Month: January 2019

Pros and Cons of Green Roofing

Guest Post by Asad Shoaib

Green roofing brings excessive benefits for your buildings and homes.

As it is completely covered by plants and vegetables, it becomes an extremely eco-friendly and energy efficient option.

As everything comes with both merits and demerits, there are also a few negative things attached with green roofing system.

Here are both the pros and cons of green roofing mentioned for your better understanding.

Pros of Green Roofing

Let’s start with its positive sides which are mentioned below.

It Improves the Drainage System

A sustainable drainage system is compulsory to run your home successfully.

The last thing any homeowner would want to deal with is flooding and poor drainage system.

It is a huge threat which you can counter with a green roofing solution for your home. It stores a huge amount of water in its plants and vegetables, and then it gets released in the environment later in a quite natural way.

It is Eco-Friendly

Unlike other buildings, if you have a green rooftop at your home, it can contribute towards protecting the environment.

This way, you won’t feel any need to generate heat or cold artificially to pollute the environment.

It Improves the Air Quality

Air quality is continuously getting affected badly due to the emission of harmful gases and chemicals.

Green roofs do exactly the opposite by improving the air quality and reducing sulfur dioxide, nitrous acid, and other dust particles from the air.

It Increases the Life Expectancy of Your Roof

Your roof has to go through excessive wear and tear due to the rainfalls, heavy winds, storms, and temperature fluctuations.

However, if you install a green roof, it increases the life expectancy of your roof with the help of its waterproof membrane.

All you need to do is to hire the services of a skilled and professional contractor for your roofing Dearborn Michigan. who will install your roof properly to ensure that it lasts longer.

Cons of Green Roofing

There are a few drawbacks of green roofing which you should consider before making such a huge investment.

It is Costly

Green roofing is more expensive than other traditional roofing options.

You will have to invest a lot to make it able to provide a good support to your home. However, the long list of its amazing benefits outweighs the initial huge cost.

It is Quite Heavy

It has a huge weight which can cause pressure on your rooftop.

However, you can modify your roof to enable it to handle the load.

It Requires Extra Maintenance

You must take care of your green roof on a regular basis.

You can’t avoid it and expect to enjoy its benefits.

The only way to upkeep it is to water and feed its plants and vegetables regularly.

 

Now that you are aware of its pros and cons, if you really want to enjoy the green environment you also need to stay alert and conscious towards it.

Home Improvement Trends For 2019

Guest Post from Hubert Dwight

If you are looking to style up your home, this year’s trends give homeowners a little bit of everything.

For those who want to contribute to sustainable living, many of the newer trends focus on furnishings and appliances that promote a green platform, trends in furniture are changing as well.

The boxy furniture that defined living rooms even up to last year are being exchanged for something a little different.

If you are thinking about renovating or remodelling, trends in creating a more natural environment are also on the rise.

Skylights, which provide additional lighting, are popular, in addition to decks that can give your backyard style.

These are just a few of the trends that are defining this year’s home improvement trends.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the up and coming home improvement designs that are on trend for 2019.

Going Green

A very big trend in home improvement is renovating for sustainability.

The lighting industry is at the helm of providing ways to light homes more efficiently, mainly through natural light, LED lighting, and one of the newer lighting topics, circadian rhythm lighting, which is supposed to produce lighting that is closer to natural light.

Sustainable fabrics are another trend that relies on animal-free leather made from genetically modified yeast or worm-free silk.

Even flooring is experimenting with sustainable woods like Brazilian Cherry, Teak, Iroko, and Wenge from tropical areas from around the world.

New Colours

Different colours are always trending, but this year matte black seems to be appearing on front and back doors and on kitchen cabinets.

The colour happens to be the “it” colour at the moment appearing in many home interiors.

However, dark reds, pinks, and sage green also seem to be popular colours, which appear mostly on furniture cabinets and furnishings.

Earthy colours and neutral tones are also popular this year too.

Deck Trends

This year, there are also trends defining home exteriors and outdoor décor.

Those looking to install a new deck might find picture frame decks one way to not only stylise their exterior but a way to provide structure to the deck.

These decks typically have dark perimeters that provide the area with a nice contrast.

The purpose is to conceal the ends of the deck board so that the deck has a nice finish.

Natural Wood

Another popular trend this year is the use of natural wood.

Furnishings definitely are being featured in this colour, but natural wood flooring is trending too.

The rustic farmhouse look is one of the more popular flooring designs that uses natural wood, and then there is the sun-bleached looking grey hardwood flooring found at the boardwalk.

These flooring types, in addition, the sustainable ones discussed above are favourites this year.

Kitchens are also moving out of the predominately white floor and cabinet area with his year’s kitchens adopting a more rustic and natural appearance.

Curvy Furniture

While sectionals and boxy type furnishings are comfortable choices, this year’s trend will bring new styles including curvy furnishings.

Playing with geometric shapes, designers have introduced sofas and other lighter seating with curved shapes, which can also add style to your living room space.

In fact, for living spaces with odd layouts, this furniture might add flair for homeowners who unsure of how to style the space.

Styling Your Home In 2019

As always, this year’s décor relies on a lot of the old to make the new interesting.

Colour this year is very different than anything that we have seen in the recent past.

With a focus on sustainable materials and natural colours, some of the trends are moving toward supporting a green platform.

This year’s trends promise something for everyone and anyone who wants to touch up their style, introduce new fabrics and materials, or completely make over their home is covered.

 

 

Nail Pops

‘Nail Pops’ are those irritating little bumps that can occur on your flat walls and ceilings after you have moved in.

Why Nail Pops Occur

Basically either the nail moves and the plasterboard doesn’t, or the plasterboard moves and the nail doesn’t.

There are a few reasons why pops occurs Including:

  • Movement of the wall frame.
  • Flexing of the plasterboard (particularly near junctions between walls and ceilings and wall corners)
  • Damage to the plasterboard when the nail was hammered in.
  • Too much adhesive when the plasterboard was installed. (As the adhesive cures it shrinks pulling the board towards the frame.

But what about the Builders 25 year Warranty?

As you will see in the above link it only covers the first 3 months

What You Can Do

If it is a single nail pop it can be easiest to remove the nail and fill the hole.

If there is a number of nail pops I would install plasterboard screws at least 50mm from the existing nails, then use a punch to knock the nail heads through the plasterboard, Unfortunately it does mean that you are going to do more filling, on top of the screws and also the nail holes.

 

Freezing A Solar Hot Water System

Before you look at buying a Solar Hot Water System think about the freezing risk.

It might not be a concern in many areas but in Victoria, Tasmania and the colder parts of other states freezing conditions can damage cheaper systems.

What is the Problem?

The more basic systems have the water from the mains flowing through the panels and on to the storage tank, a direct system.

With a prolonged period of temperatures below zero the water can freeze.

As the water freezes it expands stressing the panels and pipes causing leaks.

What is the Solution?

The problem is well understood and can be solved by specifying an indirect system.

These systems use a different liquid to transfer the heat from the panels to the water in the tank, which is kept separate from the water going to your taps

This liquid may be water with an antifreeze additive or even water kept at a lower pressure.

 

Thanks to Save H20 for alerting me to this issue

 

ReActor House

A house as ‘Performance Architecture’.

This, is an approximatly 13m x 2.5m rotating home that balances on a single 14-foot tall concrete column. Movements inside the dwelling, as well as outside forces like gusts of wind, cause the structure to gently tilt and rotate.

In 2016 Schweder and Shelley  the two ‘artist/architects’ lived in home for five days, and every movements or breeze caused the building to move.

Find out more at thisiscolossal.com

For more unusual photos, and Fails, check out What the………………….?

 

Conventional or Rimless Toilet


Since Thomas Crapper* refined toilet design over 130 years ago toilets have had a turned over “box’ rim at the top like the one in this photo.
* Yes Thomas Crapper was a real person . . . .check the link on his name.

As I am currently looking at updating our bathroom we have been visiting bathroom shops and found there is a new variation

The Rimless Toilet

Instead of that box rim the inside face of the toilet goes straight up to the top edge.

If you want to see the difference you can watch this video showing a rimless toilet flushing

What are the Advantages?

Well the salesman will tell you because of that annoying box rim at the top of the conventional toilet where bacteria, limescale and grime build up they are harder to clean. . . . Personally I have never found it that hard to give the toilet a quick brush and the clean chlorinated town water will sort out the bacteria..

I think the lack of a rim would make the toilet cheaper to manufacture.

Disadvantages

I would have though that there is a risk of a vigorous flush splashing over the top edge with a rimless toilet, something the box rim stops.

With the ‘New Technology’ expect a price premium.

Would I Get One?

Unless the price reflects the simpler manufacturing process I won’t be changing this time!

 

Emergency Planning – What Is Important To You?

Bush Fire Season is with us again . . . . so if you live in an area that is at risk its time to think about what would you do if a fire came through.

What would be the things would break your heart to lose?

  • Old Family photographs.
  • Mementos of your children’s early years.
  • Expensive paintings or artworks.
  • Important documents.
  • Jewelry from your partner.
  • The clothes you wore at a significant event.

After every bushfire the news programs show shots of people searching through piles of ash.

Why not think about protecting these keepsakes now.

Option 1 – Using a fire resistant safe

If you are going this route it might cost more than you expect.

You might need a large safe which is not only fireproof but water proof too.

You also need to check the fire rating. . . . the cheapest one at Bunnings may only give a short protection period at a low fire temperature.

Option 2 – Being ready to go

Have a box ready to go, preferably already in the car . . . it’s no good it being next to the door, if you aren’t home when the fire starts!

Option 3 – Off site storage

You could store the valuables with a family member or even in those self storage places.

For a suitcase, or similar sized box self storage costs are quite reasonable.

 

Perhaps the best solution is a combination of two or more of the options.

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