House Design

Swimming Pool Design

If you have a family, you may have had pool builders install a swimming pool so they can have fun swimming at home without any need for a trip to the beach or a public pool. However, rather than just having a pool suitable to the children’s energetic lifestyle – jumping in and out all the time – make sure you add some accessories to make it a great place to relax.

pool accessories

After all, you will be spending time there, overseeing the children, so it’s important to be comfortable. You don’t always want to sit on the edge of the pool, or even get in and swim. So here are some tips on designing your own custom pool and making your area the best place ever, not just for the kids, but for parents as well.

  • Add comfortable seating. Don’t just drag a folding chair down there when you need it; install proper pool-side seating that has a backrest and allows you to put your feet up. It should be something that does not need to be moved back inside every day, so it should be made from outdoor fabric that is UV and water-resistant.
House Design

How To Properly Maintain Your Solar Energy System

Solar energy systems continue to gain popularity among businesses due to their sustainability and cost-effectiveness; however, like any other equipment, solar panels, solar batteries, and even connections, all part of the installation, require regular maintenance and care to ensure they function efficiently. So, given their importance, here are some tips to help you properly maintain and care for your business’s solar energy system.

Monitor Performance

Monitoring your solar panel system’s performance is vital to ensure it is operating at its full potential. Keep track of your energy production and consumption and compare them with previous months or years to identify changes or fluctuations. If you notice a significant drop in energy production, it may indicate a problem with your system that must be investigated.

Regular Inspections

It is a good idea to arrange for someone to inspect your solar panels regularly. This could be you or an employee. However, the best practice is to hire a professional solar system engineer to conduct the inspections. This will mean they can also do technical checks on electrical connections, for example.

The main things that inspections are designed to highlight are the cleaning needs of the solar panels, whether any damage has occurred to the solar panels and any other issues that affect the operation or efficiency of your business’s solar energy system.

House Design

How To Use Social Media To Help You Design The Perfect Kitchen

If you were to consider kitchen design and social media, your first thought might not necessarily be that neither one of these has anything to do with the other, however, you would be wrong. Today there are not only numerous different social media platforms, but you can find information, advice, and ideas on just about any subject you can think of on social media, and that includes kitchen design.

If you approach it sensibly, social media can be a huge help to you regarding the design of your new kitchen. If you are still unsure as to how social media can help you, here are five ways it can, or rather, here are five ways you can search on social media for the help and advice you need on kitchen design.

Ask Friends, Family, And Followers For Their Recommendations

You may have already thought of this, but we’ll mention it anyway. By making a post or sending messages to the friends, family, and followers you have on the social media accounts you have, you can ask them to send you their recommendations. For those that live locally, this can be about kitchen companies they have used. From others, it can be recommendations in terms of layout, appliances, organisation tips like using pantry labels, cabinet doors, worktop types and so on.

House Design

5 Problems That Designer Teeth Veneers Will Eliminate

You are hopefully aware that your dentists are there for more than just pulling out rotten teeth and filling those that can be saved. In fact, they offer a whole range of services and use a number of different treatments and procedures depending on what their patient requires.

Obviously, a lot of their work will relate to oral health, but they also do cosmetic dentistry too, which is the means by which teeth and gums are made to look better. This kind of work can range from whitening teeth to fitting dental implants, and there are even dentists who will etch tattoos on your teeth if you ever want your smile to truly stand out from the crowd.

On a less extreme level than having your teeth tattooed, one of the treatments that your dentist might recommend for you is veneers. These are made from ceramic material, which in most cases is porcelain. They are applied to the surface of teeth and can be used to treat several different issues and eradicate a number of problems as you see from what follows.

#1 Gaps Between Teeth

One of the most common reasons why patients approach their dentist for cosmetic dentistry, and veneers in particular, is their having large gaps between their teeth and wanting those gaps to be gone. Apart from the self-conscious aspect of knowing the gap is visible when they smile, people with gaps can find it more difficult to clean their teeth effectively due to food getting stuck in those gaps.

Garden Design

Delightful Garden Design Features That are Easy to Install

Even the most ordinary garden can be easily jazzed up by using some kind of garden feature to enhance it. If you are on a budget, don’t worry because they don’t all require a landscaping specialist or a builder to install them. Many are simple weekend DIY projects that anyone can attempt successfully with a little preparation.

  • The garden arch – an old fashioned favourite that will remind you of country cottages and never fails to add charm wherever it is placed. Most arches seem to be used over a gate, but don’t be limited by that. Your arch can go over a pathway, at the back door, or even become a feature in the middle of the garden with a bird bath under it. Choose a solid one, not the el-cheapo that will rust out or rot in a few years. Grow your favourite climber over it – roses are popular – but make sure you choose one that won’t grow out of control or be too heavy for the arch. An arch can be a simple metal structure or you could have a larger, wider timber one that is strong enough for a grape vine or another heavy climber.
House Design

Contemporary Kitchen Design

If you are one of those people who consider the terms modern and contemporary to be interchangeable you might get into difficulties when it comes to kitchen design according to the kitchen professionals.  While many kitchens have elements of the two merging happily, contemporary kitchens can easily be identified by certain specific elements.

According to homecenternews.com, to confuse you even further, a contemporary kitchen is more modern than a ‘modern’ kitchen because it incorporates all the latest trends. Here is a list of elements you can expect to find in a contemporary kitchen.

  1. A mix of different textures, colours and shapes all blended in together. For instance, you might see turquoise countertops and splashback with warm, wood grain floor and cupboards.
  2. A splashback that is quite different from the surrounding walls in colour and texture.
House Design

A Flooring Choice for Inside and Out

Most homeowners and builders would agree that the floor is one part of the home that deserves a full budget. If you need to cut back on spending, don’t do it on the floor. The reason for this is that without a floor the home is useless. In addition, some part of the floor is always in use so it needs to be strong. Natural materials such as limestone blocks can be used for the floor, for cladding and for the entertainment area outsidefeature wallStone cladding is also used for feature walls inside the home or outside, depending on the style and design of the home. Having a feature wall can make your home look truly amazing as well as unique. If you’ve never considered using it in this way, take a look at some home designs where it is included and you will see what a difference it makes to the look of the home. It can take the home from ordinary to spectacular.

Furniture Design

10 Essentials for Your Outdoor Kitchen

If you are sick and tired of always being indoors, creating an outdoor kitchen may be just what you and your family need.  That way you can all enjoy time outdoors whenever the weather is balmy and there is no need to head back inside to cook the evening meal.  While a handyman can easily make the deck for the kitchen, you’ll need a qualified electrician to install the lights and connect any electric appliances you need.

Here are some of the essentials you’ll need for an outdoor kitchen.

  1. Storage – this needs to be sealed so that rodents and insects can’t get in. Make sure doors on the cupboards shut tightly. A mobile kitchen island is ideal for an outdoor kitchen as it provides both storage and a bench to work on – and you can move it around as needed.
  2. A spare set of cutlery and crockery so you don’t have to bring it out from inside all the time. It doesn’t have to be expensive; even plastic will do.
House Design

Home Pergola Design

When it comes to pergolas, Perth residents really enjoy all the benefits that the addition of this simple structure to their property brings. As opposed to Patios, Pergolas have no roof but a few beams that let in the rain and sun. They have no floor, but can stand on pavers or grass or be embedded into concrete. So how can they enhance your lifestyle?

  • You can have a pergola installed on the hot side of the house. With the addition of some climbing plants it will create living shade that makes the home much cooler.
  • It can be installed against a window and there will still be plenty of natural light come into the room.
  • A pergola can have shade cloth added to the roof or walls for added coolness without making a room very much darker.
  • It can be added on the sunny side to reduce the glare, something that people in southern areas of Australia find it difficult to contend with. Living vines are good at reducing glare and they won’t fall down on your roof during a bad storm like trees do.
  • The pergola is a great place to relax, surrounded by all those lovely plants that like a bit of protection from the sun and wind, but not too much.
House Design

Important Points for Designing an Outdoor Room

As well as landscaping their garden according to Lone Pine Landscapes, many people these days have an outdoor room they use for entertaining or just for the family to relax in. It enables them to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, cool evening or even a cool morning coffee before heading off to work. But for an outdoor room to really work well there are certain points that must be remembered.

  • It should be close to the house and preferable close to the back door for convenience. No one wants to wander all the way down to the bottom fence if they are on a time schedule. Having it close will ensure it gets used more often.
  • It needs to have a paved floor. This will save your shoes getting wet or muddy after rain and there will no need to worry about the lawn getting trampled or worn out in high traffic areas. It will also ensure more use can be had from this area. If it is not joined to the house, you’ll need a paved path to link the two for the same reason as above.
  • Shelter is important, especially in the summer. It need not be anything more complicated than a table with an umbrella, a small area of shade cloth or even a bushy tree to cast shade on hot days. You may also need a wall to protect against prevailing wind if your situation is exposed to strong winds. You could also enclose it in a framework that will support a louvered roof that can open and close or a permanent roof, especially if your climate is showery.