Home & Garden Improvements

Decking can look great, but over time it can get dirty and dull.  This is when it can also get very slippery and hazardous to walk on.  Ideally you should clean your deck twice a year, in the spring ready for the summer, and in autumn to prepare it for the winter months.  You will need a decking cleaner, stiff brush, paint brush and water hose.

Begin by giving the decking a good brush with the stiff bristled brush.  This will help to loosen and remove large patches of moss, dirt or algae.  Make up the decking cleaning solution as per the instructions and apply to the wood by means of a brush, sprayer, or watering can that has a rose attachment.

Once the surface has been completely covered, brush again with the stiff brush and leave to stand for the allotted time.  You will then need to rinse the decking off with clean water using a hose, making sure that all the cleaner has been washed away, and let the decking dry.  Drying usually takes a couple of days and once dry you can apply a decking protector.

New blinds can help to give your home a fresh new look no matter what window you need them for.  There are plenty of different types of blinds, so you can be sure that whatever the size of your window, you will be able to find blinds to fit.

Roller blinds

Roller blinds are simple, practical and look sleek.  The blind is wrapped around a tube, and can be raised or lowered using a cord which is attached to one side of the tube.  These blinds suit any size window in any room, and are ideal for bathrooms and kitchens as they are compact.

Roman blinds

These blinds give a sophisticated look to any room.  When the blind is raised the fabric forms soft layered folds.  They are not ideal for rooms where they may get wet as there is rather a lot of fabric.

Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds are both practical and stylish.  They are made up of horizontal strips of either plastic, wood or metal, and have two controls, one to tilt the blinds to control light, and one to raise and lower the whole blind.  They are ideal for any room, including kitchens and bathrooms.

Vertical blinds

These blinds are made of vertical strips of material, usually fabric, and have two controls, one to tilt the blinds to control light and one to pull the blinds to one or both sides of the window.  They are ideal for larger windows, patio doors and conservatories.

Water butts are a great way to collect and then re-use rainwater, especially in times when hosepipe bans are in effect.  In order to install one, all you need is a drill with a hole saw attachment, a hacksaw and a tape measure.  You will, of course, also need a water butt and a rain diverter kit.

First of all you will need to decide where to place the water butt.  For ease of installation make it next to a downpipe.  It will need to be on a flat surface and raised far enough off the ground so that a watering can will fit underneath it.

Mark its height on the downpipe and cut the pipe 2cm below this line.  Next, fit the rain diverter onto the downpipe and replace the cut section of downpipe onto the bottom of the diverter.  Drill a hole into the water butt, about 8cm from the top.  Attach the butt connector to the water butt via this hole and screw in place.  Now attach the water butt connector to the rainwater diverter and you have finished.

Wallpapering a room is a reasonably simple job, but it’s important to get the basics right from the start, or you could end up making expensive mistakes.

Making sure you cut the wallpaper correctly so it matches all around the room is a key task.  Firstly, take a look at the label of the paper.  This will tell you any details of matching patterns you need to take account of.  For example, there could be a repeated pattern with a certain distance between repeats, or the pattern could be offset, in which case you’ll also need to know how much by.  The vertical offset will determine the waste you will end up with at the end after cutting the lengths to match.  If you want to reduce waste as much as possible, chose a very simple pattern or even plain paper that requires no pattern matching.

When getting ready to cut wallpaper lengths, firstly measure the vertical drop of the wall.  How high is it?  It’s probably easiest to keep a pad and pen to hand to note down measurements rather than trying to keep them in your head.  Roll out the paper on a flat surface, ideally a pasting table.  Cut a length of paper that is around 6-8 inches longer than the drop of the wall, for trimming.  Mark the paper at the top with a number.  This will let you know in what order you need to hand the pieces.

If the paper has a pattern, you will need to cut lengths that match when placed next to each other.  One way to do this to reduce waste is to have two or three rolls open at once, and cut from them in turn.  This should enable you to cut a few more wall lengths out than if you cut from one roll at a time.

Over the past six months around 100 homes worth more than £1 million were sold in the South West. This represents the highest level since the market peak during 2007. There was a similar rise in sales of luxury properties in the North East for example there has been an increase of luxury houses for sale in York. But does that mean that the market as a whole is picking up?

The Market

The increase in luxury house prices has helped to create a small rise according to the government’s house price index. Statistics from the Office for National Statistics shows that prices in February 2012 had increased by only 0.3% since February 2011.

When the statistics for the different regions of the UK are examined, the areas that have made the most gains include London, the South East and Scotland. Despite a rise in the luxury house prices, the North East has actually fallen by 5%.

Luxury Houses

The strong demand for luxury houses has been driven by wealthy buyers who are cash-rich. Overseas buyers have also helped to boost the market and the properties bought are in limited supply which has helped to increase the level of activity within the market.

Final Word

Whether you are looking for luxury homes in the capital, which has seen the largest growth or areas of the country like Bristol in the South West which has seen a number of houses for sale increase or more houses for sale in Leeds in the North East, luxury property prices continue to increase. This is good for homeowners and good for the market, but, with first time buyers still struggling to get onto the ladder, the increase in luxury homes sales has yet to filter down through the rest of the market.

Wood cladding or panelling can give any room an instant facelift and is especially good for covering uneven walls, or those that have had embossed wallpaper fitted to them. 

Once you have purchased the timber boards, leave them in the room where they will be fitted so they adjust to its ambient temperature.  Before you begin, locate any wires or pipes hidden in the wall, using a pipe and wire detector.  Mark out where the pipe and wires are so that you do not accidently puncture them.

Fix three battens onto the wall, one at the bottom, middle and top.  The tongue and groove boards are then fitted onto these battens.  Use a spirit level and tape measure to mark out where each will go, depending on the height you want the cladding.  Fix the battens onto the wall with screws that are inserted into wall plugs.  Fix all of the battens onto the walls before you begin adding the panelling.

Always start in the left hand corner and work towards the right.  Cut the first board so that it is level with the top batten but has a gap of about 10mm at the bottom.  This is an expansion gap and will be covered by the skirting board.  The first board needs to be placed so that the groove faces into the corner.
 
If the board does not fit snugly up against the opposite wall you may need to trim it slightly.  If, however, you are going to use beading, this may not be necessary.  From this point you can now begin fixing the other boards.  Line them up with the top batten and use an off-cut of wood to tap them snugly into place to ensure there are no gaps.  After every fourth or fifth board check that they are still going on straight and continue until you reach the far wall.  Here you may well need to cut the final board to fit into place.

If you have recently had a conservatory installed or you are in a home that already has a conservatory with no window shading whatsoever, then blinds are the obvious option. They can cover all the glass to ensure that the space can be cooled in hot weather, can be lit as the owner wants, and overall, can be made private.

However, as there can be windows of differing sizes to cover, choosing a range of ready-made blinds in the different sizes can be difficult.  This is not a problem if you employ a professional blind-fitting company or if you are skilled at DIY.

Due to the height of most conservatory windows, one of the most popular choices is a set of vertical blind.  The slats on these – which can be of PVC, metal or wood, can be either pulled pack completely, letting light flood into the conservatory, or can be adjusted to just let a certain amount of light through into the space.

Another popular choice for conservatory blinds is a Roman blind, which is usually of a linen finish that can be cut to the right size. Roman blinds will give a lighter, more contemporary feel.

The first time you hang pencil pleat curtains, it can be confusing to figure out exactly how to fit them onto the track properly and make them hang evenly.

When you remove pencil pleat curtains from the packet, they may be creased from being folded.  Hanging the curtains up for a while should allow the creases to drop out over a day or so, or you can iron the curtains gently if you wish.  Considering that not all fabrics iron well, you should check the label first.

Pencil pleat curtains will have a strip of curtain tape across the entire top of the curtain, which has three lengths of cotton running through it.  This is the way you gather the curtain; you need to pull the threads out from one end to gather up the fabric.  However, the first thing you need to do before pulling any threads is tie a knot in the threads in one end, otherwise you might pull all the threads out completely.

Gently pull all the three threads together and out from the curtain at the same time, until the curtain is around the length of half the track plus a few centimetres.  Then even out the gathers along the curtain. Insert the curtain hooks into one of the pockets along the top of the curtains, putting a hook in around every four pockets or so.  When hanging the curtains, get someone to help you by taking their weight as you fix the curtain hooks onto the track, before gently letting go and smoothing out the drop.

What are blackout blinds?

Blackout blinds are exactly what they say they are, blinds which block out the light, from street lights, the sun or other sources, to keep your room completely dark.  Although blackout blinds are most commonly in the style of roller blinds, it is also possible to buy pleated blinds and roman blinds in blackout material.  The blinds have an opaque plastic coating which provides the blackout properties.

Why should I choose blackout blinds?

Blackout blinds are the best choice for rooms which need to be kept dark, such as bedrooms.  They are thicker than standard blinds and are therefore also a good choice to keep your room warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  Blackout blinds often look better quality than thinner blinds.

What are the negatives?

Blackout blinds may be more expensive than standard blinds.  They may also be heavier.  As blackout blinds block out the light completely, they may need to be rolled up as far as possible when you wish to let the light into your room, as otherwise your room could be darker.

Where can I use blackout blinds?

Blackout blinds can be used in any room, although obviously they are particularly suited to bedrooms and rooms with larger windows that let heat out of the room.

They are essential for the bedrooms of children and night shift workers.  Blackout blinds are a great choice for nurseries, to help your baby get as much sleep as possible no matter what the time of day is.

What are my choices?

Almost any type of blind can be made in to a blackout blind, so not only can you choose the type of blind that you want, but you can also choose from hundreds of colours, fabrics, styles and textiles.

Hanging a picture or mirror on a wall is something that most people attempt at some point.  However, it’s also easy to get wrong, so it’s worth taking your time in order to avoid costly and damaging errors.

Firstly, think about what type of walls you have.  Solid masonry is very hard to knock a nail into, and will require a drill.  You’ll need to drill a hole in the right place, insert a wall-plug, and then a screw of the right size.  Never drill directly in line (above or below) a power socket or a light switch, as that is where the power lines will run.  An electronic testing device can help to check that there are no concealed power lines or metal pipes.

Cavity walls are more likely to have any number of types of pipes or cables hidden within them, so you need to be especially careful.  Again, avoid drilling or hammering in line with power sockets or light switches, and try to work out whether the area you want to drill in is likely to be hiding a pipe.  If it’s a square piece of jutting out wall below a bathroom, then it’s probably got a water pipe in it.

In cavity walls, it’s best to locate a vertical timber to attach something to, as this will be much stronger than the covering plasterboard.  You should be able to work out where these are by tapping the walls.  The wall will sound more hollow between the struts.  The timbers should be equally spaced along the wall.  Drill carefully into the wall.  You may well feel the drill bit emerge through the other side of the plasterboard if you’ve missed the timber.  Wood shavings along the drill bit are a good indicator that you’re in the right place for fixing your screw.