Four things to plan ahead when you are building a home

Guest Post by Trent Anderson

There are plenty of benefits to be had from building your own home.

You get to be involved in the design process, and you have more choices as to location and features.

Of course, you do not need to do the work yourself, you can hire architects, contractors and builders to do that for you.

But, at the end of the day, you have the final say. and, that is a good feeling.

However, if you are going to build a property, you need to make sure that you plan effectively.

This includes thinking about the future, and things that might happen, and not just concentrating on the design features you are dreaming of.

Here are four things that you really should think about planning ahead for.

Is the space you need today what you will need tomorrow?

If you are planning to live in your new home for several years, you need to consider whether the space and layout is designed to meet your needs, today and in the future.

You may be a young working couple now but what if you decide to start a family in the years to come.

It may not even be in your mind right now, but if there is even a possibility of this happening, it’s a good idea to make sure you have the option of creating child friendly spaces.

If you are already middle aged, it’s worth thinking about the potential of living on ground level, should you need to when you get a few years older.

How many electrical sockets do you need?

Obviously, you need to think about the power sockets that you need today, and where they should be placed.

But, it’s also a good idea to consider future needs, if possible.

For instance, if there is a chance that you may want to convert the roof space at some point, make sure that the power supply is available now.

This can help make any changes easier.

Will your new home be pest proof?

Depending on where you live, pests can be a major problem.

For instance, in the humid southern states pests such as termites thrive.

This is why it’s a good idea to make sure that you include pest proofing measures as part of the build, including the landscaping of the outside space.

If you need any advice, it’s a good idea to speak to a professional pest control service.

How saleable is the property?

You are only just building your home, and you may not be intending to sell it anytime soon.

No matter what your intentions are now, it’s a good idea to think about what would happen if you did put the property on the market.

It’s fine to incorporate some unusual design features when you build, but being too quirky may mean that you find it difficult to sell the property, if you ever want to.

Building your own home can be exciting, but don’t get carried away.

As much as possible, you should make sure that the home you are building suits your needs for today and for the future.

Another Milestone

Last Friday’s post might just have been one of my silly ‘What The…‘ to you, but to me is was much more significant.

It was post 1,001.

Thanks to all the visitors who continue to visit this site.

Your visits give me the motivation to keep blogging.

Picturesque Potential

A Guide to Framing Your Holiday Photos

Guest Post by Hubert Dwight

The holidays are a time of love, fun and creating memories to last a lifetime.

Displaying these memories can make our house feel like a home and remind us of these times and what better way to display your holiday memories than hanging them on the wall?

Though framing pictures can seem rather daunting, there are many ways to make it simpler and fun.

Placement

Placement is key when hanging photos.

You don’t want them to be hidden away in a dark corner, rather, you want them placed to compliment the room.

Try hanging the photo in a well-lit area without much clutter, as we don’t want to overpower the room, just accessories it whilst displaying happy memories.

Frame choice

You want to pick a frame that compliments the room and the photo, whether that is large or small, simple or ornate, etc.

Make sure the frame is the right size for each photo. For example, get an A3 frame for an A3 photo.

You have the choice of a ready made frame, or a custom picture frame.

There are so many options and choices to choose from, so just have fun!

Complement it, don’t overpower it

The photograph itself is where you want the focus to be, not the frame.

If you do choose to go a more complex route with your frame, you can find subtle ways to complement the photo.

For example, you might choose a textured frame that works to complement (but not detract from) the work.

A textured frame can provide a room and the work with more personality without overwhelming and add can accentuate the feel and style of a room.

Colour

Depending on whether your pictures are in colour or black and white, there are different frames and choices for each.

Colour photos give you a lot more to work with in terms of frame design – you can keep it simple, or you choose to play up the colour scheme of your photos with a complementary framing colour scheme.

With black and white photos, however, you’re limited to a greyscale colour palette.

That is, generally speaking, black and white photos work well with either black, white or silver frames

Matboards

Matboards are cardboard surrounds for your photographs that come in an array of colours and can be as slim or as wide as you choose.

Photos are usually full of detail, and a matboard can provide a visual “breathing space” between the photo and the frame, this helps the frame design look balanced.

They also provide protection from the glass.

In humid environments picture frame glass can experience condensation which can cause your photographs to stick to the glass permanently.

How to frame them

The holidays can sometimes mean a lot of photos and you have the choice of framing them all singularly or in a multi-window frame.

Whilst framing them all in a multi window frame is very convenient and perfect for larger rooms such as living rooms, they aren’t as moveable as singular window frames.

With so many creative options to choose from, you can really express yourself and display your holiday photos with style.

Framing these holidays memories should be fun and enjoyable but when in doubt, you can always ask professionals for help.

Seasons Greetings

Even though this is Australia people expect snow scenes at Christmas…….so here it is!

Personally it wouldn’t worry me if I never saw snow again!

Snow or No Snow I would like to wish all my readers

Peace for Christmas and a Happy New Year

and closing in on 1000 Posts (987 with this one)

I’ve now been running this blog for just over 7 years as a little hobby, and with the thought it may help a few people.

With well over 200.,000 visits a year (up 42%) and book sales of around 1,000 a year I musr have helped a lot of people.

If you want to find out more about various key stages in having a house built why not buy a Guide . . . . Warning – Lots of people buying one find it so useful they buy more!

All the Guides are packed full of advice for anyone thinking about a new house with lots of useful check lists.

Still just $4 Each

To Find Out More

CLICK HERE

Planting Shrubs

A lot of gardening web site tell you that you need to improve all your garden soil before you start planting.
Well in the case of shrubs I take a different approach, which has worked well for me.

Starting

The ground of a typical site following the build is in pretty poor condition.

Little top soil so even the weeds are struggling to survive.

A week before planting I look to kill all the weeds using a weedkiller containing Glyphosate. (If you want a non chemical solution I would suggest using a steam gun) You are aiming to kill the roots , not just the foliage.

I normally follow up with a second weedkiller the day before planting.

Planting

Rather than improve the whole area and give potential weeds a break I concentrate on the area where the weeds will spread over the next 2-3 years.

I dig a hole around 3-4 times the diameter of the shrubs pot and around 100mm deeper and place the plant on a bed of compost in the hole.

I then backfill around the rootball with a mixture of 50% compost and 50% material excavated from the hole.

If you have got a worm farm it’s a good idea to include a couple of trowels of that material, with a few of the worms.

Make sure the backfill is firm so the plant doesn’t move around.

Mulch

Rather than buy expensive wed mat I simply use a layer of newspaper, typically at least 3 sheets thick with generous overlaps.

I then cover the paper with a mulch, either gravel, or bark as in the photo.

If you are doing a big garden don’t buy your mulch by the bag, it’s cheaper to buy it by the cubic metre from a garden supplier.

Sweater Weather Wonderland

5 Tips for Preparing Your Backyard for the Winter

Guest post by Hubert Dwight

Image courtesy of www.vintageindustrialstyle.com

If you love nothing more than kicking back in the yard with a beer or a glass of wine, you might start to dread the approach of winter.

When the days are short, many of us struggle to get any use out of our yards at all, because it’s already dark by the time we’re winding down.

This can be frustrating, but the solution is simpler than you think.

Winterising the garden means more than just shutting off hoses and laying down mulch.

If you create an all-weather entertaining space, for example, with plenty of heat and light, it won’t matter what time of year it is.

You can relax with friends or enjoy a little quiet time whether it’s the height of summer or a blustery fall afternoon.

Keep reading for some advice on how to transform your garden into an all year round retreat.

Romantic Lighting

The biggest priority, particularly if you want to use your garden after dark, is light.

You need plenty of illumination for safety and security, but it doesn’t have to look coldly functional.

When shopping for garden lights for your home, try to combine clear, bright spotlights with much softer diffused lighting.

Be creative. You can string fairy lights from the trees or install old-fashioned lampposts. You can even build spotlights into your deck or patio.

Reliable Heating

The other essential part of winter gardens is a reliable heat source.

It doesn’t have to be some huge, expensive system.

There are plenty of sleek and chic patio heaters which don’t take up much space or consume all that much energy.

HeatStrip, for instance, produces slimline, minimalist heating units which can be installed in awkwardly shaped or hard to heat areas.

They are low energy and specifically designed to fit a broad range of patios and verandas.

Sturdy Furniture

Whether it’s winter or not, if you’re hosting friends in the backyard, you’re probably going to get peckish at some point.

The good news is that high-quality garden furniture is more affordable than ever.

Just remember to be careful when choosing materials, because you need items which are going to withstand the elements.

Aluminium is a great choice as it doesn’t easily rust or corrode. However, it can get very hot if left in direct sunlight.

Pick Out a Feature

One way to add interest and intrigue to a nighttime garden is with a feature spot.

This might be your favourite tree or even a striking piece of garden art.

If you have a soft spot for sculpture, you could place a faux classic in the middle of the lawn or off to the side, nestled in the foliage.

The trick to making it pop, especially after dark, is the right kind of light.

Use soft, diffused spot or string lights to illuminate the feature and draw the eye.

Plant Some Pale

You might not think it to see them in the daytime, but pale coloured flowers look awfully striking after dark.

So, if you want to make sure that your yard is pretty even in the dead of night, add some white and pale blue plants.

Foxgloves and forget-me-nots are two wonderful choices.

White roses look fantastic too, especially when the light from your patio gives them an ethereal, luminescent quality.

For intoxicating scents, sneak in a little evening primrose.

Why Your Garden Should Be an All Round Retreat

Many of us write our gardens off during the winter, but this is a lot of time for them to be out of action.

If you want to get as much value from the space as possible, don’t let the cold weather force you back inside.

All you need is a good heater, some pretty lights, and a good group of friends to banish those winter chills.

What’s Happening In Solar Technolgy

I was attended the Solar Energy Conference in Melbourne last week.

It’s interesting to see the rate that things are moving along in the solar field.

Batteries

Even though I didn’t see a Tesla Powerwall there I did see several other battery suppliers exhibiting.

Some batteries are already available on the Australian Market with others announced to be available in the next few months.

The suppliers included Enphase, OSW, LG Chem, SunGrow, BYD, and GCL.

Many suppliers are also providing a range of battery sizes starting at 1.2kwhrs with a couple providing modular upgrades.

Hopefully it won’t be long before suppliers can hit my ‘Sweet Spot‘ of around 3 kw hrs for less than $2,500 installed.

Solar Hot Water

Last year besides the now mainstream solar hot water systems I only saw one stand that was heating hot water using Photo Voltaic(PV) Panels.

This year there was a range of options including:

Using DC current from dedicated panels.
Diversion systems sending excess power to the hot water after the inverter.
Smart systems that combine, usage patterns, solar output data and weather forecasting to plan how and when to heat the hot water.

Micro Grid Products

A coming trend looks to be having smart solar panel and battery combinations which are connected to an aggregator company that manages how your excess power is sold back to the grid to maximise the credits you receive.

Overall it is exciting to see how this industry, that was once seen as Alternative, is now becoming ‘Main Stream’ and continues to rapidly develop.

Sliding Doors/Windows Security

Does your new home have sliding doors and or windows?

Did you know they aren’t very secure? . . . as they can easily be lifted out, even if they are locked.

Here is a low cost fix that stops that happening.

Its just a thin piece of wood screwed to the top door/window track with a self tapping screw.

The door slides under the wood to close, but once closed can’t be lifted.

Total cost around 10 cents and about 5 minutes of your time!

Why I Won’t Be Getting A Sink Waste Disposal Unit

You sometimes see Sink Waste Disposal Units (or Garbage disposal units )in top end kitchens but I won’t be getting one for a heap of reasons:

Initial Cost, several hundred dollars plus installation
Ongoing power cost, the unit in this picture uses about 0.5kwatts
Maintenance and replacement. I have even heard of them shaking the under sink plumbing apart.
High water use to wash the debris away.
Disposing of fats, and hard solids like bones, which makes sewer blockages more likely.
Taking easily compostable materials from the home and passing them to a sewer where they will be contaminated and become a difficult to treat waste at the sewerage treatment plant.

I sometimes see manufacturers claim they are an eco friendly solution. . . . but they are anything but!

It is not just my opinion they are banned in many places including Switzerland and many areas of the United States.

Why not just use the regular garbage bin for smaller amounts and a Skip Bin for larger amounts

How Using Skip Bin for Waste Disposal Can Help

A skip bin refers to a large open-topped waste container that is designed to load on a special type of lorry.

A skip is replaced or removed by an empty skip rather than emptied into a bin lorry.

It is then tipped at a transfer station or a landfill site.

A skip bin hire in Brookvale can help you clear your waste in your property, to ensure safe and convenient waste disposal.

When carrying out a home renovation such as a new kitchen, a skip bin provides a safe and clean way to store waste during the project.

Depending on the project and amount of work you’re undertaking, choosing the best skip bin for an unwanted waste removal job is a good idea.

Check out these other benefits of using skip bin:

Garden Waste Clearance: It commonly uses mini skip bins for garden clearing purposes from disposing of dead leaves, grass cuttings, twigs, small branches, and fence palings to other wastes found in your garden. Bulk bins are your best option for bigger gardens. Therefore, hiring a skip is highly recommended to get rid of unwanted garden waste.
Disposing of White Goods: Eliminate white goods, such as electronic appliances, using a skip bin. Because it’s not advisable to dispose of white goods with household rubbish, hiring a skip bin allows easy disposing of white goods.
Spring Cleaning: The perfect time to declutter your home is during spring. Rubbish can be difficult to manage, so it’s essential to hire reliable skip bins. All you have to do is to put waste items into the skip bin, and the rest will be taken care of by professionals. Skip bins come in various sizes, from mini-skip bins to medium-sized bins. Choose one based on your waste removal requirements.

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