Better Home Club

Among all the factors that go into making a room stylish and warm, carpets take a major position along with furniture and upholstery. Whether it is an antique rug or a contemporary style, it can alter the ambiance of a room just by its presence. Carpets add character to a room, be it a house or office. However, as much as they add to the appearance to the room and the comfort of the tenants, they need good care to preserve beauty and enhance strength.

Carpet cleaning today has come far beyond what it was before. There are different techniques now to clean a carpet to take away any kind of stain without upsetting its quality, especially antique carpets that comes with different intricate patterns and makes. Entrusting this job to a professional carpet cleaning service is in a way making sure the durability of the carpet. All you need to think before taking up the services is whether they have the required license, knowledge and qualification to do carpet cleaning and the cost of the cleaning. Once you have collected the facts you could go ahead and choose the company.

Source: http://tempestrestoration.blogspot.com/2011/12/hand-over-your-carpet-cleaning-work-to.html

I have always liked the idea of spending time in the garden.  Sipping some homemade lemonade while playing chess and admiring my geraniums sounds terribly refined, doesn’t it? The problem is that I don’t have any geraniums. Actually, I don’t know how to make lemonade or play chess very well either, but I reckon that I could learn those things.

The big problem is really that a lot of us like the idea of a quality garden but aren’t that keen on the harsh reality of doing something in order to get it. If you want to get a great outdoor space then you really need to get your hands dirty first. This is the bit which most of us are not so keen on.

A friend recently gave me a suggestion for fixing this which I am thinking of taking up. He said that he just got an orangery added to his property and that this helps him make more of his garden. It sounds a bit of a strange concept at first, as this is a type of greenhouse structure which I had always thought people only bought to grow exotic fruits in.

It turns out that he has fitted his out with some bamboo furniture and a mixture of lovely plants. When I went to visit him recently I was amazed at the change when we stepped from his living room into the orangery. It was like another world. The point of this is that it gives him two different ways to enjoy his garden more.

Inside Looking Out

If you want to look at your garden without having to go out in the cold then a lovely, warm greenhouse lets you do just that. You can be nice and cosy and have the telly switched on or the radio chattering away while you look around your prized patio. This idea seems to be best for those among us who already have a good stock of geraniums but perhaps it could also provide a handy incentive to the rest of us. If you know that you have a wonderful place to view your flowers from then it should be easier to motivate yourself to actually get some.

Making the Connection

What my friend told me was that he found that the conservatory room helped him link the house to the garden in a way he had never managed before. Now he sees this as a sort of half way house in which he feels as though he is in his garden even when he is indoors. This means that he is far more inclined to step out of doors and do a few of those odd jobs which are so easy to neglect otherwise. It sounds like a fine idea and it means that I can finally treat my garden the way it deserves to be treated. Now all I need to do is work out how to turn those lemons, a bowl of sugar and a jug of water into something cool and refreshing.

Topsoil is the uppermost layer of ground (hence the name) and is created over hundreds of years, through the effect of the climate upon organic matter and rock. According to studies published by the University of New Hampshire Extension, just an inch of Topsoil takes an incredible 500 years to build up naturally. Topsoil is an optimal growing medium for plants and gardens and is a valuable commodity which can often be fairly expensive to obtain. Requirements for topsoil are dependent upon the plants which are being grown.

When growing a lawn it is generally recommended that a 4 inch deep layer of topsoil be applied to promote optimal growth. For flower beds, shrubs and other garden areas, a minimum of 8 inches topsoil is recommended. When growing plants in less than minimal topsoil, poor plant growth is generally the result. Lawns which are grown on thin topsoil are likely to be susceptible to drought damage.

There are many benefits to correct use of topsoil because of its many plant growing attributes. Due to the higher than average level of decomposed animal and plant content within topsoil, it is very rich in organic matter. Its porous structure also provides for adequate transmission of water and air to plant roots. What’s more, since topsoil does not contain a high volume of clay it has fewer issues with compaction and layering.

There are alternatives to Topsoil because, given the quality of topsoil, it is often an expensive and hard to obtain commodity. It is generally accepted that compost is the best alternative to topsoil, as explained by the Penn State University Extension. Compost can be added to your ground work as a soil amendment prior to planting your goods or can be used to top dress garden areas after planting.

So today we are going to focus on Garden Sheds. There are many valid reasons why no garden should be without a good shed, and Taylors Garden Buildings specialise in very good sheds indeed. We all love our sheds, and they offer a lot more than simply somewhere to store the lawnmower.

But of course, this is in itself a very good reason to own a garden shed. After all, without a shed our beautiful gardens would be buried under the tools we use to make them beautiful in the first place. A handsome shed, of any size, is the best way to store gardening equipment more in a tidy and attractive package.

Better still, it’s the ideal place to store great garden furniture when it isn’t in use. Let’s face it, we don’t get the most reliable summer, and we can guarantee a miserable winter, so unless it’s looked after our garden furniture can be subjected to plenty of abuse from the elements. Where better to shelter all of your garden wares than in a great shed?

The process of building your shed can be enjoyable and greatly rewarding. It certainly isn’t difficult, and even the most hapless DIY doer should master a basic shed. Yet a nice looking shed can enhance the overall appearance of your garden and even enhance the value of your house.
There’s far more to a shed than four wooden walls and Taylors Garden Buildings offer a wide range of sheds in all shapes, styles and sizes.

Specialising in bespoke garden buildings, including sheds, summerhouses and log cabins, Taylors have more than 50 years of experience providing sheds which manage to be attractive and functional and unbeatable in price. It’s incredible that they’d manage all three, but that is precisely what you get from a Taylor’s shed.

You might not think twice about how much energy you are conserving or wasting in your home – until you get your gas or electric bill.

With energy prices continuing to skyrocket from year to year, and utility companies passing along the costs to their customers, many homeowners are starting to take a harder look at ways to protect their pocketbooks.

A few simple steps now can go a long way toward reducing your energy costs and keeping them low for the foreseeable future. The following tips provided by Comfortex BlindCrafter Centers will help you conserve energy in your home and save money on your heating and cooling bills.

* Install insulating window treatments like Comfortex Cellular Shades. These innovative window treatments trap air between the shade and window, which in turn keeps warm air from escaping through your windows during the winter, and keeps hot air from entering your home during the summer.

* Caulk cracks and holes in your windows or install weather stripping to ensure that no cold or hot air escapes.

* During the winter, allow those rare sunny days to warm your house by opening window shades and blinds, but remember to close them at night.

* Install storm windows. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, storm windows can reduce heat loss through your windows by up to 50 percent.

* Move furniture away from the heat source. Blocking a vent makes the system work harder.

* Keep your fireplace damper closed when not in use.

Who Knew Home Landscaping For Energy Conservation Had This Effect?

If you have been thinking about how you would like to cut your home energy costs, you might want to take a second look at your home landscaping. This is an area you may not have even thought of. Did you know energy-efficient home landscaping can reduce your household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by as much as 25 percent.!That’s staggering, isn’t it? Proper placement of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges lets you modify the microclimate around your home to maximize shade during the summer and reduce wind chill during the winter. Energy-efficient home landscaping is one of the best investments you can make, because aside from its potential to increase the resale value of your property, it can generate enough savings to return your initial investment in less than eight years. It is not surprising then that more homeowners than ever are implementing energy-conserving home landscaping ideas on their property. So where can we begin with this exciting new landscaping adventure? I hope the following information will be of help to you.

Develop a Home Landscaping Plan for Energy Efficiency
There are countless home landscaping strategies for energy conservation, but not all of them may be appropriate for your property and climate zone. Before you plant those evergreens in your backyard, make an assessment of the comfort and energy shortcomings of your current home landscaping. Things like the property’s microclimate, house location, and the presence of surrounding structures will influence your energy-efficient home landscaping plan. Microclimate is the climate immediately surrounding your home, and along with the regional climate, it helps determine which plants and trees will thrive and provide the best energy-saving benefit to your home landscaping. Your home’s location affects your dwelling’s exposure to the sun, wind, and water, consequently shaping your home landscaping needs. Nearby buildings, walls, trees, and bodies of water can produce significant climatic effects that would impact your home landscaping strategies. A thorough analysis of your property’s features enables you to devise an energy-efficient home landscaping scheme that addresses your needs and goals.

Landscape to Maximize Shade
Properly planned home landscaping can reduce your air-conditioning costs in the summer by providing shade from the hot morning and afternoon sun. Deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves in winter) provide shade in the summer when its leaves are in full bloom and warm the home in winter by letting low-angle winter sun filter through its bare branches. Home landscaping that maximizes shade can reduce temperature inside the home by as much as 8 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Would you think of shading your air-conditioner through home landscaping because that increases the unit’s efficiency. In addition, shading the ground and pavement with trees, shrubs, and groundcover plants reduces surrounding air temperatures. Other heat-reducing home landscaping ideas include building a trellis for climbing vines to shade a patio and planting a row of shrubs to shade a driveway.

Landscaspe for Wind Protection
Home landscaping to divert the flow of cold winds helps cut down your home heating costs in the winter. Trees, shrubs, bushes, walls, and fences make effective windbreaks for winter-protected home landscaping. You can achieve adequate wind protection through home landscaping by planting evergreen trees and shrubs along the north and northwest areas of your property. Windbreaks can decrease wind speed for a distance as much as 30 times its height, although maximum wind protection occurs at a distance of two to five times the mature height of windbreaks. For optimal wind protection, make sure that the foliage density on the windward side of your property is 60 percent. A well-designed home landscaping provides energy savings year-round. Enjoy the warmth of the winter sun by not planting evergreens too close to the south side of your home. Shrubs, bushes and vines planted close to your house create dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer.

I hope this article has been of help to you in creating landscaping for energy conservation. Reducing my household energy consumption by a possible 25% has motivated me to start looking around my yard.

While “green” has become quite the buzzword when it comes to home building and design, what exactly it means isn’t always clear. There are a few standards for eco-friendly homes, but the term “green” doesn’t have a universal definition beyond being a color made by mixing yellow and blue. So how does a consumer know when a home the builder is calling “green” is actually built with an ecological focus, or at least enough of one to justify its price?

Some of the standards for ecologically minded homes include increased insulation. To be really energy efficient, a home should be insulated beyond the minimum local requirements. This includes floor insulation, which in some cases is built right in to the concrete foundation. In addition to the walls, floors and ceilings, windows should also be insulating. Therefore, double paned and/or vinyl windows are becoming the “green” standard.

Energy efficiency should be continued throughout the home. Low water use toilets are a must, and those that have different flush options are extra eco-concious. These options allow you to have a more efficient flush for solid waste, while liquid waste just gets much more conservative flush. Shower heads, washing machines, faucets and dishwashers can also be equipped to limit the water used without compromising function. Air conditioners, refrigerators, heaters and all other appliances within the home should be of the highest standard of energy efficiency. In addition, compact fluorescent lights should be used throughout the home, or replaced by LED lights wherever those are suitable.

Beyond energy efficiency, use of non-toxic, ar at least less-toxic, materials is important in “green” homes. Look for a home with low VOC paints. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are toxins that gas-off from conventional paint. Remember the lighter the pigment, the lower the VOC’s, so white or off-white walls are healthier than some of the bolder, trendy colors. This is because it is the paint base that is quality controlled, but it is impossible to take the VOC’s out of some pigments.

Another finishing detail that is popular for eco-friendly homes is bamboo or cork flooring. Bamboo is popular because it grows so quickly. It takes about five years to grow bamboo to the right size to make flooring. It is versatile and comes in a variety of styles and colors. Cork is an option because it is sustainable to harvest – removing cork does not damage the cork tree, as it replenishes its cork bark every year anyway. Cork makes a lovely, soft and springy floor surface that is also naturally warmer than many other flooring options.

For our final indoor consideration, eco-friendly homes will use more natural fabrics such as wool and cotton for carpets and window dressings.

Outside the home leaves plenty of room for “green” considerations, too. Xeriscaping is a popular means of landscaping utilizing plants native to the area being built in. These plants are naturally drought-resistant because they are acclimatized to the local environment, needing less watering and maintenance than lawns or beds full of foreign flowers.

Another “green” outdoor trend is utilizing permeable paving stones. These actually absorb water, which then is naturally filtered through the earth and goes back into the ground-water supply. These avoid the toxic run-off that can be caused by water rushing over cement and into drains, carrying oil and exhaust residue straight into the drainage system, which ultimately ends up being a nearby body of water.

If a home you are looking at is being promoted as being “green”, don’t hesitate to ask the builder about some of these features. If they don’t measure up, don’t buy it.

Want to Stop a Third of the Energy Loss from Your Home?

Many people dont insulate their basement walls because they mistakenly believe that the soil outside does the insulating for them. Unfortunately, soil is not a good insulator and heat loss from your basement can account for over one third of the total heat loss from your home.

Done properly, basement insulation will not only reduce heat loss, but it will make your basement warmer, drier and much more comfortable.

There are two main ways to insulate your basement interior insulation and exterior insulation.

For interior basement insulation, you can use any of the main types of home interior insulation, including fibreglass batts, rigid foam board and spray foam. Having a metal or wood frame of studs will help support the insulation and give you a place to attach drywall or panelling.

You should install a moisture barrier over the bare wall before adding the stud frame and insulation. Also, add a vapour barrier over the installed stud frame and insulation before adding drywall and panelling.

For exterior basement insulation, you must excavate the soil around your home so you can get to the outside surfaces of your basement walls. Cover the entire surface of the wall with a layer of waterproofing material before adding rigid insulation. Metal flashing and a protective cover must be installed over the insulation to make sure moisture does not get between the insulation and the basement wall.

Before installing any kind of basement insulation, you need to fix any cracks, leaks or other moisture problems. Moisture can seriously damage your finished basement and the problem is far more difficult and expensive to fix after a basement is finished.

On the inside, moisture and vapour barriers will help reduce condensation, but they do not prevent water leaking through wall cracks. A basement waterproofing system is the best way to make sure you do not have moisture problems from any source.

On the outside, install a drainage system when insulating the wall. Again, waterproofing your basement will protect you from water damage.

The trained basement waterproofing professionals at Clarke Basement Systems know how to make your basement dry and get it ready for your basement insulation inside and out.

A typical U.S. family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills, yet making some simple changes around the home can save money and make heating and cooling systems more efficient, according to World Energy Solutions, a publicly traded energy services company based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

By evaluating facilities and equipment, World Energy Solutions (symbol: WEGY) helps businesses lower their utility consumption and maintenance costs and extend the life of their equipment.

“Many of the energy-saving strategies we use for our commercial customers can also be applied to the home,” says Benjamin Croxton, chief executive officer of World Energy Solutions. “There are many common-sense, low-cost and no-cost ways to lower your home energy use as well as many new technologies that can be applied to your home’s energy-consuming systems.”

Here are some tips from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy on things homeowners can do to make their homes more energy efficient:

* Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting.

* Use energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers.

* Use compact fluorescent bulbs, which can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. First to be replaced should be any 60-watt to 100-watt bulbs that are used several hours a day.

* Have your heating and cooling systems serviced in the fall and spring. Duct sealing can also improve the energy efficiency and overall performance of your furnace or central air conditioner.

* Clean or replace furnace, air conditioner and heat-pump filters.

* Assess your heating and cooling systems to determine if you should replace or retrofit them to make them work more efficiently to provide the same comfort, or better, with less energy.

“If your home’s central air-conditioning system is over 10 years old, a new state-of-the-art system can save you 30 percent or more of your home’s air-conditioning expense,” says George Walker, air-conditioning expert with World Energy Solutions.

A typical U.S. family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills, yet making some simple changes around the home can save money and make heating and cooling systems more efficient, according to World Energy Solutions, a publicly traded energy services company based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

By evaluating facilities and equipment, World Energy Solutions (symbol: WEGY) helps businesses lower their utility consumption and maintenance costs and extend the life of their equipment.

“Many of the energy-saving strategies we use for our commercial customers can also be applied to the home,” says Benjamin Croxton, chief executive officer of World Energy Solutions. “There are many common-sense, low-cost and no-cost ways to lower your home energy use as well as many new technologies that can be applied to your home’s energy-consuming systems.”

Here are some tips from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy on things homeowners can do to make their homes more energy efficient:

* Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting.

* Use energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers.

* Use compact fluorescent bulbs, which can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. First to be replaced should be any 60-watt to 100-watt bulbs that are used several hours a day.

* Have your heating and cooling systems serviced in the fall and spring. Duct sealing can also improve the energy efficiency and overall performance of your furnace or central air conditioner.

* Clean or replace furnace, air conditioner and heat-pump filters.

* Assess your heating and cooling systems to determine if you should replace or retrofit them to make them work more efficiently to provide the same comfort, or better, with less energy.

“If your home’s central air-conditioning system is over 10 years old, a new state-of-the-art system can save you 30 percent or more of your home’s air-conditioning expense,” says George Walker, air-conditioning expert with World Energy Solutions.