Patios Perth

Why Patios are So Suitable for Outdoor Fun in Perth

When it comes to patios, Perth residents really appreciate having the chance to enjoy some time outdoors with shelter and shade when necessary.  Perth is in an area of Australia that experiences hot, dry summers and cooler winters. But those cool winters are nothing like many other areas; no snow and little in the way of biting cold wind.

So patios make the ideal way to extend the floor space of their homes and enjoy an outdoor room during the day or evening. The main reason for shelter in Perth is the heat of the sun, which is why many patios come with insulated roofing. Even if there is only one wall, that type of roof acts like a dense, green tree; it keeps the shade underneath pleasantly cool, even on hot days.

Like many areas, Perth gets its share of wind, both hot and cold. So if you are considering adding another wall to the patio to block the cold wind, make sure you don’t also block that cool, refreshing breeze coming in from the ocean in the summer. Then it will be the ideal place to cool off in the late afternoons. Once the patio is installed, think about the best way to furnish it to suit your lifestyle.

Many people add a fireplace to the patio so they can use it even in the winter months. In Perth, a fan would probably be a better option. A comfortable outdoor sofa, a colourful rug underfoot and a table will certainly help to make the area suitable for alfresco meals and leisure time relaxation.

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Components of Interior Design

4 Important Components of Interior Design

When it comes to a high end hotel, getting the interior design right is all important. Without it, your hotel will not be what your guests rightfully expect, even if the food and service is amazing. A great deal of pleasure in life comes from what we see around us, so if that experience is lacking in a hotel, the guests will not be as impressed as they should be. In fact, they will be seriously underwhelmed.

There are 4 main components of fitting out a hotel or any building: –

  1. Fixtures and fittings -includes lights, door knobs, taps and other bathroom fixtures
  2. The furniture – beds, tables, sofas, easy chairs
  3. Soft furnishings – bedding, linen, pillows, cushions, drapes, carpets
  4. The accessories – decorative items such as mirrors, artwork, vases, sculptures, chandeliers, lamps.

Each and every part of these things should be of the very best quality, but they should also be chosen to complement and in some cases, contrast, with the overall decor and style.  This is where an experienced interior decorator will be needed. They have the training and experience to know what goes with what and how it should all be set up to make the most of the space.

Placement is almost as important as the item to be placed.  When things are placed in just the right spot everything integrates as a whole and the room is harmonious. For instance, guests will be comfortable and have everything they need to hand, while being able to enjoy the view through a picture window or from the balcony.

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Heat Your Pool

Ways to Heat Your Pool

While lots of people enjoy their swimming pools in summer and warm days in the off seasons, in many climates spring and autumn are really too cold for swimming in cold water. To get more use from your pool you may want to consider heating the water. This can be done constantly if you use the pool a lot, or occasionally if you are not into swimming every day. Heating the pool means you can jump in for a dip even in the winter.

Here are 3 main ways to heat the water in your pool.

  • Solar heating. This doesn’t use solar panels like solar electricity. It uses rubber matting on the roof of the house. The sun heats the matting and a pump pushes pool water through it. The water is warmed before returning to the pool. This is good for people who live in sunny climates and have a large roof space. It may not be so good an option for those who live in areas where there is often cloud cover. It is most effective if the matting is installed on a north or west facing roof and the area of matting equals about 80% of the pool surface. It may seem strange, but this same set-up can also be used to cool the pool water down, for those who live in tropical climates. The water is simply pumped through the matting at night instead of day.

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outdoor-furniture

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Furniture for Your Needs

There is a lot to consider when purchasing outdoor furniture and to get the most suitable, everything should be taken into account. Things such as your usual weather, if you will want to move the furniture around, if it is to be placed close to a pool and what kind of surface there will be under it are all important. It is a decision that should not be made in haste if you want it to be the best for your lifestyle and climate.

However, there is another important factor and that is comfort. If the furniture is not comfortable you will not want to bother using your outdoor haven no matter how balmy the weather is. So your comfort level should be assessed and taken into account before making the final decision. How? Here are some tips.

  • Think about what chair you find most comfortable to sit in when inside. Is it a lounge chair or dining chair; a bean bag or a bench seat?
  • Do you like to have a soft or firm backrest – or none at all?
  • Do you have a bad back or an injury that needs support when you sit?
  • Do you like to have your upper legs supported as well as your seat?
  • Are armrests essential or don’t you care one way or the other?
  • Is your idea of relaxation putting your feet and legs up, or do you prefer to keep your feet on the ground?
  • Do you love to gather around a big table with your family and friends, or would you prefer to have the chairs spread out with some side tables for when you need them?

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Robotic-Pool-Cleaners

The Benefits of Robotic Pool Cleaners

Everyone who has a pool will know the work involved in keeping the water clean. The PH can easily be changed by leaves, dust, dirt and insects that fall or are blown into the pool. So the task of cleaning it and maintaining the right PH is ongoing. However, robotic pool cleaners can do some of the work.

A pool cleaner can be placed into the pool at night and left to do its job. All the debris will sink to the bottom where the cleaner can scrape or suck it up. That leaves the walls to be cleaned. These should be scrubbed down on a weekly basis so the algae that forms there will fall to the bottom and can be sucked out by the pool vacuum cleaner.

Most people use chlorine and other chemicals as their pool cleaners, however chlorine is not an environmentally friendly solution. These days there are alternatives that make your water so pure there is no need for dangerous chemicals such as chlorine to be added to the pool. Of course, even then you’ll still have leaves and other debris falling into the pool so will need to clean it out.

The long-handled pool scoop is ideal for removing larger items such as leaves, twigs and bigger insects. However, it can’t scoop up fine dust. That is why you have filters in the pump. These too, should be cleaned out regularly for the pool water to remain cleaner. If pool cleaning becomes a daily habit, it will reduce the need for more chemicals.

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Get-Fleas-Out-of-Your-Carpet

How to Get Fleas Out of Your Carpet

Anyone with pets is likely to have fleas in their carpet, whether they allow the animal inside or not. If there are fleas in the yard, there will soon be fleas inside because they come in on your clothing and you don’t even notice. You can also tread flea eggs or larvae in on your shoes or bare feet and because they are so tiny you can’t tell. The right kind of carpet cleaning by a professional company is essential to get rid of this pest.

Actually, professional steam cleaning is the best way to treat carpets when there is an infestation of fleas because it uses hot water that will kill them. The main trouble is that flea eggs become embedded in the floor cracks under the carpet and these can survive if the water doesn’t quite reach them. The eggs can then hatch, even up to 12 months after they were laid. That is why you may think that the carpet treatment didn’t work at all. Treating carpets for fleas is a long term job.

Here are some steps to take that will help you deal with that flea problem.

  • First and foremost, treat your pet for fleas on a regular basis. Never allow the treatment to be done late, not even by a day. Dogs and cats can pick up fleas when they go outside the yard, since they are hosts to this pest.
  • Wash all their bedding in hot water 3 times a week until you are sure no fleas are left in it.
  • Vacuum the carpet thoroughly every day for 3 weeks paying particular attention to the crevices and edges – and get rid of the vacuum cleaner bag each time. If your cleaner is a bagless one, empty the dust into a plastic bag and then spray it with insecticide for fleas before knotting the end. That will ensure no fleas escape from the bin back to your yard.
  • Also vacuum the hard floor surfaces at the same time, making sure to get under the furniture and in the corners.

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Timber-vs-Tiles

Timber vs. Tiles For Your Floor

If you are planning to build a new home you will find many decisions need to be made. One of the more important of these is the materials you want the various components of your home to be made from. But before anything else can go into the home, the floor must be put down, even though the coverings – if there are any – will need to wait until later.

It is important then, to decide what material you will have your floors made from, for each specific roo, such as the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. There are several choices:

  • Solid timber
  • Floating timber that is installed over something else, often done for renovations.
  • Flooring panels that must be covered with something such as carpet or vinyl (although you need a professional carpet cleaning service like www. brilliancecarpetcleaningperth.com.au close at hand).
  • Polished concrete
  • Tiles – ceramic, cork, porcelain or stone

Advantages of a solid timber floor
Solid timber is a very popular choice of flooring, even though it is fairly expensive. It has several advantages; durability, strength, aesthetics and variety in colour and pattern that can be achieved by using parquetry.

For a solid timber floor, you would usually have tongue and grooved planks that fit together and are laid directly over the floor joists. This kind of flooring is extremely durable and long-lasting. It can last a lifetime. Once it is finished properly it will not scratch too easily, but after some years it can be re-sanded and finished to create a floor that is almost new again.

Maintenance is relatively easy with damp mopping and vacuuming the two best ways to keep it clean. Modern finishes mean polishing is not necessary.

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Why Pursue Limestone Floor Tiles

If you are after home improvement ideas, then Limestone flooring features superior comfort all the time. It has the endurance that most people would like. It is also presented in various colors that would match any kind or type. Basically, it will always be a classic flooring selection to pursue. It is recommended with its organic color palette which may always add an old and classic charm to a décor.

Today, there is the modern limestone floor tiles starting to gain attention. This may be cut in large-format. There are times when it can be in plank. Other instances, it may take geometric shapes. This only goes to show that it is really versatile.

The Benefits of Limestone Tiles

It is an efficient substitute for hardwood
Limestone tiles have always been a neutral palette. In appearance, they are highly textured. A tile flooring made up of limestone is a perfect example of natural beauty. It somehow resembles the look of hardwood. With this, one thing is for sure – this property will give user a natural stone product which is hard-wearing and long lasting. This is also perfect for people who want to achieve a modern take on their classic limestone. This tile has the semblance of the natural variations of hardwood. It is just that in this take, it is packed with natural stone. This will add a textured and rustic charm to a room. That is for sure.

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12 Reasons Why Colorbond Roofing is so Popular in Australia

Even in the last decade the popularity of Colorbond roofing has increased by a large margin. There are various reasons for this.

  • Put simply – it looks good. The clean, elegant lines enhance just about any housing style you could think of from old-fashioned country homes to the most modern urban development.
  • You can get it curved so those that want this particular style for the veranda are happy.
  • There are many colours to choose from and many of them blend in with the Australian environment. Various shades of greys, browns, green and creams are taken from different aspects of the Aussie landscape such as eucalypts, mangrove swamps, sand dunes, coastal coves, outback deserts, and even some wildlife colours are used to create a palette of colours to delight everyone.
  • Because there are so many colours it is easy to choose one that will match in with the rest of your home. You can even add a feature wall or fence to match, creating a cohesive look to the whole property.
  • Colorbond roofing is a strong and sturdy material that has been developed especially for Australian conditions, so people know they are getting a product they can trust.
  • Many people are also happy to support an Australian company by purchasing their products.
  • It has thermal properties that help to reduce the costs of heating and cooling a home over its lifetime.
  • It is ideal for bushfire prone areas as it is fire resistant and provides few niches for live embers to get stuck in. Rather, they blow off or go out before they can set fire to your home.
  • It is low maintenance, so you spend less over the lifetime of the product.

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A Safety Guide To Avoid Hazardous Plants For Residential Landscaping

What is Residential Landscaping?
It is the art of decisively changing the natural features close to your residence for the purpose of making them more beautiful and useful. Moreover, residential landscaping is the best way to alter the region adjoining your house into your own individual ecstasy, so you have a soothing place to come home to after a tiring day.

In order to have the beautiful and blossoming landscape, one can either hire a professional landscaping designer if one is unaware of the ways to alter the surroundings as an expert will have the proper knowledge and skill to carry out the activity in a much skilled manner.

While performing the process of residential landscaping, it is important for a gardener to differentiate between the plants that you should grow and avoid. Planting hazardous plants might not only have a bad impact on its other fellow plants but might spoil the land as well. So it is necessary to find and conclude, which plants can prove to be dangerous to grow.

The following few plant, trees, and shrubs should be avoided for a hazardous free residential landscaping. They are explained in brief.

Annuals:

  1. Elephant ear: The botanical name of elephant ear is Colocsia esculenta. The entire plant is poisonous and dangerous.
  2. Easter lily: The botanical name of Easter lily is Zephyranthus spp. Easter lily also is completely toxic and unsafe.
  3. Morning glory: Ipomoea spp. is the botanical name of Morning Glory. The seeds and roots of Morning glory are toxic.
  4. Impatient: Impatiens spp. is the botanical name of Impatient. Its stem, leaves and roots are harmful.

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