Month: December 2019

About Smart Home Environments

December 17, 2019
DIY

In those situations Wink really is one of the most stable, and up and coming control hubs you can have. While Revolv may talk to more devices, and Apple may promise a multiple network whole home control center, Wink is delivering a great cross section of devices geared towards making your home respond to you and what you are doing. There are robotic triggers that you can set to get the devices to respond to each other. It is possible to do these things with other controls using IFTTT or geographical sensing on your smart phone, but Wink makes it a bit easier by sensing state changes, or output signal and then issuing predetermined commands to other devices in the house.

Lets use two examples.

Waking up in the morning can be a chore. Rather then letting the obnoxious buzz/jangle … Read the rest

Re-Decorate a Bathroom on a Limited Budget

December 15, 2019
Home Improvement

Expensive Countertops

Granite countertops are beautiful, and they are much cheaper when you buy them for a bathroom because they cover a much smaller surface area. If you’re set on having one, try and be open minded about what colour you would like. The most popular colours will be the most expensive, so if you aren’t fussy about a particular colour, you could save money here.

You could also buy damaged countertops which aren’t perfect. The more obvious the damage the cheaper the countertop will be. Think carefully about this as the damage could be somewhere on the countertop where you will be attaching fixtures and fittings anyway so the damage won’t even be seen.

You could also steer away from countertops altogether and consider upcycling an old dresser. Lots of people are doing this now because it’s trendy and … Read the rest

Choose the Stucco Contractor

December 13, 2019
Home Improvement

Get Multiple Bids

The biggest mistake that homeowners make when picking out any type of contractor is only getting one or two bids as part of the process. You should treat this project just like you would treat a commercial job – you need to secure multiple bids in order to select the best option for your needs. It should be noted that the lowest bid doesn’t automatically win. Instead, you need to weigh all factors, including price, experience, referrals, and more before selecting the company you will hire. It should only take a day or two to contact multiple companies with a request for a bid, so you can have much of the information you need within a short period of time.

There Should be a Guarantee

When you get the bids, make sure to ask if the work … Read the rest

Urban Pioneer

December 11, 2019
Interior Design and Decorating

With the decline in manufacturing in the 1950’s and 60’s, empty warehouses, schools, factories, and office and retail spaces opened up the opportunity for cheap rentals. These spaces allowed for the first true urban pioneers to establish an imaginative and trendy style that is still alive and growing. By keeping the exposed brick walls, and wood or concrete floors, as well as the duct work and pipes that were left in the buildings, people began creating useful and inviting spaces. Since many of the building were equipped with large windows and lots of them, there was no shortage of light to flood the rooms, which was just another added bonus, in some cases.

Although renovating an old building can be daunting and expensive nowadays, it can be well worth the effort. Breathing new life into formerly unused buildings is not … Read the rest

Identifying Ventilation Expert

December 11, 2019
Home Improvement

Options For Ventilation Systems

One of the ways you can ventilate your home is the natural method. This is where cold air from the outside moves into the home from openings that are at a lower level in the home. When the air enters the home, the warm air that is already inside is pushed up since it is lighter and it is extracted from openings that are at a higher level. Natural ventilation can work for you depending on the design of your home. However, if your home is sealed, you will need to use mechanical ventilation so that you can have adequate air flow in your home.

Maintaining The Right Amount Of Moisture

Mechanical ventilation such as the Heat Recovery Ventilator gets rid of the stale air from your home and replaces it with fresh air from the … Read the rest

Ways Of Unlocking A Bedroom Door

December 10, 2019
DIY

Use a thin screwdriver

If your knob looks as if it requires a key you should slip the head of a thin screwdriver into it. You should then turn the screwdriver on the left in order to unlock the door mechanism.

Make use of your credit card

Here you should slip your credit card in between the door and the door frame then slowly slide the card downwards while at the same time pushing it further from the crack.

When you reach the level of the handle you should work the card into the crack and use the card to push in the metal bolt that keeps the door closed. When you push the bolt you will open the door.

Remove the door knob

If there are no openings in the knob you should consider removing the door knob. You … Read the rest

DIY Hanging Vase

December 8, 2019
DIY
  • One of our New Year’s resolutions for 2016 was to find ways to incorporate more plants in our home. We love the sense of peace and purpose our plants bring to our home and we simply wanted to diversify our jungalow.
  • I came across Artisan Wall Mount hanging vases while browsing the Pottery Barn website and really liked the concept (just not the price $69-$119).
  • We can never resist the dollar section at Michaels and *somehow* ended up with 4 adorable glass test tubes for $1.50 a piece. If you have tubes around in your home (think spice tubes) that you aren’t using, this could be the perfect way to upcycle them)

A few visits to the garage later and we had the perfect design for a hanging vase we had pictured in our mind. The finished product involves 4 … Read the rest

Ceramic Tile Floor Installation

December 8, 2019
DIY

Tools and Materials

The first step to installing ceramic tile involves gathering all of the necessary tools and materials. You will need to select the kind of tiles that you want for your project. Next, you will need backing or foundation, as well as adhesive or thinset. You will also need a notched trowel. A trowel is a flat metal piece with a handle. Look for one with flat edges for smoothing out the adhesive, along with notches for scoring the surface of the adhesive. There are many different types of notched trowels, of all shapes and sizes. Choose one that will pair well with the kind of adhesive you are using. A rubber mallet is necessary for tapping the tiles into the adhesive without damaging them. You will also need a hammer and bedding block. The bedding block is … Read the rest

Choose the Perfect Countertops

December 8, 2019
Home Improvement

When looking to purchase new cabinets and countertops it is important to look for a few key points first. The most important factor in buying cabinets and countertops is to first realize what type of countertop you would like to invest in. Countertops come in a variety of forms and it is up to the purchaser to decide what countertops would fit them best. Corian for instance is heat resistant and is nonporous and does not absorb bacteria when preparing food. Another type of countertop is Granite which is heavier and does well over time. Laminate is another form of countertops which is typically cheaper but offers a variety of different colors and options for purchasers. Glass and cement countertops have also gained popularity for consumers. Finally when shopping for cabinets, the type of wood and design is just as … Read the rest

What to Do Before Painting a Room

December 1, 2019
DIY

Safety

Did you know? The most common reason for a non-fatal injury at home is due to falls – a large percentage of them at home. Before you start painting, take safety precautions as seriously as you would any other steps. Something you can do is to buy or borrow a sturdy ladder which will not give way. Invest in ones with an in-built shelf that you can store your paint bucket and tools in.

Attire

Another step in preparing yourself for the paint job is to dress appropriately. Painting can be a messy affair, not to mention one with permanent consequences. To prevent paint splattering onto your favorite clothes and shoes, dress in old clothes and trainers that you won’t mind getting paint on.

Preparing

Before actually applying paint, you need to have your paint prepared. By prepared, we … Read the rest