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4 Possible Reasons Your Roof Might Need To Be Checked Soon

When people say ‘we all need shelter’, the biggest thing they’re talking about is the roof.

If you never had any walls, you might be really cold because of the wind, but try living somewhere with nothing above you and you’ll start to appreciate how horrible water can sometimes be. This leaves you with a problem because the most important part of your home is above you. Unless you have the neck of a giraffe there’s no way you will really know what’s going on up there. This can lead to huge problems in the long-term.

Because the roof is high it means you can’t see anything. That means you presume nothing is wrong because you don’t want to get anything fixed. It costs money and you don’t have any to pay out at this moment in time. This could be pretty dangerous because once something goes wrong with your roof, it usually takes huge amounts of money to get things repaired. When it gets fixed before things go too far, it’s generally much cheaper. This isn’t meant to scare you, but it is meant to inform you of what could be happening up there.

A Broken Chimney

Photo Courtesy: David Wright

This is right up at the top of your roof and there’s no way you could see much wrong with it. Perhaps you could look up and see if the chimneys still have cans on them and the cement is still smooth around the body. If your cans are missing, it could be a problem. If cement chunks are breaking away from the body of the chimney, it’s definitely a problem. Eventually water is going to get in and you’ll notice big water stains on the wall. You might want to check behind cupboards to make sure it’s not like that already.

Faulty Guttering

Photo Courtesy: Bryn Pinzgauer

When your gutters are cracked, you should be leaking water. This will be falling down and landing somewhere in the garden. If it’s right above your head, it’s the most annoying thing in the world, but even if it’s somewhere else it still needs to be fixed. They could also be falling away from the wall and some older ones are like that. Guttering doesn’t last forever and you don’t want it landing in your face one windy day. Look directly underneath it and you might see it coming away from the wall.

Broken Tiles

Photo Courtesy: Elliott Brown

The wind is dangerous and it can rip tiles up from the roof, especially when the people who put them on didn’t do it properly. Then you have old ones that might break away and there’s even the possibility something could fall on them and smash them in two. Tiles don’t last forever and when they do eventually get damaged, you need to replace them quickly. Water will get in and destroy the inside of your home. It might only cause dampness, or it could cause your ceiling to collapse. Look at your roof carefully and see if there’s any broken ones you can see.

Maybe it’s Collapsing

Photo Courtesy: Roberto Pani

This usually happens in older buildings and new ones should be fine unless something is seriously wrong, but you need to get your roof checked out if it’s starting to sag. Go outside and look very carefully from one side of the roof to the other. If it’s sagging you should see it happening in the middle. There’s also the option of climbing up into the attic and looking at it from the inside. Even if it’s sagging it might not mean it’s dangerous and needs to be fixed straight away, but get someone out to take a look because you don’t want to take a chance.

Mary Wilson is a home improvement blogger. She is of the opinion that your roof can be properly constructed by approaching the roofing contractors in ct.

Filed Under: Ceiling & Roof, Home Improvement, Home Repairs Tagged With: home, home improvement, home improvement tips, house, roof, roofing

Ideal Wooden Shutters Designed For Your Home

by Natalie Moody · Leave a Comment

Vancouver Cedar Wood Shutters made from Red Cedar – Designed by Stylish Shutter of UK

Window shutters can come in a variety of materials, shapes and sizes; they usually consist of vertical or horizontal slats put together in a frame to act as a window covering.

Shutters can be created and designed to fit your specific needs; whether that is an unusually sized window or a patio door, you can get personal, made to order, shutters.

Made to order wooden shutters are particularly advantageous for a number of reasons, primarily due to aesthetics, protection and insulation, their personalized nature and durability; all of which are expanded upon below.

Aesthetics

Wooden shutters are very pleasing to the eye and add a lot to whatever room they are in. They are also timeless, as the clean and neat design will fit into a modern room or a more period design.

The key benefit of made to order wooden shutters, is that they will fit your window perfectly, so they won’t look messy due to them being too large or too small. Whatever decoration, wooden shutters are classy, stylish and extremely aesthetically pleasing.

Protection and Insulation

Made to fit wooden shutters will also offer you extra protection and insulation. The thicker nature of the material helps to maintain the room temperature as well as helping to block out any noise from the outdoors.

Ideal Wooden Shutters Designed For Your Home 3

Boston Plantation Wooden Shutters by The Stylish Shutter Company of UK

In fact, experts believe that it would take 6 inches of brick, 14 inches of concrete, and well over 1,700 inches of aluminum to equal the insulating value of 1 inch of wood.

They offer extra protection against the sun and heat during the summer, as well as the cold weather in the winter. They can be easily adjusted to suit your personal needs, whether that’s to let in more heat in the summer or to simply maintain the room temperature.

Personalized

There are always the pre-made shutters, but it’s a risk as to whether they will look okay; as every window is a different size, so you don’t want shutters that are overly big or extremely small.

A beautifully designed Portland White Shutters French Door

Made to order wooden shutters are completely personalized to suit your specific needs. Whatever the measurements of your window or door, you can order fantastic wooden blinds that will be made just for you! You can rest assured in the guarantee that your blinds will be perfectly suited for your needs.

Durability

Wooden shutters are also beneficial because they are very durable. They are very easy to maintain and only require a light dust once a week in order to keep on top of the wonderful look of the shutters and ensure they last as long as possible.

Made to order wooden shutters may be a little more expensive than shutters created from other materials, but they are a fantastic investment because wooden shutters usually last the longest, compared to other materials.

Right: Shutters are frequently seen in French-influenced architecture. License: Creative Commons image source

Conclusion

Above: Dark Wood Interior Shutters

Made to order wooden shutters are ideal for any home, whatever the decoration or design. There is a wide range of wooden shutters to choose from. They y are timeless, durable, and offer another form of insulation and protection, as well as being completely personalized to fit your exact needs.

Article by: Natalie Moody

Filed Under: Curtains & Blinds Tagged With: decorating, design, home, home improvement, house, shutters, windows, wooden shutters

How to Create the Perfect Kitchen

by Sonya · Leave a Comment

Plenty of room to cook and entertain in this kitchen. Photo Courtesy: Sonja Lovas

Kitchens nowadays are not just used as an area in which to cook and prepare meals. Kitchens today are very much part of the home and are used as a family and entertainment area as well as a cooking area. Some kitchens also have an adjoining open-plan lounge and relaxation area with sofas, seats, and a coffee table where families can congregate near to the kitchen and socialize.

If you’re planning a new kitchen layout, then here are some things to think about and consider in order to achieve the perfect kitchen for your home.

Start with Storage Space

With a kitchen comes a whole lot of kitchen and dining equipment, everything from forks, spoons and knives to food processors and ice-cream makers.

Make sure to plan enough cabinets and drawers for storage like the ones in this modern kitchen. Photo Courtesy: Susan Serra

Do an inventory of everything you have to store in the kitchen which will determine the amount of space that you need in order to store all of your kitchen belongings. This is an essential and practical element of kitchen planning to ensure you have adequate space and storage.

Usage

A Chalon Handmade Kitchen with furniture from the beautiful Hambridge Mill, in the midst of the Somerset Levels – Photo Courtesy: Chalon Handmade

You will then need to think about how you are going to use your kitchen. Do you want it as an informal cooking and eating space, do you want a seating area adjoining the kitchen to minimize disruption when you’re cooking, or if your kitchen is large enough do you want a dining area in your kitchen? If you want an informal guest entertaining area, you could choose an open-plan kitchen and design space with an island for instance, where you can cook and chat to your guests in relaxed surroundings.

Appliances

You will also need to work out where your appliances will go in your kitchen. If there is already plumbing for washing machines and dishwashers, then it’s best to keep these in situ. If you want additional appliances, plan these in and check everything fits. Remember you can stack a washer-dryer unit on top of a washing machine to save space if you need to, but you need adequate wall space. Ideally if you have the space, plan in a utility room where your washing and drying machines can be out of the way in their own bespoke laundry area.

Your cooker is the most important appliance in your kitchen, so do your research into what you can buy with your budget and whether you want a conventional or fan-assisted oven, gas, electric or a hybrid of the two and also if you require a cooker hood and extractor fan. Buy the best cooker that you can afford as this is a good investment. If you have the space, then you could consider a range-type cooker with a larger hob and double ovens.

Above right: A wood stove with new features as advertised in a March 1918 Country Gentleman magazine. Photo Courtesy: Don O’Brien

Working Areas

If you love cooking and are a serious cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen then you will probably require a lot of worktop space in order to prepare and cook food. You will also need room between the fridge, sink and cooker which is called the kitchen `working triangle’.

What your work triangle is supposed to look like – Image Courtesy: City Homestead

It is advisable to plan your kitchen so that the distance between these three important areas in the kitchen should be between 5 metres and 7 metres which will optimize this space effectively in the kitchen.

Sink

Your sink and drainer tends to be the fitting that is overlooked, however if you plan this wrong it could be frustrating. If you are going to be doing a lot of washing up then have a sink and draining board that gives you enough room to cope with a lot of dishes, kitchen utensils and cooking pans. If your work surface is taken up by the draining board on one side and isn’t practical, remember you can turn the sink round and have the draining board to the right as well as the left which could give you more work space where you need it.

This sink doubles up as a dishwasher! Designed by ALPHAPROJECT

Choosing taps can be fun too as there are so many wonderful designs to choose from with single lever units, mono units, mixer taps, pull-out taps with spray attachments, and water filter taps.

Kitchen Units

Nowadays there is plenty of choice for kitchen units with a range of colors, designs, materials and fittings. We are spoilt for choice which means that it could be hard to decide on the type of units you want for your kitchen.

Start with the budget you have for your kitchen units and then look at the style of units you like within your set budget range. There are free standing kitchens and fitted kitchens, traditional kitchens, modern and sleek kitchen units, stainless steel and commercial-look kitchens, Shaker kitchens and hand-built kitchens. View as many examples of kitchens as you can including friends’ houses, online, magazines and in stores to get a really good idea of your preference and taste.

The revolving Circular Kitchen designed by CC Concepts. What will they come up with next?!!

In addition, think about functionality in the kitchen and the type of cupboards you would like because there are many designs of separate units available within one kitchen range. You can choose from overhead, wide cupboards with doors that open upwards for cooking pans, or pull out drawers, normal sized cupboards at floor and eye level, and large larder cupboards that rotate or pull out.

You can also choose an appropriate worktop, either the same color or a different one. You could go for a little luxury and invest in a solid wood or granite worktop that can be bespoke made for your kitchen units.

Fittings and Finishes

The fittings and finishes of a kitchen really can make it look special, so think about your tiles, kitchen unit handles, splash back choices and flooring.

Flooring should be functional, easy to clean and co-ordinate with the units that you have chosen. Tiling or wall splash backs also need to be functional and easy to clean as well as look good. Splash backs have been improved and modernized and are in a range of exciting ideas and designs including traditional tiles, glass and stainless steel. You could also have funky LED lighting inset into your splash back areas.

Left: A nicely laid new Linoleum kitchen floor – Photo Courtesy: Eric Mueller

Sonya writes for What House?, a leading UK property portal that features new build homes and the latest mortgage and property news.

Filed Under: Kitchen Interiors Tagged With: home, home decor, home design, home improvement, home improvement ideas, home improvement projects, home improvement tips, kitchen design

How to Prevent Wet Basements

by Kim York · 1 Comment

Basement Waterproofing in progress by John & David Baer of Glencoe, Ontario, Canada

Wet basements can be a headache for a homeowner and his or her family. While wet basements are common in areas that have high humidity or lots of groundwater, there are several effective ways to prevent water damage in these situations. The following article explores different ways a homeowner can prevent wet basements.

Understanding Concrete Seepage

Basements can often experience a buildup of humidity and moisture due to water seepage through concrete walls. If there is groundwater in the dirt surrounding a basement, this water may seep through a porous concrete or brick surface.

Water seeping in from a leaky basement window destroyed the carpet and walls of this room - Photo Courtesy: mrwynd

Most newer homes have a layer of plastic sheeting between the exterior basement wall and the ground itself. This plastic barrier helps to reduce the amount of groundwater that can seep into a basement. However, many older homes don’t have this plastic sheeting.

Creating a Waterproof Concrete Barrier

If possible, it’s a good idea to install a sheet of waterproof plastic between the outside wall of a basement and the dirt. In addition, a layer of tar paper can be a great way to add a waterproof protective barrier.

A layer of tar paper – like the one being laid in a room in the picture above – can be a great way to add a waterproof protective barrier. Photo Courtesy: Heather (Williams) Gruber

However, it can be difficult to prevent all water from entering a basement. If high humidity and water buildup continue to be a problem for a homeowner, it’s a good idea to invest in a dehumidifier.

Dehumidifiers

Frigidaire Electric Dehumidifier – 1950s advertisement – National Geographic Magazine, April, 1953. Photo Courtesy: Thoth God of Knowledge

A dehumidifier works like an air conditioner. While air conditioners blow hot air out of a building, dehumidifiers release this hot air inside a building. Most air conditioners and dehumidifiers contain a set of chilled coils that act as a magnet for condensation. As moisture builds up on these condensation coils, water will begin to drain out of the unit.

Most air conditioners will drain water to an area outside a home. However, many dehumidifiers don’t have this luxury. Because of this, most dehumidifiers are equipped with a water tank.

In most cases, this water tank will only need to be emptied once or twice a week. If a basement is extremely humid, it may be a good idea to hook the drainage shunt from a dehumidifier into a home drainage system. If a home doesn’t have ground drains in a basement, it may be possible to use a small electric pump to create a drainage system. This pump can be set up to activate whenever the water drainage tank in a dehumidifier reaches a certain level.

Proper Ventilation

In addition, proper ventilation can also be an effective way to reduce humidity in a basement. If a basement doesn’t have proper ventilation, humidity levels can increase over time. To avoid this issue, it’s a good idea to make sure that there is proper ventilation in a basement.

Basement Ventilation System – Photo Courtesy: Oleg Dulin

In many cases, basements have existing duct work that provides heating and cooling for the rooms above. It’s usually possible to add an additional vent to a duct for a minimal cost. However, it’s important to make sure that there is an air intake for a basement too; this will ensure that the air pressure in a basement doesn’t cause problems with an AC system.

This post is brought to you by Kim York, a homeowner for the last 10 years. When it comes to professional wet basement London Ontario repairs, she looks to Baer John & David Inc Glencoe, ON‎ (519) 287-2488

Filed Under: Basements, Home Improvement, Home Renovations Tagged With: basement, basement flooding, basement renovation, basement waterproofing, home, home protection, home renovation, home repair

Why Does Rustic Cabin Furniture Have a Unique Warmth and Personality

by Admin · Leave a Comment

A Cedar Log Post and Twig Bed by 1CabinFurniture of Fairfield, Iowa

Unlike processed furniture, a certain charm, personality and warmth can be added to any house with cabin furniture. This kind of furniture brings natural beauty indoors and celebrates nature. With this kind of furniture in your home, you will be able to escape from the sterile world in which we function to a sanctuary of personality and character. These rustic pieces of furniture are cordial and innovative. There are several options when it comes to this kind of furniture, such as log or barnwood furniture, and those pieces that are handcrafted from twigs or roots. A cordiality that is not found in the typically formal furniture is produced by the natural wood construction and tanned leather or fabric choices. This is why this kind of furniture has a distinct personality.

Splendor in Cabin Decor

Why Does Rustic Cabin Furniture Have a Unique Warmth and Personality 2

A beautiful and rustic Camilla Plasma 65 Inch TV Stand at 1CabinFurniture

Rustic furniture is inspired from the great outdoors, which is the reason this kind of furniture has a certain natural beauty and splendor along with warmth and character. Thus, you can get back to nature placing this kind of furniture indoors, in your bedroom, dining or living room, and transform your rooms into a rustic setting. The natural wood composition will constantly remind you of the splendid grandeur. It doesn’t matter if you are living in a metropolitan city; with this kind of furniture you will feel like you have taken a retreat into a hunting cabin by the lake or mountains. Your furnishings will give you a chance to escape the stress and sterility of everyday life. With this kind of furniture, you will get your very own natural, personal retreat in your own home.

Personality of Rustic Furniture

Why Does Rustic Cabin Furniture Have a Unique Warmth and Personality 3

Lodge Chair

Nature is certainly the best way of enjoying and expressing beauty. Nature is beautiful and remarkable even though it is not always predictable or neat. The same can be said about this kind of furniture. You can capture this remarkable beauty and bring it indoors by selecting this kind of furniture. You may select a rich tanned leather sofa or you might select a knotted Alder Wood finish quite perfectly. Whatever you select, you can definitely add this remarkable natural beauty to your home. In rustic furniture, the unique pieces of wood have certain distinct personality characteristics such as cracks, furniture markings and knots. Rather than being considered defects, these markings actually tell the story behind these natural wooden pieces.

Counterbalance Culture with Rustic Decor

We are living in the age of uniformity and mass production. However, this kind of furniture celebrates and expresses uniqueness, standing firmly in contrast to this world. The beauty of aged, distressed, or natural wood and rich leather is held high by this kind of furniture. Since the character of its natural form is retained by this type of furniture, so every piece of this kind of furniture is unique and none of them look identical. Whether you want to go for log bedroom furniture, barnwood dining room furniture or leather living room furniture, you will find a distinct, natural character in the rustic variety. Cabin/rustic furniture will always remind you of a world of beauty and greatness that will bring character, life and personality into your home.

Faux Barnwood Dining Table

This article was written by 1cabin Furniture, a trustworthy online retailer of cabin furniture. You can give a rustic, traditional look to any room with this kind of furniture. These rustic furniture pieces happen to be quite trendy and will ideally blend with any kind of interior. You no longer need to have a log cabin for this kind of furniture, so go ahead and furnish your home with this kind of beautiful, natural furniture.

Filed Under: Classic Furnishings Tagged With: home, home furnishings, house and home