house Archives - Page 2 of 7

How to Make Your House Healthier with Less Noise Pollution

June 19, 2018 by admin

Soundproofing your house aims to reduce noise levels which results in better rest, better sleep and better mental health. In this article I will talk about different aspects of soundproofing and how it will make your home healthier for you and your children.

The need for soundproofing

Noise is an unwanted or unpleasant sound that can be described being loud, harsh and confusing to the ears. As NIDCD puts it, a prolonged exposure of any noise above 85dB causes gradual hearing loss while the exposure of more than one minute of 110dB or more of noise increases the risk of permanent hearing loss.

These values don’t make sense if you don’t understand how they correspond to the sound level that you may be exposed to. Unless you live in a quiet rural area (40dB) or a quiet suburban (50dB), majority of urban neighborhoods are characterized by loud busy streets, noisy offices, loud heavy traffic, passing subway trains and loud car horns which correspond to between 70dB and 100dB.

Property developers and home builders alike do not take noise seriously as they ought to. This applies to residents as well who only come to think about the sound of their dwellings when health problems like hearing impairment, cardiovascular diseases, sleep disturbances, diabetes and high levels of stress hormones, impaired brain function and hypertension among many others arise.

How to make your home soundproof

Living in a quite environment is possible for you and your children even if you live in a noisy street or next to a highway. All you need to do is improve your home with noise considerations in mind. Sound can be transmitted, absorbed, reflected or diffused and this means that you can create a relatively quiet and pleasant home by balancing all these aspects of sound as follows:

Windows

Windows are major transmitters of noise from outside and this can be minimized by reducing the number of windows or upgrading to sound-proof windows that are designed to stop noise by breaking up the exterior sound waves.

Interior materials

Interior materials that are usually considered luxurious and used on doors and floors can contribute immensely to high sound levels. Such materials include glass and French sliding barn doors, wood and tile floors as well as hardwood staircases.

Avoid this by using soft materials that are known to attenuate sound like fiberglass, acoustic foam, hanging baffles, acoustic partitions and quiet boards among others.

Interior space

One property of sound waves is that they become quieter as they travel further or when an intervening object is placed in their path. An open concept is very convenient when it comes to home entertainment and ease of movement but you will need to consider using large floor rugs and heavy curtains that will help in absorbing sound.

The entertainment system

The entertainment system is usually the source of interior noise in any home. This is especially when you use subwoofers, mount them on walls or place them near sleeping rooms. In such cases, it is mostly children who suffer because they will be deprived of sleep as well as suffer from other health effects that are associated with noise pollution.

Sound pollution is bad for the health of your family especially children and it is important to soundproof your home as a prevention measure to avoid future complications.

Ways to Budget For Home Improvement and Maintenance Costs

June 7, 2018 by admin

When you buy a property, there are a host of costs to think about after you get settled in. If you have a newer home, then these might not come until later on, but if you have an older property, maintenance and improvements may come into play a lot sooner than you think. Although you may have had surveys to check the house before moving in, there may still be things that require a little TLC later down the line. These issues can turn into more significant problems if not sorted in good time, so budgeting for them will help to prevent any surprise costs.

It can be challenging to know precisely how much to put aside each month or year especially if budgets are already stretched so starting with the basics can help get you off on the right foot. Take a look at some of the ways you can start saving more to lessen the maintenance burden down the line.

Plan ahead

No one can predict what will happen today or tomorrow, but you may have some idea of the type of work that might need completing in the near or distant future. Some aspects may be more obvious than others such as knowing your boiler needs repairing regularly or those draughty windows that are letting too much cold air in. There are some that can be planned for in advance and others that might require immediate attention. Determining each can help you plan costs and disruption ahead of urgent action. However, you should always compare prices, especially if you need a big job doing. For instance, replacing your home’s roof can be expensive and a lengthy experience, so make sure to head to a comparison site for conservatory roof replacement quotes or if you need the roof of your main home fixed.

Start building some reserves

It is essential to start building a pot to put money aside for these improvements or general maintenance costs. If you know what type of work might need completing in the future, you will have a goal to work towards. For instance, if you know you’ll need to repaint the outside of your home, which is a large building, or you may need to replace your windows in a couple of years, put a monthly sum of money away. Do this by calculating your expenses, such as rent, utility bills, car payments, cost of living, etc. Calculate a percentage, and then make sure you put this money away in a separate savings account. A separate account will ensure you keep from spending it.

Use credit sensibly

When something goes wrong, you might not have enough to cover the cost of replacement or repair. In these cases, turning to credit cards or loans may be your only step if a family member cannot help out in the interim. If you have credit available, take a look at the deals you have on these resources, as you may be able to take advantage of low rates to provide a buffer. If you want to remodel your home on purely cosmetic reasons, then saving money for this rather than taking out new credit or loans will ensure you can manage your budget effectively and not end up paying over the odds for home improvements.

Budgeting for essential repair and improvement works can help to keep your home in the best condition for your family. It’s good sense to keep an emergency fund in a separate account for such unforeseen reasons. The last thing you want to happen is to live in a home with a broken window or a roof that need urgent tending to.

5 steps to help you clean your home

May 24, 2018 by admin

Cleaning your home is like going into battle with your own house. There’s cupboards full of surprises, coffee stains that will put up fierce resistance, problem areas that you thought were long gone and treacherous conditions caused by dust. It’s a minefield.

How to overcome it? Well, as any good tactician will tell you, the way to win the battle is to come up with a battleplan. A strategy that you believe is so good that your enemies – in this case, clutter and dirt – won’t be able to overcome.

That’s where we’re here to help. Here are five steps to help you clean your home.

Put some music on

First things first – get some upbeat music on. There is nothing more depressing than cleaning with just the sound of a vacuum cleaner and the thoughts of “This is hell” rolling around your mind. Have a look at this cleaning playlist which will help the time fly.

Set about decluttering

The temptation when cleaning is to simply pick everything up and throw it in a closet. Out of sight, out of mind is a technique that might work in some areas of life, but not when it comes to cleaning. Take the opportunity to declutter your home. If you come across clothes you no longer wear or toys that the kids no longer player with, then consider donating or recycling them. By getting rid now, you’ll be ensuring you have less to clean and put away next time the task rolls around.

Be methodical when it comes to dust

Dust is horrible, isn’t it? No matter how hard you try, you always manage to miss a spot. The best way to dust is methodically – go from left to right, top to bottom across every surface in the house, and not just those that appear dusty to you. Something may look clean, but once the sun shifts around or the natural lighting of a room is replaced with artificial lighting from a lamp, you’ll discover areas that looked clean earlier but now are covered in dust. For the faces of framed photos and screens, use glass cleaner to avoid streaking.

Invest in the right equipment for floors

If you are mopping a kitchen or bathroom floor, then start in the furthest corner of the room and move backwards towards the entrance, rinsing the mop after each four-square foot area you’ve cleaned. By working in that way, you’re taking yourself out of the area you’ve cleaned rather than marooning yourself in a corner, surrounded by wet floor. When it comes to carpets, a powerful vacuum or Dry Carpet Cleaner will produce the best results.

Don’t be afraid of what is down the back of your furniture

It’s not enough just to beat down the cushions of your furniture. Use a vacuum to suck up all the dirt and be sure to get right down the back of the sofa. Sure, the prospect of what you mind find down there is a scary one, but you might also be surprised. Who knows, there could be enough loose change for you to be able to hire a professional cleaner for next time? If that doesn’t encourage you to clean the sofa thoroughly, then what will?!

Safety and security products to make your home a safe place

May 20, 2018 by admin

There are many young families staying on their own with both the young parents having to work away from home. They have no choice but to employ live-in maids or part-time maid to look after their little kids while they are at work. As with little children, they are extremely inquisitive and they love to explore all over the places. There are many reports of children injured in accidents in and around the home even with adults in the house.

There are many ways we can help reduce or prevent these accidents from happening to our little ones such as using toddler safety products. You can easily get these safety products from supermarkets, baby equipment shops, home safety products shop, online stores, etc. Most of these products are relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and they are strong enough to prevent hazards from happening.

Before you buy these products, be sure to check out the installation instructions. There is no product that is completely child proof, but these products can help reduce accidents and injuries to our children. There are many types of safety products such as the child monitoring devices to alerts you when your child wanders off from your sight. There are also child locators and bulletproof backpacks available.

For parents who leave their little kids in the care of maid, fixing a hidden indoor security camera is a good way to keep tabs on the movements of the maid and kids while you are out of sight. The hidden camera can be fixed in the child’s bedroom, playroom or any area they frequent.

Hidden camera can also be fixed in different parts of your home to monitor who is coming and going, or sign of trespassers especially when you are away from home. There is no limit what a high quality hidden spy camera can do. It can show you who has been stealing your newspaper from your doorsteps or if there is any uninvited visitors in your compound.

A spy cam usually comes with built-in DVR recorders to smartphone hook ups to motion activated sensors. A spy cam can be disguised as a cute teddy bear or a wireless LCD wireless LCD screen you can watch from your work place.

No home is safe without keeping some home defense weapons at a standby in case of any break in by intruders. As parents, we need to maintain home safety for our family members by installing high quality locks, portable door alarms, emergency systems, doorbell cameras, door stop wedge alarms, etc. There are many types of safety devices we can use for our home such as dog-barking alarms, doorbell security cameras with wi-fi and night vision.

Clever Ideas for Small Baths

May 4, 2018 by admin

It’s true that small bathrooms can be a challenging design project, especially if you have a family. However, that doesn’t mean that you cannot make the most of the space you have, and still create something beautiful, relaxing and functional. There are various tips and tricks that can make designing a small bathroom a truly rewarding process with satisfying results. If you too are struggling to find the best possible solution for your bath, check out the following possibilities.

The question of storage

Usually, storage is the biggest issue when it comes to small bathrooms, but you can approach this task creatively. In the end, if you don’t have enough storage space such as cabinets, don’t feel the need to stuff your bathroom with more cabinets. If the space is small, this won’t look or feel good. Instead, you may utilize vertical space by installing floating shelves. Open shelving looks infinitely better in small bathrooms, and it allows you to grab whatever you need instantly. This is especially important for families with kids. What’s more, colorful towels or bath products can add a personal touch to the overall bathroom design. If you have a bit more space though, you can use storage ladders instead of shelves, or stack wooden/woven crates for an affordable cabinet alternative.

Functionality and order

Functionality and order are two most important features of a small bathroom if your goal is to make it feel pleasant and relaxing. Basically, everything in your bathroom should have its purpose so declutter and remove things that simply make a mess with no real use. Once you do that, it’s important that you create order in your bathroom. You should have a designated place for everything. For example, cleaning agents can be under the sink – if you don’t have a built-in cabinet already, you can use a crate, or any other type of container that fits the purpose. You can use a sink curtain to block these cleaning agents from view as well. Another example are your bath and beauty products. Instead of having everything in a total mess, you can get an angle suction cup shelf that will help you divide your shower products from hair ones, etc. If this is not possible, even a hanging door rack can be useful for this purpose. Just make sure that you keep only the necessities, and know where they are at all times.

Design around the bathtub

When you’re redesigning any room, you should determine a focal point and continue the process from that point. The same goes for your bathroom. Even if your bathroom space is small, you can benefit a lot from a nice bathtub when it comes to both functionality and looks. After all, there are plenty of small and stylish bathtubs available on the market today. What’s more, having a bathtub is very important for families with kids, as the tub allows you to have more control over the kids as you’re giving them a bath, or have to reach for something from the previously-mentioned open shelves. Once you deal with the choice of tub, the rest of design will be easier to plan out as functionally and beautifully as possible.

Creativity to maximize the space

Your choice of colors and other accessories can affect the size of your bathroom visually. So, why not make your small bathroom visually larger and definitely more appealing? In general, keeping the main palette theme in your bath clean and neutral is the best choice. White and other neutral shades are perfect, but you can always add a pop of color. You can do this with bathroom floor tiles if you’re up for a more striking look, or other details such as towels, shelves and hanging racks, curtains, mirror frames, etc. Speaking of mirrors, don’t hesitate to use one that’s as large as it can be for your small bathroom. It will reflect the light, making the space appear bigger. The same thing happens with glossy finish tiles, so if you’re planning to add retiling to the design process, keep this in mind.

Just because your bathroom is small in size doesn’t mean that you should automatically give up on making it as practical and pleasant as it can be for you and your family. The important thing is to work with what you have in order to create the best version of that space. As it’s one of the most important rooms in one’s house, don’t hesitate to put some effort into making your bathroom suitable and comfy.