Map of hosepipe ban

Here is a detailed map of hosepipe ban in England, Spring 2012

Water companies across southern and eastern England are to introduce hosepipe bans amid drought conditions. Seven firms say they will impose water restrictions after two unusually dry winters left reservoirs, aquifers and rivers below normal levels. Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East are to enforce restrictions.

Upcycling - How to get the most from your old furniture

For those of you with an eco-conscience, recycling will already be a part of your daily life. Sorting your rubbish for recyclable materials, taking your clothes to charity shops and re-using water bottles are all common ways to recycle in the home – but why not go that step further and consider a trend that is becoming more and more popular - upcycling.

Upcycling can be applied to almost any object of furniture in your home and often involves a combination of modifying, cleaning up or completely remodelling existing furniture to add more value to the item. If you find yourself looking at your dining room table and chairs and thinking they need replacing, why not consider upcycling them instead?

The upcycling of furniture often takes one of two forms. This can be either customising an existing piece of furniture in your home, or buying a second hand piece of furniture with the intention of customising it to fit your needs or taste. For now though we will concentrate on getting the most from the furniture you already have in your home – what you can do to your existing furnishings to give them a whole new lease of life. 

A great example of how easy and effective upcycling your furniture can be is the customisation of your old dining chairs. It is simpler than you think to add value to an item such as this and either restore it to its former glory or add a creative touch to convert a dull object into something of beauty.

The first step is to re-paint the chair. Start by sanding the chair with a low grade sandpaper, to remove any traces of old paint. Then select your new colour and apply at least two coats to the chair, allowing time between each coat for the paint to dry. Another nice touch at this stage, if the chair has any detailed features, is to line these details with a fine paintbrush in a different colour to the coats you used originally. This can really bring out any period or detailed features of the chair and adds a little ‘wow’ factor to your project.

 

To compliment the new colour you may also wish to consider re-upholstering the chair. A good place to find cheap material to do this with are charity shops, where you will be able to pick up material (such as old dresses, curtains or table cloths) at a knock-down price. If you are interested in doing this there are a number of online guides and youtube videos (simply search for ‘chair reupholster’) which detail the techniques for re-upholstering a dining chair – which although time consuming, is a really satisfying way to give your tired old chairs a new lease of life.

Top 10 Green House Buying Tips

1. Ask to see the energy saving credentials of the property

2. Make sure that the property's insulation is of the highest level

3. Check that there is double glazing (or better triple glazing)

4. Ask to see the heating bills and make sure that the boiler is a high efficiency condensing type

5. Appliances (like washing machine or fridge) should be ‘Energy Saving Recommended’

6. If the house gets a lot of daylight you will use less energy

7. If porches and lobbies are enclosed it helps cutting heat loss

8. Energy saving devices like solar panels are always a plus

9. Find out if and what grants are available for energy saving measures

10. Good public transport and local amenities could mean you use your car less

Find many more green tips around energy management and renewable energy at The Green Project

Picture credit & more green info: http://jenniferroberts.com

Free Aussie Energy Saving Tips!

The Green Project offers you free advice and discounted products and services to help you save money on your bills and reduce your household’s impact on the environment.

Energy efficient products available to you are:

* FREE energy efficient light globes

* FREE ceiling insulation

* Discounted solar hot water

* FREE Home Sustainability Assessments


They also offer:

* FREE advice and information on energy management and energy efficient products including ceiling insulation, renewable energy, low energy lighting, solar hot water heating and more

* Easy access to rebates on energy efficient products and information on green loans

* Assistance with government rebate paperwork

* Product guarantees and quality assured installation

 So, if you an Aussie: For free ceiling insulation, discounted solar hot water, solar rebates and green loans the first place to go is www.greenproject.com.au

Playing with power tools on your lunch break can really lower stress levels

On my lunch break from work this Thursday I was driving out of my little unit in an industrial estate in Goole Yorkshire when I happened across a bit of a commotion. I had only popped out of the office to get lunch because I had managed to miss the sandwich van whilst I was in the toilet. I would normally have waited until I had bought my sandwich and packet of salt and vinegar crisps before I went to the bathroom but because the unit in front of us were off on some kind of training day, the van came early and I missed it. The thought of missing my daily ham salad in ciabatta bread made me tense.

Goole is a small place and it is not often that you see any kind of surprising activity, that is, activity that you are surprised by. The activity does not have to consist of anything ‘surprising’ as such; you are merely surprised that there is any activity at all.

Often referred to as “sleepy hollow” you can probably guess that Goole is not the most exciting of places. Some people may think that Goole is pretty interesting because it is said to be the most inland port in the whole of Britain…but most people don’t.

Anyway I thought that I would make the most of this rare event and stop my car to see what was going on. I could see a smattering of brightly coloured canopies dotted around the industrial estate and from what I could deduce from out of the window of my Fiesta it looked like there was some kind of power tools demonstration going on. Brilliant!

I headed over to an acid bright DeWalt stand.

Checking out the dazzling yellow building tools I listened with great interest as the guys on the stand explained to me about the uses of various construction tools and the dangers of too many body vibrations a day. I was so engrossed I didn’t make it to any of the other stalls, what with the Strong Arm competition and the Wheel Change Challenge I hardly noticed that I was already ten minutes past the end of my lunch break and had still not bought anything to eat.

Never mind, I was not as stressed about missing my ham salad sandwich after playing with the exciting looking hammer drill (when I say playing I mean holding it and saying “ohh, ahh” whilst being watched by a professional at all times).

After I had finished work that afternoon I went back to the car park to find that all the tents had packed up and gone home. There was no sign that the power tool demonstration day had ever happened and I almost had the strange feeling that the whole thing had been a hunger induced hallucination.

I knew however that it was not. The discounted hammer drill that sat on the back seat of my car reminded me that I would be paying rather more than I bargained for when I missed the lunchtime sandwich van.

Tools and dust - hand in hand?

My friend is a professional builder and does a bit of engineering, motor mechanics, and sometimes a bit of carpentry. He built his own garage, an extension to his house, with bedrooms above it. His garage is storage space for his professional power tools and also a workspace, although on dry days he often works outside. He even built his own concrete driveway. His use of wood around the garage makes it feel warm and the sort of place you’d like to spend some time fixing your car, or cutting some wood, or just having a cup of tea. But he doesn’t quite seem to be able to manage the dust from his woodwork. Professional power tools and dust don’t go well together.

He always does a really good job whatever the project he is working on. He gets on with the job without fuss and usually very quietly even when he is using usually noisy tools. Everything is neat and tidy by the end of the job, apart from maybe a little bit of dust. But in his own garage he doesn’t seem to be bothered about all the mess he creates from his work. It just gets brushed to the side. Every so often he will have a blitz clear out, but within days, sometimes just within hours, the place is messy again. And all the while, dust is accumulating. Some of his power tools that he doesn’t use very much have such a thick layer of dust over them that they just appear as shapes. There’s no visible writing or colour to them, apart from the dust. They look surreally antiquated, or like replica toys.

Maybe the dust does bother him, and he considers it a waste of valuable time to have to keep dusting. Maybe he doesn’t notice it, or feel obliged to keep the dust off his tools because he knows he will dust them off when he needs to use them. But surely he must be aware that dust can damage power tools and getting a dust extractor would be a valuable investment?

Perhaps he half notices the dust but then keeps putting off doing the dusting because its just a job he only does if he really has to, such as when he’s working for someone else? Well rather than try and work out why he leaves his garage dusty so much of the time I’m just going to buy him a dust extractor as a gift. One of the reasons I want to do this is because he did me a favour helping me with a building project and recently doing some welding on my car exhaust.

Hopefully with dust management taken care of by an easy to use professional dust extractor his jigsaws and hammer drills will stay in professional working order, he will be happier in his work garage, and maybe anyone visiting will find the clean air to their satisfaction, just like the work he does.

For years to come - my forage into professional D.I.Y

I have decided to set up my own small business doing professional D.I.Y (if there is such a thing) for friends and family. I am so sick of paying the prices that so many builders are charging at the moment, even in this market. I am not going to use the dreaded two words but you know what I am talking about don’t you. I am so incredibly sick of reading the words ‘credit’ and ‘crunch’ in the same sentence and the thought that I am going to have to endure this bite size word combination for possibly years to come makes me feel a little queasy. I already avoid ‘cc’ articles and have started to sweep my eyes over the morning newspaper in order to pin point and swat the blighters from a distance before I have the displeasure of reading them. I doubt I am missing much because you know as soon as you spot those gems that the article is going to be predictably uncreative and unimaginative and most likely mixed with technical blabla that you won’t understand.

Several of my friends and family need a few minor home improvements done and I am willing to help them out with anything from building garden benches and tables to laying foundations for extensions. Of course I am not a complete novice. I used to work on a construction site a few years ago and earned quite a lot of money doing it but I gave it up to design and sell Amdega conservatories. That was something that fulfilled my artistic side and gave me the opportunity to move back into the sector where I really felt like I had talent; sales.

Since then, although I thoroughly enjoy my current job, I have missed working out in the open air and felt as though I should make use of the skills that I have gained through my life. If I could use those skills to save family and friends money and improve their quality of life then why not offer my help?

I would buy the tools I needed according to the jobs I was given so that I could charge them to whomever I will be working for at the time. I can then offer cost prices on the materials and I am well informed to source the cheapest and best quality stone and timber. I would arm myself with a few basic power tools but there will be no need to purchase heavy duty power tools until I actually – if ever – need to use them.

While I was working in construction we used the well known Black&Decker brand. I knew I could get a quality second hand cordless drill from the site where I used to work. Those tools work great for years so I know I won’t be getting anything unsafe. My son has volunteered to help out for a bit of extra cash and of course I want to make sure he isn’t going to hurt himself using any rubbish equipment.

I have so far thought of everything but a name for the business. When I do I am going to title this blog with it.

Pest Cover - A new incentive for home insurance companies?

Alongside the recession, the insurance sector continues to hit the headlines as more of us start cancelling our policies in order to cut back on monthly spend, and insurance companies compete to entice us back. At the end of 2008 it seemed that many were offering online comparison services, whilst earlier this year a new trend among car insurance companies emerged as many of the biggest names began offering cash back after customers had taken out policies.

Whether this has worked for the companies in question remains to be seen, but the offers were certainly subject to some criticism from newspapers and commentators who claimed they might mislead prospective customers. However, as we move into spring new opportunities for insurance companies to set themselves apart from their peers are certainly on the horizon.

According to an article in The Independent (March 29th), reported problems of pest infestations are on the increase in the UK, with rodents proving to be a big issue for homeowners. Rats, mice and even moles are increasing in numbers and are not only an annoyance due to the diseases they carry (such as salmonella via parasites and faeces) but also because of the damage they can and do cause. “Their main destructive power is in their teeth,” The Independent states, “mice and rats must wear down their ever-growing incisors, and this need to gnaw drives them to chew through anything – electrical wires, plastic pipes and more.”

But it is not just furry critters who are causing homeowners and home insurance companies to consider pest control prices. Insects and bugs are also responsible for damage to home interiors. The menacingly named “Carpet Beetle” (which is carried by birds, transported to their nests and commonly gets into homes through our lofts) is not only fond of carpets and rugs, but will devour other furnishings such as curtains and sofas.

Subsequently, this increasing problem is influencing some insurance companies to offer pest control cover as an addition to house cover, and even as a standalone policy in its own right. Therefore, akin to the comparison sites and cash back trends that are still on-going, I wonder if the home insurance sector might see this increase in pest infestations as a method to make their offers more appealing – particularly as private exterminators are popular and, according to The Guardian, often in too great demand.

How to shop for a handmade leather sofa

I was tired of Ikea. Wherever you go, you will find the same handfull of designs. And they all have funny names. I wasn't looking for a Jörg or Kävlavik, I was looking for a handmade leather sofa that fitted exactly where it was suppose to fit. And guess what? It wasn't more expensive than a top-of-the-range model from Ikea. I also didn't have to drive two hours to pick it up because mine got delivered. If you are also tired of Ikea, here are two solutions: Buy a used leather sofa (that's NOT from Ikea) from Ebay - Or buy a new one from Sofaworkshop.com. There are a lot of free classifieds for sofas, check it out.

Cash in the Attic - Confused.com’s Guide to Loft Conversions

A guide to loft conversions. Here are some tips of what to do if thinking about converting your loft.


Add space and value to your property with a loft conversion

It might be an understatement to proclaim the property market’s in a bit of a pickle at the moment, but there is a positive behind the doom and gloom – it has never been easier, or cheaper, to renovate your home.

Now might well be the time to convert that forgotten space, which is currently being held hostage by bags and boxes of family keepsakes - the loft....you’ll add space and value to your property in no time.

Why you should improve - not move

With the current economic climate as tumultuous as it is, a loft conversion makes sense. If you’re going to have to stay put, you might as well look for ways to improve your property and create more space for you and the family.

It’s relatively cost-effective too. The VAT rate is down, there are builders desperate for work and new planning laws introduced in 2008 mean that certain loft conversions no longer need to be approved by the council, which saves you further red tape, time and expense.

So what are the new rules?

When it comes to the new planning laws, there are still some complex rules. But in general, as far as loft conversions go, there’s no need to apply for planning permission if alterations don’t affect the appearance of a house from the street.

3 key points to consider are:

1. Loft conversions don’t need planning permission as long as the volume added to the house is less than 50 cubic metres for a detached house, or 40 cubic metres for a terrace house.
   
   
2. On the side of the house facing the street, only skylights lying flat on the roof are allowed.
   
   
3. At the back, a dormer (an extension with a window at the front) will be allowed, as long as it’s no higher than the existing roof and is set back at least 20cm from the eaves.

Any works beyond these three points will probably need planning permission, so play it safe and make sure you’re not infringing any laws before you book the builders.

More information on loft conversions can be found at www.planningportal.gov.uk. And again, before booking the builders, make sure you read Got the Builders In? Make Sure you Don’t Invalidate your Home Insurance.

Be practical

Unlike the heady days before the property slump, when gold-plated finishes and designer-laden rooms were the name of the game, these penny-pinching times mean you’ve got to think practically.

An extra bedroom or office space are popular options. Get it right and you’ll add a lot of value to your home at the same time. Furnishing the new room-cum-loft shouldn’t take too much out of your savings either.

Ask lots of questions

Before you do anything, arm yourself with a torch and tape measure and get up into the loft to see what kind of space you’re dealing with.

Ask yourself lots of questions such as how sound-proof is the room, is there enough light, how do the proportions of the loft work, where will electrical points go, do you have a party wall agreement with your neighbours? This will save time and money in the long run.

Cover yourself

Even in its simplest form, a loft conversion can prove an immense under-taking, so check first to see if your home insurance will cover all eventualities.

And although it works out cheaper to carry out conversions these days, don’t get carried away. It’s possible to have too much space and the end result could mean a house that’s top heavy with too many bedrooms for the amount of living rooms beneath.

Finally, it’s important to know that once you’ve added size and value to the property, you’ll probably need to upgrade your home insurance to cover the new rebuild cost and any contents contained within the extension. For an idea of what this figure is for the newly extended property, read How to Find the Rebuild Cost of your home.

Original Source [Confused.com Guide to Loft Conversions]

Messy Neighbours Affect House Value

About 40% of people claim that the poor state of homes in their neighbourhood drives down the value of their own property, according to a new report.

Research by insurance firm LV= found that common problems included broken windows, old furniture dumped outside and overgrown gardens.

Of the 2,000 adults surveyed, one in three said their homes had been "damaged" by issues emanating from an adjacent home, such as flooding, damp, pest infestations or broken fences - leading to disputes over whose home insurance would be liable for the costs.

The insurer also said that loud music from a nearby house could knock thousands of pounds off the value of a property.

Managing director John O'Roarke said: "This research shows that the financial price of living nearby an untidy neighbour could have dire consequences, not only on your lifestyle but also on a home's value and maintenance costs.

"Our research also found that unkempt properties have caused 7% of homeowners to fall out with their neighbours, so ensuring good neighbourly relations is always sensible - that way unpleasant situations can often be prevented."

Easter 2009 - DIY Explosion Predicted

The Easter weekend is often a time for spring cleaning and getting round to the odd DIY jobs that have been ignored through the winter. This year, with more of us eager to save money, it seems that we could be set to see something of a DIY boom this April – as we plan to stick around in our current homes instead of moving, and decide to take on jobs ourselves over hiring a professional.

This has been reiterated by two surveys from M&S Money and Halifax respectively. In an article at aboutproperty.co.uk, they highlight that 64 percent of people are likely to attempt DIY this year, instead of paying the extra cost for a tradesman. Despite this recession-influenced confidence, Halifax found that almost half of the people they asked (43 percent) admitted that they weren’t as sufficient with odd jobs around the home as their parents. “Fitting a new kitchen or bathroom, and tiling, were the jobs most people were most reluctant to do.”

Such attitudes regarding our parent’s generation are justified. The concept of DIY was really kick-started during the 60s and 70s – amidst the well-documented trend of social liberation and independence. Philosophers, thinkers, and writers such as Alan Watts and Stewart Brand who were dissatisfied with the impractical nature of the education system and the increasing dependence on consumables and “professionals” championed the financial, physical, and mental worth of taking practical jobs into our own hands.

Although the notion of DIY has always been there since (and even permeated into other aspects of culture such as music and mail-order business), it seems we are still to see a rebirth of some description, leading a similar wave of DIY promotion in the British press as seen in the 60s from Watts and Brand.

The Telegraph is one such publication that is eager to highlight the fiscal savings made from Doing it Yourself – and they add some intriguing advice in order to save even more. They advise to search around before buying tools, and to make note of Easter deals and offers likely to be given by superstores such as B & Q and Homebase – these will be advertised on their websites.

Aside from promoting DIY outright, the one thing that seems to be connecting the online and offline press, and the banks, is the essential need to confirm what is covered by your home insurance – and some point out the tasks such as wiring and plumbing may invalidate insurance policies. Additional accidental damage cover may need to be considered – just to be on the safe side.

Sofa Beds

Shopping for a sofa bed can be a tricky game and with so many to choose from, where do you start? The futon was a popular choice in the past but due to their instability and problems of loosing shape over time, sofa beds are now a popular choice as they look and feel more like standard sofas whilst offering comfort and convenience.


As the name suggests, a sofa bed, or sleeper-sofa, typically is a couch which has underneath its seating cushions a metal frame and thin mattress that can be unfolded or opened up to make a bed. So a sofa bed is a piece of furniture that can be used both as a sofa, and as a bed. When the bed is required, simply pull the bed out from under the sofa and like magic, a bed is ready for sleeping. Many people buy a sofa bed to use for visitors coming to stay.

Unlike a standard futon couch which is made up of three separate components such as a mattress, cover and wood frame, the sofa bed is a single unit with an innerspring mattress built in.

Many sofa beds offer the added convenience of storage space where blankets, sheets, and pillows can be kept. Unique color schemes, contemporary styles and extreme functionality make sofa beds an excellent choice for homes that require an extra bed, perhaps for visiting guests.
When shopping for a sofa bed, there are a number of things to look out for or to consider. Firstly, it is highly recommended to consider the size of the sofa bed that will best suit you requirements. In other words, what is the purpose of the sofa bed? Is if it is a couple or an individual? This will determine the size of sofa bed you will buy i.e. king, queen, double or single. Room shape and size is also another important factor to take into consideration so measure your room and have the measurements to hand when shopping for a sofa bed to make sure it fits the room.

Comfort is going to be a very important selling point. You want the sofa to be both comfortable to sit and sleep on. Make sure to ask the furniture store to demonstrate the bed whilst you are there and test it out for comfort sitting and sleeping positions. Many cheap sofa beds have thin mattresses offering little support whilst sleeping causing back pain and discomfort so aim to get the thickest mattress you can to make sure your guest will be comfortable whilst sleeping on it. You will of course need pillows and sheets to fit the bed so bear this in mind.

Another important feature of the sofa bed is convenience so make sure you can pull the bed out smoothly. There is no point in buying a cheap sofa bed that you find a struggle to use.

Doc Sofa Bed - A Cool Versatile Sofa!

This is one hell of a cool versatile sofa and as you will see from the pictures below, it is much more to it than meets the eye.

The Doc Sofa Bed has a unique mechanism that transforms an unassuming sofa into a bunk bed complete with a hideaway ladder and safety rail resulting in sleeping space for two. This "convertible sofa bed taken to new heights" is perfect for small spaces such as lofts or dorm rooms where square footage comes at a premium and multi-function furniture is a necessity. Covers are removable for washing.



I spotted this sofa being sold on Ebay but I'm sure Sofa Workshop and similar sites also sell this sofa.

Amazing Treehouses - Ewoks would be jealous!

Ewoks would be jealous of these treehouses. They include the worlds largest treehouse and cool celebrity treehouses. Did you want to live in a tree house when you were children growing up? What better way to sleep than directly under the branches of a protective tree gazing up at the stars above. And, while some tree houses are minimalist by their very small nature, today’s tree house architects have gone beyond small stature to include tree houses fit for hotel rooms, lodges and restaurants. Check these treehouses out...







Some treehouses certailnly look more strucutally safer than others!


The amazing Yellow Treehouse Restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand pictured below is not only a very cool restaurant but an architectural masterpiece.






Some more crazy, cool and very unusual treehouses....





Tree houses rise to the ‘green’ challenge to become ideal tree homes that do little to no damage to its host tree.































And finally....Swedish firm Tham & Videgard Hansson Arkitekter is the genius behind this incredibly cool and nearly invisible treehouse. Located in northern Sweden, the treehouse more specifically serves as a hotel. The mirrored glass walls provide what I can only imagine to be a stunning 360 degree view....cool!



Sourced from Cool Tree Houses