Increasing the market value of your home
Increasing the value of your home is always a good idea, regardless of whether you are thinking about selling soon or not. Investing in a few upgrades for your place will significantly increase what it is worth, especially if you focus on the right elements.
Read moreRenovating? Time to think about you outdoor additions
Australians traditionally love the outdoors. We love to take advantage of the abundant sunny days and warm evenings by entertaining outdoors. Outdoor rooms and outdoor kitchens along with verandahs, decks, pergolas, patios, cabanas and gazebos provide us with a space to extend our living into the outdoors. Relaxed, informal entertaining these days is a very popular way to catch up with family and friends. You would be hard pressed to find an Australian home that does not have some form of outdoor living space.
Read moreWhy not add a Spa Bath to your Bathroom
Although Spa Baths have been installed in Australian homes for many years, they went out of favour and the numbers dropped in popularity. People were removing them from their homes when renovating or no longer including them in a new build. But Spa Baths are on trend again.
Read more12 spring cleaning hacks that will forever change your life
Spring is well and truly here, and there’s a lightness in the air. More sun, the smell of jasmine and longer days. What’s not to love about this season?
Read moreHow fencing can add value and appeal to your home
The first thing to know when considering a fence to add value and appeal to your home is that a fence will not necessarily add value. The result depends heavily on your individual property and the decisions you make. You need to consider whether a fence would add to or detract from your home, and what type of fence you may need.
Read moreHow to source furniture for your home
Often when people think about sourcing furniture, they imagine going to a shop and picking some out. It’s a convenient way to buy, and even easier if you take advantage of online retailers. However, if you don’t have an eye for interior design, it can be hard to tell what sort of furniture would suit your space. Or maybe you have a vision which requires furniture which you can’t find in mainstream stores. In any case, there are other avenues through which to purchase furniture which is unique, stylish, and suited perfectly to your space.
Read moreHow to choose the right kitchen bench top
The kitchen is the beating heart of your home. It should be a functional and hard wearing as well as an attractive and inviting space.
Read moreHow long does it take to paint a house?
When you paint a house, it's important to prime it first.It takes half a day for one coat. Then you can paint the walls with another coat.In the end, your painting job must look nice. One important thing to remember is that it's interior or exterior painting. So it's always best to try and do the prep work yourself if possible. It means filling holes in plasterboard, sanding down surfaces to be much more easily painted, and cleaning surfaces.
Read moreGarden irrigation systems in Queensland
Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast can be very hot and dry places. Often gardens in these areas of South East Queensland struggle to survive through periods of intense weather patterns. Most people love an inviting, thriving garden and have invested a lot of time and money into their lawns, plants and landscaping only to lose precious plants due to insufficient water.
Read moreGet Protected - Making your home more secure
Earlier this year Perth Newspapers reported crime statistics in Western Australia for 2014 and 2015. These statistics were alarming with a staggering 9% increase in home burglaries.
Read moreHow to create kerb appeal
We have all admired other people’s homes. Regardless of the period, style, size and location there are many homes you look at and just say “wow”, “I could live there in a heartbeat” , “that’s my dream home” , “if I won Lotto that’s where I would want to live” and so on. We can be equally critical about the homes we don’t like. The ones we look at and say “what were they thinking?” “look how untidy that yard is”, “I don’t like the colour scheme” or “it looks very ramshackle”, “maybe its abandoned”.
Read moreWhat you need to know about kitchen designs
The kitchen is the focal point of any home. It is the heart and soul of the home and the central point for creativity and gathering of family and friends. The kitchen is the most important room in any home and therefore should be functional, light, airy and a pleasant space to work in. Most kitchens these days are part of an open plan area combining cooking, dining, living and entertaining spaces so you want it to not only work well but also look smart.
Read moreExterior Window Coverings
We all like a little ambiance and privacy at home by dressing our windows with curtains, blinds or shutters. Did you ever consider external window coverings? The European roller style block out shutters have long been a common way to provide protection not only from harsh sun, wind, rain and hail but also they act as a security shield and reduce the level of external noise all while providing complete privacy. Block out roller shutters will also help protect your home and stop windows from shattering during a bushfire.
Read moreThe Evolution of the Backyard Garden Shed
Remember the backyard garden shed your parents, grandparents or neighbours had to house their gardening equipment and tools, the kid’s bikes or the boat?
Read more5 practical ways to create a seamless flow between interior and exterior living
Enjoying time outdoors is a wonderful thing. To have a house that has outdoor recreation areas means having space to play games in the backyard, host barbecues, and form many fond memories. One of the best parts about the outdoor sections of a house is the way they integrate with the inside of a house, and the more flexible and changeable the middle-ground is, the nicer the overall effect. Sometimes it can be hard to work out ways to make one’s outdoor area more indoor-friendly, but not to worry, we’ve created this straightforward
Read more4 common house defects uncovered by property inspections
A property inspection report is a must have document when you’re deciding whether or not to buy a house. Many homes have defects which will be uncovered by property inspectors. Some are serious, and others, less so. The building inspection gives you the power to make an informed decision about whether it’s the right house for you. These are some common issues which may be uncovered in the report:
Read moreStart the New Year with a spring clean
Christmas is a faded memory and a New Year has begun and what better way to start the New Year than with a spring clean and maintenance of your home and garden. Have you let all those little odd jobs mount up during the past year while you kept telling yourself that you will get around to fixing them. So hire a handyman and kick the year off with a good clean, repair and rubbish removal.
Read moreRain Water Tanks
Each Australian on average uses 53,000 liters of water per year. That sounds like a lot but we probably don’t stop to think about the many ways we use water and how the consumption can add up.
Read moreTips for Managing a Hot Water System
If you don't maintain your hot water system, you may face several consequences that can cause inconvenience, expenses, and even safety hazards. Over time, hot water systems can accumulate sediment, rust, and debris, leading to reduced efficiency and increased energy bills. Without proper maintenance, these deposits can cause leaks, blockages, or damage to the system, requiring expensive repairs or replacement.
Read moreLaminate Floor Cleaning – Quick 4-Step Guide to Save You From Disaster!
Understandably, people naturally use water when cleaning flooring surfaces, but the problem with laminate flooring is that water is its enemy! Moisture warps and weakens it. Often the lamella is only 5mm thin and it has MDF backing. This is like chipboard so the slightest gap between planks, or unsealed edges, will cause it to swell, lift and buckle.
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