Month: October 2017

The cost for concrete driveway depends upon material and finish grade, surface area and material volume, preparation and special needs, and the labor rate. Brick pavers are just wonderful. Whether you are doing a walkway, patio or even a driveway, if done correctly, they will look great for many years with little trouble. Even the problems that you might have are easy to fix. Here are solutions to those issues and how you easily can take care of them yourself:

• If you have weeds that pop up between the bricks, just use a herbicide to take them out.

• If your paver surface has loose sand between the joints, keep in mind that the sand will settle over time. Apply a new layer of sand to the surface and sweep it into the cracks. This adds stability to the pavers and helps them withstand slight movement.

• If a brick or two settle or sink a little, you can use a scrap of heavy-duty wire to lift them out. The wire needs to have a small hook on the bottom to grab the bottom of the brick to lift it up.

Other tools you might try are a trowel, pry bar or hacksaw blade. Once up, you can add a handful of sand to the base, smooth it out and carefully set the brick back down. Use a rubber mallet to tamp it back into place.

If you end up with a cracked brick, you can use the “wire trick” to lift the pieces out and then you can put a new brick into place. Hopefully you have extras. If not, take a brick from a discreet spot and use it to fill the open area.

Then, put another brick into the semi-hidden area.

• If you have several bricks that have sunk, remove them all and fill the area with sand so that you have a level base, and replace the bricks. Once you get the first brick up, the others will be much easier to get out.

There are a variety of stone and brick cleaners and sealers that you may want to use, should you have stains on your bricks. Once you use the cleaner, you can apply a sealer that will protect your bricks for a long time.

There is even a line of “wet look” sealers that will really bring out the color in the pavers. Shop your hardware store or home center to see what it has.

As you can see, just a little light maintenance really is all that is ever required so your hard work will look good for many years to come.

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Q: I want to know what I can use to paint an old bed frame. It’s metal, and I was hoping I could make it look like brass. What can you recommend? – J.A.

A: You can buy brass paint. It’s not real brass, but it does look amazingly like the real thing and it comes in a spray and brush-on. There’s a little prep involved, but you should like the results.

Shoptalk

Bead board is a great look, but it can be a little labor-intensive and also can get costly. But Brewster makes a line of heavily textured wallpaper that looks just like bead board. It comes in several widths and finishes and goes up just like wallpaper. That means you don’t have to have a truck and a bunch of other tools like you would for the real paneling to get the look in your home. It costs a lot less, too. You can do walls, wainscoting and even do a ceiling with this stuff and, once painted, nobody will be able to tell it’s paper, not wood! You can get it at your Home Depot store. Check it out online at www.homedepot.com and see it for yourself.

When it comes to creating instant “kerb appeal” a good looking driveway should be high on the list of priorities to make your house stand out from the crowd – regardless of whether you are thinking of selling or staying put! The Drivewayproperth.com.au provides a wealth of driveway solutions that are the very epitome of style and practicality. They can also gave you a cement driveway cost Perth.

The smartest properties and the most glorious gardens can never achieve their full style potential if they are let down by a dreary, unkempt driveway. In addition to the obvious aesthetic benefits of investing in a stunning driveway, there are a number of practical factors to consider. A well laid driveway can dispense with the seasonal appearance of unsightly puddles, whilst also providing a clear and uncluttered route from the road to the house – particularly important for when you are regularly unloading a car laden with shopping bags! If you have children, you will also appreciate the additional joy of teaching your child to ride their bike within the safe confines of your own property, rather than risking life and limb on the open road!

Driveway Decisions

Once you’ve decided to invest in a new driveway, you’ll need to give some thought to the following:

Colour – make sure you select a driveway medium which is available in a colour to either complement or contrast with your home and its surroundings

Material – the ultimate driveway material is block paving but be aware that garden paving products are generally not suitable for creating a professional driveway. Alternatives to block paving include gravel (which is great as a burglar deterrent but liable to movement and can be travelled into the house), concrete and tarmac (although you will be limited in terms of choice of colour). There are also a range of resin bound paving solutions which use natural gravel, crushed stone, imported marble and recycled materials, these are available in a wide range of colours and finishes

Drainage – get it right and you can kiss goodbye to pools of water sitting on the driveway. Find a professional driveway installer to ensure your finished driveway drains with ease

Legislation – Remember that following the introduction of legislation which came into effect in October 2008, unless you are working with a permeable driveway paving product you may require planning permission to pave over a front garden.

Lighting – an immaculate driveway will benefit from strategically placed lighting to illuminate a safe route to the door. Low energy LED lighting can be simple to install, weatherproof and requires minimal maintenance.

Driveway Drama

If you want your driveway to deliver a dramatic style statement consider laying pavers to incorporate a striking circular or octant pattern. Alternatively for added impact, you can include bands of contrasting pavers to produce either an attractive edging or a distinctive stand alone feature in its own right.

Driveways with a conscience

In built up environments, as much as 95% of rainfall makes it way directly into drains and straight to the watercourse – which puts immense pressure on the country’s drainage systems. The summer of 2007 devastating floods demonstrated the potential catastrophic consequences of placing our drainage systems under too much duress and The Environment Agency has estimated that up to two thirds of the floods in 2007 were caused by the surge in surface water overwhelming the country’s drainage systems.

The growing problem associated with excess surface water running off into our drainage systems has given rise to the new planning legislation which now requires householders looking to pave over their front garden – which could include creating a driveway – will require permission unless permeable materials are used.

If you want to be future perfect and environmentally responsible, there are already several new permeable products on the market which seek to help address the above issue. The systems are designed to enable surface water to drain away at source directly into the ground rather than into the hard pressed sewer systems during times of heavy rainfall.

“Priora” and “Tegula Priora” from Marshalls are permeable domestic block paving driveway solutions which feature voids at the joints to allow any surface water to pass naturally through into a specially calculated sub-base. But if block paving is not for you, you might want to consider alternative products such as “Grassguard”, an innovative, sustainable alternative to traditional concrete block paving. Grassguard features an open grid pattern that allows grass to grow through the blocks giving a “green” option for driveways and hard standing areas in front gardens. The grid pattern enables water to drain through the grass into the ground rather than directly into drains.

John Key is a website designer in the UK and has recently designed and built an all new website for Outdoor-Creations.co.uk, leading London garden designers and experts in garden landscaping.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_J_Key/50142

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There are several types of loft conversions Sydney and they include the following listed:

Velux loft conversions

When rooflight is synonymous with Velux as far as loft conversions are concerned. This stems from the fact that for over 60 years, Velux has been the foremost manufacturer of roof windows. One unique benefit of this type of conversion is the fact that you may not necessary have to obtain planning commission from your local authority before you can use it. Among the different loft conversion types, it is also confirmed to be more cost effective.

This type of conversion is fitted to align with the roof line while at the same time, leaving untouched, the existing roof structure. One of the major reasons why it does not cost much to carry out is mainly because the roof does not need to be extensively altered to get what the property owner wants, and the fact that the loft does not extend beyond the original line of the roof minimizes the possibilities of obtaining permission from the local planning authorities, though it is advised that you still check before carrying out any of the four types of loft conversion.

The Velux roof conversion is mainly used on property that has enough headroom or where planning constraints especially in the conservation areas. Where the headroom is not spacious enough, then the property owner can settle for mansard or dormers, which are other conversion types that normally serve as better options in cases of limited headroom. The fitting of Velux rooflights on these conversions are fast and simple reducing the chances of the installation being inhibited by bad weather or any other natural conditions.

In carrying out a Velux conversions, the windows are not vertically installed rather they are installed at the roof angle which makes it possible for the window to let in enormous amount of sunlight. Though this is a good thing especially as it will help the room to be illuminated and airy but it actually becomes a problem during summer or at night. For this reason, window blinds need to be installed.

There are various window blinds that are designed to fit into the various types of conversion including of course, the Velux conversion. You many even settle for thermal silver backed blinds which are designed to retain heat in the room during winter and during summer, it keeps the heat out. The wonders of technology I hear you say. If you do have that spacious space on your property.

Dormer loft conversions

What is a dormer loft conversion? This is an extension that is made to an already existing roof which allows additional floor space and headroom, all within the same space. They usually project from the slope of the roof mostly at the rear end of the building and can be done in various styles. Inside it, the ceiling is built horizontally while the walls are vertical. If your loft is limited in space, then dormer conversion is the safest bait when it comes to the various loft conversion types.

If you decide to go for a flat roof dormer, it should be noted that although you will get enough space within the loft but outwardly, they are unattractive as far as your property is concerned. This is the reason why most people who have more money to spend would go for the gable fronted and hipped dormers since they appear more attractive but you will get less space within the conversion coupled with the fact that it will cost you more, owing to its complexity in design.

Mansard loft conversions

This is another of the type of conversion obtainable from roof designers today. A mansard roof comes with double slopes with both closer to each other. It got its name from Francois Mansart, a 17th century French architect (1598-16666). It was so named because most of his buildings had this unique roof design. One great advantage of the mansard loft conversion is the maximum space obtainable from the loft.

The builder raises the gable walls on both sides of the property to get the desired space and then proceeds to creating the timber frame for the conversion. This type of loft is mostly seen on older properties. People in the suburbs prefer the flat roof dormers. If among the mentioned type of loft you desire to carry out the mansard loft, it should be noted that permission will have to be obtained from your local planning authorities.

Complete Lofts are a family run specialist loft conversions company with over 15 years experience employing only the best skilled tradesmen in the field.

Our aim is to work closely with you and give our undivided attention throughout the entire project thus enabling you to enjoy many different loft conversion types.

We provide our unique service to all inside the M25 London Area

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_Luke_Williams/1072392

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