Pretty & Practical:

Guest post by Hubert Dwight

5 Stylishly Sensible Tips For Reinventing Your Abode

When it comes to spending money on home decor, you want to know that your investment will be worth it.

Instead of splurging on the latest trendy throw pillows, try spending the bulk of your budget on items that serve a practical purpose while also making an impact on refreshing your space.

Investing in one or two sensible household items will add something new and different to your home that will be worth the price because you will reap the benefits of your choice for years to come.

An outdoor space for all seasons

When you take the time to create your own little outdoor oasis, you want to be able to make the most of it.

Outdoor spaces are great for entertaining, and the fun doesn’t have to stop just because summer’s over.

Installing subtle and stylish electric outdoor heaters allows you to use your outdoor space all year long.

Enjoy a crisp winter day reading on your deck or throw an outdoor dinner party without cool nighttime temperatures making you shiver.

Having an outdoor heater opens up all kinds of options for you, because you aren’t restricted by the temperature or the seasons.

Designing a perfect outdoor space is an investment, but adding an outdoor heater only makes that investment more worth it.

Future friendly microwave

Have you ever noticed that most people keep their microwaves at eye or chest level so when you pull out your hot food it’s headed straight for your face?

If you install your microwave under the countertop instead, you are pulling the food up, minimising the risk of a dangerous splash of hot soup coming at you.

Microwaves are also bulky items that either take up too much space on your countertop or get installed level with your cabinets, disrupting whatever style tone you’re trying to set.

With an under the counter microwave, you remove it from your line of sight and hide it away like the dishwasher.

Timeless flooring

Wood floors are hands down the most practical choice for any home.

They have so many benefits from improved air quality to just being easy to clean.  

They are also a great investment because they last a long time and are always pretty universally appealing should you one day sell your home.

There are many choices for wood flooring so you can still make it fit your individual needs or tastes.

There are all different color stains to choose from and there are even types of wood flooring that purify the air for you to get rid of chemicals and smells.

Indoor air circulation

Ceiling fans are a great example of practical style.

Many ceiling fans include both a fan and a light, giving them even more practical purpose. Like light fixtures, ceiling fans come in all types of styles so there are infinite possibilities to suit any room.

The cool breeze is a welcome relief in the summer time, making a ceiling fan the perfect choice to update any room in your house.

Ceiling fans can also be used in winter to circulate warm air.

A breath of fresh air

Indoor plants are such a simple yet impactful way bring new life into any room in your home.

They’re low maintenance, inexpensive and, on top of looking amazing, they’re good for you too!

With all shapes and sizes to choose from, you can fit plants in pretty much anywhere whether it’s a large potted plant in a corner or an elegantly draped vine on top of a shelf.

When updating your home, the practical purchases are going to be the ones that have a positive impact on your day to day life.

Even when these practical purchases feel like a splurge, they’re worth what you spend on them because they will never go out of style.

Top and Bottom Houses

If you look at the photograph (from Google Maps) you would probably think there are 2 storey town houses on the right and 4 storey town houses on the left.

Well you would be wrong.

These are ‘Top and Bottom Houses’ in Edwards Street, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, and are a unique solution to building on a steep site.

The houses on the right are the ‘Top’ Houses of a 4 story building with the lower two stories opening out to the next street which is around 8m lower.

The first two stories of the building on the left are ‘Bottom Houses’ with the top two stories being top houses opening to the next street which is about 8m higher.

For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?

What can cause a toilet to block?

Guest Post by James Andrew

From http://www.pdmechanical.net/

Many things can go wrong with household plumbing, but nothing can be quite as unpleasant as a blocked up toilet.

Clogged toilets are an extremely common problem, and from San Francisco to Sydney, plumbers see it all the time.

So what causes this and what can you do about it?

Only one thing causes a toilet to block, and that is too much material has been flushed down.

Sometimes it can be all at once, or it can accumulate if there are a series of incomplete flushes that don’t clear the drain each time.

Let’s take a closer look at what might be happening.

Toilet Paper

This is the usual culprit.

While there is no hard or fast rule about how much paper should be used each time, trying to flush a huge wadded handful can lead to clogging problems.

Be more conscious of your paper use, and if you feel the need for a second handful, you should flush the first paper down before adding any more.

Other Hygiene Products

At least toilet paper is supposed to go down the toilet.

Sometimes people forget that a variety of other paper products used in the bathroom are not meant to go down the drain in the same way.

Baby wipes, feminine products, napkins and paper towels should all be thrown away in the trash, not flushed down the toilet.

Even Kleenex should stay out of the toilet, especially if you are using the extra thick and soft variety. Even if some products seem “the same as” toilet paper, don’t flush it.

Toys and Junk

Here is where kid’s notoriously come into the situation.

Small toys (and not so small toys) can end up mysteriously down the toilet, and quite often you never know what’s happened until you fish an action figure out of the drain after it clogs up.

Be very clear with your kids about toys in the bathroom.

Not all the blame is with kids though.

Even adults will sometimes drop things accidentally (keys, toothbrush etc.) down the toilet.

It happens. . . Just try to get them out before they actually go down the pipe.

How to Clear a Block

Regardless of what has gone down the toilet, the main technique for getting things running again is the plunger.

A proper toilet plunger is the one with a central tube portion.

A plain sink plunger is just a bowl of rubber without the tube in the middle.

Firmly place the plunger head in the bottom of the toilet bowl so the tube is in the drain hole.

Position it so the rim of the plunger is against the porcelain of the toilet all the way around, and give it a good solid plunge.

If the block is cleared, the water in the bowl will start to drain. If not, give it another couple pushes.

If you can’t clear it with a plunger, you can try an extendable toilet snake for a more forceful approach.

You can damage the porcelain of your fixtures though, so don’t go with this unless you are familiar with using a snake.

At this point, consider calling in a professional.

Mirror Splash Back, Yes or No?

The first time I became aware of mirrored splash backs was while watching ‘The Block’ a couple of years ago.

I’ve seen a few examples since then. . . . but would you have one?

When the question was asked on Houzz around 2/3 of the respondants said they love the idea.

Yes to a mirror

Mirrors do make spaces bigger and the reflection does give better light onto your stove and counters.

They also allow you to see someone behind you while you are cooking, good for keeping track of the kids, or just chatting with a friend.

No to a Mirror

The trouble with mirrors is they really show every speck of dirt or grease. . . I get into trouble from my wife when I am cooking and we have a tiled splash back with a mirror I would always be cleaning.

It’s not just the mirror itself, everything on the bench is reflected.

That means you see the dirt and crumbs behind the  coffee machines, mixers, etc so your going to be moving everything to clean the counter more often as well.

 

Overall I would be happy with a glass splash back but don’t think  a mirror is for me . . . . How about you?

Tips for Improving Investment Property Safety

Guest Post by Joel Sidaka

Currently around one in twelve new houses are built as an investment property.

Whether you reside on your property or you have it rented out, it is important to ensure the house is safe for occupation.

After all, the primary function of a house is to provide shelter and safety.

As such, it should protect the residents from both external and internal risks.

When you create a safe home, not only will you be a great landlord to your tenants, but you will also keep them and your assets protected.

The following are practical tips on how to improve your home’s safety.

8 Tips for Improving the Safety of Your Home

Carefully screen your tenants

The simplest way of making your property safe is to put in place stringent tenant screening procedures, which will ensure that only suitable candidates move into your property.

Through such selection, you will find out whether a candidate has any criminal records or court hearings.

Besides, it will also help you to learn the behavior, occupation, and lifestyle of the applicant, as well as the company that he or she keeps.

In contrast, if you fail to conduct such vetting, you might end up with a problematic tenant, who either engages in criminal activities or does things that put other residents at risk.

Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors

A common hazard in residential properties is accidents caused by fire and carbon monoxide.

It is, therefore, important for you to install good-quality carbon monoxide and smoke sensors, which will alert the residents of impending danger.

Nonetheless, it is not just sufficient to install these life-saving devices.

You must also inspect and service them regularly to guarantee that they are in perfect working condition.

Some of the maintenance tasks will include ensuring that the batteries have a full charge and that the sensors can indeed detect smoke or carbon monoxide presence.

Install and Service the Heating and Cooling Systems

Gone are the days when installing an HVAC system was just for the well off in the society.

These days, thanks to global warming and the desire for healthy living, most homes have these units.

As a caring landlord, you should make sure that these air conditioners are working efficiently to ensure the well-being and safety of your residents.

For instance, they should effectively keep the house cool during the hot weather and warm when it is freezing.

Moreover, the AC should not release dust, allergens, or harmful particles into the property.

Make the property burglar proof

It is not unusual to hear of people breaking into a property and getting away with the valuables.

At times, the incidents do not involve actual break-ins.

It could be a situation where a person deceives the occupants and steals from them.

Prevent such an occurrence by using burglar-proofing solutions such as installing security cameras, burglar alarms, or even contracting a security company.

Such efforts will not only deter unwanted visitors but also result in a safe home.

Make sure all Electrical circuits are protected by Safety Switches

Safety switches used to be called Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB) but are now known as Residual Current Devices (RCD)

Electricity plays a pivotal role in powering most appliances in the home. These include water heaters, alarms, sensors, lighting, washing machines, dishwashers, mobile phones, computers, and much more.

Even though electricity offers convenience, there is always a danger lurking behind it.

A fact supported by the many electrocutions that take place.

Fortunately, nearly all electrocutions are preventable.

You just need to be proactive.

Fumigate the property 

One of the hurdles of owning a home is that you will have to deal with annoying pests and insects. While most of these are only annoying, others like the mosquitoes, rats, lice, fleas, and bedbugs can transmit deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, plague and the Zika virus.

Besides, some like the termites can cause significant structural damage to the property and your tenant’s belongings.

Be a great landlord by contacting a professional pest removal firm or an exterminator to keep your property safe and pest free. 

Fix or remove all likely causes of slips and falls

A common accident in homes results from slips and trips.

Besides causing serious bodily harm to a person, such accidents can result in you facing a slip and fall negligence claim in a court of law.

Make life easy for you and your tenants by fixing all possible causes for trips and falls.

For instance, you could repair the uneven flooring, replace broken floor tiles, install non-slip floor tiles and fill up the gaps or holes in the pathway or driveway.

Furthermore, you should install adequate lighting on the property, and install grab bars or handrails along the stairs.

If possible, erect warning signs such as a slippery, uneven or steep floor, to alert the users of the potential dangers. 

Change the locks

Now and then, you should replace the locks to your doors to ensure total control over the keys.

Some of the instances where you must change the locks include when a tenant moves out, a key gets lost, a partner moves out, or when you suspect someone might have a duplicate key.

By changing the locks, you will end up with a safe home and a peaceful mind since no one will be able to gain unauthorized access into your home.

Be Ready to Touch Up Paint Marks

Every time we have moved it seems that at some stage the walls will get marked.

As time goes on other marks will occur from time to time.

To stop this becoming a big issue I would recommend that you make sure you get a can of the correct colour paint before you move.

This photo is here to remind you that once you open a tin of paint you should always store it upside down.

This stops the paint drying out or developing a skin if it sits on a shelf for months, or years.

 

If the plaster is dented you could check this post:  handy free tool to help you place filler.

Smart Renovations to Save on Your Water and Electric Bill

Guest Post from Joel Sidaka

As a property owner, it is quite common to spend around $300-$400 on utility bills every month.

Sometimes, it can even go as high as $500!

This can be a hard pill to swallow.

Fortunately, you can reduce your utility bills by doing a few renovations and we have gathered some that are worth trying.

8 Ways to Save on Your Water and Electric Bill

1. Look at your Hot Water System

If you own rental properties, then you clearly have a real estate investment to take care of.

That means you have to be willing to do renovations that would help you reduce the utility bills to keep your tenants happy and content.

Heating hot water is one of the biggest power users in your home, and these days there are several alternatives.

A Solar Hot Water, or a Heat Pump, are both alternatives that can save between 60% and 90% of water heating costs.

2. Upgrade the Clothes Washer

With an energy-saving washer, it is possible to save water that could fill up three backyard swimming pools!

That means you’ll be able to save $135 per year, especially if you’re still using a washer that’s over 10 years old.

3. Weather-stripping Should Be Applied

Contrary to popular belief, weather-stripping is not that difficult to install, but the effects it could have are definitely life changing.

For instance, without weather-stripping, you can feel the cold wind coming through your doors, but once it has been installed, it will be able to keep the rain and air from coming in and out of the room.

It’s also an inexpensive project that wouldn’t take much of your time to install.

Even those without any home improvement skills are capable of putting these on.

4. Making Use Of A Smart Meters

More and more homes now have a smart meter, but are you taking full advantage of it?

Most electricity providers allow you to check your power use on an hourly basis using a phone app.
However, you ought to know that smart metering programs do vary, but the basic idea is the same.

We use that to ensure that we are minimising power usage when the tariffs are high and maximise it when power is either low cost, or free (If you have solar power).

5. Install Low Flow Fixtures

In Australia most properties now have low flow showerheads.

Don’t forget that other fittings can also be converted to low flow.

A small investment like this would allow you to save as much as 60% on your water bills.

6. Install Timers

Timers ensure that your water heater is turned off at night or when it is not in use.

If you do this, you will never forget to turn off the heater during peak hours.

7. Replace Your Existing Lights with LEDs

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) used to be one of the most effective ways to save money.

Things have now moved on with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) dropping on price.

These typically use half the power of CFLs (85% of incandescent bulbs), start faster than CFLs and last around 15,000 hours.

8. Look at Installing Solar Panels

With the popularity of solar  power on the roof Photo Voltaic (PV) Panels have never been cheaper.
With continually rising power prices the installation price can be recovered in a few years

Final Words

We all want to go green and be able to lower our utility bills.

By following these tips, you will be able to save a lot of money from utility costs.

You will also be able to ensure the satisfaction of any tenants you may have, at the same time.

Landscape Ideas for Saving on Energy

Guest Post by Joel Sidaka

Would you believe that with strategic landscaping, you would be able to save money, increase property value, and make your place look more appealing?

Yes, you read it right, by following some of these property renovations, you will be able to conserve energy through landscaping.

6 Ways to Save Energy Through Landscaping

1. Pay Attention to the Wind

The first on the list of our property maintenance tips would be to pay attention to the wind and utilize fences or shrubs to guide direct cooling breezes to your property.

Aside from that, you will also be able to stop the sun from directly hitting your home and turning it into an oven. You should also consider planting large evergreen trees on the west side of your home, as it would effectively block the hot rays of the afternoon summer sun.

Drought-tolerant plants are also helpful, because they could decrease the effects of humidity as well.

Also refrain from directly planting thirsty plants near your home. . .  Instead, put them in the corners of your garden.

2. Proper Shading Is Also Important

You also have to pay attention to where you are going to plant the trees.

Many landscapers suggest that you plant them on the west windows and the east should be your next priority.

Also, choose a tree that could be planted within 20 feet of the window, and would be at least 10 feet taller than your window. By doing so, you will have the assurance that you will get ample shade from it.
If you are thinking of planting a tree to protect you from the noon sun think again.

During summer, the sun is high at noon, which  means that the tree shadow would fall directly under it, and would not be able to shade  your home.

On the other hand, during winter, the shadow of the tree would fall on the house all throughout the day. Thus, it is not efficient at all.

3. Natural, Organic Mulches Are Heaven-Sent

If you’ve been doing DIY landscaping for the past few years, you probably know by now that watering flowerbeds are nothing but a necessity; since all plants need water, even the healthy ones.

However, there are also steps that could help you improve the health of your plants, and make them last longer even if you fail to regularly water them.

Not just that, it is also possible to make them heat resistant.

Organic mulches, such as wood chips are perfect for this.

You simply have to place the mulch around the roots of the trees and flowerbeds.

4. Maximize Dead Spaces

If you want to insulate your home in both summer and winter, then you should consider planting shrubs, vines, and bushes close to your property.

Make sure that as they mature they is space between them and your house as well as from each other.

5. Be Responsible When Watering

If you really want to control your energy use, it is important that you become responsible on how you use water.

According to the US EPA, its ideal to water your plants when the weather is cool, this is early morning.

Likewise, the sprinklers should be set to water only selected areas.

This would also help you prevent wasting water on other parts of the yard.

Invest in rainwater tanks and you can use the water you have collected for watering your plants.

Do not forget to check the taps, hoses, and plumbing to see if there are any leaks that need fixing.

6. Go Manual Whenever You Can

During the hot summer months, it is ideal to modify and raise the mower’s cutting height to let the grasses grow long.

This would not only shade the roots, but would also reduce the occurrence of browning.

As for the equipment, use manual tools whenever possible in order to conserve energy.

If you really have to use larger equipment, then just rent or borrow one. This would prevent you from overspending.

Final Words

Having a green landscape on your property can be your first step toward a more sustainable conservation movement.

Although it might seem like it will not do much, after quite some time, you will realize that there is great potential behind it.

By making your landscape more energy efficient, you will be able to save a few dollars, which you can spend on other things.

What Are Site Works?

The site works is all the work required to prepare the site and allow them to build that standard house.

The following are frequently encountered additional costs:

Levelling the ‘Construction Pad’

The standard project house is designed for a perfectly flat site, however most sites have some sort of Slope.

Depending on the slope the cost may range from $1,000 to in excess of $20,000

Building Retaining Walls

This is another consequence of a sloping site.

Although a level construction pad may have been constructed action to stop the construction pad sliding down the slope, or the block above sliding onto your block, is needed.

With space bieng at a premium the normal solution is a Retaining Wall

If the required wall is higher than 1m the wall will require a site specific engineering design.

Starting cost for a low retaining wall will be in the region of $250/sq metre.

Building Stronger Foundations.

The standard project home is designed to be built on ground that has a Soil Classification ‘M’.

In practice this is very rare.

Even if the underlying material is Class M most modern developments have been levelled to some extentn resulting in there being fill material.

Getting that flat construction pad can also require additional fill

Rock Removal

If you are building on rock Rock  there will be extensive costs for both levelling the pad and constructiong trenches.

Enev if there is no obvious rock builders will typically include a Provisional Sum of $2,000 – $3,000 for removing any large boulders found during excavations

Termite Protection

I think that all Australian houses should have Termite protection even though some areas are considered termite free.

The cost will depend on your prefered solution but can range from a nominal amount, to up to around $2,000.

Bush Fire Protection

Bush Fire protection will depend on the risk level of your block.

Even a fairly low Bush Fire Attack Level (BAL) of 12.5 will require upgrades in the $5,000 – $10,000 range.

Higher risk zones and you could easily get up to $50,000.

Additional Utility Connection Costs

If you have a block that is much larger than 700 sq metres then you could find that the builder will charge for the extra length of service pipes to serve your site.

My last block which was around 1,000 sq metres had an additional $500 cost, larger blocks and the costs will rise substantially.

Root Barriers

Generally this will only be required in Knock Down and Rebuild projects.

It can cost in ecxcess of $4,000 to protect your house from one substantial tree.

 Minimum Energy Rating Requirements

Australian states require minimum Energy Rating of 6 Stars.

Although the builders designs will meet this requirement in an Ideal Orientation your block might have a far from ideal orientation.

Although the rating can be restored to 6 stars by improving the insulation values the cost be more than $10,000.

You will see from the above that some initial investigation of suitable block will benefit you in avoiding overspending your budget on your new home construction.

If you want to understand more check out the Guide to Buying a Block

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