Home & Garden Improvements

If you want to cover an uneven wall, but don’t feel up to plastering or you want a surface which protects against moisture and is easy to clean, think tiles.

This is another relatively easy DIY project that comes under the painting and decorating heading – and it can transform a room without calling in the architects.

Using a straight wooden batten, mark out the number of spaced tiles it extends over.

From the top of the skirting, use this gauge to calculate how many tiles you’ll need to reach the ceiling (or whatever height you’re tiling to). If a narrow strip is left at the top, just move the bottom row up by half a tile.

With a spirit level and pencil, mark the horizontal rows on the wall and tack the batten along the first line. Do the same for the vertical lines, but start from a corner and use a plumb line to get an accurate vertical drop.

From the corner made by the two battens, spread half a square metre of adhesive onto the wall, using the notched edge of the trowel to score it.

Press tiles onto the wall until adhesive squeezes out around the sides. Push spacers into the corners (that’s eight per tile) and place a spirit level across the tiles periodically to check they’re flat. Keep going until you’ve placed all the whole tiles.

Remove the battens when the adhesive is dry and, using a tile-cutting jig and tile saw, cut the remaining tiles to shape. Finally, grout the tiles, wiping with a damp sponge as you go.

By the 4th century CE, a separate gardening culture had developed in China which then travelled across the sea to Japan, where it developed into the rock gardens influenced by Zen Buddhists and found at the Zen temples of meditation. 

In China, gazebos were originally constructed of wood that made them resistant to earthquakes but vulnerable to flames and wood-rot.  They were designed in an elaborate style portraying Chinese art and iconography and painted in Oriental colours of gold, black and red.  Gazebos (and pagodas which are also a type of gazebo) were used as places of worship and of spiritual meditation.

In Japan, on the other hand, gazebos were constructed in a much more simple fashion and were used in their formal Tea Ceremonies.  They were regarded as places to relax and for personal spiritual meditation, as well as to appreciate the beauty of the garden.

The Japanese’s view of a gazebo is similar to that found in the culture of the Western world; gazebos are designed to be a structure of peace and sited to take a person’s refuge and solitude into account, away from the main dwelling place.

Orientalism in Western Europe during the 18th century became very fashionable and had a huge influence on architecture design.  Asian gazebos also became very popular at this time and Chinese-style structures were constructed in many a wealthy landowners garden.

It was at this time that the word gazebo entered the English language.

Underfloor heating is not a new idea; in fact the earliest examples of underfloor heating systems can be traced back to Roman times. Although it did not operate in the same way as it is does today, with our more modern technology, we definitely stole the idea from them.

When the Romans built their stone houses they left voids in the floors, which would be heated by warm air. Obviously this did not come from the electricity supply, but simply the fire in the hearth, which was kept burning by the servants. This allowed the warm air into the voids, pushing it around the house and keeping it warm. It is suspected that this central heating system would have been reserved for the powerful and wealthy members of society, but you would certainly have been living in a lovely warm home if you had been a member of such a family.

In more recent times, various water and electric underfloor heating systems began to be developed, although many of these simply involved burying heating elements in the floor. While this was a good idea in theory, it would have made temperature control difficult and wouldn’t have been very effective, as the house would become too hot and there would have been no way of cooling it quickly. It was, however, seen as a cheap form of heating, as the system was switched on at night, using the night rate electricity supply, which is still cheaper than the day rate.

Medicine cupboards and bathroom cabinets are among the most important fixtures in the bathroom. Unfortunately, they are also one of the first to show their age. This is probably due to the amount of wear and tear they receive in the course of a day. It might also be that familiarity breeds contempt and we simply take them for granted. Then, one day, for whatever reason, we realise that the fixture standing in front of us has not been changed since we first decorated the bathroom.

The good news is that these items can be changed with very little difficulty. However, decide if its current position is making the most of your bathroom space. Indeed, now is also the time to consider if you need one quite so large.

Next, have a look around your bathroom. Has the style changed since the medicine cupboard was first installed, if so, you will need to ensure that the new version reflects the current decor? Fortunately these cabinets are available in styles to match the latest baths, shower enclosures or any of the new accessories you have recently purchased.

For example, if your bathroom is furnished in a rustic fashion, why not opt for a white fixture with brushed copper doorknobs? Perhaps offset it with a blue-framed mirror?

If you have an ultra-modern bathroom, why not choose a chrome metal cabinet with a bevelled mirror and levered handles?

What is certain is that medicine cupboards have kept their attraction, even in the face of recent trends for vanity units. Indeed, it is their very functionality that allows us to forget them.

Underfloor heating systems are increasing in popularity, but with all that pipe work how can you possibly have the system installed in an upstairs room?  The answer is quite simple, if you are worried about the strength of the floors you need to avoid a water underfloor heating system and try an electric underfloor heating system instead. The electric system can be installed on top of the existing floor and does not take up too much space, so floor levels will not be increased greatly.

You will first need to lay a suitable insulation layer and there are some really excellent ultra thin insulation materials available, so shop around. You then have the choice of an electric underfloor heating system that uses cables or the heating mat variety, which has been designed specifically for the more modern laminate flooring materials, but which can also work with other floor finishes.

Underfloor heating isn’t suitable for use with carpet, because it stops the heat dissipating and traps it against the floor, making the system extremely inefficient. However, there is nothing wrong with laminate flooring in the bedroom, as it will be lovely and warm to walk on, having been heated gently by the underfloor system. Both of these systems are incredibly light and will not add any real weight to an upstairs floor, which makes them the perfect solution for heating such areas. Imagine, toasty toes in the bedroom and bathroom.

Travertine tiles are a natural product the result of action of deposits near warm or hot springs. Travertine has been used for hundreds of years as a building material and is popular with builders and architects who use travertine tiles in a variety of places in and around the home or commercial, premises.

Travertine tiles come in a variety of colours, in its natural state a travertine tile is white but impurities can cause the colour of travertine to vary and to be yellow and brown. Used in the lounge of your home Travertine tiles in tumbled stone will give a warm and pleasant look and feel. Given that a Travertine tile is a natural stone tile, it is essential that you pick the right type of tile for your need. Usually a honed travertine tile is best for use in high traffic areas and rooms exposed to moisture such as kitchens and bathrooms. The natural travertine tile is more suited to typical domestic use in living rooms and common areas. Travertine is a cheaper option that marble or granite; it’s a solid middle-market buy that combines affordability with style.

Travertine tiles can be supplied as a mosaic; patterns include, brick, standard mosaic, French pattern and mixed colour mosaic. Travertine is a long lasting stone and its durability lends itself to all kinds of application, from private homes to commercial developments.  It provides a truly classical look and has a timeless beauty.

Gazebos are outside landscape structures with a roof and open on all sides.  They can be used as a place in the garden where one can sit and enjoy the views from its open aspect or it can be used as a structure to support the growth of plants, similar to an ornamental trellis.  This can add a splash of additional colour, merging the gazebo more into the plant architecture of the garden.

In ancient civilisations, similar structures to gazebos were constructed to support the growth of vines for wine and raisins.  In Rome and other Mediterranean cultures bougainvillea covered gazebos in a riot of colour and perfume.

Today there are a number of climbing plants that can be grown on a gazebo.  Roses are a popular choice as they have a beautiful scent and have a long growing season.

Another favourite is clematis.  Clematis can flower in spring or summer but their dark shiny leaves will provide shade on hot days.  Being deciduous will allow any sunlight through to warm the gazebo on winter days. 

If you would like to relax in your garden gazebo on a summer’s day with the soporific hum of bees buzzing around you, then plant honeysuckle as it produces lots of nectar.  Honey suckle is evergreen but it is invasive.

Jasmine is also a recommended climber, either summer or winter flowering as it gives off a beautiful perfume but do avoid wisteria as it will destroy the structure of your gazebo.

For those wishing for a ‘green’ alternative to the standard bathroom, saving domestic water takes very little effort.

Consider the following statistics:

The average person in the UK uses around 150 litres of water every day – a third of this used solely to flush the lavatory.

A five minute shower uses around a third less water than a bath. Be careful, though. A power shower gets through more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes.

Around 5 percent of the UK’s Co2 emissions are caused by domestic water heating appliances.

At least 25 percent of your energy bill is caused by heating water. And this does not include your central heating costs.

The energy used to treat, pump and heat the annual water usage of an average UK family produces the carbon equivalent of a return flight from London to New York.

Perhaps the easiest way to save water is to fit flow limiters to your taps and showers. These are easily fitted between the water outlet and the hose on a shower, and on either the tail or spout of a tap.

Or you could change your taps to water-saving designs that have an eco-click cartridge attached. By doing so, you could save up to 70 percent of domestic water usage.

And if you really want to make a big saving, exchange your existing toilet for a double-flush loo. Some manufacturers claim that the flush is as low as 2.5 litres per minute – in contrast to the standard 9 litres per minute.

Have you been putting off painting and decorating a room because you dread the prospect of removing wallpaper? Well now is the time to get to work, because this is a DIY project for beginners, not architects and building specialists. Be prepared though, the wall beneath the paper might be in a sorry state and require plastering, but if you’re lucky you can go straight to the emulsion paint.

You’ll need a steam stripper from a DIY store; they usually cost about £20 and a perforation tool, along with a good scraper and lots of plastic sacks. While the steamer heats up, use the perforating tool to go over the entire wall surface of the room, but don’t press too hard or you’ll damage the plaster. Position the steamer’s panel on the bottom left corner of a wall and steam for at least 30 seconds. When the patch is ready, your scraper should lift it with a satisfying swish.

Work across the wall for around a metre, then go up and work back, zigzagging until you’ve cleared a floor to ceiling patch. Repeat the process, again starting at the bottom, for the next column.

Take care to throw discarded soggy strips of wallpaper into a plastic sack as you go, if you let them dry where they are they’ll leave annoying glue deposits on the skirting and the floor, which is something you really don’t want.

Take care to avoid light switches and power sockets with the steamer, water can easily drip into the wiring and ‘bang’; just don’t do it.

Finally, clean the walls with sugar soap and get painting.

Picture Courtesy of Qole Pejorian

As with any form of DIY, putting your own underfloor heating system in is possible as long as you have the skills required. Unless you have some knowledge of plumbing you really are not going to be able to install a wet underfloor heating system. It is quite a complex procedure and also requires a concrete screed. However, installing DIY electric underfloor heating systems is possible for those with a good degree of DIY skill and could end up saving you quite a bit of money in the long run.

Electric heating mat and cable systems as well as underfloor heating insulation are both fairly straightforward to install and there are some excellent guides available on the Internet. Make sure you read them first, so you know exactly what you are going to need in terms of material, but more importantly, be absolutely certain you have the DIY skills necessary to carry out the installation.

You need to remember that this is an electrical job and if needs be, whilst you may be able to lay the flooring and the floor covering, calling in a qualified electrician to deal with the electrics is always a good idea as you do not want any accidents. Remember, electricity can and does kill. However, installing the actual heating element is perfectly possible as a DIY project, just be sure to follow the instructions carefully and don’t rush the job, as once the floor is laid on the top, mistakes will be much harder and costly to rectify.