is located in NSW, North Shore are asphalt contractors with many years of hands-on experience in surfacing driveways.
Non-Slip Surface – Asphalt provides a durable, non-slip surface, even when wet, and this is essential in a residential environment, and with professional application, your new driveway will not require any maintenance.
Enhance the Look of your Home – A professionally applied asphalt driveway will really transform the look of your home, and with matching pathways and attractive stone bordering, the look will be complete. There are asphalt suppliers who offer a comprehensive service, and they can even landscape the surrounding area if required.
Maintenance Free – Concrete often gathers mould and moss and needs regular scrubbing, while asphalt gives a very durable finish and it really doesn’t require any upkeep. If you do want to give the surface a clean, a water pressure cleaner would be ideal, as it can easily remove any grease and grime that has built up over time. If you enlist a reputable asphalt contractor, they will ensure that the driveway has an adequate thickness, and this will ensure long term durability.
Choose the Contractor Wisely
There are some small outfits that drift from area to area, preying on unsuspecting homeowners by offering very low quotes on driveway resurfacing.
Once a person has agreed to have the work carried out, there would be little, if any, preparation, and the thinnest of skims would be applied.
In order to avoid this happening to you, it is best to contact a reputable company, one that also carries out commercial projects, as this means they work to a recognised standard.
Any reputable asphalt contractor would be happy to give the customer a full warranty on their work, and with asphalt driveways, time will be the determining factor, as a quality job will remain in good condition for many years.
If you want a durable surface on your driveway that is easy to keep clean its worth considering asphalt, and with a professional installation, you can say goodbye to many driveway issues.
A Secure, and Welcoming Front Door
Your entrance should provide a welcome to your guests, not look like a fortress!
Consider this as an opportunity to sweep guests off their feet.
For many, the house entrance and the front door can also be a conversation starter. Hence, you’ll want to make this impression a good one.
More than just the design aspect, don’t forget its functionality, too.
It should still tell potential thieves that your home would be a harder target than the average house. . . Sounds contradictory?
Well, here are front door and home entrance ideas that give you both the balance of functionality, security, and aesthetics.
Attractive but Solid Door
Even though this carved door is very attractive it can still be seen to be a very solid door, without looking like a fortress
Although you may not want to spend as much money on a carved door, you will still many good looking doors with a solid appearance.
The key here is in making your front door look thick, hard, and difficult to get through.
Plus, solid doors are also a classic.
They may be costly, but they’re going to last you through years, both to its lifespan and its design.
Plus, solid doors also go with just about whatever home designs you’d like to copy.
Good Lighting
That doesn’t mean those movement activated integrated floodlights with a harsh glare.
This entrance demonstrates a soft but effective illumination of anyone at the door.
It provides a strong signal to any criminal that there is a high risk they will be seen if they are trying to break into your home.
Frame It With Plants
The plant and garden craze may seem like a new one, but there’s absolutely no reason for you not to join in the bandwagon.
If there’s any place in your home to add some green plants, it’s the front door; frame up your front door with plants.
This will instantly make your home feel more relaxing and inviting.
Can Be Seen From Street
The front door should be obvious to visitors as they approach your house, you don’t want them wondering where it is.
Similarly to lighting, criminals don’t want to be visible to a casual passer by.
Double Locks
Two locks are at least 300mm apart means two separate point of attack to get through the door.
I prefer a good quality handle with integrated lock around 1.20m from the ground with a matching deadlock at a height of around 1.50m.
Avoid Glass Panels
Even if you’re up for an airy or modern house design, you might want to skip glass panels on the front area of your home.
Glass panels in the door, or even alongside the door are an area of weakness.
Rather than inviting guests over, it invites thieves.
Glass panels in the door, or even alongside the door are an area of weakness.
It’s quite easy for a criminal to break a small pane of glass to get get his hand to the back of the door to let themselves in.
A criminal may also be able to see into your house and check out the situation without appearing suspicious.
Go For A Bold Color
If you could paint your door another color, choose a bold one.
This doesn’t necessarily mean a screaming orange or pink (unless it’s what you want).
By bold, this means creating a stark contrast from the door to the wall that it’s set on so your front door stands out.
For instance, your house has walls in white or gray.
If you’re adventurous enough, you can go for a dark blue door.
If you’re up for something more classic, dark brown or black will do as well.
Takeaway
Of all the parts in your house, it pays to give special attention to your entryway.
After all, this is the very first part that your guests are going to notice.
For others who may never get inside your house, your front door is also the only glimpse that they may have, regarding the overall style of your home.
At the very least, you’ll want your front door and the entire front entrance to feel homey and welcoming.
If your door could speak, it should be saying “Welcome, and come in.”
How to Choose the Perfect Lighting for your New Home
Guest Post by Alex Charles
Technology has brought us many innovative improvements, and for the lighting industry, LED revolutionised things, and for the first time, the homeowner has many lighting options to choose from.
Incandescent bulbs are not only power guzzlers, the light spectrum is very narrow.
Bearing in mind they were invented in a time when basic lighting came from candles, the traditional light bulb has served us well, but LED solutions offer so much more, with lower input – high output.
There are many ways to really get creative with modern lighting, and here are a few ideas to transform the look of your home.
LED Ribbon
Light Emitting Diode can be formed into ribbon, which comes in a roll, and with strong double sided tape, it is very easy to attach a series of LEDs under a window sill, or above a kitchen worktop.
The strip is waterproof and can be cut to length, and with a wide range of colours, there really is no limit to what you can do.
The exterior can really benefit from LED ribbon, which can be tastefully positioned in trees or shrubs, creating a surreal ambience in the early evenings.
Multi-Purpose Lighting
For the interior, pendant lighting is a popular choice in kitchens, dining and living rooms, and halls, as it offers both general and task lighting.
If you live in Australia, there are online solutions and Carlton’s pendant lights come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colours, so there’s bound to be something just right.
Pendant lighting should be at the correct distance from the table top or work surface, and around 30 inches is fine for a table, and the closer you get to the table surface, the more focused the light becomes, with 18 inches being ideal for task lighting.
Online Solutions
Remember the days when you would spend an entire afternoon driving around looking for lighting stores?
Even a large shop would have a limited selection, and it might take a few expeditions before you finally find what you are looking for.
With online solutions, you can literally browse to your heart’s content, and with an impressive range of styles and light control systems, it is the ideal place to sort out your lighting for the new home.
Free Advice
Actually, in this digital age, the Internet provides us with information and knowledge on just about every topic you can think of, and there are many informative articles online about domestic lighting.
With LED, you can really get creative.
Professional lighting experts have given the world their secrets, and with lots of high resolution images, you can really see the effects lighting has on the room.
Lighting design is critical, as this is a major component of the ambience, both inside and out, and with online suppliers, you can order everything in one simple process.
Drain Fail?
How about this picture of the water missing the drain?
Is this a design failure?
Well that’s what www.diply.com, where I found this photo, thought!
Actually its a construction quality failure that is more common than it should be.
Whats happened is the drain is deeper than the base of the paving so the construction crew have had to dig down to solid ground.
The paving has dropped around the drain because
- either the ground under the paving wasn’t too solid,
- or the base between the pavers and the ground wasn’t compacted enough.
- or both of the above.
Too often a poor quality paving job looks good when its new. . . . but after a few months these sort of problems emerge!
For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?
Why Adding a Patio to your New Home is the Right Choice
Guest post by Bryan Alexander
With the outdoor lifestyle firmly embedded into the culture, you really should spend some time thinking about your outside area.
With a little creativity and a suitable budget, you could transform the most important area of the home, and make it a special area for you, your family, and your friends to enjoy.
A Comprehensive Solution
There are online companies that are dedicated to transforming outdoor areas, and for those who live in Western Australia, Perth Better Homes provide patios in Perth, and their in-house design team will help you to explore the possibilities, and whatever the outcome, they have the resources and the know how to make it happen.
They are experts at designing and creating unique outdoor areas that blend in perfectly with the home, and they can work to the client’s budget, which is ideal.
This type of company would be able to arrange landscaping, awnings, lighting and garden furniture, and if you wanted to start from scratch, they would have the resources to complete the project.
Maximise your Summer Enjoyment
Having a nice terraced area with adequate shading and nice furniture is by far the best way to experience the long summer days and evenings, and with an outdoor kitchen, the patio is complete.
Entertaining will take on a whole new dimension, and your party dates will soon be etched on everyone’s calendar, and with some professional help at the design stage, you really can’t go wrong.
Add Living Space
If you have a very comfortable terraced area, you have effectively increased your living space, and with the right screening, the area can be turned into a room and can be used all year round.
If the patio is adjoined to the rear or the side of the property, you can install some sliding or bi-folding aluminium doors, which gives you easy access to the outdoor area.
Al Fresco Dining
There is definitely something special about enjoying a nice meal in a quiet, shaded area of the garden, and if al fresco is up your street, the perfect ambience can be achieved with the right awning and some suitable garden furniture.
This Mediterranean style is very popular in Australia, as the climate is ideal, and with the right lighting, the evenings will give you and your family a warm, inviting glow.
Complement the Property
You probably have your home just as you want it, but imagine what you could do if you added a stylish patio?
It would certainly add value to the property and with the right design,and would complement the residence, and you and your family will always have a special reason for looking forward to the arrival of summer.
With the right help, there is no limit to what you can achieve in the garden, and the unlimited design options means your garden will have a truly unique look that will be the envy of all.
Which Way Is North?
Or a mobile phone either!
There are different Norths
- True North
- Grid North
- Magnetic North
The difference can be more than 10 degrees which can affect your view and the solar performance of your house and solar panels.
Just to make it more complicated the difference can change depending on where you live and the date!
True North
True North points to the North Pole, the axis of the earth’s rotation.
Grid North
Grid North is the basis of the grid lines on a paper map as your north reference.
Grid north is typically close ( within 2° east or west of true north) and varies with your position within a zone.
It is used when establishing geographic co-ordinates so it will be the direction the North Arrow points on a house plan prepared for construction.
Magnetic North
A compass needle will align with the earths magnetic field and thus points to the ‘magnetic’ poles.
The Earths magnetic field and thus the ‘Magnetic Pole’ moves over time.
The difference between Magnetic and True North (called Declination) is also different depending on your position.
Want to find the difference for your site? . . . . Follow this link: Geoscience
Ever Hot Outdoor Bath
With a fire under it the bath it should keep warm for hours.
Just don’t build the fire up to much ….. or you will be like a cannibals feast in a pot!
It’s a project you could DIY.
To find out how to make it check out the www.goodshomedesign.com website.
For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?
Best ideas to make your kitchen look fantastic
Guest Post by George Hong
Storage
Regardless of your requirements, almost everyone will benefit from increasing the storage capacity of their existing or new kitchen.
To do so, there are number of great options to choose from which should form a part of your kitchen design from the beginning, rather than an afterthought when you’re close to finishing the plans.
Appliance cupboards, drawers with specific dividers for anything from utensils to pet food, sliding pantries and hollow island benches will provide more space to house your kitchen items.
This leads to a tidier space and enhances the functionality of your kitchen and less clutter will improve the appearance of the room overall.
Butlers Pantry?
Another functional addition to any kitchen, space permitting, is the butler’s pantry.
Not only does this additional space provide more storage for items such as extra crockery, glasses and special occasion cutlery, but they may also include additional power points, dishwashers and sinks.
With the added bonus of a door to hide any accumulated mess whilst entertaining, for example, the butler’s pantry is highly customisable, so you can tailor it to your needs.
Floorplan
With regard to your floorplan, don’t forget the famous triangle configuration for your sink, cooktop and fridge.
This arrangement will mean you can work with ease and not have to walk back and forth too much, or be too cramped.
If you are, however, using your kitchen for a number of non-cooking uses, ensure that through traffic has adequate room.
Do not placing seating not too close to hot cooking areas and consider whether there is enough work space if cooking and entertaining or other activities are occurring simultaneously.
In smaller kitchens, this is sometimes why the triangle is abandoned in favour of a kitchen that basically operates in a straight line, in order to maximise space and allow other people to be able to move around when it’s being used.
If you are considering an open design kitchen, planning is essential in order for it to look its best and function as intended. (For example, you may choose to select movable kitchen furniture that serves dual purposes such as meal prep space and a dining area)
Overall
The kitchen island is an example of a multifunctional fixture which you can maximise use of if you predetermine what else you’ll use it for.
You may opt for built in storage and seating on its opposite side so it can function as an informal dining area or homework station in addition to being a food preparation area.
So whether you’re building a luxury home builder from Melbourne, a Geelong home builder, or Mildura to Lakes Entrance, shop around for inspiration when developing your ultimate kitchen.
The good news is that you can do a vast amount of research online when you’re beginning to planning this space.
Pinterest, design and building blogs as well as architecture sites will all offer copious amounts of kitchen configurations from the budget DIY to the extravagant.
Kettle, or Instant Boiling Water Taps?
Well I’m not convinced.
Instant Hot water Taps
Yes they do save time in boiling water but:
- Expensive at around $5,000 fitted;
- Need regular filter changes at over $250 (and you have to wait around for the fitter, so not that convenient!);
- Take up room under your bench;
- They’re using power all the time (though less in sleep mode) around 0.8 kwh/day before you draw off any water;
- Having nearly scalded myself with one I’m not convinced on their safety.
Kettle
Take longer but:
- I timed my kettle and it only took 1.5mins to boil a 300ml mug;
- Low power use at around 0.06 kwhrs/mug;
- Low cost at from $20 for a cheapy to $60 for a top of the line model;
- According to Tea experts freshly boiled water means better tasting tea;
- I can get chilled water at minimal cost, and just as quick, from a jug in the fridge.
Overall
May be OK for workplaces but I’d rather stick with the minimal effort of boiling a kettle and take the savings, how about you?