Better Home Club

If you are thinking of purchasing a home that was built in between 1950 and the mid 1980’s you should have it checked for asbestos, particularly if you are planning on undertaking any major renovation work during which it is likely to be disturbed.

Asbestos was widely used in building materials during this time, and though it is not harmful so long as it remains in place, if it is disturbed it can pose a threat to you and your family. The harms of asbestos have been widely discussed over the last twenty years, with evidence being released that concludes long term exposure to the mineral can cause health problems such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis as the fibers remain in the lungs and cling to the lining.

If you are purchasing or renovating a property, make sure that you check for products that may contain asbestos and evaluate the problem. Asbestos was used in a number of products throughout the 1950s to the 1980s due to its highly useful and rare qualities, and can be found in steam pipes, boilers, floor tiles, insulation, shingles, cement roofing, patching and joint compounds and siding. If you don’t plan on moving anything, then you are advised to leave these products alone, checking for damage regularly to ensure that none of the fibers have been disturbed and are not being released into your home.

If you are planning renovation however, you should consider asbestos removal. John Boyd, a specialist of asbestos removal in London says: “the most important thing is to get a professional in to do the job, no one should attempt to remove any products containing asbestos themselves because the health risks are huge. Makes sure that the company you get in are health and safety accredited and come with a good reputation.”

When considering an extension or any new building on you property, it can be incredibly difficult to suit it to your needs without worrying about how they might change in the near future. If you build a large kitchen or bathroom extension you could find that you could have used the space and the investment on something that you might have preferred like a larger living space or another bedroom. However, one of the most flexible and attractive options for extension building is in building conservatories.

A conservatory is suitable for many different functions as a room and can be adapted to meet your needs as they change over time. It is also flexible in terms of the seasons. With open doors and the flood of sunlight it would make a great seating area during the summer. Yet with proper heating and comfy furniture it could make a wonderful living room during the winter months; even the rain will be a treat as you hear the romantic patter of raindrops against the windows whilst you are still warm and cosy.

The additional advantage of building a conservatory is that they are considered to be ‘permitted development’ meaning that they usually don’t require planning permission. It is important to check that you fit in with the government regulations when designing your new conservatory. So if you are looking for a home improvement project that will be simple, stress free and incredibly flexible, you should consider what building a conservatory could do for you and your home.

Home security has never been more important. With the Home Office Figures showing a rise in domestic burglary over the last financial year, it is absolutely crucial that you ensure your home, possessions and most importantly, your family are safe.

Something that every home owner should be aware of is the growing use of “bump keys”. Widely available online, these keys work as a lock picking technique and will open all doors with cylinder locks. They can be purchased for very little money, there are no checks made by unscrupulous companies and demonstrations can be found on video hosting sites like Youtube making access to tools and information almost universal.

The problem with this sort of break-in technique is that there is little to no evidence that you have been a victim of crime, apart from that your possessions are gone. With no forensic evidence,  it will be very difficult to claim on insurance as it will be difficult to determine whether lock bumping was employed or whether you left the door open yourself.

This is a worrying issue, and something that all home owners should be particularly wary of. Supported by Locksmiths in the North West of England and The Institute of Certified Locksmiths campaign, the “Ban the Bump Key” Campaign has been set up to raise awareness of the issue and have set up a government petition for the issue to be debated in parliament. It aims to have specialist tools and equipment banned for sale on the internet, and they have been aided by heightened awareness provided by programs such as the BBBC’s Real Hustle program.

In the meantime, there are things you can do for enhanced protection. By using a chain, door bolt or letterbox restrictor you significantly decrease your chance of being the victim of walk-in crime. You can purchase a sort of high tack lubricant to apply to the moving parts of your lock to prevent the lock picking technique from working, or contact your local locksmith for further options.

When it comes to choosing the furnishings of your home, there are a lot of different factors that influence your decisions. Of course it is a very personal thing because you are personalising your own living space, but undeniably you will still make decisions based on what you want people to think as they visit. The quality of a full looking book shelf or fine art will speak of your impeccable taste and impress your guests.

At the same time, you want to fill your home with practical furniture that you know you will use regularly such as a nice sofa, an attractive table or a large television. One piece of furniture that meets the needs of practicality and cultured taste is the grand piano. Grand pianos are incredibly impressive and elegant, it could become a centrepiece for a party as people try out their talents or you wow your guests with your skills. If you don’t already play it could be a fantastic use of your time if you are looking for a new hobby.

The benefits of piano playing are well documented; it stimulates brain activity and coordination and can help maintain faster brain processes as you get older. Besides, everybody at one point dreams of learning the piano or plans to at one point in their lives. If you were to own a wonderful new grand piano there could be no excuse but to sit down and commit to learning a new skill.

Torquay is a beautiful holiday resort positioned in the district of Devon, South West England. It is a famous holiday location as it claims a warm climate and peaceful views of the water. Accompanied by the towns of Paignton and Brixton, Torquay contains of the English Riviera. With wonderful charms like the tiny model town of Babbacombe, the Compton Castle, Kent’s Cavern, Torquay Museum and the marine guest fascination, The Living Coasts, there is something to fit all types of flavors in Torquay. The greatest reason to go to Torquay though, is the beautiful range of beaches feast over 22 miles of seashore. There are 20 beaches in Torquay, a lot of which have been given the sought-after Blue Flag status for hygiene and superiority. The most famous beaches consist of Watcombe Beach, Babbacombe Beach, Oddicombe Beach, and Maidencombe Beach.

There are a lot of Torquay hotels to choose from, there are superfluity hotels, B&Bs, self-catering lodges and studio apartment, convoy and camping selections. There are numerous Torquay hotels that are suitably positioned for vacationers and business travelers similar in or near the city center. With more than a hundred Torquay hotels to choose from, it will be so hard for you to choose. Check in a hotel close to the shoreline if you wish to spend your time at the beach, otherwise book a hotel in a tall rise hotel for grand views out to sea. It is also sensible to choose hotel that will offer you a good base for exploring Torquay’s lures. There are three of the most lavish Torquay hotels.

The first is The Grand Hotel; this ‘grand’ hotel is located on the waterfront supervising Brixham, Paignton and Torbay and contains 132 bedrooms smear 4 floors. It is a 4-star hotel which is simply reachable by road, air or railway, actually the station is just conflicting the hotel! With beautiful sea sights, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a leisure set and beauty treatment center, this hotel is absolutely worth undergoing.

Another one is The Palace Hotel; this 4 star hotel is pushed away in 25 acres of superb grounds in a silent valley and is a harbor of peaceful. It is just some minutes away from the center of Torquay, and has gained a fantastic standing for its tall standards and outstanding cuisine. This hotel provides a 9-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, steam bath, congestion courts and a croquet meadow.

The last one is the Torquay Imperial Hotel, this hotel is positioned supervising the Torquay anchorage and is near to the harbor, port and town center. The hotel rooms and suites are of high reputation and replicate a delightful character of the hotel. With a wellbeing and leisure club with a health resort, greenhouse, steam bath, beauty salon and fitness suite, this hotel really describes extravagance.

As the UK property market becomes increasingly stagnant, many people are seeking ways to improve their home, make the most of space and increase the value of their existing property in order to improve their quality of life and their prospects of selling at a later date.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to create a beautiful garden space. Whether you’re looking for ideas for garden design in London or other urban areas or you have a large space to play with in the country, there are numerous ways you can improve the look of your home whilst making it more appealing to any potential buyer.

If you live in an urban area and don’t have a lot of room, you could consider roof or balcony gardens. Providing you have an adequate amount of sunlight, there is no reason why you couldn’t start up growing your own herbs or flowers. Simply by utilizing this outside space you could add an estimated 20% to the value of your property – no mean amount! If you do go down this route, you should ensure that you make it visible from inside your house or apartment by installing large windows or glass sliding doors. Not only will this add more light and therefore the appearance of space to your room, it will also provide you with a gorgeous view. By growing your own plants you will also be helping the environment as your greens help to soak up some of the nasty pollutants from the air and produce oxygen making it cleaner and safer to breathe.

If you have a large garden area and lots of space to play with you can let your imagination run wild. A vegetable patch will give you a more sustainable lifestyle and a large lawned area will be appealing to families with young children who need plenty of space to play. When planting flowers try to keep things seasonal so that the space is bright and attractive all year round, and consider adding a patio space to create a natural, outdoor extension to your property.

When it comes to home design, a lot of emphasis is put onto the look and feel of a house. There is an intrinsic quality about residential living spaces that gives it a certain home feel. There are several reasons for this, such as atmosphere and personalisation; the home itself has its very own recognisable look. In the same way that a cluttered room can feel cosier, a brand new or completely perfect house would feel too clinical to be considered a home.

When it comes to public or commercial buildings, there is an extensive use of modular buildings, which are factory built properties that are adapted to different purposes. These model buildings can be adapted to fulfil a wide variety of functions such as leisure centres, school buildings, healthcare, and the industrial market because they are portable, incredibly useful and portable. But it is when these buildings are given a purpose that they truly come alive as a great leisure centre or a classroom. It is not simply the furnishings placed inside that transform them in this way, it is the lived in feel that is present in the home.

Within the construction industry there are two main types of buildings: modular buildings and custom bespoke buildings. But the difference when it comes to personalisation does not start at the construction stage, or arguably even when you furnish a property. The personalisation of a house or building starts on the very first day of moving in and the process works simply by living in there, where you can’t help but make your mark on a property

A small bathroom is a common problem, but is easily solved with the correct bathroom furniture. The last thing you want is your bathroom to be as cramped as a store cupboard. After all, you spend a lot of time there don’t you?

A major problem in a small bathroom is storage space. Everybody needs some where to keep their belongings, but sometimes space is very limited. Try to utilise the space you have, not letting any area be unused. A great example of this is the area under your sink. Why not try any of our 600mm bathroom vanity units which come with storage underneath, then you will never struggle to find somewhere to put your shampoo, with solid doors or glass doors to hide all your bathroom accessories.

Another amazing storage solution is using the space behind your mirror. A lovely example of this is the double Mirrored Wall Cabinet. With its contempory and sleek design it can transform any bathroom into a showroom, same space used as a standard mirror but with added value of bathroom storage.

The wall hung range of bathroom furniture can also give deception of more space due to more of the bathroom floor being seen, creating a feel of a larger bathroom, these come in all different sizes ranging from 600mm to 1200mm and unusual contempory designs

A perfect accessory to any bathroom is a heated towel rail. Not only do they provide somewhere for you to keep your towels, they also double up as a heat source, keeping you nice and warm after your shower.

If you want a designer bath in your bathroom but do not have the space for a freestanding one, why don’t you jazz up your standard bath with a nice bath panel?  Tudor bath panels are great for Victorian luxury.

A 14th century church in Suffolk has had a damaged roof and damaged roof tiles within the last two years because they have been struggling to manage to fix it. Nevertheless, following getting endless donations and grants over the past few years, the church has now raised adequate cash to repair the impairment.

St Mary’s Church in Tuddenham St Mary suffered the roof damage when capping stones fell off during the night and it has affected funeral services at the church because uneven ground led the coffin-bearers to re-route. Furthermore, there have been fears that the roof might leak in water and that the actual stones on the contrary side of the building might fall off.

But local roofing contractors can be hired to carry out the repair work after the £20,000 funding target had been reached and the work continues to be deemed vitally important since the church is at the centre of the village.

Grants were given from the Historic Churches group as well as The Wolfson Foundation and Lord Belstead; plus a additional £1000 was raised by hosting a concert last summer. Work on the rooftop is now expected to be completed by the summer and also the donations could not have come at a better time due to the recent severe weather in the UK. Sharp frosts or heat can loosen the tiles even more, so the repair job will make sure that this doesn’t happen and there will no longer be a danger of something falling off. A new roof cost could be fairly expensive but it’s vital that you mend any damaged tiles to avoid any unpleasant accidents as well as leaks.

I must confess that I enjoy spending some time in the kitchen. The only problem is that without a step by step guide by my side my pancakes tend to end up like scones while my scones end up like, well, pancakes actually.

What I need is a chef in my kitchen to help me out. While the thought of Gordon Ramsay bellowing in my ear and turning the air blue is enough to make me hang up my spatula for good I am sure that there must be other options.

Cooking with Technology

As well as being a decently average cook I am also a bit of technology fan. I tried using my PC to look up recipes and then use them. The problem is that my computer won’t fit in the kitchen and the cooker won’t fit in my bedroom. This means that I need to either print off all of the recipes I am interested in and store them somewhere or else write them down before I plan to do them. That sounds like a bit of a hassle to be honest, and while it is what I have been doing for the last while I was glad to finally get a different option.

I treated myself to a tablet PC lately and was immediately wowed by the size and style of it. For something so powerful it looks great and takes up very little space. I am still working out what I can do with it (besides taking it on my cruise from Southampton) but I was very interested to see the range of cooking applications around.

Whether you have an Apple device or an Android one, and whether you prefer Jamie Oliver, the aforementioned Ramsay or someone else, you will find a good range of apps to choose from. Some of these are really cheap while others bring a top class virtual chef into your kitchen at no cost at all.

Anyone for Asparagus Soufflé?

Of course, the first thing I did was take my tablet into the kitchen and start whipping up a treat. I won’t mention the name of the dish I was making, as it might sound too pretentious. Ok then, it was an asparagus soufflé now that you ask. Needless to say, it turned into the best dish I have ever cooked and I was hooked on this new method of learning.

Then I had an ever better thought. I don’t even need to restrict the learning of new recipes to the times when I am in the kitchen. I can also pick up new ideas at any time and anywhere.

Tablet PCs are highly portable and I have started taking mine on the commute to work with me. As the train pulls out of the station I already have my head buried in a new recipe. In fact, for the first time I am actually pleased when there is a delay and I get to read a bit more. Another couple of weeks of this and I reckon I’ll be applying for my first Michelin star.