Buying sustainably and how to do it effectively
Do you wish you knew how to shop for pieces that veer towards the sustainable side of things? Buying environmentally friendly items can be hard to spot without asking a million questions, and although these types of questions are always welcome it’s nice to have some knowledge before hitting the shops. Let’s look at some of the criteria to spot an eco-friendly choice.
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Consultants for Residential Building work
Basix: Environmental Consultant Basix Certificate (environmental performance evaluation) is required for all development applications. This certificate has been required with all development since 2006. This details the energy and water use and storage and recycling on site. The certificate is tied to the title and has to be certified as completed by the building inspector when the project is complete and before you can move in.
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Continuous Hot Water or Solar Hot Water? The pros & cons
The choice of hot water heating will depend on many factors, including your property location, size and household needs
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Driveways make a statement
Everyone wants the front of their home to look fantastic. The driveway of the average Australian suburban house block takes up a big chunk of real estate. Your driveway needs to compliment the style of your home and landscaping. A driveway needs not only look great but has to be able to stand up to the rigors of having the ton or so of family car traversing it constantly. Other than the kids bedrooms it will take more abuse than any other part of your home
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The Modern Day Butler’s Pantry
The traditional Butler’s Pantry has evolved over many years from what were a series of rooms such as the scullery, pantry and larder where each stage of food preparation and clean up was conducted. These rooms were eventually condensed into one room being what we would now call a kitchen.
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Guide to Bathroom Lighting and IP Rating
Starting with the technical details, safety is key when choosing your bathroom lighting. To identify whether a light is safe for your bathroom, all lights are given an IP Rating (Ingress Protection rating) which measures how resistant the light is to both water and dust particles. IP Ratings can be determined by reading the first and second digits following the initial ‘IP’.
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A homeowner’s guide to cleaning the fireplace
There are few things guaranteed to warm the heart (and the limbs) faster than a beautiful open fireplace. As a design feature, it is delightfully sophisticated and wonderfully stylish. While many of the traditional Georgian and Victorian fireplaces have now made way for more contemporary shapes and forms, Australian homeowners still love the crackle and heat of real wood fires.
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Light Up your Life with LED’s
Did you know that lighting is approximately 20% of a household energy bill?
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Electricians can help you make the most of your renovation
If you’re planning on renovating you may know that you need to have a professional electrician check your home for safety and compliance, as well as undertake all of the necessary work. This is a great time to consider exactly what an electrician can bring to your renovation, and how to make the most of having a capable professional in your home.
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Widely-used terminology in window industry
There is some widely used terminology in the window industry. Knowing what these terms mean is a great help when it comes to understanding the industry jargon associated with insulation, energy issues and climatic zones. Here’s a quick guide to some commonly used terms - and what they actually mean!
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Pest control: why you should hire a professional
Pest control products are likely available for purchase in your local store, and the directions seem fairly straight forward. Is there really any risk to skipping the professional and managing your pest control yourself?
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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.
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How 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”.
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Simple ideas to lighten and brighten your home
Most homes have a dark corner, hallway or room that has little or no natural light. There are many ways to remedy the problem without needing to have the lights on all day. Here are some ideas that will not only transform the mood of a room but also create a feeling of space without the hassle of a major renovation and a strain on the budget.
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Professional painters - the pluses
Building, renovating, updating, time for a change or selling are the more common reasons to paint your home. Inside, outside, one room or many, it is important to get the colour and the finish just right and to achieve that it is advisable to enlist the services of a professional licensed painter.
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How to ensure your hot water stays hot
There’s nothing more annoying than running out of hot water when you are half way through washing your hair under a chilly shower in the middle of winter. If that has happened to you perhaps it’s time to replace your hot water system.
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Blinds on the inside
Considering blinds for your windows? Well you will be bowled over by choice. Here is some information to get you started.
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Dog Drool - Why Worry?
We often see dog drool on glass, and, frankly, it's not a pretty sight! It is loaded with bacteria, not great when you have kids around, and, looks about as bad as it gets! Is it something that should concern you? Absolutely!!
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Rain 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.
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Five tips to spotlessly clean windows
Windows are generally quite a chore to clean - it's easy to take shortcuts and put ourselves in danger when we're just trying to rush through and get the job done. These tips will take some of the effort out and give you some helpful hints to keeping safe while you complete your spring cleaning chores.
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