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Home Sweet Home

Some Essential Considerations if You are Planning to Renovate Your Bathroom

One thing that we often fail to realise about our bathrooms is this: it’s actually one of the most abused rooms in the home. Think about it – everyone in the family uses it every day, and we usually use it in a hurry. Those taps, toilets, showers, and baths take a beating! So if you are planning to renovate your bathroom and want it to be done the right way, here are some essential considerations you have to think about first. You’ll also want to consider who exactly is going to carry out the work necessary to complete your plans. Professional plumbers would likely be the first choice for many as you want to make sure that you get the job done right the first time around, meaning that their expertise is invaluable – Go to the Apollo Plumbing website if you’re looking for someone to help you with your specific plumbing issue.

Does it need a complete makeover, or does it merely need a facelift?

Sometimes, we are so eager to make some major changes to our bathrooms and make it a completely new space that we make some hasty decisions. So before you start, ask yourself this: does it need a complete makeover, or can it do with just a facelift? Perhaps not all your bathroom elements need to be replaced. If your tiling is nice but your shower is outdated then you will only need shower screen installation in Melbourne, not a total renovation. Asking yourself this question is especially useful if you are on a budget. Take a look at your bathroom and see what you can really appreciate replacing and what simply needs a bit of cleaning or effort.

For instance, check the tiles. Do they look old or are they damaged or broken? You may just need to replace the grouting if your tiles are still in good shape. What about the basin and toilet? Are they still working properly, or do they constantly need to be fixed? Your shower enclosure may need replacing if it is already old, ugly, and worn out, and since this is a major element, you may want to consider a pre-fabricated, modular unit for a more modern look.

The above-mentioned are the most important elements you need to consider. But there may be other elements you want to consider, such as the vanity, cabinets and shelves, lights, and other features. Once you have decided what needs to be worked on and what needs to be replaced, then you can make an estimate of your budget. For homeowners that are looking to find a bathroom vanity, it might be worth finding one with vanity mirror lighting. This can improve the bathroom significantly, so it might be a nice idea to brighten the bathroom up.

Replacing your basin?

If you’ve taken a good look at your basin and have decided that it definitely needs to be replaced, then decide on a style and colour suitable for your bathroom. One colour which can’t go wrong is white – and since white is a very common and popular colour, it often comes cheaper than other coloured basins. The same is true for toilets – with white, you can’t go wrong. One thing you need to consider is the proper drainage system for your basin or toilet. Issues like blocked or clogged drains can cause flooding in the bathroom. To avoid that, make sure you are hiring an expert Plumber who can check and get your bathroom fitted with the perfect basin that fits your vision. That way you can avoid issues caused by flooding from blocked drains, like damage to the flooring, bad smells, leakage on the lower floors, and mould buildup from moist walls.

Replacing your shower?

Shower enclosures take up a significant amount of space in any bathroom, and you want to make sure that your enclosure is in the best shape. If replacing your shower enclosure is your best option, you may want a pre-built unit which comes with everything you need for installation – including shower heads and massage jets, glass paneling, shower doors, plumbing kit, and so on. These modular units are also less expensive than re-building an entire shower enclosure from scratch.

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Home Sweet Home

4 Tips for Organizing Your Home

Cleaning your house is one thing, but organizing it is completely different. We all have a routine when it comes to home maintenance and that’s OK. However, you might want to consider organizing your house from time to time. It is in our nature to collect things and, over time, we’ll find ourselves buried in random papers, figurines, clothes etc. We should be able to toss some of these away and find a suitable place for others. This is not easy, especially the first time, but as soon as everything in your house gets their own place, it will be much easier for you to clean and organize in the future. You may even find that doing your maintenance tasks (like booking in Northern Beaches window cleaning or deep cleaning the closets) are easier after the fact.

Declutter

The first thing you need to do is get rid of all the unnecessary things that are taking up all your space and have no use. Whether you throw them in the trash or give away, you need to eliminate them from your home. Choosing what to keep and what to toss can be difficult. The main question you should be asking yourself during the process is “Do I really need this and am I ever going to use it again?”. Try and stay objective. If you decide to donate your things, think about how someone will be happy to receive something that has been lying around in your house and was almost never used. However, if you are too attached to your things, consider renting some storage space. There are very popular and safe storage spaces in Sydney that offer great service.

You may find during the decluttering that you have a few friends along for the ride. Pests have a unique way of getting into the corners and crevices that can go un-noticed for a very long time especially if there are items blocking your view from seeing anything. If you see that you do have some unwanted visitors in your home, then you will want to take a look at an exterminator seattle company, or one similar, so you can get these pests out of your home and out of your life.

Use all your space

You got rid of all the extra stuff in your house and it’s still a mess? Don’t worry, all you need to do is find a spot for every single thing. It sounds a bit overwhelming, you must be wondering where on Earth can these things go when there’s not enough space. There’s always space if you know how to use what you’ve been given. For instance, try attaching a pegboard to your kitchen wall and keep all utensils you use every day in your kitchen. It’s a space saver and it’s even more practical than pulling these out from drawers or a cabinet. You can enhance space inside your drawers and cabinets by putting dividers and attaching pockets to cabinet doors where you can put recipes, spices etc. You can stick these pockets to doors and walls in your office or living room, too.

Mark

When you live alone, it’s easy to organize. However, when it’s your whole family, the job becomes much harder. Other family members may not take this seriously or will want to move things without putting them back where they belong. So, make sure to include them in the process and teach them to respect the new arrangement. For example, every family member can choose their favorite color and have all their things marked with this color, – toothbrushes, towels, slippers, pajamas. It will be easier for all of you to function when you can recognize your things easily.

Take your time

Keep in mind that this is a huge process and it needs time. Give yourself two weeks to do this, or however long you need. Your motivation won’t be the same throughout the process, but the important thing is not to give up until everything is finished. Also, you can hire professionals to perform major maintenance or repairs. To waterproof your basement, for example, you may want to consider hiring local experts (such as those who provide basement waterproofing columbia), since doing it yourself can take a lot of time and effort. As a result, you are able to relieve yourself of stress and focus on other tasks that do not always require professional assistance.

Organizing a home can be very challenging, but also rewarding. Once you manage to do this properly, you’ll see how good it will feel and how easy it will be for you to clean your house and find your things in the future.

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Pets

No kidding . . . goats can be friendlier pets than cats

They are maligned for their washing line-masticating proclivities and mythologised for their troll head-butting talents but rarely have they been thought of as charming companions. Until now.

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Pets

Chygurno, a fine example of what you can achieve in a Cornish garden  

Pet cats can be vilified for fouling neighbours’ gardens, killing birds and getting lost — but now an electronic cage that can prevent them from straying beyond their owners’ gardens has won the approval of scientists.

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Gardening

Ideal plants for coastal gardens

Seaside gardens present their own challenges, but there are plants that will thrive in this unique climate

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Gardening

Make your garden glorious this month — and beyond

Summer is almost at an end, which means it is time to prepare and beautify your plot for the cooler months ahead.

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Gardening

The sweet, sweet smell of home

Anticipating the moment when spring bursts to life can be a bit like waiting for a bus running to its own timetable, but I am always amazed how nature knows exactly when to start showing life again.

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Gardening

Keeping your garden going all summer

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Home Sweet Home

A modern maison

A British interior designer has transformed her traditional farmhouse in southwest France into a contemporary home

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Home Sweet Home

At home with Daniel Hopwood

In his TV show, the designer advises contestants on how to transform an interior in a few days. So why did it take him 12 years to do up his one-bedroom London flat?