Fun Ideas

Eco Friendly or Fun Ideas For Your Home

Healthy HomesSustainability

There are many affordable and fun ideas for your home that can enhance your lifestyle or that may have environmentally friendly aspects. Many of them are easy to do and are pleasing to look at, making the home or its surroundings more pleasant in some way. If you are tired of the same old problems or look of your home, consider adding some of these ideas to your life.

  • If you have a staircase, add a slim slide next to it for the children to come down. This works well with a spiral staircase.slim slide
  • Love cats? Keep them environmentally friendly by adding a cat access transit tunnel around the living room walls to an enclosed space on a balcony or in a nearby tree. One on the outside walls is another good idea to give your cat exercise while keeping it safe.
  • An indoor outdoor pool might be just what is needed for convenience and privacy, otherwise you might consider having your pool built right next to the back deck. But make sure you have a good fence around it if you have children.
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Gas Heaters Health Problems

Health Problems Caused by Gas Heaters

Healthy HomesHeating

If you are considering your health this winter it might be a good idea to take a look at your heating system. According to electrical authority Electrician Perth Experts most electricians who are experienced with gas will tell you that even though unvented gas heaters seem to be popular, they produce not only carbon dioxide, (CO2) but carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

The health hazards of CO are many and dangerous, since it is considered a toxic gas. Any form of heating that is unvented means that the products produced from burning the fuel remain in the room or the whole house. So if you have a gas heater with no vent, you are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, especially if the heater is left on all night and there are few cracks or gaps in the house to let fresh air in and poisons out.

Carbon monoxide is colourless, tasteless, non-irritating and odourless so you won’t even know you are being poisoned. In fact, it is said to poison more people than all other poisons put together and most of this can be attributed to unvented gas heaters or even vented ones that burn incorrectly due to any number of things such as rust on the burner or the improper placement of artificial logs. CO causes both brain damage and organ damage.

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Gardening

Sustainable Practices in Gardening

Healthy HomesGardens

The value of most homes and the lifestyle of the residents is increased by the addition of a beautiful garden.  However, these days it is important to implement sustainability practices, so the garden helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the house rather than increasing it. Gardens and lawns look lovely and enhance your lifestyle, but are notorious for using up lots of water. They also need fertiliser and pesticides to ensure your plants are not eaten up by pesky insects.

Both fertiliser and pesticides tend to get washed into the waterways and in many cases kill things they were not meant to harm. A case in point is the beautiful corals that die due to fertilisers being washed into the ocean. But by using sustainable methods, such harm can be eliminated. Here’s a short guide from our friends at lawncareman.com.au on how to do so;

Minimise water usage

  • It is easy to minimise the amount of water needed by choosing drought hardy plants for the garden. This will reduce your water costs and save time spent in watering the garden.
  • Using organic mulch will help prevent the soil from drying out, again reducing the amount of water needed. It also keeps the ground cooler in the hot summer, a fact that many plants love.
  • Choosing the kind of lawn grass that is drought hardy is also important because most lawns need lots of water to keep them green. Do your research to find what grass is suitable for your area that does not need constant watering.
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Staying Healthy

9 Tips to Staying Healthy when Landscaping

Healthy HomesGardens

Whether you have a job landscaping, work your own business or do it for a hobby on your own property, landscaping is often sheer hard work, so it is important to take care at all times in order to avoid injury. Even if you are fit and love your job, it is still possible to injure yourself if you don’t be careful.

Here are 9 tips to help you stay healthy when doing this kind of work –

  • Learn the proper way to lift heavy weights. When doing the kind of work involved with gardening or landscaping, you’ll often have to lift things that are not only heavy, but awkward and have no handles. It’s important to use lifting equipment wherever possible, but if you do have to lift by hand you should bend your knees, not your back. And never lift and swing around at the same time. That’s a sure recipe for a bad back that can put you off work for weeks.
  • Use safety equipment such as goggles, gloves and proper boots. Your eyes are important, but a flying rock or nail can ruin your eyesight for good, while dust and grit can make them sore. Gloves may feel awkward, but they can prevent blisters and scratches that can fester and turn septic. They can also prevent spider bites. The same goes for boots.
  • Working out in the heat and sun can dehydrate you. There might be a nice breeze so you don’t feel like you are sweating, but you are. Drinking water at regular intervals will keep you hydrated. If it’s mid-summer, choose a drink that contains electrolytes to prevent cramps. Organise your work so the hardest jobs are not done in the midday heat.
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Remove Negativity

How to Remove Negativity From Your Life

Healthy HomesHealthy Living

When it comes to healthy living, our mental health is just as important as our physical health. If you are negative all the time you won’t be happy and eventually, you won’t be physically healthy either. Being negative often leads to depression or stress and it affects our capacity to enjoy life and have happy relationships. So here are some tips to remove negativity from your life.

  • Refuse to have negative people in your life. These are people who tend to criticise you all the time, put you down or even are always complaining about things in their own life that they don’t like. It also includes backstabbers who lie about you to others or speak about you in a way that is slanderous or unfair. These people are not your friends and don’t deserve your time or effort.
  • Get rid of your own negative thoughts. Many people suffer from thinking bad thoughts about themselves. Don’t let yourself think things that put you down or belittle yourself, your body, your actions or the things you do any longer. Every day when you wake up, look in the mirror and say 5 good things about yourself. Do the same thing throughout the day.
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Landscape Design

Eco Friendly Landscape Design To Encourage Birds

Healthy HomesGardens

If you are one of the lucky people to have a backyard, you might want to incorporate some kind of great garden design that will encourage native birds to your area. In this way you’ll be doing your bit for the environment, since birds are a part of that. And as more land is cleared our feathered friends tend to lose their homes and have less natural environment from which to gather food.

Here are some tips to help you get native birds to your garden.

  • Find out what birds are native to your area and which ones you’d like to have for visitors. Then provide the kind of food they like. They’ll soon find it.
  • Install a bird bath. All birds need water to drink and to bathe in to restore their hydration and make their feathers clean. Birds in the centre of town can’t access water on a hot, dry day, but if they know there is some in the suburbs, that is where they’ll go.
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Landscape Construction

How Landscape Construction Can Help an Older Person Stay in Their Home

Healthy HomesGardens

When people start to get older they realise that it is more difficult to do all the chores around the home and garden that are needed to keep it in good condition. Often the garden and lawn are the first casualties because it takes a lot of physical effort to provide the maintenance and upkeep they need. But rather than move out of a home you love, why not get some landscape construction going to make the garden and surrounds easier to cope with?

From the experts at JSB Earth Moving, Here are some ways to stay in your home.

  • Instead of having all that lawn to mow, water and fertilise, get a construction company in to replace it with a timber or composite deck. You’ll be able to sit out there and enjoy the sun without having to mow anything.
  • Remove even more lawn and replace it with a low maintenance garden.
  • Pave any remaining lawn next to the deck and have it decorated with pretty tiles, a water feature and pot plants.
  • Add perennials and permanent shrubs to the garden and dispense with annuals that have to be replaced every season. This will save you digging and bending over to plant them and you’ll still have a nice garden.
  • Use organic and non-organic mulch to prevent weed growth in any garden area you have left.
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Sustainable Kitchen Renovations

12 Ways to Be Sustainable in Kitchen Renovations

Healthy HomesRenovating

When you plan a kitchen renovation, you may not be thinking along the lines of a sustainable lifestyle, but there are plenty of ways to be eco-friendly and save the earth’s resources while renovating. For example, ordering your materials carefully so you are not wasting anything. Here are some more tips to improve the sustainability of your kitchen renovation from the experts in the field, Kitchen Professionals.

Bamboo Interior

  • Choose building supplies such as bamboo that are easily renewable or plentiful. It can be used for cabinets and floors as well.
  • Use paints and other things such as glue and lacquer that do not contain harmful toxic gases that waft up into the air – and into your lungs.
  • Choose eco-friendly fabrics – natural cotton or at least cotton blends, bamboo fabrics or even fabric made from wool, all of which is renewable in its raw state each year.
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Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen Renovation Timeline

Healthy HomesRenovating

Choosing your builder or cabinet maker to renovate your kitchen is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming as there are so many decisions to make. There are many different kinds of kitchens and the style you choose will dictate to a certain extent how many other decisions must be made. A modern kitchen design requires fewer materials, so not as many decisions will be needed.

That said, there are still choices to be made about what you want in materials, appliances, colours, textures and so on, so here is a kitchen renovation timeline to help know which to consider first.

Step 1: Choose the appliances, lighting and sink/s. This will help when it comes to planning the design and development of the layout as your professional kitchen designer will need to know what space is left over for cupboards, how big the bench space is and where these things will fit.

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Carport

6 Things to Consider Before Installing Your Carport

Healthy HomesRoofing

It is easy to get carried away and eager to get the job done once you have made the decision to install a patio or carport on your property, but there are several things you need to consider before you even order it.  Not thinking about what you really need beforehand can mean you end up with a carport that does not really suit your needs. Even though getting a carport may seem like a simple thing to do, consider these 6 elements first.

  • Will it be wide enough? Cars are all different sizes and shapes so you need to be sure that your car will fit in the carport properly with enough room to open the doors on both sides at the same time. Otherwise there is soon going to be a door that is dented or scratched.
  • Do you have one car or two? Many people have two cars, so getting a carport meant for one car is not going to suit your needs. If you only have one car now, might the family end up with two cars in a few years, when the children are old enough to need a car for uni or work? Thinking ahead to your future needs can save on costs.
  • Is it high enough? Some people may have a truck or van, a caravan or a boat that could be stored in the carport – so long as it is high enough and wide enough. Since you are going to the trouble of installing one at all, it may as well be one that can store multiple vehicles if you have them. Keeping that caravan or boat under cover will extend its life, after all.
  • Is your ground level? Sometimes this is the last thing people think about. Even a slight slope can cause problems if you don’t build up the lower side. Carports are designed to go on level ground, so you will need to either level the ground somehow, or build it up with cement blocks. Or you might find concreting the whole area is a better solution.
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Right Excavator

How to Hire the Right Excavator for Your Project

Healthy HomesRenovating

Once you start to plan a full property renovation it won’t be long before you see the need for plant hire or equipment hire. Most renovators find such equipment far too expensive to buy outright, especially when it won’t be in use all the time. It would never pay for itself by sitting in a shed waiting for the next project to pop up.

If your block of ground is on a slope, it is highly likely that you will need to level off at least some of the ground before you can complete the renovation, especially if you intend to add another room or deck. You might even want to have a veranda going right around the house.

If you are also going to do some landscaping to go with your new renovations, get that work done at the same time you hire the machinery for the other work. It just takes a bit of planning ahead to save money. Hire rates are usually by the hour or the day, so if your building project only takes a couple of hours with the machinery, you may as well use it while it’s there to level off the driveway, fill up a hole, dig a hole for the swimming pool or do whatever else you have planned for the future.

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Health Risks in Landscaping

Health Risks in Landscaping

Healthy HomesGardens

While landscaping can be considered a healthy job because you get lots of exercise and fresh air, there are also health risks that you need to be aware of in order to take preventative measure or eliminate them altogether. Some of these can cause injury, while others can actually make you sick, rather than injured.

  • Concreting is often a big part of landscaping if the client wants pathways, driveway or a concrete floor put in for an alfresco area. They may want a wall built or steps to the back deck. In many cases you can get a mini concrete truck in with enough mixed cement to do the job. But sometimes it is a small job that requires a concrete mixer and shovel. There are two main things involved that can affect your health. Lifting bags of cement that are very heavy and breathing in the dust from it. The latter can be particularly bad because the dust is very fine, yet it’s heavy, just like the concrete. It can get into your lungs and cause a condition called silicosis or lung cancer. Apart from that it can irritate the eyes, upper respiratory tract and the skin. Protect yourself with mask, goggles, gloves and long-sleeves.
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Sustainable Lifestyle

13 Tips for a Sustainable Lifestyle

Healthy HomesSustainability

Many people live a lifestyle that is basically wasteful and so it is not sustainable.  Waste in the form of anything you use in life that is discarded into landfill and in some cases causes pollution of some kind should be avoided if at all possible.  Many things can be sold or given to a charity rather than being thrown in the bin. Other things can be mended, repainted and generally make to look like new so they can be re-used. Here are 13 sustainability tips to make your lifestyle more eco-friendly.

  • As children outgrow their toys, put them away for the next child to grow into, or sell them, give them away or swap them for something else. The latter is particularly good for computer games.
  • Have a garage sale for unwanted goods rather than throwing them away. One man’s trash is another’s treasure.
  • Donate goods to a charity or op-shop when you don’t want them.
  • Sell unused clothing online. This is very useful for children’s clothing as they can grow out of it so quickly it is still in good condition.
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Interior Design Mistakes

5 Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid

Healthy HomesInterior Design

You don’t always need an interior designer to tell you that something is wrong with the design of a room. Sometimes it can just feel off, even if you are not sure why. It’s a good idea to stop and take a look at everything to pinpoint the problem. Here are some tips to ensure your own decorating doesn’t make your rooms feel just not quite right.

  • Ensure the furniture is positioned properly. When you first move into an apartment, the furniture is pushed hurriedly into place before the room is set up with all the other elements. You may have simply worked those other things in around the first positioning of the sofa, when really, it should be somewhere else. Ask yourself where to focal point of the room is. Maybe there is a fireplace that is crying out to be the focal point, while all the furniture is pointed at the television set, on another wall.
  • The room could be bottom heavy if there are too many element low down. This will make it feel unpleasant. To fix this feel, the design elements should be lifted up higher than they are at present. Wall art should be hung higher; if lights dangle down low, have them replaced with shorter ones; remove some things from the floor if it is overcrowded. You may even need to repaint the walls a lighter colour.
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Glass Showerscreens

12 Advantages of Glass Showerscreens

Healthy HomesRenovating

Just because a home is affordable doesn’t mean it has to be cheap and nasty. Glass shower screens add a touch of elegance to any bathroom, no matter if the home is in the billion dollar range or much less. In fact, there is more to them than their good looks.

Here are some advantages of installing a shower screen made of glass.

  • It is less likely to develop mould on the surface, so is easy to clean.
  • Glass in the bathroom makes it look larger as it is transparent so the draws the eye beyond it to the far walls.
  • It makes the bathroom look lighter as glass does not throw shadows, but lets the light through.
  • It allows you to have a decorative wall or wall feature beyond it that can still be seen from the doorway even if the showerscreen is there.
  • They are light to use as any light from outside, such as natural light from a window will shine through the glass instead of casting the area into shadow.
  • Glass is very durable. Shower screens are made from toughened glass that can withstand hard knocks and bumps.
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Property Maintenance

10 Property Maintenance Tips To Save Money

Healthy HomesProperty Maintenance

When you own property there will always be maintenance to do on it, whether it is cleaning up the grounds outside or painting the building. Most people want their property to look neat and tidy without it costing them a bomb, so here are some property maintenance tips that will actually save money over the long run.Property Maintenance

  • Fix it while it’s small. No matter what it is; a leak, paint chipped off or some mould somewhere, if you tackle it immediately it won’t cost lot to fix. But if you leave it, the end result could cost thousands.
  • Check for water leaks frequently. Get them fixed as soon as possible.
  • Check that roof tiles are not loose. If they are they’ll likely blow off in the next storm and allow a deluge into your ceiling.
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Cleaning Your Swimming Pool

Tips to Make Cleaning Your Swimming Pool Easier

Healthy HomesGardens

Many people have chosen to install swimming pools in their backyards to add enjoyment and fun to those long, hot summer days. Nearly every child enjoys a dip in the pool and some become water babies, spending every spare moment possible playing and swimming in their pool. It’s a great way to ensure your children get plenty of exercise and forget their electronic devices for a little while.

The downside is that it takes quite a lot of work to keep the pool clean and ensure the water is hygienic enough to swim in.  Here are some tips to make the job easier.

  • Since leaves and debris should be removed daily, this job can be delegated to the children, or an older child who is responsible enough to do it properly. It teaches them that work must be done by everyone if fun is to be had.  Encourage all children to remove a floating leaf while they are swimming or playing in the pool.  If some debris sinks, have diving competitions to see who can get the most debris from the bottom. A prize or two will make it more fun.
  • Save up for an automatic pool cleaner. There are many that are reasonably priced and some clean the sides as well as the bottom of the pool. Use it regularly and sure you take care of your pool cleaner.
  • If yours doesn’t clean the sides, keep a good lookout for algae and attack it immediately. Watch for shady areas where it is most likely to start. Scrubbing the sides every second week should prevent it.
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Security Fencing

4 Tips For Choosing The Best Security Fencing

Healthy HomesProperty Maintenance, Renovating

According to Eline Fencing, most homeowners have some kind of fencing around the perimeter of their homes, but it is not always security fencing. But increasingly these days, you need to know that your family and home are safe from burglary or home invasion.

There are obviously a few ways that you can deal with property security. Some of these are Security Cameras, Alarm Systems, Gate Intercom Systems and Security Fencing. For fencing you will need to install the kind of fence that will keep intruders out.

Not all so-called safety fencing is going to do what it is supposed to. Here are 4 tips to choosing the right kind of fence.

  • Make sure the fence doesn’t provide a hiding place. Fences you can’t see through will provide a place for any burglar to hide so they cannot be seen from the house. This is the kind of fence that burglars like best, since if you don’t know they are there they can work out how to get over the fence and you won’t know anything about it. They may even be able to spy on your house through a crack – or the gate – and find out if anyone is home or not.
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Garden Design

Ways Pots can Enhance Your Garden Design

Healthy HomesGardens

Many people have pot plants they love, but often they don’t make as much of them as they could. For instance, you often see garden pots made of black plastic holding a beautiful shrub or flower and the effect is actually quite ruined by that awful looking pot.  Or even if the pot is nice, it is not placed in a way that gives it the best advantage visually.Garden Pots

Here are some of the many ways in which pots can enhance your garden design.

  • A large pot can be used as a feature in the middle of a small garden or garden section. It can have a very dramatic effect on the landscape by using a pot with a bright colour that forms a contrast to everything else surrounding it.
  • You can have a row of decorative pots –and plants – on a hard surface such as gravel or concrete. This can be seen in some low maintenance gardens as the pots form the major point of visual attractiveness.
  • Pots with small fruit trees also add appeal to the garden or a small courtyard area and they can also bear fruit to enjoy fresh or make jam from. The fruit adds colour in its season, while the pot looks attractive all year round.
  • In combination with another feature. Pots make a great addition to another feature such as a water feature or a gazebo in the garden.
  • They can be used along the swimming pool to add interest to an area that might otherwise look bare. Make sure they all match and are not too close to the edge. Most plants don’t like pool water.
  • Use a garden pot for something different, such as a fish pond. Half barrels or even a deep pot would be suitable for this.
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Selling Your Property

Real Estate Advice for Selling Your Property

Healthy HomesMoving Home

If you are trying to sell your home, the most common property renovation advice would be to create street appeal.  If your home looks attractive from the street, people who want to buy a home will always be interested in looking further. If it looks unattractive on the outside, it won’t matter how pristine the inside is, people won’t want to look at it.

Here are some more tips for selling your home.

  • Most real estate agents would tell you to get all the yard cleaned up, with new flowers and shrubs in the garden.
  • Keep the lawn mowed neatly.
  • Scrub the outside of the walls if they look a bit mouldy or dingy and you can’t afford to paint it. This will give it a fresh look.
  • Paint the outside window frames, the front door and the gate to enhance the look.
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