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What Type of Retaining Wall Should You Build?

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Are you finding it hard to determine the kind of retaining wall you should build? The problem may be that you are not clear on what the objectives of building that wall is. You may be building the wall to simply retain the soil block. You may also be doing it for other reasons such as increasing the aesthetic appeal of your property, or you want a material that is not costly. Below is an outline to help you figure out the materials you can use.

Aesthetic appeal

If your objective is to increase the aesthetic appeal of your property, you need a material that is flexible in terms of shapes, sizes, and textures. One of the materials that you can use is natural stones. They provide a wide range of color and come in different shapes and sizes. They are also quite flexible.

Interlocking blocks is another common material for those looking for a fine looking material. Like natural stone you can choose from a wide range of different sizes and textures. The advantage with interlocking concrete blocks is that you can curve the wall around tree gardens, pools and your patio. The fact that it can be slanted or curved makes it even more beautiful as it sits on your garden.

Wood can also be a visually appealing material that you can use to build a retaining structure on your landscape. It is not very durable. However, the rustic look of the wall can complement certain landscapes and provide an elegance that may not be possible with other materials.

Cost

Cost is another important factor. You probably want a material that will allow you to complete a project within your tight budget. One of the cheapest materials you can use for this is timber. The cost of the project can be taken down further by the fact that timber if you choose to assemble it on your own. It is fairly simple to install.

A natural stone wall is another cheap material. The material is readily available and comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes. You can also put together this wall, therefore you do not have to spend on labor.

Use of modular blocks is another options which happens to be quite visually appealing. It is stacked together and is supported by the weight of the bricks due to gravity. Gravel may be added to increase its strength and support. It is also easy to install.

Durability

Concrete walls can be very durable thanks to their strength. There are several types of concrete structures you can choose from. There is concrete blocks, poured concrete, interlocking blocks, amongst others. All these materials are durable, but interlocking blocks and poured concrete require very little material. These walls can be built to very high heights not possible with other materials.

Marble is another very durable material. The fact that the ancient Egyptian structures are standing to this day, can give you an idea of how durable it is. It also requires very little maintenance. It can be cut into big blocks to prevent problems associated with multiple bricks. It performs very well under extreme temperatures.

Ease of installation

This is another important factor for those looking to build these walls on their own. It reduces labor cost because you can put up the structure without any professional help. Some of the materials that are easy to install include wood, interlocking blocks, and natural stone.

If you want your project to be successful you need to plan and do the necessary research. Look for a material that is ideal for your weather, within your budget and can accommodate the desired height.

Written by Robert Thompson, owner of Custom Outdoor Designs, where they are one of the best companies for stamped concrete in Columbia, MO.

Why you should hire Commercial Building Painting Services

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<2016/06/Why-you-should-hire-Commercial-Building-Painting-Services.jpg">Why you should hire Commercial Building Painting Services

Painting your commercial building helps to freshen up a dull coat of paint and enhance its curb appeal. However, to get great results, it is vital that you enlist the services of commercial building painting services. Exterior painters have the experience and expertise of working with outdoor materials and paints. They understand how better to protect the surface to be painted from weather elements. They also know how to prepare the surface before painting it. Here are convincing reasons why you should work with commercial painters.

They guarantee an excellent quality of service. These experts know what needs to be done to get a high quality makeover. The painters work to ensure that there is no paint left behind, there are no streaks, patches and uneven layers of paints. This helps in enhancing the curb appeal of your property. Whether you want to paint a single floor or a multi floor commercial building, no amount of work is too big or too small for these experts.

The professionals offer a convenient service. The professionals work on a schedule that is convenient to you. They will make sure that top notch specifications are met and will ensure that you get the kind of a service, which you desire to achieve. All you need to do is tell them the days that you are available and they will come in to complete the job.

Commercial building painting services are cost effective. They do the work quite well the first time and there is no probability of having the work redone by other professionals. The service providers have all the tools that are required for the task, so you don’t have to spend money buying specialized equipment.

Safety is one of the benefits of hiring commercial building painters. Especially where the building has high walls, it can be risk to the painters. Painting pros know of the best safety measures that help them prevent any potential harm. Professional painting contractors come to your building with all the safety appliances and knowledge, which helps reduce the possibilities of someone being injured in the process.

The commercial painters have the requisite experience. Painting work is not just about strokes of brush against walls. It calls for extensive skill and experience to get an incredible quality of painting. The painters are able to use their experience and training to deal with challenges that may come up while painting your commercial premises.

Why you should have your carpets professionally cleaned

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Most people want to have a tidy house and work hard in order to do so. Having a nice living space to come home to live in can make a huge difference in the amount of energy one has to expend outwards in their life.

Nowadays people are looking for more and more ways to be healthy and happy. They read health food articles, go to the gym to work out and try to get enough sleep. One area of a healthy lifestyle that is often over looked is the importance of having clean carpets. Often carpets exist in our most used rooms such as the family room or TV room. No matter how much time someone might spend time vacuuming the carpet, without professional carpet cleaning the carpets will never truly be clean.

Here are 5 Reasons why you should have your carpets professionally cleaned:

  1. Professional cleaning extends the life of the carpet

The key to keeping a carpet looking fresh and beautiful is to clean it before it starts to look wore down. Deep down at the base of a carpet, dirt and bacteria can accumulate. Over the course of time this acts like sand paper and starts to damage and break down the fibers of the carpet. Once this happens it is very difficult to bring a carpet back to its original full life. Think of professional carpet cleaning like routine maintenance for your car. Put the effort into it and it will last longer and look better.

  1. Creates a Sanitary Environment

The health of you and your loved ones is also a very good reason to clean your carpets. Whether you have a small family or a big family, it is inevitable that dirt will be getting tracked onto your carpet. Regular vacuuming simply cannot remove all the debris that will be lurking at the very base of your carpet. The only way to fully clean your carpets is with the help of professionals.

  1. Keep Pet Owners Homes Healthy

If you are a pet owner or perhaps you or members of your household spend significant amounts of time around animals, then using a professional carpet cleaning service is essential for you. Pets have hair, dander and transport extra debris into the carpets. Homeowners with pets should aim to use a regular vacuum at a minimum of three times a week, if not more. Carpet cleaning Livermore is a cleaning expert who may be a great professional to meet your carpet cleaning needs.

  1. To Have Clean Air

Unbeknownst to a lot of people, uncleaned carpets can contribute to polluted air in one’s home. If not cleaned routinely, toxic airborne gases can also get stuck in the debris of the carpet. Even with regular vacuuming these particles can get released into home. Professional carpet cleaners use special shampoo formulas. They are able to remove the deeply trapped pollutants with high powered vacuums.

  1. Enhance looks and maintain warranty

Having your carpets professionally cleaned will not only enhance the look, but it may be necessary to maintain the warranty. Having carpet in your home can be a major investment. Not only do you want to keep it looking nice, your warranty may become null if you don’t keep up with regular and routine cleaning. Always ask questions for your particular situation, but many warranties require professional cleaning.

Maintaining a home or business can be a big task. With preventative routine maintenance and care you will be well on your way to enjoying your carpet for a long time.

5 things you should know about installing a heating system in your home

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 <2016/08/5-things-you-should-know-about-installing-a-heating-system-in-your-home.png">5 things you should know about installing a heating system in your home

A heating system is very important to provide warmth and make you comfortable all year round in your home. This enables you to enjoy warm and cozy temperatures at your place during chilly winters. However, you need to know what heating systems are available to you, how they work and their cost variations. The following are five tips you should be aware of before installing a heating system in your home.

  1. Types of heating systems that can be installed in your home

You may choose to install any of these common heating systems in your home. Each has its pros and cons. It is therefore important to quickly have a glance before making your decision to install a heating system in your home.

  • Forced air system

This system is by far the most common type of heating system in the home. The air is heated in a furnace and distributed through ductworks into the room. Furnaces may heat air using various fuel sources such as natural gas, propane, oil or electricity. The advantages are: the air may be filtered, humidified and dehumidified as the case may be. It is inexpensive and can attain the highest AFUE. However, it requires ductworks and takes space in the wall, moving air can distribute allergens, and this system, requires filtration and regular maintenance.

  • Radiant heating system

This system is known to provide the most natural and comfortable heat in a home. It can come in a number of forms, from a pot belly stove to in-floor hot water tubing. It works through the process of radiation or direct transfer of heat from a hot to a cold surface. In-floor systems use hot water heated by a boiler. The boiler may be fueled by natural gas, propane, oil or electricity and the heating stoves may use wood or coal. This system is comfortable. Boilers are energy efficient and distribute heat evenly. It is however, expensive to install, slow to heat up the cycle and difficult to access piping for maintenance. Other types of heating systems that can be installed in the homes are: Hydronic (Hot Water Baseboard); Steam Radiant; and Geothermal.

Boilers

A boiler is a vessel that transfers energy (usually gas, oil or LPG) into heat to warm up water. The amount of heat it can produce is measured in kW. Boilers can use a variety of fuels including natural gas, propane, oil or electricity. It usually incorporates a pump to feed the water through pipes to the radiators. Steam boilers are more complex than hot water boilers and have special gauge glass, pressure gauges, blow off valves and automatic feeds. Hot water boilers can be small, compact, energy efficient and low maintenance.

  1. Choosing the Boiler

The boiler is the most important part of the heating system and your choice will impact on how the system operates and its efficiency. Your new boiler should be at least 90% efficient (i.e. convert 90% of the energy it uses into heat), your boiler could be a condensing boiler that utilizes its heat from the exhaust gas within the boiler; it could also be a regular system boiler or a ‘combi’.

  1. Boiler sizes

You should also know that boilers come in different sizes which are measured in kW. You need to specify the right size of boiler that you would need for installing your heating system. Typically, boilers range in size from 15 to 40kW for domestic applications. A boiler that is too large will not only be more expensive but will operate less efficiently than an adequately sized model. Many of the boiler suppliers offer online guides for choosing the right size. You can as well add up the required heat output from the radiators or under-floor heating system (taking into account room sizes, insulation levels and window sizes; then adding 3kW for hot water and a 10% buffer.

  1. Cost of installing a heating system in your home

The next question you may want to ask is; how much will it really cost to install a heating system in my home?

Well, of course the price will depend on the size of your property and whether you already have central heating installed. The total cost is made up of the price of the parts needed to replace or install and the labour it will take for installation. The average cost to install an open vent heating system is £2800-£3000; while for a sealed heating system its £2900-£3200. Included in these, are the price for fitting that can vary between £500 and £1200.

  1. Hiring a registered heating specialist

Attempting to carry out your home heating installation or repairs can easily end in disaster; mistakes can lead to expensive repair costs and some serious inconvenience. So, make sure you hire a qualified local heating professional. Here is a tip on how to hire a professional:

You should make sure you hire someone who has the heating qualifications needed to work safely and competently. Someone who is registered with Gas Safe; which is a legal requirement. Beware that not all heating installers will have these qualifications; many will have carried out apprenticeships under qualified engineers. Lastly, also take into account references and experience as well.

Newhamheating.com is a London based gas, heating and plumbing service provider with a great reputation for serving customers across London. We are licensed and registered with vast experience and many positive reviews on installation and repairs of heating systems.

Get in touch with Newham Heating today at newhamheating.com

 

What flooring should I install in my self-build?

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Flooring materials should be considered at the outset so that you can assess their contribution to noise and energy insulation and make an allowance for their differing thicknesses. Different rooms will make different demands, so here are some tips to help you plan.

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Kitchens and bathrooms.

Water and stain resistance is your main concern. Materials best avoided include carpet, which can also absorb odour, and cork, which may stain unless you apply a good sealant. Laminate flooring must also be sealed, as flood damage can cause issues. Good choices are vinyl, lino or ceramic tiles.

Bedrooms and upper hallways.

Sound insulation, warmth and softness are what matters here. Laminate flooring has been popular in all rooms in recent years; however, if you use it upstairs, you should use a good noise insulating underlay. Better still, construct your house with fully floated upper floors. Other options include carpet, cork or bamboo. If you can afford to, also consider rubber or leather.

Children’s rooms or play areas.

You need an easy to clean flooring that is not too hard. Sealed cork or rubber are excellent choices for safety and warmth. Laminates, vinyl and bamboo are easy to clean if noise is not an issue.

Ground floor hallways.

These areas must resist wear and soiling. Ceramic tiles or polished concrete are worth considering. Carpet is good if made from fibres that are hard-wearing and dirt resistant.

Ecological sustainability.

A consideration for any modern build should be to ethically source its materials. Cork and bamboo are both eminently renewable resources and many carpet materials are natural and renewable, whilst others may contain plastic products that are not. It is important to buy from a supplier that clearly declares contents and test ratings, such as ukflooringdirect.co.uk/laminate-flooring/series-wood-8mm-laminate-flooring-lazio-oak.

Health and safety.

Your family’s health is even more important than that of the environment. Some vinyls are made from recycled plastics and, laudable as this sounds, have been the most criticised for levels of toxic chemicals. Similar chemicals are found in other types of flooring and flooring adhesives, so check their ratings with your supplier.

European standards.

The CE marking is a requirement for any product sold within Europe and will tell you many valuable things, from how hard-wearing it is to the level of volatile chemicals.

Reasons Why You Should Hire Contractors for Home Improvements

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The scale of your home improvement project will likely determine whether you need to hire contractors to carry out the work or not. You may have some basic bathroom tiling that needs to be done, but when you receive quotes from professional tilers, you instantly want to give it a go yourself to save some money. There is nothing wrong with doing that, but there are also those jobs around the house that need to be done by professionals. Here are a few of the reasons why you should hire a professional contractor to complete home improvement jobs.

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You Will Get a Professional Finish

Starting home improvement jobs around the house by yourself may be the most affordable solution, but hiring professionals to come in and complete them instead will give you the professional finish you want. You are living in the house, so you’ll want it to be as perfect as possible, and it’s always worth spending money on getting it done right the first time by someone that does it on a regular basis.

Jobs Will Be Completed By Trained Professionals

Not only will the finished project look like it was done professionally, but the job undertaken will be done the right way. Further down the line you may want to alter the project to suit your needs, and doing so will be easy because it was professionally completed in the first place. There’s nothing worse than going back to a finished project a few months down the line and the whole job needs to be started again just to make simple alterations. Getting jobs completed professionally will save you time and money in the future.

Projects Are Completed with Clean Working Practices in Mind

All projects that are undertaken by professionals will need to be completed in conjunction with their company policies. This means that not only will the job be completed safely, but it will also be completed in the cleanest way possible so you’ll not have to worry about any mess after.

You Could Save Time & Money

Contractors are expensive to hire, so it’s not always an option to hire one for small to medium sized home improvement jobs, but it could end up saving you money in the long run if you did hire a contractor. Think of it this way, if you spent $2000 on materials to do a job at home by yourself instead of paying $3000 in total to a contractor, you could potentially save yourself $1000. However, if you end up wasting materials trying to complete a job and it doesn’t work out, then not only will you have spent $2000, but you will also likely spend another $3000 on hiring a contractor to come in and do the job for you, so sometimes it’s worth spending the extra money on a contractor knowing you are going to get it done right.

The above reasons are just some of the many reasons why it will benefit you when hiring a contractor to come in and do the work at home, and you’ll also find it will offer the same benefits when hiring contractors for commercial property maintenance. Sometimes the quote a contractor presents to you is a tough pill to swallow, but it could save you a lot of time and money if you go ahead with it.

6 Reasons why you Should Hire a Professional Plumber

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If you have any plumbing issues at home, it is not advised to go down the DIY road, unless, of course, you happen to be a plumber. There are many reasons why it makes sense to call in the experts when dealing with water, and here are just a few.

  1. Get it Right First Time – More often than not, a failed DIY attempt results in a call to your local plumber, who might charge you more to repair than if you had called him out in the first place. It is usually the desire to save money that tempts people to try and fix leaking pipes at home, but unless you really know your stuff, leave it to the professionals.

 

  1. Avoid Excessive Damage – A plumber will make good repairs and not cause any excessive damage to your property, and if you happen to live in Western Australia, there is affordable plumbing in Perth from Peter Stannard Plumbing & Gas, an established company servicing Perth and surrounding areas.

 

  1. Personal Safety – Fixing a leaky faucet isn’t such a big job, but some plumbing work can be dangerous, especially if you are not used to strenuous exercise, in which case, it would be better to let the exerts deal with it. Working with either gas or electric adds to the risks, so for peace of mind, call your local plumber who will do the job properly.

 

  1. Save Money – In the long run, a leaking faucet or two will make a noticeable difference to your water bill, and by ensuring that your pipes and hot water system are in good working order, you will avoid excessive repair bills. Plumbing involves regular inspection, and any defective component can be quickly replaced, keeping costs to a minimum, so next time you call out the plumber for an emergency situation, ask him to give your system a thorough inspection, just to be on the safe side.

 

  1. Look After your Investment – Your home is probably the biggest single investment you will ever make, and it makes sense to keep the property well maintained. The hot water system, the heating equipment, and all drainage pipes should be regularly inspected, and any repairs immediately carried out. Water damage can be significant, as it can rot timber supports and cause plaster to crack and fall off the walls, so any leaks should be quickly dealt with.

 

  1. Leak Detection Services – Very often a leak is hidden, and it can cause a lot of damage in a very short time. Rather than digging up the lawn or the drive in search of the source, contact your local plumber who would use the latest leak detection technology to effortlessly locate the problem. This can not only save valuable time, but also avoid excessive damage while looking for the leak, and once the problem has been identified, the plumber can affect speedy repairs.

 

Plumbing is a very skilled trade, and with modern systems, product knowledge is essential. A qualified plumber would be able to repair, maintain, or install any plumbing feature in the home, leaving you with peace of mind.

Should you choose cash or mortgage payment when buying a home

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Carrying debt is always referred to as a bad life decision. So normally, it’s logical to think that purchasing a home with cash – or paying as much cash as possible into your home to sidestep the massive debt associated with a mortgage, is the best choice for your financial health.

Of course, it’s obvious that buying with cold cash will save you a lot of money plus other benefits, especially if you’re purchasing Brisbane house and land or other properties in similar prime locations. If you have the money, then buying newly build homes with house and land package option should be a top consideration.

Still, there’s a lot to consider when contemplating purchasing a home with cash versus obtaining financing via the traditional mortgage method.

Full cash payment

Cash can cut costs or win property bidding. Showing up with cash for a home removes the need to pay interest on the loan as well as many closing costs. When purchasing a house with cash, there will be no mortgage fees, appraisal fees or any other fees charged by lenders to the buyers.

Paying by cash makes your purchase offer more tempting to sellers. When in a competitive market, a seller is likely to take a cash offer over other offers (even higher ones) because they won’t have to worry about a buyer backing out due to financing issues. A cash buyer’s home is not leveraged, which means the homeowner can sell the house more easily regardless of market conditions.

A cash home purchase has the flexibility of closing faster. Especially when compared to one requiring financing, which could be attractive to a seller. Those benefits to the seller shouldn’t come without a price. Also, a cash buyer might be able to acquire property for a lower price and even receive a cash discount.

Mortgage sometimes make sense

Choosing financing option has several benefits. Even if a buyer has the ability to pay cash for a home, it might make sense to not put down everything at once to purchase real estate. Doing so may tie your hands down the road.

Cash buyers need to ensure to leave themselves plenty of liquidity. If the purchased home requires multiple repairs or renovations, it can become tough to acquire a home equity mortgage down the road as you don’t know how your credit score will be in the future, how much the property will then be worth as well as other factors that determine approval for the mortgage.

Moreover, selling a home bought with cash may pose a problem if the owners stretched out a lot to purchase it. If cash buyers choose to sell, they need to ensure that they will have enough cash reserves to put down as a deposit for the new home.

Depending on the stock market’s status, saving on mortgage interest by paying cash may not be financially prudent. You could be making less than that money might have earned had you just taken out a mortgage and invested the cash you didn’t spend on your house in other ventures.

End Note

To sum up, while paying cash brings a lot of benefits to the table, it’s still worth looking if mortgage option can work better in your favour. If you’re sure that you want to go down the cash payment option, it’s worth looking at Brisbane house and land or other properties in a different location. Talk with a property expert or your broker to get sound guidance based on your preferences.

What You should Know about the Risks Associated with Asbestos – and when You should be Careful

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It’s good to know that asbestos is no longer used in the construction business – as a matter of fact, it has been banned since 2000. For good reason, in fact: asbestos creates a serious health problem. Asbestos is a hazardous material because small fibres, when exposed to the open air, can get carried around. When inhaled, these fibres can cause serious damage to our biological system – asbestos has been correlated with cancer, pulmonary diseases, and death.

Short-term exposure may not harm you at all, but continuous exposure surely will. It’s a real concern – a concern to any owner, renter, or person working in a building. Here’s what you should know about the risks associated with asbestos – and when you should be extra careful.

Refurbishment, construction, and renovation

<2016/12/What-You-should-Know-about-the-Risks-Associated-with-Asbestos-–-and-when-You-should-be-Careful.jpg">what-you-should-know-about-the-risks-associated-with-asbestos-and-when-you-should-be-carefulExposure to asbestos happens most often in the following circumstances:

  • There are renovations or construction in a property built before the year 2000.
  • No risk assessment has been done before renovation or construction is about to begin.
  • The people performing the renovation or construction do not have any training or knowledge about asbestos and how to handle the hazards in a safe way.
  • The people performing the renovation or construction have been trained to work with asbestos but neglect to take proper precautions.

You are at risk when:

The following people are often at risk the most:

  • Carpenters, joiners, and plumbers who need to remove or break walls
  • Heating and ventilation engineers or repairmen
  • Painters and decorators
  • Architects, purveyors and other building professionals
  • Roofing contractors, as well as people working with insulation

Points to note when it comes to asbestos

It’s important to remember that asbestos:

  • Cannot be seen or smelled in the air
  • Has effects that are not immediately noticeable
  • That people who smoke are at a higher risk
  • That there is no problem as long as the asbestos is located in a safe place

Here’s the positive news: there are simple things that you can do. There are plenty of surveyors out there who are willing to give your home or property a look – in fact, they may even decide to call in an expert on asbestos reports. This is truly the wise thing to do: not only does it allow you to find a problem (if there is one), it allows you to deal with it before the problem ever gets out of hand. And financially speaking, getting rid of a problem and having your property declared, in official terms, as asbestos-free, is something every responsible property owner should do – it makes financial sense. It’s about safety, welfare – and it makes economic sense as well.

Image attributed to Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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