Category Remodelling

Almost every house goes through a renovation phase. Some do renovations because it is actually required and is ‘about time’ for it, while others do so just because they fancy a little change or in some cases, transformation. Nevertheless, here are a few common mistakes most tend to make, and should be avoided.

Not Picking a Good Time

This might be one of the biggest mistakes that often lands both the home owners and builders in a mess. Choosing a ‘wrong’ time for renovations can make it an unpleasant experience to both parties, and most of all, result in flaws and failure in many aspects. Thus, be wise, and try not to choose a time when your family is down for vacation, or when your kids have important exams coming up.

Overlooking the Cost Factor

Keep in mind that it is best to go ahead with renovations when you have enough funds and more. Most end up going ahead with renovation jobs despite being on tight budget. Always remember that ‘make do’ is not something you can apply where renovations and construction is concerned. Thus, make sure you get proper estimates. Ideally you will have more funds than required, ready in hand.

Not Hiring Professional Designers

It is important to hire design experts right from the start, irrespective of the size or type of the renovation job. This should also help with cost and budget planning in particular. The errors you could make without right advice could be a lot costlier than what you’d paying for expert service and advice. This, this is something you would want to take seriously.

Not Seeking Insight

It is important to ask your expert as many questions as you can with regard to your renovations. There could be so many things you would like to implement, but you don’t have enough clarity on. Thus, speak to the relevant experts and get the insight you want. If you are on the lookout for the best options to get double glazed windows in Australia for instance, reach out to the experts and find out more about the idea, and whether or not it suits your setting and why.

Not Taking Quality Seriously

Don’t be surprised, but there are homeowners who actually don’t mind compromising on the quality factor. This can be one of those big mistakes you would be making in your entire life. Your home is the most secure place to be, and if you don’t make sure every part of your house is ‘solid’, it simply means that they aren’t the safest. Thus, always get the best quality stuff – whether it is bathroom fittings, flooring, even doorknobs and faucets.

Working on Too many Spaces at the Same Time

Lacking simple organizational skills can lead to so many big blunders. Make sure your renovations are started on one area first, such as the living room for instance, and is completed before moving over to bedrooms. Doing a little bit everywhere is not only inconvenient, but also isn’t the most efficient or effective way of carrying out a renovation job.

You need to make sure that you choose the best possible materials for your building envelope and this includes doors and windows as well. When choosing UPVC windows and you are considering going for double glazed glass, you can go weigh the pros and cons of each company so that you can select a contractor that is right for you.

Evergreen double glazed windows can make your home more energy efficient so you have to think about the long term benefits you get as well when considering the initial investment. As there is a high investment to go with, you need to select a reliable company that is able to provide you with a quality product. So you need to check the reputation of the company. This can be done by checking reviews of their customers and getting an idea of how long they have been working in the industry. You can check many independent sites for honest reviews. Some websites of companies will display testimonials of their past customers as well. If you have a friend or family member who has recently installed double glazed windows, you can ask them about their experience and whether they are willing to recommend the company that carried out the job.

Make sure that you check the accreditations of the company. You need to know that the company complies with building regulations of the state and that it has the approval of the local authorities. If you cannot find this information on the company website, you can call the general number for the company and ask. But make sure that you ask for proof so that you can see for yourself that they have the required certification and licenses. The quality of the product is very important especially when you are using it in a high traffic area. You can always visit the showroom of the company to get an idea about the aluminium profiles they use and the specifications for glass.

Double glazed windows made of low quality materials will require a lot of repairs and maintenance. This is why you need to choose a company that has been working for a long time in the industry so that they work to a strong ethic and uphold high quality standards. Ask them about the guarantee they provide the customer as well. Generally, a guarantee of 10 years will be provided as a standard but you need to know what items are covered by this guarantee as well. If you know someone who has installed double glazed windows for some time, you can ask them about the general upkeep to get an idea of whether you can carry out similar maintenance as well. The company will also apprise you of the maintenance details. Some companies that offer double glazed windows offer other security features as well including different locking mechanisms. You can browse their options and check from several companies so that you are aware of the products that are in the market and the price points.

Painting is one of the essential things you should know if you’re fond of DIY home projects. It is not that complicated to do and doing a paint job by yourself could actually help you save when it comes to labour costs. You don’t need to look for a painter since you can do the job on your own. As long as you know the basics of painting and the essential tools needed, you could get started with your painting job. Here are some useful tips on how to paint your home like a pro.

Plan Ahead

Just like other home improvement projects, you need to plan ahead on how you want the paint job to be done. There are limitless options on how you could paint a wall or ceiling, not just single colour. You could set an accent wall and paint it differently among the rest. You could even create a pattern, print, and texture when painting surfaces. It’s all up to you on how you want to do the paint job.

Choose a Colour Palette

It can be confusing to stare at colour chips and pick a colour, with so many options to choose from. Instead of looking at the colours one by one, you could start by thinking of a theme you want to achieve and find a colour palette that suits it. For instance, if you want a fresh and lively looking area, you could opt for a colour palette with light pastels and decide which colours you want as background, accents, etc.

Gather Supplies and Tools

Before starting, you need to gather all the supplies and tools that you need for your painting job. Be sure to have all the basics such as paint rollers, paint brushes, tray, rags, painter’s tape, and all other tools you need. Always choose quality supplies and tools just like products from Two Fussy Blokes to achieve good results.

Determine the Paint Needed

Although paints aren’t that expensive, it would be more cost efficient if you buy only the amount that you need. Once you know which area you’ll need to cover, you can estimate how much paint is needed for the whole job. For experienced painters, it would be just an easy task. However, you could always use a paint calculator to estimate how much you’ll need.

Prep the Room

Of course, you wouldn’t want paint stains on other areas where it isn’t supposed to be. Never forget to pre the room you’re planning to paint by covering all the other things to protect them from paint drips. Take all the furniture pieces into the centre of the room so it would be easier for you to cover them with a drop cloth. Don’t forget to cover the floor as well and use painter’s tape on the edges, mouldings, and other features you don’t want to apply paint on.

Although painting requires some practice, you could surely gain a lot of experience and learn more as you work on different DIY paint jobs.

Whether it was a residential or commercial pool, building one is not a cup of tea. This is why there’s only a handful of professionals in the field. Although the chosen company would help you to build yourself a great pool, you must be well aware of the process as the client. In this process, there are some stages that require the most attention due to several reasons.

In this read, we’re going to talk about those significant stages.

Design – structural and MEP

Once your site is inspected, there will be a rough quote from which you can go lower or higher by changing the applicable parameters. These changes happen during the Swimming Pool Design Sydney stage. Whether it was the dimensions, the looks, the material selection, you must pay close attention to the decisions that the company is making. The other side is the MEP – the choice of pipes and the electrical system.

Pipe laying

Pipes are the most important functional part of the pool. Whether it was cleaning, for everyday function, or even filtering, the pipe system must sustain itself in the absolute best way. In doing so, double-check any irregular gradients of the pipes, any damaged pipes, or lacking the number of pipes according to the plan. However, if you hired a reliable pool contractor, they won’t be either intentionally or unintentionally careless.

Concreting stage

Concrete cannot be poured in the conventional way when it comes to pools. After all, how can you expect a wall to contain semi-solid concrete? If your contractor insists on using conventional methods, you should try your best to go for the shotcrete methods. That way, the concrete settles both vertically and horizontally. Due to the rapidity of the application, it won’t take so long to finish concreting the entire pool.

Finishing stage

Once all the structural, electrical, and plumbing work is done, the finishing stage comes up. This is when all the accessories are fitted, the surfaces are tiled, and the edges are smoothened. Since the final look will be what the finishing stage results, we highly recommend you supervise each and every area with great responsibility.

First, fill

Following the finishing, a stage comes the first fill. This is when you can get a good final look at the finished project before the contractors leave. Be sure to inspect the entire pool in all the ways possible and keep observing even after the contractors leave so that you can spot anything off. If you do, do not wait for another second; take pictures and give them a call.

In conclusion

At the end of the day, our word of advice is always to choose companies that know what they’re doing. On top of that, hiring multiple companies to work in harmony isn’t going to be the solution due to all types of disagreements and accountability problems. Instead, we highly recommend that you choose a company that does everything under one roof.

Pursuing ecofriendly ways of living is not only applied in personal lives but also it can be applied through policies and can be imposed on the city planning and its development. This trend has been seen as an initiative by many developed countries as they see it as a means not only for benefit but for aesthetics. Here are the benefits of going green among many developed countries and cities.

Better Public Mental Health

Greener and ecofriendly cities have reported better mental health among its citizenry as they pursue a healthier policies and methods for the city. Clean and greener parks help people relieve stress and increased number of trees and vegetation in the city area contribute to a high level of mental health among the people.

Case in point, Australian solar lighting initiatives greatly contribute to the better mental public health of the people in its cities. Polluted cities reported to have higher levels of aggression with its citizens and higher rates of crime annually.

Cost Cutting Mechanisms

Green initiatives also account for cost cutting mechanisms for modern cities. With solar powered streets and recycling bins around the city it could counter the costs of the city thus it helps with the cost around the city such as park maintenance and street cleaning and the cost of electricity.

Thus, keeping the environment clean also has its perks of having lesser cost and more budget for parks and other recreational areas for the people to enjoy. Taxes can now be fully focused on important areas in the development of people’s lives and the growth of the city’s economy.

Helps the Economy

Having a greener and well-developed city also offers the in aiding with the economy in terms of tourism. Greener and well-developed cities have been found to have more tourists visit the place compared to cities who has no initiative for ecofriendly policies.

The difference between the two is that ecofriendly policies tend to make the city cleaner and more welcoming to visitors. With more parks and amenities, green cities tend to enjoy the constant visit of tourists. Also in many western states, having ecofriendly policies meant more support from the national government through tax incentives and other benefits as well.

Lower Health Problems

With green cities also meant that there are less pollutants and less disease-causing germs in the city, which lead to a higher quality of life among the citizens, reporting to be happier and more contented with their lives and has lesser health problems as compared to other polluted areas. People in green cities also reported to have a more positive perception on living permanently and establishing a family in the city because of its culture and approach with health and wellness.

Well-developed cities with the capacity to embrace such modern beneficial means to help save the environment are also most likely to have less environmental problems and issues in the future, as such investing on ecofriendly means is also investing on insurance for the future of the city.

Whether it was your all-new house or whether it was a renovation, the importance of the doors and windows is quite high. Since there are hundreds of new houses and renovations that take place all over Australia on a daily basis, there’s a good demand for doors and windows. Needless to say, that not all of them are of the best quality.

Thus, let us look at all the questions that you should ask from your doors/windows manufacturer.

Will you visit the site, or should I give dimensions?

This is the most important stage. Why? In case you get at least a few centimeters wrong, the entire design will be off. Hence, we highly recommend that you request a site visit from the manufacturer so that they can get the exact dimensions they need.

What is the base material of your products?

If you were planning to go with timber-based products, we’d ask you to reconsider due to many reasons. All of the reasons point us towards one conclusion; aluminum is way better. Thanks to the rarity of the service, you’ll only come across a handful of manufacturers in the first place.

Hence, we highly recommend that you settle down for aluminum doors and windows for the longest durability with their quality preserved. If you want to discover more, browse through eagle aluminium news.

What are the possible bespoke solutions the company has?

Not all companies are that dedicated to the designing part; they just want you to sell your rectangular solutions. But the better companies that believe that their customers deserve the best products will have their own line of unique products. One such good example is any product that has a double glazed window. What we want you to do is either browse their website or ask for company-specific products.

How fast will you finish the job?

The turnaround time is extremely essential in keeping up with the schedules of the contractors. Hence, you don’t want to deal with an international company that doesn’t pay that much attention to your needs. On the flip side, working with companies that cannot guarantee you the latest time of delivery can be bit of a problem.

What will you do about the hardware?

The hinges, the locks, and everything else that comes together for the conventional doors and windows must be compatible with the manufactured products. Usually, the manufacturer will be able to recommend you the sizes and types. On the flip side, there are sliding doors and windows as we mentioned earlier. Thus, the hardware required for these occasions is different from what you’d want than the usual case.

The takeaway

At the end of the day, all you’re looking for is a hassle-free service that ensures the highest quality along with better after-sale services. We can assure you that as long as you’re getting satisfactory answers to the questions mentioned in this reading, you’d be able to filter out the best solutions.