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Will a home improvement project during the recession pay off?

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Posted by Jack | Posted in General Info, Home Improvement | Posted on 29-06-2010

There has never been a worse time than now to spend more money than you have or can pay back. That once large disposable income has now been demolished, and most probably your clothes are the same ones you had on 3 years ago. But what exactly should you spend money on, and if you could, what assets of yours would you increase the value of first and foremost?

Take this as an example; If you own or buy shares then you invest in those. If you like to modify your car then you invest in that. If you enjoy art then you buy sketches or any variation of the ones that take your eye. And if you are a home owner? Then you should invest in your home. Simple.

Home Improvement projects can be carried out under various objectives, with the top one being  increasing the value of your home – however there is another key objective to home improvement projects and that is better living. Home Improvement projects will make your home a better place to be, make your guests feel more comfortable and yes in the long run pay off down the line.

First of all you should pay attention to areas of your home which need genuine improvement, which could be your hall way, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms or any other room – bringing every room up to the same standard will give you a genuine outlook on what could be improved or made ‘better’ within your house.

One of the best ways to create an instant lift within any home is to use neutral colours within rooms of an actual neautral nature – so hallways, and then move over to warm hues where the home starts to get more personal such as the living room. A nice deep shade of amber is usally a good bet for living rooms.

On a recession note this recession will not last forever, of course there will most probably be more (hopefully not in our lifetime) but investing in a home improvement project is one fire proof method of increasing an assets value in the long term whilst being happy  there in the short to medium term.

Snowed in: What to do

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Posted by Jack | Posted in Home Improvement | Posted on 02-01-2010

I recently got anowed in, and boy was I bored. On the 26th Decdember I decided to stay with family over in the north of england, near the Scotland border. I didn’t think anything of the snow flakes masking my windscreen as I came to a halt outside their rather warm looking home.

I had a pleasent evening, went to bed and didn’t look oustide the window (which could have been a good move).

In the morning I got up and checked outside, yeah, my car was submerged in snow – and I mean completely submerged. The wheels were no longer visible and I simply couldn’t get into the car to turn the heating on.

Stcuk then? Yep. No ammount of table salt or kettled water is going to help on this one, I’ll just have to sit it out. Mind, atleast I have my iPhone to keep me company and all the Apps in the world.

Why is it that in the UK we are fine with any amount of flooding, any sort of heat wave but rubbish when it snows? Everything seems to grind to a halt, my guess is that Technology won’t advance enough in my lifetime to see a remedy for this.

Heated driveways anybody?

Keep your home warm and safe: Top Tips

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Posted by Jack | Posted in Home Improvement | Posted on 13-12-2009

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Winter is here, and my god has it been cold so far. Here in the UK we understand that it doesn’t snow much and temperatures never go below -5 degrees celsius – Canada, Russia, Siberia and other countries in the northern hemisphere have this challenge to deal with.

And so I bet you are sick of us ‘Brits’ whining about the weather. But where you have snow we have rain, and it gets into all our clothes and quite literally depresses the best of people.

So I suppose it is best to stay at home and keep warm – wait, how much does that cost nowadays? Damn. I guess it’ll be a wooly jumper day again people *sigh*.

Not only that but fuel prices apparently aren’t going to fall this season (REF: Ofgem) and that means less travelling and more staying at home.

Does that mean you should have a stock up on wooly jumpers? damn no. Infact, I have some tips for you :D .

Insulation

We should all wrap our homes in insulation – after all it both keeps us warm and reduces our energy consumption thus reducing over-expenditure when the bills arive. About 270mm is recommended for lining your loft and it should last up to 4 years – insulation is not cheap however over its life span you will make up that cost through energy saving bills.

Smart Meter

If (like me) you are concerned about costs this Christmas then get yourself a smart meter which keeps a close eye on your energy consumption. Some energy meters are actually interactive and can allow you to set yourself weekly targets. They also keep your supplier informed real time and so British Gas (prime example) can not decide to send you a completely ridiculous bill.

Insulate Yourself!

Okay – I covered this earlier. Wooly jumpers and warm clothes should be worn if you are really concerned about money. By no means does wearing a jumper in your home dictate whether you have litter or no money though as fashion and social trends mean that wearing baggy and thick clothing is normal. Wearing a t-shirt and shorgts in Winter however is not.

Carbon Monoxide

Beware of carbon monoxide, dubbed as the silen t killer it is un-detectable and can take no time to effect people. New carbon monoxide readers were readily available from 2002 and I recommend you get one to sit beside your fire alarm.

If you do have a carbon monoxide leakage this Winter and something happens such as there is a snow storm and you are stuck or the phone lines are down then by all means ventilate your home! Keep a window open (yes we know its cold) and sit tight.

Time for a change?

If your smart meters and wooly jumpers are not doing the trick then perhaps it is time you switched supplier?  As with most tariffs if you are not paying my direct debit then chances are you are paying over the odds. Perhaps you should talk to the bank? or like I say just switch supplier. For the best deals go to a price comparison website (my favourite is confused.com) and have a look.

Patchett Joinery

Christmas: Should I buy a real tree or an artificial one?

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Posted by Jack | Posted in Home Improvement | Posted on 10-12-2009

Okay let me cut to the chase. Christmas trees are a necessity during the festive season, they resemble 100 years of tradition and speak for children across the world (not literally though as trees can’t speak!).

And so without any shadow of a doubt you should not be a humbug and not have a tree for Christmas, the big question here though is should you buy a real one or an artificial one?

Well I use an artificial one and have used the same one for 3 years running. And so obviously artificial ones have a significant life span advantage over organic ones and also cost far less over that period of time. Having an artificial tree also means that it will never look dead or brown and you will never need to get your Vacuum Cleaner out on your trees behalf – which is a real home improvement top tip :) .

Artificial trees are also much safer than organic ones as they are fire resistant (unless yours is over 4 years old) and not spiky! My friend had a horrible incident where her dog got a tree thistle stuck in her eye! Definately not what you want at Christmas time.

Artificial trees are also better for the environment in that for every year your artificial tree is kept the number of organic trees cut down reduces (for example I have had mine 3 years, therefore 3 less trees have needed cutting down) and so if you join the ‘artificial club’ you are actively promoting forest sustainability whether you know it or not.

I can’t completely belittle the organic tree though – for one thing you can never beat the smell of a fresh organic tree which completely sets the mood for christmas. Not only that but new breeds of tree are now available which have the same strength as artificial ones which is perfect for those heavy lights and decorations.

Also an organic tree kind of resembles a cosy Christmas Home and so if you feel you just are not ready to lose that feeling then the organic tree is for you.

When I was younger I always remember the organic tree as artificial ones were much rarer. People whom have real trees are also more likely to have more guests round as it shows a high level of Christmas spirit.
And so if you like the feeling of helping forests and not having to trail to your garden centre for a tree every year then the artificial tree is for you – it is safer and more practical.

But if you like the idea of having a new tree every year and witnessing first hand the Christmas smells it brings then the organic tree is for you – it shows a higher level of Christmas Spirit.

Design ideas: Wallpaper

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Posted by Jack | Posted in Home Improvement | Posted on 09-12-2009

Ughh. Gone are the days of old patterned wallpaper that is remeniscent of my Grandma’s old home. Dark colours are also out and bright vibrant colours are in, actually I tend to see more painted walls nowadays (especially in my friends houses) than wallpapered ones – which is fine, except for the fact that wallpaper when chose correctly can make your room look bigger than it actually is and make a bold statement of your own personality.
Paint nowadays seems to be cheaper than wallpaper, and so for people renovating their own home or house buyers who want to ‘refurb’ a house to sell it on are choosing it over wallpaper everytime.
I have wallpaper in my home and I love it – for a start It keeps my room warmer and is designed to be asthetically pleasing. My home is quite modern and so I have gone for this wallpaper which you can see below;
It goes well with my wooden flooring and desk from Ikea! :D (yes its a flat-pack job but who cares?). I use this wallpaper in my small bedroom turned office where I am writing this! You like? Yeah, its an aquired taste but I warmed to its modern feel – Its only on one side anyway and the other 3 sides are painted white (and yes I know this post is about wallpaper design ;) ).

Just another home improvement blogs and my advice is to pick a wallpaper that you feel comfortable with and is eye-catching at the same time. The last thing you want is a wallpaper which looks outdated after one year and then you having to replace it (which costs money and also isn’t really promoting sustainable foresting).

Places I personally would never have wallpaper are the bathroom and kitchen as paper is a master at soaking up both moisture and dirt which will result in a tarnished and dirty looking wall. You can get wallpaper for bathrooms and kitchens now which is waterproof on the exposed side but don’t bother, it is both old fashioned and in my opinion too costly.
Places definately to have some wallpaper are the bedroom (for example where your bed head board is) and the living area as wallpaper can make homes feel more inviting! Which I am sure with Christmas coming up is very important for family and guests.

Home Improvement superstores such as Homebase or B&Q (UK readers know what I am talking about) are good at offering a large variety of wallpaper to suit each individual room in your house. I however bought mine from a small sole trader about 2 miles from where I live as the designs there are remarkeable (Just like some people shop at the butchers instead of Tesco’s meat counter I shop at sole traders for home improvement supplies :D *thumbs up*).

So there we are :) oh and if you recently wallpapered your home or any rooms then send in your pics! And don’t forget to comment on this or any other post of interest :) . Every week I post up to 10 ‘Hot Pic’s’ from people around the world so give me an e-mail.
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