by Johnny Grim

Starting with the outside of the house, make sure you don’t leave ladders lying around that could provide easy access to an open, upstairs window when you’re at work or at night time. Large trees also carry the same risk, so make sure any within reaching distance of your home are not tall enough to be used as climbing frames for potential thieves. You can also ensure that the bedroom furniture is not near the window to act as an easy landing place for any spritely burglars. The last thing you want is your brand new bed from http://bensonsforbeds.co.uk becoming a doormat for an eager thief.

Fix motion-detector lights that will be triggered if anyone enters your garden or drive, thus shedding light on any potential burglars and hopefully scaring them off and/or alerting you to a presence.

Make sure your doors are of a high quality to act as a further hindrance to possible pilferers. Solid doors are more secure than those with lots of glass, and double cylinder locks are recommended as the safest lock to choose for your external doors. Of course, you must remember to actually use your locks; the majority of burglars are simply opportunistic and enter through unlocked doors and windows.

You can also employ various techniques to make your home appear occupied when it’s not, whether you’re at work or away on holiday. Timer lights work well as they can be set to come on when it gets dark. Another invaluable tip is to ask neighbours you are friendly with to collect your post if you are going to be away for a while, and to keep a bit of an eye out in general.

In addition, do not advertise the fact that you are going away for a while, i.e. through social networking updates that are not fully locked down so can be viewed by strangers, or by having your home address on your luggage where it could be spotted by fellow travellers who might also have a penchant for thievery and consequently plan a visit to your vacated home.

by sarahridgley

Here are our tips to maximise your space and fool the eye!

• Remove clutter which always makes a room look smaller than it actually is. Be creative with your storage solutions (pretty baskets on shelves, under-bed storage drawers etc) so that your room does not look cramped.
• Consider fitted bedroom furniture such as the range made by Wren Bedrooms rather than bulky pieces such as large freestanding wardrobes. Fitted wardrobes with mirrored doors give the illusion of even more space. Make sure they have a good mixture of hanging rails, drawers and shelves.
• If you really need to have a TV in your bedroom, opt for a flat screened one that can be mounted on the wall. Similarly, if you feel you need music in the bedroom, avoid stereo systems that take up a lot of room and choose an iPod docking station instead.
• Fussy curtains can make the room look cramped so consider roller or Roman blinds instead.
• Make your furniture work for you e.g. choose a bedside unit with drawers. If your problem room is a spare bedroom which is only used occasionally choose a futon or sofa bed.
• For children’s bedrooms a loft bed can be a godsend. With the bed up in the air you have room for a desk or settee underneath.
• When choosing a colour scheme for a small bedroom stick to white ceilings and light coloured walls. Avoid at all costs big patterns on wallpaper. If you really want to incorporate a dark colour into your decor restrict it to a small rug or a couple of cushions.

Photo: Marissa Babin

Traditionally, colours associated with the Pagan event tend to include orange and black, with green and purple tending to be linked with witches, but all of these are perfectly apt if you’re decorating. Whether you’re making your home Halloween themed to entertain children or adults, you’ll need to have some basic things strewn around to make sure it looks the part.

Make some fake cobwebs and hang those from bed frames and canopies – if you look for beds for sale, you’re bound to find a style which suits decorating idea. Obviously, the bonus of looking for beds for sale now is that they’ll last you a while, so you won’t need to worry about going shopping for one again any time soon. You’ll want plenty of other accessories around your home too for the Halloween theme to really take hold. As well as cobwebs, put some life-sized skeletons around the place and maybe even some black cat silhouettes. You want the house to look as creepy and scary as possible, so maybe even put some ghosts and ghouls around the place.

No Halloween-themed event would be complete without some party games. Old classics like apple bobbing are bound to go down a treat, along with mummifying some of the party guests and a pumpkin carving competition.

Be sure to make everyone dress up for the party as well – adults included – there’s no point in you spending all that time decorating unless all your guests get into the spirit as well.

Garden
A garden will improve the look of a kit home and will also increase its value.  If you have built your new home on a vacant block  you can improve the look of your home with plants, trees and an area of lawn.  If you have children you might want to put in a play area with swings, a sand pit and a cubby house. Design your garden first, know what you want it to look like and draw up a detailed plan.  Look at what will grow best in your area, check the soil type and get help from your local nursery.

Paint
One of the last things you should do to the actual structure of your kit home is the painting.  You will need to do both the interior and the exterior of your kit home which is a big job.  To save money do it yourself as it is not difficult.  Choosing colours for your home is one of the fun jobs.  If you want to remain flexible with colour choices keep the colour of your paints fairly neutral and then you can change the colours in your rooms with accessories like pillows and furniture.  You can paint each room a different colour, perhaps a bright yellow or pretty blue for the kitchen, or even a light green.  Try soft blues or pinks for bedrooms and a deep red as a feature wall in the living room.

Water tanks
If your kit home has been built as a holiday home you could be out in the bush, or if you have built a new home because you are making a change to the country then it is unlikely that you will have access to town water.  If you have built your home on a rural block you will most likely need to install water tanks.  You might only need one or two tanks if you plan on only using the home during holidays and weekends.  If you are going to be living there full time then you will need to have big enough tanks to supply you with enough water for washing and drinking.

Outdoor area
Building an outdoor area gives you somewhere to entertain so plan for the construction of a patio area within your budget.  You can use this as your barbecue area and somewhere to sit in the shade when you are outside.

Photo: j l t

If you have the luxury of working on the property whilst it is empty then doing remedial works such as re-wiring or plumbing are achieved more easily, and empty rooms are much easier to decorate too. One of the projects which you might tackle fairly early on in the process is the wood work such as skirting, architraves, doors and floors. Replacing interior doors with hardwood doors throughout will instantly lift the house to be something special, and matching that with new woodwork elsewhere gives every room a fresh new look. Repairing plaster and starting your interior design scheme from a blank canvas will have much the same effect.

Engineered wood flooring is a great option if you are going to tackle the work yourself. Easier to lay than solid wood boards, it will also react less to the influences of heat and humidity. In this way it is also an appropriate material for more rooms of the house and certain types can even be installed over under floor heating for the ultimate in comfort.

Renovation projects can go array if you try to do things in the wrong order so make sure you know what needs to be done at each stage. Tackle the house as a whole and benefit from the savings to be made by engaging trades once for the whole house rather than for each room individually. Enjoy it, and make your house a home!

Photo: These Days Blog

We are all able to identify the basics: sparse furnishings create a minimalist look, overstuffed furniture a cosy feel and so on but what about the more subtle spacial relationships. For example, if you are purchasing new bedroom furniture to revamp you bedroom you may want a particular piece to become the focal point. To do this, you need to make a bold statement and make sure that the rest of the pieces in the room don’t ‘fight’ visually. A huge and ornate four poster bed will look fantastically dramatic in a large bedroom, but needs to be surrounded by plainer furniture to really present it to the greatest effect. In a smaller room you may decide to feature a large, elaborate mirror which will change the proportions of the room through reflections alone.

Mattresses are an interesting one from the point of view of proportion: low down and light indicate a quiet, understated personality inhabiting the bedroom whereas high up and luxuriously deep says ‘climb aboard!’ and hints at a more flamboyant occupant. I bet you are thinking about your own bedroom right now…! If you are chewing your lip then maybe a trip to the furniture store is in order this weekend.

Proportion is as important factor to consider whichever room in your house has come under scrutiny so pay attention to the size and space of all the elements you wish to incorporate and how they will work within the constraints of the available space and you won’t go far wrong.

Photo: Chapendra

Know when to hire a professional
The trick with any home improvements is to know when you should hire a professional.  Not all home improvements can you legally do yourself, such as the electrics.  You are best off hiring a plumber too.  If you are undertaking a task but feel it is too different don’t press on with it, you may end up making a mess of it and when you do hire a professional it could end up costing you more.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Don’t feel bad about asking for help.  If you are keen to tackle the whole job yourself but come across some difficulties don’t be afraid to contact someone to help.  There are many qualified builders that can take over the job for you, trades people that can come in and handle jobs like the tiling or plastering, or you might just ask them advice.  You can also head to your local hardware and they should be able to give you advice.  There is also plenty of books available on renovations and there is lots of information online.

Choose a theme and stick to it
When you are renovating your home, choose the theme and stick to it.  If you have decided to renovate your home in a period style or a modern design then make sure it stays true to this all throughout the house.  If you switch themes from room to room your house will not be logical and end up looking messy.  You want one room to flow through into the next.

Make sure you know what you are doing
Before you undertake any task be sure you know exactly what it is you are going.  You don’t want to start a job and then discover it isn’t as easy as you thought it would be.  Do your research and be prepared when you start.  Have all the right tools on hand and also know how to use them, for safety reasons as well as being certain that you are not going to damage them.

Learn about colour
When painting and decorating your home it is a good idea to first get your hands on a colour wheel.  You will be able to pick one up from an art shop.  This will show which colours work well together, which ones are complimentary and those that should not be put together.  If you want your room to look bigger than it actually is then you should go for lighter colours.  Darker colours on your walls will make your rooms appear smaller.  If you want to go for a dark colour but are concerned it will box your room in too much then perhaps paint a feature wall.

Photo: chaim zvi

1.    Prepare the walls. Strip any wallpaper that is already on the walls using a steamer. It’s best not to just paint over the paper as at some point down the line you will have to remove it and it just makes the job harder. You will have to smooth the walls so they are free of bumps, holes and imperfections. Getting a plasterer to do the job will ensure a great finish as plastering is a tricky job to get right. Make sure you have cleaned the walls so they are free of dirt and dust that will get caught up in paint. If there are stains or dark marks on the wall use a primer before you paint.

2.    Move any furniture such as sofas and chairs away from the walls. You don’t want to ruin your expensive sofas by getting paint stains on them.

3.    When painting, pour a little paint out of the can and stir it before you begin. For large areas use a roller and small areas use a paintbrush. Invest in good paintbrushes and clean them thoroughly after use. Use tape on the skirting boards to ensure you do not get paint on them. This will make sure you get straight lines and look neater. Always cover the floor with sheets to protect it. If you are laying flooring, do the painting first and always paint the ceiling first, then the walls.

4.    If you like the effect, use different types of paint for different parts of the room. For instance, a gloss looks great on radiators and skirting boards and standard paint on the walls. Make sure you have enough paint to finish the job so you do not run out halfway through.

5.    Use sample sizes, most DIY shops will provide these and if possible, actually put them onto the wall as the colour in the can may look different on the wall depending on the light in the room.

6.    Don’t try and stretch too much paint over a large area or it will not give a good finish. Similarly don’t put too much on as it will result in blobs and drips. Paint in long continuous strokes and paint in stages, one half of the wall at a time. Always apply a second coat, perhaps a third if using dark colours – let the paint dry completely between coats.

Photo: Avondale Pattillo UMC

The first rule, and although it’s an obvious one it needs saying, if a job requires skills that you don’t have, especially if it could be dangerous, don’t take the risk. Specifically anything involving gas, electricity and plumbing isn’t going to be worth the risk and you can end up risking not just property but lives as well.

For more general jobs it’s really down to a combination of a few factors, how handy are you? If you can generally turn your hand to some basic home repairs it can be reasonable to assume you’ll manage others and, given that money is tight for many people at the moment, having a go yourself could be the answer. With the internet available to us all these days it’s easy and cheap to try and find advice and read up on what you’re going to do before you start and give yourself the best possible chance.

On the flipside thing about things like will the repair you carry out be somewhere you see it every day? What may seem expensive for a tradesman could turn out to be a bargain when compared to the annoyance of seeing the same slightly rough finish on a job and being annoyed by it for years to come.

Photo: dagnyg

There is no definitive answer and it all depends on the individual but next time you have a job needs doing just give it a bit of thought first.

Written by Alex, she loves to give DIY a try but quite often finds she has to get help from a professional, this frees her time to check out where she can play uk bingo games online.

Photo: pnt103

It sounds like common sense but insurance is not always at the forefront of our minds when we are knee deep in project plans, and it is easy to assume that the building company with the great reputation for a good job well done have got all their paperwork in place.

Well imagine the scene: renovations and home repair are underway, the electricians are re-wiring so the smoke alarms are disconnected and one of the guys on site leaves a cigarette burning next to a pile of wood shavings which came off your beautiful new solid oak interior doors. Do I hear a sharp intake of breath? Believe me, this is not a scenario that you want under any circumstances but least of all if you then find out afterwards that you are inadequately covered or not insured at all. Total nightmare.

I am not suggesting that this is the kind of situation which will happen very often, and certainly it would have to be someone pretty careless, and well actually pretty stupid to even smoke a cigarette on a building site. It is a graphic visualisation of what could easily happen to any of us though and hopefully will make you consider your insurance position in more detail in future. Undertaking building, renovation and redecoration work in our home is an exciting time and the last thing you want is a disaster on your hands which spoils all your hard work.

Don’t be afraid to ask the questions you want answered to protect yourself; you don’t want to regret not doing so at a later date…