How to design your perfect backyard
Designing the perfect outdoor area in Australia is often influenced by climate and lifestyle. Not only do you need to consider what kind of design will keep you feeling comfortable, but what design will allow your plants to survive, and to thrive. There is no perfect formula. Each garden is as unique as the land, house, and people who live there. However, it’s always a great idea to plan sustainably, and a water-saving garden is never a bad choice!
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What 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.
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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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The homeowner’s guide to purchasing a water heater
The water heater is an essential part of most houses. Without it, daily routines like doing the dishes, showering, and powering appliances would become very difficult. Thus, these sturdy, dependable devices need the right amount of care and attention. If you want to ensure that yours continues to run smoothly, carry out regular maintenance and check its condition.
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Is Your Pest Problem Lowering the Value of Your Home?
When pests take over your residence it is difficult to control the extent to which they can cause harm. Rodents, termites, possums, mice, wasps, etc. can pose a real threat to the structure’s foundations and may even result in a collapse.
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Enclosed elegance: 4 steps towards preparing your house for guests
With Christmas right around the corner, it won’t be long until you start making plans for the holiday and the most important meal of the year. In fact, you might already have begun. Some families like to get organised early and know exactly who is staying where and in which house to find the turkey.
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Know the NO’s when it comes to Asbestos
Asbestos was a very popular building product widely used in Australia for decades. Asbestos fibers are much finer than human hair, they can float in the air not visible to the naked eye and can easily be inhaled.
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How to stop your shower screen exploding
You may not know that if you have a glass shower screen that it’s at risk of exploding at any time. This article explores why shower screens explode and how you can prevent it from happening to you.
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7 design tips for an eco-friendly home that doesn't cost the earth
Having an eco friendly home is about more than just saving money. It means that you’re doing your bit for Mother Nature. Reducing your home’s carbon footprint is a worthwhile endeavour, but sometimes the costs associated can be off-putting. But what if we told you that, with a few tweaks in home design, you could have an environmentally conscious home that’s not going to cost an arm and a leg? We’re not kidding, so read on to find out seven design tips that will transform your place into an efficient and green household.
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Renovations for the older folk
Downsizing or moving into a Retirement Village can be a daunting prospect for the elderly. Many older folk would prefer to stay in their existing home if possible so that they can still be surrounded by their memories, chat to the neighbours they have know for decades and remain independent for as long as possible.
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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 a handyman can save you time and money
When small jobs pop up around the house we tend to do one of two things, tackle them ourselves with no expertise, or ignore them and hope they go away (they don’t). Hiring a handyman to help with odd jobs can save you a world of pain, and money. He’s a jack of all trades, from plumbing, to electrical, to carpentry. Here’s three ways he can save you time and money.
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Turf Wars
Artificial Turf has come a long way in recent times and is fast becoming a popular care free way to green up your property. While it’s not quite the real thing, the artificial products are now much more sophisticated and actually do look and feel close to the real thing.
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Maintaining your Stone floors
Natural stone floors are an investment that can last a life time if cared for properly. Stone floors add a wow factor to any home and should be maintained regularly
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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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6 secrets a building pest inspection report can reveal
Mould can be a big problem at home. More often than not, it’s an indicator of a graver problem. Sometimes poorly ventilated parts of the house can bring about a patch of mould. However, if you see fungal decay in the timber or black mould in and around your house, this won’t leave you at ease. It’s important to look out for these in the nooks and crannies because it usually means there is water or moisture within the structure.
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The secrets to stress-free renovating
Renovating your home can be fun, exciting and extremely rewarding, but regardless of what you have in mind for your place, plan to keep it stress free.
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How 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.
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Appliance repair: when to call a professional
If any of your appliances have been acting strangely lately, you may have wondered whether you should call a professional. The most obvious sign is that they aren’t working at all, but other symptoms include loud noises, water leaking, decreased efficiency, and higher than normal power bills. If you’re tossing up between repair and replacement, a professional can help you assess the appliance and make the best decision.
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Bathroom ideas and trends
After kitchens, bathrooms are the most important room in the house and perhaps the next most expensive. There are no hard and fast rules to building a brand new bathroom or renovating an existing one, other than the importance of the highest standard of workmanship in waterproofing and plumbing.
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