Before spending a small fortune on replacing our tired and worn single glazed units it’s worth asking ourselves why are we going to do it? Double glazing is a large financial investment why should we bother. If your current windows are in disrepair then you really have no choice at all and the decision has been made for you. However, even if your current windows are still serviceable there are still many great reasons why you may wish to change them for double glazed units anyway. Energy efficiency and saving on heating costs has to be one of the main reasons most people finally decide to change.

Because single glazed windows only have a single sheet of glass when they are broken by accident or on purpose they shatter into many pieces some of which are long and very sharp. These sharp pieces can travel at some speed and cover a large distance. If hit by one of these bits injury of some sort is almost inevitable. Double glazed units on the other hand are very strong and much harder to break. They can also be fitted with safety glasses which makes them even safer.

A thief or burglar will have no difficulty in gaining access into your home if you only have single glazed units and frames. The elderly wooden frames are no real deterrent at all. The thief can easily either take out the entire frame or simply smash the single glazing to gain entry into your house. If you have good quality double glazed windows and frames fitted it’s much tougher for the would be thief to gain entry. The double glazed units are almost impossible to break and the frame is much stronger meaning the thief will have to spend much more time in order to gain entry.

One of the worst things about single glazed units particularly in cold climes is the fact they allow a lot of heat from the house to escape into the outside world. These days with energy costs as high as they are it’s like burning your hard made cash. Also large panes of single glazing are a cold spot in your house and are not very comfortable to sit by. Double glazed units can save you up to 40% of this lost heat. Standard double glazing is very efficient but if you pay just a little bit more you can add energy efficient glass which has a special coating to help reflect heat from a room back into the home.

Before deciding whether you should get double glazing consider these additional advantages over single glazing. The style and choice of look is staggering no matter what your neighbourhood or conservation area requirements are you will be able to find a look that will fit in perfectly and not look out of place. The colour of frame can be chosen from a wide variety and will be sure to blend in. If necessary instead of PVCu which requires little or no maintenance you could opt for the conventional timber frame. The advantage of timber frames is that they look great and generally fit in much better than UPVc. Although Aluminium is still available as a choice not many individuals pick it these days.

Wheelie bins have becomeare a necessary, but unattractive, part of waste disposal in our homes. They are very useful but dont exactly look particularly nice, especially the larger versions. How then, can you disguise this necessary monster in between collection days? Here, we will discuss a number of effective ways to store a wheelie bin.

Firstly, the portable screen.

The portable screen is a relatively cheap answer to this unsightly problem. They can be purchased from garden centres or hardware stores and they come in many different materials. A popular choice is the bamboo screen that can double as a dividing wall in a garden: there are alternatives that are made from expanding lattice made from either wood or pvc slats.

Because they are portable, these screens can be moved to different places around the garden and can also be used to disguise other essential equipment in the garden that you dont necessarily want to show off. They are also ideal for people who are renting: the screen can move with you to your new address.

Secondly, a permanent screen.

Permanent screens can be made from bamboo and trellis as well, but they are fixed at a particular point in the garden. A fixed trellis can act also as a support for a climbing plant, thereby creating a more attractive, living screen. Perfumed flowers can also reduce the more unpleasant smells emitting from the wheelie bin.

A permanent screen can actually be built from many different materials, including timber, metal or even masonry and can be custom designed to fit the size of the bin or accommodate multiple bins.

Have you thought about building a shed for the bins?

You may be able to install a shed that is purpose built for the bin. These sheds are slightly higher than the bin, as this allows for the lid to be raised and have an access door at the front of the structure. As with the permanent screen, these sheds can be made to suit several bins or different sizes. These sheds can be made from wood or metal to suit your specifications.

Sheds for wheelie bins should ideally have a concrete floor ” this will make cleanups of spills much more straightforward.

Can you build your own?

If you are able to work with basic tools and construction, then you will probably be able to design and build your own screen or shed for your wheelie bin. If you can do this, you will be certain that you have the dimensions and style you wish to achieve and it is often cheaper to construct your own. Some hardware stores have plans to help you with the measurements and assembly. You can also purchase a screen or shed in kit form and assemble it yourself.

If however, you don’t like to “do-it-yourself”, you are probably better off choosing from ready made wheelie bin storage designs or having someone custom build from your requirements.

Where is the best position to situate your screen or shed?

When deciding where to put the screen or shed, you should be aware of where the collection point is and the proximity to the house as well as having the bin located where unpleasant odours will not be detected from the house. Find a compromise ” not too far away from the house that it becomes a real nuisance to take out the garbage, yet not too far from the collection point that you are leaving it to the last minute to put it out.

Finally

Choose a screen or shed that suits your budget and your personal style. That way, those ugly but necessary monsters will be pleasantly camouflaged.

Let’s learn how to make a beautiful and precise stairway for homes or decks. Building stairs seems difficult, but it’s really fairly simple if you use the right formula. This is how you measure and construct professional-looking stairs with accuracy.

Before we can start the process of building stairs, we’ll need to take some measurements of the stairway area. We can think of it this way: we have a certain amount of height that we need to reach and we need to do it within a certain length or distance. The part of the stairs that helps us accomplish the height is the stair riser. The length part is the stair tread. The part of the stairs that will hold all the weight is called the stringers. The stringers are the most important part of the stairway.

The treads are usually a standard size of around 10-inches. The risers completely depend on the measured height from the bottom floor to the top floor.

Now we need to get an exact measurement from the bottom floor to the second floor, including the second floor particle board. Now, we use the formula for getting the height of each stair riser. Suppose the distance from bottom floor to top floor including the thickness of the second floor is about 9 feet or 108 inches.

108 divided by 7 equals 15.428. That tells us that 15 risers will be needed. Next, let’s divide 108 by 15 and we’ll get right around 7 inches or the exact height each riser needs to be. The treads need to be right around 10 inches. The amount of treads will be one less than the amount of risers, so to find the total run or length of the stairs, we just multiply 10 by 14 and that tells us that our stairway will be 140 inches long.

Now, try to find a knot-free 2×12 board for the stringer. We can also use prefabricated wood made for stair stringers or an even cheaper selection is strong softwood like Pine or Fir. It will need to be around one foot longer than the distance of the stairs. This would need to be 120-inches or twelve feet long.

Next, while the board is lying flat, measure up about 8 inches to mark the first stair tread. Use a carpenter’s square to measure 10-inches over (tread) and 7-inches up (riser). We’ll do this on every step. Once that is done, we’ll go back to the bottom of the board and measure and cut the first riser. We’ll use the carpenter’s square to make it exactly 7-inches.

When weve finished marking the stringer we can cut out the stairs with a handsaw or a Skilsaw. We will cut really close to the inside corner, but we’ll need to complete the cut with a handsaw to get completely into the corners. When we finish that we can use the stringer as a pattern or a template for the other stringers by it on top of the other boards and tracing in the steps.

Once everything is all cut out and the stringers are identical, we can stand them up and secure them with screws or nails. Once the stringers are screwed or nailed securely in place well put the tread plates on and then the riser plates if we want enclosed stairs. There are special tread boards available that are rounded in front. Theyre made for carpeted stairs. Many people like to have hardwood stairs that are exposed; in that case we would want to use high quality oak or some other quality hardwood. That’s how we make stairs for our home interior or our decks.

Putting in a bathroom fan is important in homes to reduce excessive moisture that can damage paint and walls. The time to plan for a bathroom fan system is while the walls and ceilings are still open from remodeling or new construction.

Most bathroom fans have a light metal box that can be installed between the ceiling rafters or floor joists. The bathroom fan assembly will fit into this box as part of the final electrical work or appliance installation.

The attic or ceiling is the best place to run the exhaust vent. A dryer hose makes the best vent because of its low cost and flexibility. One end of the flexible hose attaches to the exhaust outlet in the metal box with a big hose clamp. The other end of the vent will go to an opening in the roof or the soffit.

There are different types of exhaust fans available for different needs. If its a simple bathroom fan, then you can use a single light switch to turn it on and off. If theres a light and heater with the fan, then youll need to use three different switches to control each component. There are some nice looking triple switches that work well for these types of fixtures.

Be sure to disconnect the electric breaker at the breaker box and make sure that other people in the home know what youre doing with the house electrical system to avoid electrical mishaps.

Lets say were wiring a fan and light combination. We can use 12-3 non-metallic sheathed cable which has three conductor wires and a ground wire. From the switch well need to have the house circuit wires to provide the power. Well run the 12-3 cable from the switch box to the fan. Therell be a red wire, a black wire, and a white wire, along with a copper ground wire in the cable sheathing.

Well use a double switch that fits into a normal switch box. The 12-3 electrical cable that runs from the exhaust fan to the switch can be wired first. You will need to wire the red wire to one of the hot screws on the switch. The black wire can be connected to the other hot screw. These will usually be on the same side of the switch over and under.

The switch will also have a screw that attaches to the house circuit power. The black wire that comes from the power circuit will connect to the switch giving it power. The white wire from the circuit power and the white wire from the fan can be joined together with a wire nut. You can also attach the copper ground wires together with a wire nut. Tuck all of the wires into the switch box and secure the switch in place.

Next, youll wire the light and fan with the 12-3 cable. There will be four wires with this fixture. The red wire from the fan will connect to the red wire from the 12-3 cable. There will be a black wire from the fan light. It will connect to the black wire from the power cable. The white wire can be combined with the other white wire and the ground copper wire can be combined with the cable ground wire with a wire nut.

Secure the fan in place with the attachment screws. Turn on the breaker to make sure that each component works when you flip the switch.

DIY or company?- Being informed is key. Before you can tackle the pest problem in your home you will first have to get information on what is the pest type, nature and extent of the problem. Now you can identify the method to use to rid your home of the pest. Integrated Pest Management must be the basis of any pest control process. What this means is that combination of mechanisms, chemicals and environmental methods are employed to combat your problem. Pest control services are always recommended instead of trying to handle the problem yourself, due to the time, effort and costs you will incur that will be significantly more than that of a professional. Some pests are also of such a nature that it can be deadly for you to tamper and anger the creatures for example bees. Specialist know-how is also required for some pests such as termites.

Treatment intervals- Treatment intervals depend on the type of pest infestation. Regular applications is the common recommendation.

Prevention is best- Preventing the pest outbreak is better than curing the problem once is rears its crawly head. The more unattractive the environment the less pest problems you will have. Firstly, invest in yellow light bulbs for your garden. Wood is a wonderfully attractive playground for creatures. It is advised that wood to ground contact be minimal, timber used in landscape gardening be substitute with other suitable materials and wood piling be done far from the home.

Chemical treatment- However not always the prefer choice of treatment, chemicals are sometimes the only means to combat uncontrollable infestations. Less toxic chemical are available on the market but they also have risks and side-effects to be carefully studied before use. The fact that the chemical is less toxic does not mean it’s totally safe for your health or the environment. Handle the chemical just as you would your normal toxic chemicals. Better safe than sorry.

Chemical alternatives- Mechanical pest control is a very popular alternative to chemical treatments. Hormone, snap, light and sticky traps can be used to catch the irritating pest without the risk of poisoning yourself, family or pets. However these mechanisms can also hurt uninformed persons so take the time to tell them what the mechanism purpose is.

Be very careful- Be very careful when you attempt pest control treatment yourself. Read the instructions carefully and make sure that you wear suitable clothing that will protect your skin and lungs. Chemicals and mechanical alternatives should be stored in safe places out of reach of uninformed persons. Food or cool drink containers should never be used for storing poisons.

Beautiful homes and gardens are a sight to behold. A lot of work and keen creativity is needed to be able to cultivate a rich and blooming garden. That is why some owners take pride in opening their homes for others to marvel at a job well done.

The Garden Club of Charleston holds a house and garden tours each spring for its members and other participants. The tour will include a visitation of Charlestons historic and magnificent homes and their gardens. Fine and awesome flower arrangements by the club members adorn these beautiful historic homes. The owners of these homes have graciously opened their doors for the garden club and its visitors to see.

The House and Garden Tours are able to set-up few rules and regulations in relation to their touring activity. Children below 12 years of age are not permitted to attend because of the long travel that might compromise their comfort. Children also tend to be playful and the club does not want to them to break anything in this private homes. Attendees are encouraged to don their comfortable clothing and walking shoes as the place possess a humid climate. The participants will walk on streets lined with bricks and cobblestones that is why high heels are not advisable.

The proceeds of the tour programs are used to preserve and maintain two historic houses namely: The Joseph Manigault House Garden and The Heyward-Washington Garden respectively. These two houses are part of The Charleston Museum. The Heyward-Washington place is named after the late President Washington because he was once a visitor there. The Garden Club also maintains and sponsors the healing garden of the Psychiatric Center of The Medical University of South Carolina.

You may visit your local listings so you can catch a glimpse of their tours and be part of their organizations advocacy.

House clutter is mostly due to bad habits. They say it takes 21 days to form new habits. Start the declutter process today by implementing these easy tips.

1. Don’t Buy “Stuff”. Accumulating more “things” will only add to your clutter. Training yourself to turn a blind eye to sales and deals. Just because it’s a good deal doesn’t mean you have to buy it.

2. Quit Procrastinating. The attitude of I’ll do it tomorrow is a killer for those who are serious about decluttering. But if you take a huge project and break it down into smaller more manageable pieces. Pick something small and get started. You need daily consistency more than you need one marathon declutter session.

3. Quit Hoarding. Get rid of the junk around your house. The problem with decluttering is the emotional attachment to objects. The sad part about this is that most emotional attachments are to things that really don’t merit that emotion.

4. Stay on Target. Consistency is the ultimate key to getting and staying decluttered. Focus on smaller projects, even a shelf at a time if necessary and keep these smaller projects limited to 15 minutes per day. If you have time and can do more, great. The key though, is to keep at it until it’s done and if for you that means spreading it out over several weeks for just a few minutes a day, then do it!

5. Throw Away “Stuff”. Get in the habit of throwing stuff out. Your reluctance to throw stuff away will only add to your clutter. If your first instinct is to throw it away, do it! Don’t try to find a reason why you should keep something. Change this habit and the majority of your decluttering problems will be resolved.

6. Things In Their Place. You may have heard a place for everything and everything in it’s place. This is especially true as it relates to decluttering. Prioritize what you want to keep and start finding places for the things on the top of your list and go from there. As soon as you run out of space, throw everything else away. This may seem harsh, but remember that whatever you own ends up owning you.

Getting organized and decluttering will not only make your home more enjoyable to be in, but will make your life easier as well. Change your mind, change your life, change your life, change your mind.