About Me

Great Home and Garden Improvement Tips

Hi! My name is Gary and this is my home and garden improvement blog. My passion for working on my home and garden began when I bought my first house. It was a run down little place in the suburbs of Sydney. Even though the place was in a bit of a state, it was in a fantastic location. I spent many hours reading up on DIY and gardening tips before setting about improving the place. It was a lot of hard work but it was also a lot of fun. I learnt a lot during that time so I decided to start this blog.

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Great Home and Garden Improvement Tips

2016

Creating A Green Juice Garden On Your Patio

Nutrient-dense green juice is the ideal way to start your day or refuel after a workout, but it's not always easy to find the right organic ingredients, and the cost of a daily green juice can add up. So why not grow essential green juice ingredients in containers? It's not as difficult as you might think, and the produce typically used for green juice bases doesn't need much space to grow, so a patio is all you need.

Create the Perfect Poolside Dining Area

Long summer nights spent relaxing by the pool, soft lighting, delicious food, good company... What more could you want? If you feel like you're not making the most of the warm weather, are stuck in a boring dinnertime routine or want to get more use out of an outdoor patio and pool, then creating a luxurious poolside dining area could be the answer. You'll feel like you're on holiday every evening, and it's a nice way to share a romantic meal with your other half or spend some quality time with kids (away from computer screens).

Common Sources of Energy Inefficiencies in Air Conditioning Units

One of the biggest concerns homeowners have when it comes to their AC operations is high energy bills. If AC units are allowed to run inefficiently, they can be big energy consumers, causing homeowners to spend more than they should to stay comfortable inside. Here is a look at some of the most likely reasons your residential AC unit may run inefficiently and waste energy. Leaky ducts The ducts that move air within an AC unit can use more energy than necessary if they are not correctly sealed and insulated.

6 Unsung Benefits of Awnings for Your Home

Awnings are beneficial to your home in many ways. They provide shade, cut energy costs, and add aesthetic appeal to your home. However, there are also several other rarely mentioned perks that awnings can offer homes, especially those with children.  If you are currently trying to decide whether awnings might be the right design choice for your home, this list might just help you make your mind up.  Awnings Save Lives

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Vacuuming Your Carpets

Did you know that you could vacuum your carpets regularly without removing all the dirt that they contain? Read on and discover some of the carpet vacuuming mistakes that you should avoid when cleaning the carpets in your home. Delaying to Empty the Bag Vacuum cleaners rely on their suction power to extract dirt from surfaces. The vacuum bag helps in creating a vacuum into which dirt and debris are channeled as the vacuum cleaner does its work.

4 Renovation Ideas For a Small Bathroom

When you have a small bathroom in your home, it can often feel more like a burden than anything else. However, with some smart renovations, you can improve the bathroom's appearance and function. Consider some of these renovation ideas to transform a small bathroom into a space you want to spend time in. Install a Corner Sink and Vanity In the standard small bathroom, the sink and vanity is usually placed straight against a wall in an attempt to leave room next to it for the toilet and a shower or bathtub on the opposite side of the room.

Five Hazardous Materials in Your Home That Should Not Go In the Skip Bin

In many countries, it is illegal to dispose of certain hazardous materials in waste bins intended for domestic waste. The reason for this prohibition is to avoid endangering the health of people and animals. Therefore, do not think that dumping all your waste in a disposal bin implies that you are playing your part to enhance the protection of the environment. When you hire a bin for domestic waste disposal, you should consider all the types of hazardous materials prohibited from being disposed of in skip bins.

What to Consider When Choosing Window Treatments for Your Home

Window treatments for your home may be more important than you realize; they are like the accessories to an outfit, as they can make a room seem finished and attractive. They also control more than light; window treatments can block out heat and noise so your home's interior is more comfortable and attractive. When you are ready to choose window coverings, you might get a bit overwhelmed by your choices and not know how to choose the right treatments.

Four Things Your Sun Porch Needs

A sun porch is a great place to enjoy your garden and get fresh air without having to be subjected to bugs and extreme heat. Here are some things to be sure you have in your sun porch to add to its aesthetic appeal and functionality. Comfortable and Stylish Furniture Since your sun porch is a little more protected than a traditional patio or deck, you can choose furniture that is a bit more stylish.

Keep Your Puppy out of Special Areas in Your Garden with an Aluminium Fence

Puppies like to play, which can involve havoc in your garden. If you put strategic and attractive fences around the more sensitive areas, you will be able to maintain an attractive garden, even when the puppy wants to chew. Here's how to do it:  Protect the vegetable patch Puppies chew anything, including plants. They also like to dig. A vegetable patch has the attraction of loose earth that is easy to dig in and a variety of plants that are lovely to chew.

Lawnmower man: Ride on Mower Maintenance Guide

To keep your ride on mower in top condition, it is vital that you perform regular maintenance tasks to keep it operating at a peak level and to help extend the life of the machine. Below are some maintenance tasks which should be carried out in the spring, before the main mowing season. Disconnect the Spark Plug Before performing maintenance on your mower, you should place the mower on a flat surface.

3 Points to Help You Choose the Right Vacuum Cleaner

There are many vacuum cleaners that you can buy, but whichever one you choose depends on your needs as well as a number of factors. Some of these include the number of people in the home, the person going to use the cleaner regularly, presence of pets in the home and the type of floors that you have. Bearing these in mind, you can weigh your choices based on the following three characteristics:

Vertical Blinds - Easy Cleaning Tips

Vertical blinds make a good choice of window dressing alternative to curtains.  You can still cut out light altogether if you want to, or you can tilt the blinds to allow natural light in, whilst excluding glare on very sunny days.  Vertical blinds are also easier to clean than curtains, providing another advantage.  Here are some tips on how to easily clean your vertical blinds. Cleaning routine It's a good idea to clean vertical blinds every couple of weeks, depending on their location in your home.

Sun Exposure | 4 Steps To Restore The Original Look Of Your Sun-Faded Timber Flooring

Timber flooring is both aesthetically pleasing and practically functional for your home because of its timeless appeal in a traditional or modern setting. But if you're bequeathed with sun-drenched interiors, then your flooring is bound to fade and discolour over time. Luckily, this problem can be reversed with a few simple steps. Sand The Floor Using Sandpaper Begin the process of timber flooring restoration by sanding the entire surface using medium-grit sandpaper.

Spruce up the Interior Design of Your Home with Wood-Look Tiles and Find Out the Benefits

The choice of flooring in your home is very important and usually determines the aesthetic value and style of your interior setting. Timber or hardwood flooring is often a top choice among most homeowners because of the unique warmth, feel, and look that it can add to your rooms. However, the panache that this type of flooring has may not last for long because the flooring is susceptible to water damage and scratches, which may result in high resurfacing costs.

Selecting Air Purifiers Depending On Your Needs

Over the years, more and more homeowners are looking toward air cleaners as they become aware of the different health issues contributed by contaminants in the home such as second hand smoke, allergens, pollutants and more. However, the increase in demand for air purifiers also means there is a wide array to choose from in the market. This can make selection of the right air purifier seem daunting for someone who has no experience with these gadgets.

Knock On Wood: What To Look For When Choosing A Timber Garage Door

While steel may set the standard for garage door materials, wooden garage doors have a lot of appeal, as well as many fine properties suited to garage door building. However, choosing a wooden garage door can be something of an overwhelming experience, with an enormous variety of woods, designs and finishes on offer. As such, when shopping around for a new wooden garage door, remember to keep the following factors in mind before choosing your new door:

How to Address the Issue of Air Conditioner Noise Disturbance in Residential Areas

When temperatures are extremely low or high outside, they interfere with your home's indoor climate, making it uncomfortable to stay inside without temperature moderation. Air conditioning units come in handy when it comes to giving homeowners control over their indoor climate. But, the noise level released is a crucial matter of concern as regards to neighbors and city standards. Noise levels should always be kept as low as possible. Unfortunately, not many new homeowners know how to limit noise levels when installing air conditioning units in their homes.

How to Shop For a Shade Sail That Gives You a Lasting Shelter

Shade sails add utility to your outdoor spaces by transforming them into dynamic and eye-catching areas. Their stylish appearance can complement a wide variety of both residential and commercial architectural approaches.  Apart from their attractiveness, shade sails can protect an outdoor space against the infiltration of the damaging UV rays without making you feel restricted or boxed in. They form an exceptional alternative to umbrellas, patio enclosures, awnings, and carports.

Tips for Creating a Japanese Style Kitchen

If you want to introduce some zen into your life, it's a great idea to lean on some Japanese inspired design in the home. While it might be easier or more commonplace to integrate Japanese design into a living room or bedroom space, kitchens are also ideal for zen-inspired design. The kitchen is probably the space in the house where stresses and tensions come to the forefront. Trying to cook family meals in short amounts of time, pots bubbling over, and rising temperatures can make for a stressful situation, but a Japanese inspired kitchen renovation can calm those troubled waters.

Foggy Double Glazing - How To Fix It

Double glazing is wonderful for keeping your home warm during the winter, saving you money by preventing the loss of expensive heat, and stopping drafts.  However, a common problem is irritating 'fogging' that can really spoil your view.  But what causes fogging-up of your windows and what can you do to solve the problem?  Read on to find out more. What causes 'fogging'? Fogging of your double glazed windows is caused when condensation becomes trapped between the two panes of glass.