Modern Master Bathroom Mood Board – White, Green and Chrome

Some of Our most popular posts in Twitter

We are now active in Twitter, and here some of our most Retweeted/Liked post from Twitter. Follow us and stay connected.

7 Ways to #Green Up Your Property -- https://t.co/UsctIBkhXa #Ecofriendly

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) July 1, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK: Tips On Maintaining Commercial Plumbing https://t.co/5SIiDwPc89

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 28, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK: Press Release: UK HOME OWNERS WILL FLUSH £59 MILLI... https://t.co/Ps1bD4hfoK

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 28, 2017

3 Amazing Organizations For An Earth Friendly Home -- https://t.co/QwfyDliUax

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 27, 2017

Upgrades To Make Your Home More Eco- Friendly -- https://t.co/jNjYweYAUW

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 27, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK: 6 home hacks you need to try out https://t.co/AhJIhpSrea

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 24, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK: Let There Be Light: Tips On Installing Skylights https://t.co/lm20Wmgm7M

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 20, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK: How To Create The Illusion Of Space In Small Rooms... https://t.co/XbQUZBS1fK

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 20, 2017

Low cost ways to redecorate your bedroom -- https://t.co/3GoSrSiqS0

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 18, 2017

10 Furnishings and Fittings Every Nursery Should Have -- https://t.co/qOTiWjmizK

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 18, 2017

Senior-friendly furniture – Buying things for mobility-challenged people -- https://t.co/LzBhNmwgqH

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 16, 2017

How to make cabinet doors using matched rail and stile router bitshttps://t.co/00cionpyOZ

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 14, 2017

Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog : A Pluming DIY: How to Fix a Clogged Toilet https://t.co/h7oL0UpxSo

— Home My Heaven (@HomeMyHeaven) May 12, 2017

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/Home-my-heaven-Twitter.html

Tips to Prevent Plumbing Problems in Your House

Did you know that you can completely safeguard your house and save money on repairs by making a few upgrades and small changes? Some parts of your home can cause a rather significant damage if you let a small problem turn into a big one, and that’s precisely the case with plumbing.

Plumbing related issues can result in blocked drains, low or high water pressure and even house flooding, and you should do your best to avoid all of them. Because of that, stop fixing the problem when it occurs and instead start working on the prevention of all potential plumbing problems in your home.

Leaky faucets

Leaky faucets can be a main cause of water loss and they can also cause other serious plumbing issues. An unchecked leak can put a significant amount of stress on your plumbing, and it can even cause clogging and overflows.

If you live in an area with hard water, leaky faucets might even create a water stain in your sink, and sometimes cleaning that stain is almost impossible.

If you have the necessary tools you can fix the leaks yourself, just make sure not to damage the faucet in the process.

Main valve

The main valve is obviously the most important valve in your home since it regulates water flow.The maintenance of this valve doesn’t require much skill or even time. All you really need to do is check if it’s working as intended every now and then, and turn it off if you see that a problem has occurred.

If you’re not sure which valve is the main valve in your home, find it right now. You need to know which one is it in case you need to turn off the water because of any other water-related problems in your house. The surest way to avoid any problems while you’re not at home is to completely turn off the main valve until you come back.

Disposal

Most people make one seemingly small mistake – they treat a garbage disposal as a trash can. Throwing every possible material down the garbage disposal can severely damage it, whichwill lead to clogged drains. You can easily avoid this scenario by being picky about what you throw into the disposal. If you want to avoid problems, don’t throw these types of foods into it:

·         Rice

·         Potato peels

·         Onion skins

·         Nuts

·         Pasta

·         Grease

·         Bones

Toilet

Toilets are frequently used in every home, and because of that toilet leaks and clogs are two of the most common plumbing issues. Most people with leaky toilet tanks don’t even know that their toilet tanksare leaking, but as any experienced plumber in Sydneywould tell you, this is surprisingly easy to detect. Pour food dye into the tank before you go to sleep. In the morning check if there’s dye in the bowl. If there is, you’ll know you have a leaky tank.

Clogged toilets are, unfortunately, a much bigger problem, and that’s exactly why you should be careful about what you flush. In general, you shouldn’t flush anything that’s not toilet paper if you want to avoid clogging the toilet.

Unclogging the toilet is easy, and you can do it yourself. Use a plungerto resolve the problem, but if you notice that it’s starting to overflow, shut off the main valve immediately and call the professionals to help you.

Emergencies

Unfortunately, some problems can occur seemingly overnight, but you can be prepared for that. What you will need is an emergency toolkit and a phone number of an emergency plumber in case the Aquaman decides not to lend a helping hand.

It’s always better being safe than sorry. You can avoid spending a huge amount of money on plumbing repairs by simply being careful and responsible.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/prevent-plumbing-problems.html

Announcing Contributors to the UDH!

Finding the Perfect Gray Sectional (and Tips on Haggling Furniture Prices)

Waterproofing and Tiling a Bathtub Shower – An Overview

Handy DIY Products Worth Buying at the Dollar Store

This won’t be a long post, but during my long saga with the master bathroom reno (next steps should be posting this weekend!), I wanted to pop in about a recent trip I made to the dollar store.

My trip was practically arbitrary, having decided just to stop in really quickly to see if I can find a disposable bucket for grout. I have some old dollar store trash bins I’ve kept in a stack in the garage for years, but I had finally depleted my stash and needed more. I have often used cheap dollar buckets instead of my 5-gallon buckets for tile projects because whenever I mix up materials (tile adhesive, grout, etc.), the product is usually half-dried by the time I start to clean up. This also means that it’s a beast to remove, and can make a huge mess in my yard while I clean everything out. By letting the leftover product simply dry up in the dollar bucket, I can then toss away the entire thing if I can’t get the dried slop to come off cleanly (it’s about 50/50 as to whether or not I need to reuse it).

It was time to restock, but I was very surprised to find a number of other great DIY supplies that I never knew were available. For $1 apiece, these make for some great items to keep around for home repair projects!

On this trip, I got:

• disposable particulate masks
• assorted foam brushes
• batteries
• small utility knives (I love having these all over the house… they are my go-to over scissors)
• 4×6 plastic tarp (decent size for the price!)
• rubber mallet (this was the most surprising find)
• cleaning towels (for wiping off grout haze)
• wrinkle releaser (not DIY necessarily, but good for photography)
• more buckets
• one-time use super glue (I don’t know about you guys, but mine always dry up between uses, so smaller containers is ideal!)
• not pictured: a set of mixing spoons (they came in a set and I’m out of paint sticks, so these were great as disposable mixing paddles)
• not pictured: drain declogger tool

Other items that I saw were available (but I don’t need, so I didn’t get, but worth noting):

• hammer
• level
• screw driver sets
• safety goggles
• tape measures
• work light/flash light (small, but still!)

It occurred to me that since my friends are in that stage of buying homes and such, stopping by and picking up a handful of these things is a great idea for a housewarming gift! I wouldn’t recommend that you buy things like a hammer, or a decent tape measure, or other tools that you really need quality for at a dollar store necessarily, but if a homeowner isn’t super handy and probably doesn’t have them already, it makes a great little gift in case they run into a DIY emergency (and new homeowners always do). If they do have quality tools, they can still appreciate the other items that one can never really have too many of, like tarps, or shop pencils, or utility knives.

Have you found anything at the dollar store that surprised you?

(P.S. Want other gift ideas? Here’s another housewarming or thank-you gift idea. Here’s another.)

The next post in the DIY master shower remodel series is probably getting finished up by the weekend, so be sure to come back for that!

The post Handy DIY Products Worth Buying at the Dollar Store appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/handy-diy-products-worth-buying-dollar-store/

What to Know Before Adding Smart Technology to Your Home

Smart technology for the home is a growing trend in today's high tech environment. Home security equipment, HVAC systems, and even the refrigerator and slow cooker are now available in models that can be operated remotely from a smart phone or tablet. Incorporating smart technology in a home can help busy families save time, as well as enjoy their homes more – but it may also help them sell their home. 

An overview of smart home technology 

One of the most important benefits of smart technology in the home is its ability to provide more cost effective use of energy by lowering heating and cooling costs. In addition to using smart technology to continually optimize heating and cooling temps in the home, it can also control lighting, appliances, and even window coverings to help reduce the amount of energy the home uses.

Other popular forms of smart technology are capable of operating computer systems, security cameras, entertainment systems, including television, audio, and video systems, communications equipment, and appliances to offer increased comfort and convenience for the occupants of the home.

Smart Technology Protocols Assist DIY Homeowners 

Due to smart home technology's relatively young age, most existing homes are not yet equipped with it. However, it is possible for most of these older homes to be retrofitted to take advantage of this advancement. Even better, most homeowners may be able to handle these upgrades on their own as a DIY project.

Part of the relative ease of adding smart technology to a home is because the technology is designed by components which adhere to specific protocols. While all of the protocols are designed to work with smart phones, computers and tablets, and land line phone systems, choosing components that belong to the same protocol will ensure that they will be compatible. Examples of some smart home technology protocols include UPB, Z-Wave, and EnOcean.

Smart Technology Can Increase the Resale Value of the Home

As more and more options for smart home technology become available, it becomes increasingly apparent that adding at least some forms of it to an existing home or incorporating all of it into the design of a new home can be a smart thing for homeowners to consider.

One reason for this is the "Internet of Things", or (IoT). Basically defined as a network of devices, vehicles, structures, appliances, and other objects that have embedded sensors and software that make it possible for them to communicate with each other. The IoT network can connect over the internet to collect and exchange data which can then be used to further improve the overall smart technology experience.

According to recent statistics from CNET, a leading electronics media website, 81% of those who currently own some type of smart home device would favor buying a home already equipped with smart technology over one without it. In addition to smart technology making a home more saleable, it can also boost per-foot sales prices. In fact, according the same CNET survey, most homes selling in the top 25% of the market in the Miami metro area were equipped with smart home technology.

Millennial Buyers Favor High-Tech

Millennials grew up in a digital world, making them far more comfortable with all sorts of technology. As more of these tech-friendly millennials enter the housing market, the demand will continue to rise for smart home technology. This trend is illustrated by the data from the CNET survey noted above which shows that currently 28% of all adults in the USA use some form of smart home technology. But when only the millennial age group (adults 18-34 years of age) is considered, that number rises dramatically to 47%.

While most homes are likely to become more competitive with the addition of smart home technology, homeowners who are unsure of whether they should upgrade their home should look at both the costs involved and the expected return. A good plan for making the right choice begins with discussing the matter with a trusted real estate professional who successfully lists and sells homes in the area. Their expertise will help homeowners understand the potential gains, based on comparable sales in the area, as well as understand the potential costs involved with this type of upgrade. 

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/smart-technology-your-home.html

How to Replace A Porcelain Floor Tile

Man oh man… I am tired. I have spent the better part of this past week installing the new shower tile, grouting, replacing the shower head, and more in the master bath. Given that it was also Independence Day in the U.S. and most of my family and friends were out celebrating the holiday, being stuck in a small bathroom with bits of water from the wet saw in my hair (a missing splash guard will provide the ultimate hair texturizing spray) and thinset under my fingernails (the ultimate nail whitener?) was not exactly how I pictured a “vacation.”

Those posts — including how I wound up waterproofing the shower, installing the new tile (and some nifty new gadgets that helped), and all of that is coming soon. But first: let’s go back to the floor tile and fix a problem that’s long past due, shall we?

If you read the post about the master bathroom tile floor install, you probably already knew that this post would be coming eventually. If you missed it (it’s right here!), then let me summarize as follows:

If you’re an accomplishment-seeking, DIYing perfectionist like me, never hire someone to do a job you know you’ll be more satisfied doing yourself… even if that takes longer on your timeline. No one else will pay obsessive attention to detail like a homeowner working on their own home.

I wound up almost instantly regretting my decision to hire out the job. I came home to find tiles that weren’t level with each other, uneven grout lines, and messy tile adhesive everywhere. Since my instincts are almost always “wait until I have the time to do it MYSELF,” I was really kicking myself over this error. Most of my anger wasn’t even on the guy who did the installation (as it was a family friend and not a pro/stranger I’d hired, and it was more or less just someone trying to help me out and get at least one thing off my very long to-do list). My main point of frustration was with myself for not realizing that I just needed to have put the project on hold until I was ready to do it.

To be clear, I don’t claim to have more know-how; I just know that I’m going to eyeball every single little imperfection and would always wonder if it could look better if I’d done it instead. That what-if haunts me whenever I see something go wrong (if you’ve ever looked over someone else’s work in your home, you know what I’m talking about).

In some ways, I got lucky: when I arrived home after the tile was in, the adhesive hadn’t get cured enough in some of the worst areas, and I was able to pry up a few and fix them in time (I was admittedly frustrated and almost in tears, but it was not as bad as it could have been if I’d arrived just an hour or two later).

But some, unfortunately, had already dried enough that prying them back up might cause damage to surrounding tiles that were ok enough to leave alone. I hadn’t purchased enough of the tile for me to install the whole floor twice, so I decided to let things finish drying and then fully inspect things once I had enough time to walk away from the project and regroup (for me, a big hiccup in a DIY project can lead to thrown objects, temper tantrums, and a host of other behaviors usually reserved for toddlers and drunk party guests… so, best to just walk away).

That “break” that I needed wound up being weeks… and then months… up to now. I was so bitter and frustrated with my “bad luck bathroom” and all of the weird setbacks it’s had since I first took it apart that it was easier to ignore the problem and use the guest bath (footpath-wise, it’s actually closer to my bed in the master bedroom because of the long hallway that leads to the closet and then the bath).

The thing that finally narrowed my focus again?

• One: I got other rooms in the house like the laundry room back to working order and saw how much nicer things are when things are in proper working order (less chaos? what??); and
• Two: A few sponsors came along recently who are very good at providing deadlines (I know that sponsored posts are easy to hate — and when they’re a bad match, they’re noticeably bad — but it’s also sometimes very hard to beat a combo of a supplied budget and a deadline when you’re way too good at procrastinating! Those sponsors will be revealed with their coordinating blog posts/projects, but the point is, they got me back in the bathroom and working on things enough to make this fix something I was constantly being reminded of by proximity.

So, that’s how I wound up finally sitting down one evening as I finished the shower tile, hammer in hand, and began to take care of the last remaining tile on the floor that needed to be replaced. It had been cut in such a way that one edge was resting on the toilet flange rather than fitting around it, leading to the entire tile lifting too far up on one side. And, it cured that way — meaning that once the toilet was installed, the toilet would likely rock on top of this uneven tile joint.

Lots of things that rock are kind of awesome — horses, chairs, concerts — but not a toilet. I’ve sat on one before… in my sister’s house. I forget every time I use that bathroom and it has surprised the crap out of me (accidental pun!) every time. And I really don’t want that in my master bath.

*this post contains affiliate links*

How to Replace a Porcelain Floor Tile

Since these were rectified porcelain tiles, they were a little different than your average ceramic tile (at least, from my experience). I’ve drilled holes in normal ceramic tile in the laundry room, but my existing arsenal failed when it came to these porcelain ones (I actually picked them out because they’re known to be solid and durable!), so the next best option was to just hammer and chip away at it until it was out. I worried that trying to pry at anything might damage the edges of the surrounding tiles, and any contact they’d had with a power tool also failed (grinding at the tile was louder and more shrill-sounding than I could stand, even with ear protection).

Remove grout (if needed) and grab a hammer.

The grout hadn’t yet been finished, so I didn’t need to first remove anything (if you are trying to replace a broken tile in an existing floor, you’ll need to remove the grout first). So, I just started hitting the tile in a single spot with the face of my claw hammer.

By concentrating on one spot with multiple hammer blows, the first piece cracked. I then moved the hammer a few inches away and hammered again. Once one spot broke, I moved a few inches over again. The trick was to concentrate the hammer in a single spot before moving onto the next section — jumping from one spot to another didn’t do anything except impress me as far as the bathroom floor’s future potential for not showing wear and tear.

Wear proper ear and eye protection.

It wasn’t quick, but it also wasn’t tough to do. Be sure to wear earplugs and eye protection though — little bits will come flying. After I got enough of the tile broken apart, I scooped it into the trash with a dust pan and worked on the next section until the entire tile was removed.

Remove cured tile adhesive.

Believe me, I was hoping I’d get to skip this part. I cut a new tile to account for the toilet flange (remember: around, not on top — not even a little!) and did a dry fit to see if I needed to remove the old adhesive underneath, too. But I could already tell that the added height from the dried adhesive plus the putting down new adhesive plus the new tile was definitely going to cause the new tile to not sit level with the others, which would be a real pain when it came time to grout (and doesn’t really solve the non-rocking toilet thing I was trying to avoid by removing it). So, removing the extra layer of dried adhesive was best.

At first, I tried scraping it with the small pry bar set I had and one of my putty knives. It got a decent amount, but I still needed to remove more.

For once, though, I had luck on my side. Instead of using thin-set like you would in a wet area, the adhesive I’d used for the porcelain floor is vulnerable to water exposure (this is totally fine as long as it’s not a shower floor or a steam room). So, all I had to do is pour some water onto the adhesive, let it sit for a bit (it will bead up at first and then eventually absorb into the adhesive), and then start scraping.

I have a heavy duty 6-in-1 tool I use for painting, but since it’s got a nice tapered edge, it came in handy (nothing against a decent putty knife, but it really didn’t get the job done). A little elbow grease, and most of the bumps and ridges from the dried adhesive were either completely removed or smoothed out enough to allow space for the new tile.

Cut and install the new tile.

If the tile is near an area that needs to be cut, mark and cut your tile on a wet tile saw per usual. Since I was also installing the new shower tile and grouting it this past week, it was easy just to include this tile in with the rest of the items I was working on. Back butter the tile and use spacers that match the existing width of the other grout lines in the tile (I prefer these).

• Related: How to fit tile around an existing feature (windows, outlets, etc).

Grout

That’s on the to-do list next, but there you have it — all in all, pretty simple.

The updates on the shower are next, but that will include several parts because I nearly screwed everything up right from the start! I’m serious when I say that it’s like this room has really fought against me…

The post How to Replace A Porcelain Floor Tile appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/remove-replace-porcelain-floor-tile/

Where I Get Cheap (But Pretty) Storage Baskets

My storage basket game has been pretty weak for a long time. And until recently, I hadn’t yet resolved my need for storage vs. my penny-pinching ways.

You may not have even noticed if you follow along sporadically, but when I “stage” photos (using that term loosely, as a true staging pro would spend hours trying to get the perfect shot, and I just want to take one in focus before the daylight is gone), I have pretty much been using the same ones all over the house.

The ones in my bedroom and in my entryway? Yep — same baskets, just now repurposed. I will happily dump out a basket I use all the time in favor of getting a better shot when I’m finishing a before/after makeover. I wind up with a mess behind the scenes, but it’s what I have to do to make things work! I do still need double the storage though, so I have found this to be a problem I need to solve once and for all.

The main issue with storage baskets, at least for me, is that they make things look really nice, but the good ones always seem so needlessly expensive. And the cheap ones? The often look really, really cheap — plasticky, the texture is all weird, and the color is just slightly off. I mean, it’s a box. It doesn’t even cook me dinner or taste like wine. So if I’m shopping for something and have to edit items in my cart (ahem, so I can still buy wine), then I almost always wind up putting away the $30 storage basket in favor of other things. But because the cheap baskets are ugly, I wind up not buying that one, either. And I know that I should justify spending money on things when I know I’ll use them for a long time, but with certain items, my white-knuckled grip on my credit card just won’t let me do it.

Until recently. I found a good way to save a few pennies on these wallet-suckers. And here’s the brand name you need to be looking out for: GAIA Contemporary Home. Finding this simple brand name has helped me replace the baskets I need in the entry and still use the others for their original purposes.

This is not a sponsored post or even one where I can link you to a bunch of examples so you can buy online. I see a handful of them on eBay or other sites, but I can’t seem to find a steady supply for ordering. To get ahold of them, I hit up TJMaxx, Marshalls, or Homegoods.

Homegoods always has the biggest selection, but I find that TJMaxx has them on clearance a lot. So, when a similarly sized basket might cost me $15-20 or even $30 (Target, I’m giving you the side-eye on this one), I can get these for as little as $4 if I’m looking hard enough!

The main benefit of these vs other brands is that I can get these in larger sizes and without spending $100 before I walk out of the store. I know that Ikea has inexpensive baskets too (and now Ikea products are for sale on Amazon! affiliate), but I just don’t like the coloring on those as much (I have some in my laundry room actually, but the color is just a little dull). Usually, the larger ones are where I see the most savings. Trying to find ones that all match and fit neatly is strangely difficult sometimes, so if I find a pretty decent score, I’ll just swipe as many as I can. These have the right shape and the variation in the color of the straw makes it look more upscale to me. I need to get one more medium-sized one for my entryway, but the bigger ones will be perfect in the master bedroom closet!

And… that’s it. That’s really all this post is about. I just wanted you guys to know the name so you can get $4-7 baskets instead of $15-20 ones and spend money on more important things like saving for your kid’s college tuition. Or wine.

The post Where I Get Cheap (But Pretty) Storage Baskets appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/get-cheap-pretty-storage-baskets/

A Buyers Guide to Kitchen Flooring

A Buyers Guide to Kitchen Flooring

The flooring that you choose for your kitchen is just as important as the design of every other element of your kitchen,  although however, it often gets overlooked. There are many different types of flooring available to suit all tastes but you need to consider these important points before you make a final decision.

If you want everything to match then opt for flooring with the same finish as the kitchen such as a glossy, mat or wood finish. However, you may prefer it if the flooring and the kitchen units contrast but remember that once you have made the decision you may have to stick with it for some time.

The types of flooring available:

Rubber flooring can be laid in a wide range of colours whilst being soft yet hard wearing where as linoleum flooring is similar to rubber but it consists of natural ingredients. It’s durable, comfortable and easy to clean. Vinyl flooring on the other hand has changed a lot over the years. Once again, this is hard wearing and can be designed to look like a number of finishes such as wood or tiled.

There are many different types of floor tiles to choose from and all can add an element of charm and personality to your kitchen.

Stone floor tiles can be found in many different styles and colours but they can wear rather easily, particularly those that are porous. To overcome this problem, sealants can help to keep the floors easy to maintain.

Porcelain tiles offer complete versatility because they can come in a number of different styles such as metallic effect, concrete effect and even wood effect.  They are easy to look after and are extremely durable.

Quartz composite tiles are made up of stone and tile and they can be found to match the work surface. These can look mightily impressive, especially in a range of styles and looks.

Ceramic tiles are created using clay and natural materials and can be purchased in a variety of colours and textures. They are often cheaper than porcelain but they require a bit more work to get a neater finish.

In contrast to floor tiles, many people are opting for industrial flooring due to its different look and style, as well as the fact that it is extremely hardwearing and durable.

Concrete flooring can look contemporary but it is definitely versatile and for those properties with an open plan extension, it can be used throughout.

For something more comfortable under foot, resin flooring is a great choice. It is flexible and clean, although over time, the shine will disappear so it will require maintenance to keep it looking like new.

For those who prefer a type of flooring that looks more natural, there are many options available.

Solid wood is always a great choice because it looks so good but it is prone to a few issues such as movement and chipping. To protect it, it will require a later of lacquer or linseed oil which will help to make it last for longer.

Engineered wood is often a lot cheaper than solid wood but they enable people to create a natural look for a fraction of the cost. However, laminate flooring makes the perfect choice for kitchens because of its durability. It can be purchased very cheaply which means you will have to compromise on quality but the more expensive options will last longer.

Things to think about before you make a decision

The kitchen is an important room in any home. Therefore, you need to think about the look of your kitchen which means choosing the correct flooring that complements your kitchen units. If you use your kitchen a lot, maintenance is key because you will need to consider how much maintenance the flooring needs. Will it need sealing? Can it be wiped easily? Can it take heavy traffic? All of these questions can help you to make an informed decision but getting it right will ensure that you kitchen looks spectacular.

Written by: 

Tara Neil are a bespoke kitchen specialists, with a wide range of contemporary kitchen designs available from their showroom in Woodley, Reading.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/a-buyers-guide-to-kitchen-flooring.html

Husky air source heat pump efficiency with different heating resources

Air source heat pump efficiency

Air source heat pumps have the efficiency rate that is conventionally named as COP. This rate varies from 1 to 4 and that means how many units of heat it delivers per 1 used unit of electricity taken to operate. 

Indicator 1 is when we talk about its lower COP that is at winter season at the temperature lower that -5 °C. Above that point, COP increases and it makes 2 in about +5 °C, while during +10 °C it makes from 2.5 to 3. Indicator 4 is when the temperature is higher than +20 °C, and it is the maximal rate that can be produced by an air pump. In other words, the higher the indicator is the lower your monthly electricity bill is. 

With indicator equal to 4, you drop up to 75% of this amount. With indicator 1, you have 0% dropdown, as in this case, your heat pump is the same effective as the air conditioner or air warmer fed by electricity, gas, or fossilized fuel. Although, in the case when they cost more than electricity, you win in the difference of such cost. 

But you have to be aware that air source heat pump energy efficiency () is usually lost when the outside air temperature drops down lower than -5 °C. It is true for the conventional systems with ammonia filling of their pipes. There are other systems working on carbon dioxide that lowers the allowable temperature to -30 °C. But you also have to know that they are less efficient than ones having ammonia in pipes during cooling and may require additional helper in the hot days to cool down the premise.

Modifications

Air source pump is usually used in several further modifications:

·         Air-to-air (when a pump takes heat from the outside air and delivers it to your premise through the air module that is installed on the wall, similar to air conditioner),

·         Air-to-water, that are further divided onto these:

o    Air-to-warm floor – it traverses the heat to the water system of pipes warming up your concrete or wooden floor,

o    Air-to-boiler – the heat goes to your boiler that delivers you the hot water to wash or to drink,

o    Air-to-heat sinks – the heat is delivered to your heat sinks on the walls.

Air-to-air source heat pump is most efficient one (see here https://www.huskyheatpumps.co.uk/products/air-heat-pumps ), and because of that, the cheapest in installation and maintenance, and it gives up to COP 4. Other kinds of it are less efficient due to energy loss in the transitions between air and water environments and are in between 2.2 and 3.3 in COP in the average temperatures.

Other heat pump systems’ indicators

If to compare air pump with others, it is not the most efficient, but the cheapest. The ground pump produces up to 7.2 COP indicator, while other pumps mostly used in industrial objects have the theoretical limits of COP up to 8.8 (Carnot cycle device) and 10.1 (Lorentzen cycle device), with +35 °C temperature when air pump gives out 3.8 indicator. Taking the temperature of +55 °C, air pumps produce 2.2, 3.7 for ground pumps, 6.0 for Carnot cycle devices, and 7.9 for Lorentzen cycle devices.

Some issues of seasonal efficiency of air source heat pumps

The lower the outside temperature is the smaller the COP indicator is either. In addition, working in winter, it needs to defrost time to time. Also, an air pump is the only of all types of pumps that emanates noise when working that can reach up to 55 dB, which is forbidden in some countries. Air source heat pump winter efficiency drops down to 1 if you temperature is below -5 °C (-30 °C for carbon dioxide models) and is around 3 with  +10 °C. The most high efficiency air source heat pump has in summer with mild weather, if it is filled with ammonia that is considered the best fluid for such purposes. 

To increase its efficiency at any time of year, you may combine it with solar panels on the roof deriving energy from the sun, and make the house more heat-efficient itself.

Source: www.huskyheatpumps.co.uk

 

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/husky-air-source-heat-pump-efficiency.html

How To Tell When It’s Time To Paint The Outside Of Your House

Image by Mark_and_Beth via Flickr

Painting the exterior of your home can seriously boost the property’s value and give your house a brand-new look, but you probably already knew that. What you paint the exterior of your home, though, it is also the perfect opportunity to fix any structural issues and dings during the painting process. What’s more, you can remove unsightly, cracking, and peeling old paint. Repainting your home will even make the neighbourhood feel fresh and a little more enjoyable to return home to. For reasons like these, paintingthe exterior of your house is certainly worth the investment. Below, we discuss a few ways to tell if it is time to repaint the exterior of your home.

1.      Cracking, peeling paint

When you notice your old exterior paint cracking and peeling, it’s actually telling you something worth noticing – moisture may be seeping below the paint. When that happens, it may even be a sign that there is even more damage below. Moisture is the main cause of mould, too, which can result in structural damage. When you notice your paint cracking and peeling, it is time to consider repainting the outside of your house and also have the home inspected for other problems, such as mould.

2.      What’s the home made of?

Depending on the kind of material used to build your home, you can use it as a time frame for when to repaint your house. For instance, wood surfaces should be maintained every 3 – 7 years, whereas aluminium siding only needs maintenance every 5 years. Non-painted bricks ought to be power washed regularly, and cement fibreboard and bricks can be repainted every 12 – 13 years. What the house is made of certainly matters in terms of when to repaint the outside.

3.      The trim is decaying.

The trim around the doors and windows could need repainting a little more frequently than the rest of the exterior of the house. This is because the trim takes more of a beating because of frequent use. If you start noticing decay in the trim paint, it’s time to repaint your trim. It will keep your home looking great and keep the doors and windows protected from the elements.

4.      A fading colour

If the paint is fading, it’s a sure-fire sign of sun damage which can weaken the paint’s protective capacity.

5.      The house is older than 5 years.

When a new house is build, just one layer of paint is painted on it. After 5 years, it is time for a new layer to make sure the house is protected and maintained. This will also ensure you keep your home looking and feeling like new for another 5 years! Painters on the Gold Coast like those from JasonSwanson Painting & Decorating can advise on colours and finishes.

More signs it is time to repaint your exterior:

·         Cracking stucco

·         Shrinks or gaps in the boards of the house

·         Cracking caulk

Professional painters enjoy painting the exterior of homes and it gives them joy to see a newly painted house looking and feeling fresh. If you notice any of the above signs, it’s time to have the professionals paint your home’s exterior!

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/paint-outside-house.html

The Art of Creating an Indoor Design Outdoors

Summer has finally arrived, which means that the party scene will start to heat up very soon. Having your friends over for a drink and some delicious meals is always a good idea, and it gets even better when you have an amazing outdoor space like a balcony, a garden, or a terrace you can adapt for such gatherings. Since paper plates and plastic glasses are simply not an option, here are five useful tips on how to use indoor decorating ideas outside of your home. Enjoy!

Opt for flexible pieces

One of the best ways to take your indoor decorating style outside is definitely by opting for some flexible pieces of furniture that can work both inside and out. You’ll use them to the max this way, since these can be moved and used inside of your home as soon as summer comes to an end. Items like rope chairs are always a good idea, since they will inevitably bring a touch of chic to your balcony or garden. Just make sure to decorate them with some details typical of indoor setting, such as furry cushions or throws.

Go low-maintenance

When talking about furniture, going low-maintenance is always a great option. Even though wooden furniture seems like a logical choice when it comes to outdoor setting, the truth is that it requires extra care. It can wear off really quickly if you don’t oil it regularly, which is what people often tend to forget – especially when crazy temperatures kick in. That’s exactly why you should pick furniture in powder-coated aluminum. Apart from being extremely stylish, such items are also good quality, which is what should count most when making a final decision!

Dress your table

If you’re a fan of boho vibes and romantic yet really eclectic candlelit dinners that feature mismatched china and freshly picked flowers, you should definitely take this atmosphere outside and spend unforgettable moments in your garden. You can use any table you own at the moment, since you’ll cover it with a tablecloth and add some unavoidable items like lovely plates, cute teacups, and unique teapots that will contribute to an overall authentic outdoor experience.

Throw down a rug for the ultimate indoor vibe

Getting a colorful rug that features some abstract patterns is never a bad idea, simply because nothing conveys that indoor moment better than a piece that’s designed exclusively for the inside of the house. However, there are so many amazing outdoor rugs you can get these days that can complement your balcony, terrace, or even garden, so make sure to check them out because they are more than convenient for your outdoor space. The best thing about them is the fact that you can leave them outside 24/7, without having to worry about weather or anything similar.

Paint a wall

Everyone knows that adding a touch of color can enhance any space, from your living room to your kitchen, and you know what? The same goes for your roof terrace and courtyard garden! You don’t even have to paint all the available walls, because only one will be more than enough to make your outdoor space pop up and look much more vivid. So, pick a shade you love most, such as turquoise, bright yellow, or stunning orange. No matter which one you pick, you definitely won’t make a mistake!

As you can see, there are so many ways to bring your favorite indoor decorating ideas into your outdoor space like a balcony, a rooftop terrace, or a courtyard garden. Just make sure to pick appropriate, low-maintenance furniture you won’t need to take inside as soon as it starts raining. The same goes for a rug, so you should better get one that’s designed exclusively for outdoors. Once you get it done, you’ll be able to enjoy your perfect peace of heaven any time you need to relax and unwind!

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/07/the-art-of-creating-indoor-design.html