Author: CVG (Page 1 of 4)

Designing your Swimming Pool

Creative Ideas for Designing your Swimming Pool

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On September 27, 2019

In Building & Construction, Landscaping, Swimming Pools

Residential swimming pools are no longer a mere luxury commodity. Small homes and tiny backyards are also becoming ideal places to design and install cozy and compact pools. The key factor to be taken into consideration is the special arrangement of the home and its surroundings. Accordingly, a number of ideas can be put together to design your swimming pool effectively.

Some of the popular ideas have been collected and compiled by us, so you can benefit from them.

  • In-ground pools – Pools like these are designed to be exactly at ground level, and you can quite literally just walk into them. These pools can be created out of a number of materials like fiberglass, concrete or even vinyl. Adding trees and tall plants along its borders and edges can increase the mysterious look of the pool.
  • Indoor pools – If your home does not have a lot of outdoor space, but you would love to take a dip anyway, it is an ideal plan to move your dream pool inside your home. Indoor pools are the answer in such situations. Besides, you can enjoy long hours in the water without the worry of being exposed to too much sunshine or harsh weather conditions.
  • Ceilings for indoor pools – You might want to replicate the night sky in your indoor pool. The best way to do this is to install LED fixtures in the ceiling of your indoor pool. Additionally, you can also paint your ceiling with radium paints to make them resemble a star studded sky.

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Glass Pool Fence

How Often Should I Clean My Glass Pool Fence?

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On May 30, 2019

In Glass & Glazing

Glass pool fences are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. However, it’s important to make sure that you look after your glass pool fencing properly, otherwise it simply won’t look as good as it could.

Building & Construction experts jsbearthmoving.com.au advise that one of the best ways to make sure that your pool fencing continues to look great for years into the future is to clean it every few weeks or so. Regular cleaning will keep your pool fence looking great, and will prevent it from wearing excessively and becoming run down. However, a lot of people don’t know exactly how often they should clean their pool fences.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a short guide to help people living in different climates decide when to clean their glass pool fence. We’ve also included a short section on how to clean your pool fence.

How Often Should I Clean My Pool Fence?

Ultimately, how regularly you should clean your glass pool fence will depend on where you live and what sort of climate your fence is exposed to. Below we’ve broken down cleaning timelines into three main climate/condition groups:

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Installing a Pool Blanket

Pros and Cons of Installing a Pool Blanket

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On February 8, 2019

In Swimming Pools

Pool covers or blankets as they are often called have many advantages, yet most people with a pool in their backyard don’t use them. There are two main reasons for this; people don’t like how they look, or they don’t have enough room to install one. Budget may also be important. Most people would prefer an automatic pool cleaner over a blanket.

However, because they are not all that common, many people would not realise just what the advantages of having a pool cover are. Here are the pros and cons of pool covers.

Pros

  • If you live in a climate where winter comes early and the sun is often not hot even in summer, using a pool cover will increase the water temperature by around 4 degrees, making your swim much more enjoyable.
  • It saves a great deal on the cost of heating water in a cooler climate.
  • A pool blanket will keep leaves and twigs out of the pool, making it easier to clean and reducing the amount of chlorine needed to get the pH up to scratch.
  • It reduces the consumption of chlorine because UV rays degrade it. But plastic keeps the UV rays off the water.

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Red tape, acts of God and realistic completion dates

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On July 24, 2018

In Building & Construction

There is a saying that ‘to be forewarned is to be forearmed’. One of the most frustrating and disappointing aspects of having a new home built is that the whole process sometimes can drag on for what seems like forever. Of course you need to get your expectations in order. If you have a completion date provided by an experienced and expert builder, generally speaking you will know pretty much exactly when you will be able to move in. From that information you can set your expectations. But don’t allow your expectations to run away from you. It may all end in tears when the job is not finished on time.

Red tape is everywhere

Now there are different aspects to the red tape associated with the building of your new home. You need to get approval to build a home in the first place, your builder needs to get permits for various parts of the building process, the contractors will need to comply with building codes, for example the glazing contractors like www.amacshowerscreens.com.au will need to install glass, such as shower screens and mirrors to the correct safety standards and you need to get a clearance from the building inspectors at various stages of the build and finally, when your house is finished, you need to get what is usually called a certificate of occupancy. This is the final piece of red tape which allows you to actually move into your new home.

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Fire Protection

How Often Should I Service My Fire Extinguisher For Optimal Fire Protection?

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On July 20, 2018

In Maintenance

Workplace safety is an extremely important consideration in the modern world. In many cases, fire protection is up there among the most important aspects of workplace safety, mainly due to the unpredictable, dangerous nature of fires. A lot of people will argue that fire protection should include a fire action plan, an evacuation plan and a range of fire protection equipment – such as fire extinguishers.

It is essential to remember that you can’t just install fire safety equipment and then forget about it. Things like fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems need to be serviced regularly to make sure that they remain in good working order, and that they can be used quickly and effectively by everyone in the workplace.

Why Do I Need To Service My Fire Extinguishers?

Things like fire extinguisher servicing is very important as they do need to be maintained to a high standard. Fittings and seals can degrade over time, and the contents of an extinguisher can go bad eventually. Regular servicing by a trained professional will help to make sure that your extinguishers remain in working order throughout the year.

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Where to Spend Your Money in a Home Renovation

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On May 22, 2018

In Building & Construction, Property Investment

With the value of real estate finally on the rise again, many Australian homeowners are starting to once again look into doing home renovations to improve the value of their properties. For years people have been putting off employing a landscape design company or doing a full home renovation project, to avoid putting more money in their home without seeing a similar increase in its value. However now, with the market slowly and steadily recovering, renovation projects are once again a smart way to increase the value of your property.

Finding something to remodel or upgrade in your home is typically the easiest part of the process. It is easy for anyone to point out the areas that they are not happy with or wish to upgrade. It is far more difficult to know which projects to pick, both for your own enjoyment and the resale value of the home. When working with limited funds to renovate a home, it is important to pick and choose the projects that will really make an impact. Upgrades in a few key areas of the home can make a big impact on the property value, without blowing the budget.

Makeover the Kitchen for a Big Impact

The kitchen is always referred to as the heart of a home, making it a great place to invest your renovating budget. You don’t have to be a professional chef to appreciate the beauty of a high quality kitchen renovation. A gourmet kitchen will not only be the most important room in the house, but will also become the favourite room to spend time with the family, it will become a more functional space where cooking becomes much more enjoyable.  Not only will the new kitchen look swish, it will be the first thing that prospective buyers look at should you decide to sell your home further down the track.

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Home’s Plumbing

Time to Update your Home’s Plumbing

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On April 15, 2018

In Plumbing

Unless you live in a fairly modern, recently built home, you probably won’t know a lot about how your plumbing system is getting on. Yes, it’s working, and you know a bit about certain parts, but not many homeowners really know the status of their water system. If there seems to be a bit of ‘hubble, bubble, toil and trouble’ might indicate a system overhaul and give you the chance of reaping the benefits of a new plumbing system.

The Signs that your Plumbing System needs to be Replaced

J Sutton Plumbing know all too well that home catastrophes are unpleasant surprises, so it might be a good idea to know what signs to look for before you are confronted with a burst pipe.

Colour of Your Water – If your water supply through the tap starts to look a bit reddish or rust coloured, it might indicate some corrosion in the older pipes. That’s not something that can be ignored as that may lead to a burst pipe and then you are looking at emergency plumbing repairs rather than a planned installation. Deteriorating pipes can sometimes be detected from foul smells due to rust or mould.

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How Hard Can Landscaping Be?

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On March 16, 2018

In Landscaping

If you believe that art imitates life, then a quick scan of the TV Guide will have you believing we can all sing, cook, renovate, dance, lose weight, catch alligators, find antique bargains and of course, landscape our gardens to manicured perfection. So how hard is landscaping anyway? And what, precisely, is it?

Make no mistake, landscaping is a very lucrative industry and there are literally dozens of providers in any local area and hundreds, even thousands in each state. Some focus on the big end of town and do corporate work for big firms, making the surroundings of their factories and office complexes blend in harmoniously with the bush land (or urban) setting of their new premises. Others work out of a ute and a mobile phone with just an ad in the local rag and perhaps a Facebook page put up for them by the wife.

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Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles

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On October 7, 2017

In Cabinets

These days, we have so many choices when it comes to kitchen cabinets (and every little aspect of them), that it can be tempting to give up and just choose one without a whole lot of thought. But once you start to carefully consider the different materials, finishes and colours that are available, you’ll begin to form an idea in your mind of the type of cabinets that will best suit your kitchen and lifestyle.

The cabinet doors are one of the most noticeable parts of your kitchen, so making the right choice will pay dividends in the long run. The cabinet doors need to fit in well with your overall kitchen design and renovations. Luckily, the doors are generally available in a huge range of finishes and colours, as well as materials and designs. You can get matte styled cabinet doors, glossy type, textured or natural timber.

If you have a traditional styled kitchen, such as country decor or traditional European style, cabinet doors that are hand painted can lend an incredibly authentic feel to the room. It also allows you to truly customize the colours of the kitchen cabinets. Some of the most popular kitchen cabinet options are of course solid timber, as well as timber veneer doors.

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6 Tips for a Backyard Makeover

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On May 16, 2017

In Landscaping, Outdoor Living

Backyards are an extension of your home, when they are carefully planned and landscaped they can become an outdoor oasis, another living space where you can spend quality time with family and friends.

Here in Australia we are fortunate to live with beautiful weather for most part of the year, allowing us  to create wonderful outdoor spaces for living and entertaining. If you are considering giving your backyard an overhaul, it may seem a bit daunting; however there are many simple things that you can do that will improve the look and feel of your outdoor space.

We’ve thought of all the things that we love about our favourite gardens and balconies, and have come up with some ideas to help you create your own green sanctuary.

Lawn matters

If your garden seems to have more weeds than grass, it might be worthwhile to lay down some new turf and get a decent reticulation service. This is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to make an instant, bright change, and it will also create a safe, soft place for little feet to play. New homes can benefit from laying down turf, for it is an inexpensive way to green things up while you wait for all your other garden additions to grow.

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Why buy a house and land package?

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On May 2, 2017

In Building & Construction

This is an interesting situation and like so many things in life you need to compare apples with apples. One common situation you might come across after spotting all the builders display centre flag poles is when a builder offers a house and land package.

The builder owns a number of blocks and for the one price you get your block of land and your house built on it. At first sight it sounds like a darn good idea. You don’t have to go around looking for a block of land and then, having purchased it, start looking for a builder. With a house and land package you may well be dealing with the one person.

But every house and land package is not the same. Every builder is not the same. So what are the pros and cons in this situation? Let’s talk about changes to the contract, let’s talk about variations. Some builders who offer a house and land package have a very fixed view on what you get for the price. They would argue that the price is as low as it is because they don’t allow for variations. You may want to change the colour scheme or have higher ceilings or a different type of floor covering or you may not want to have the landscaping which comes with the contract.

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New or Remodeled Kitchen

By

On April 1, 2017

In Cabinets

Should You Get a New or Renovated Kitchen?

If your current kitchen has grown old and tired, and you know it’s at the point of needing an update, the big question is: do you remodel your current kitchen, or do you install an entire new kitchen from scratch?

How much money you have to spend will largely determine how far you can go, but in many cases when you engage professional cabinet makers, a new kitchen can come out costing a very similar amount to a re-modelling job. Therefore your decision will likely be based on just how much you think you can salvage from your current kitchen, versus how much you desire a totally fresh new look.

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The Finishing Touches For Outdoor Design

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On March 19, 2017

In Outdoor Living

According to Space Designs, outdoor design is not just about landscaping the garden; it is about creating an area that you can use just as much as something to be admired.  The latest trend is to build an outdoor alfresco area along with any landscaping. In fact, this outdoor area is encompassed within the whole and the finishing touches are the kind of outdoor furniture you choose for this area.

You’ve already decided on the kind of outdoor area you want, with the floor, overhead covering, lighting and other details. The alfresco furniture is an important finishing touch that must meet certain requirements too.

    • It should be comfortable to sit on and use. Without comfort the whole area will be used less than you intended. No one wants to sit on hard seats that offer no support for their back, so choose your furniture with comfort in mind.
    • It must withstand all kinds of weather. You won’t want the job of bringing furniture inside and taking it out every time you want to use it. It should be weather resistant so it can be left in place, otherwise eating outside or even enjoying some relaxation will become too hard.
    • It needs to tone in with the surroundings. Not all types of furniture suit specific outdoor designs or renovations.

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The Difference Between Smooth and Rough Texture Stone Cladding

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On May 24, 2016

In Building & Construction

Limestone is a sedimentary rock made from layers of calcium carbonate from organic matter, usually in the bottom of a shallow sea. It is pressed into a dense mass over many years by the pressures above it.  Some types are very hard, while others are not so hard, depending on where they come from.

Limestone is one of the most popular building materials these days, with its durability and strength as well as the many beautiful finishes that enhance many building projects. One of the main attractions is that you can have either a smooth or a rough texture for stone cladding.

This is achieved both through the cut of the tiles and through their placement. For instance, rough cut tiles have a finish that is rough to the touch, while you can run your hand easily over the smooth textured tiles and it will have a more silky feel.

Usually, the rougher tile is used for fencing or external feature walls while the smoother texture is great for flooring, indoor cladding and features such as a barbecue, seats or tables. The smooth tile is good for floors because it can be more easily sealed.

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profit-on-your-rental

How to Ensure Your Rental is Profitable?

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On May 13, 2016

In Property Investment

The only way you can start to make a profit on your rental is to get it leased out. This means you need to have a home or commercial building that presents well; it must be spick and span, with no obvious faults and definitely not shabby-looking. So property maintenance is the order of the day as soon as your present lessee calls in the removalists and moves out. Of course you have to make essential repairs while tenants are in your rental, but there are other things to do that can’t be done until it is vacant.

Walls get shabby after a house has been lived in for some years. Cleaning doesn’t always make them look any better. Repainting the interior will make your rental look like new again, with more modern colours and that new look and feel. Some homes also need new carpets or other floor coverings and new curtains or blinds to make them look like a home.

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cvg.net.au brief-history-colorbond

A Brief History of Colorbond

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On February 3, 2016

In Building & Construction

Colorbond steel roofing and walling is a firm favourite today for new homes or renovation and re-roofing projects – and it has an interesting history. Way back in 1843 a bright spark in England realised that making corrugations in a thin sheet of steel strengthened it considerably. Corrugated iron, as it was called in those days, made an ideal building material because it was so light and could stack easily for transportation. It didn’t even need to be painted, although many people did paint it just to enhance its looks.

Within a decade of its invention it was brought to Australia by John Lysaght where it quickly became the most popular building material around. It was affordable, durable, quick and easy to erect and could even be transported on camels. Many buildings were made totally from corrugated iron for these reasons. Some were painted but most were not; why spend money on paint when it was not necessary?

It took a whole century before a way was found to bond paint to the galvanised iron. Two companies in America worked together on this aspect; Lithostrip Corporation in Chicago and Pre Finish Metals. It was once again John Lysaght that brought the technology to Australia. He and others invested a great deal of time and effort, not to mention finances, into getting the product just right for Australian conditions. They had to build a factory to work in and this was located in Port Kembla, Wollongong. It was 1966 when the first roll of coloured steel came off the painting line and became the talk of the industry.

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dusty-carpet-cleaning

First Aid for Your Carpet During Renovations

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On October 17, 2015

In Renovations

Having renovations done to your home can increase the value and enhance your lifestyle, especially if it gives you more room. But if those renovations are internal, your carpet will be likely to suffer. Why? And carpet cleaners will tell you that a carpet acts as a filter that takes all of the dirt and dust in your home and hides it within the fibres.c

This happens because those little bits of crumbs and any sticky substances on the floor or even particles from outside stick to your shoes or bare feet – until you walk on the carpet. The carpet fibres act as a brush and sweep your shoes and feet clean, but the dirt stays in the carpet until you clean it out. So what about when you are renovating?

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Wooden Flooring

5 Reasons to Choose Hardwood Flooring

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On October 17, 2015

In Architecture & Design, Interior Design

Tiled floors. They were a trendsetter in the flooring of a house for years. Not a bad idea either when you lived in a hot or warm climate. They were cool to walk on, a bit frosty on the toes in the mornings, but a few rugs positioned near the bed usually fixed that problem. But according to Extrudawood, tastes are changing and timber flooring is becoming a stronger preference each year.

Whу Chооѕе Hаrdwооd Floors ?

  • They are a hеаlthу alternative – due to it being a natural product, wooden flooring is a biodegradable product. Dust mites, dirt, and other such allergens can be normally found in carpeting but find it hard to hide anywhere on a timber floor. Technology has come a long way as well, and there are a lot of water-based products developed to enable homeowners to apply a finish to their hardwood floors that are safe and odourless.
  • The Overall Cost – When you opt for wooden flooring, it’s a lifetime commitment. In addition, it adds value to the home. While your home increases in value, so does the investment. Proper maintenance on this home improvement increases the longevity of the home. This makes it a very popular choice for new home construction as well as for renovations.

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maintain your fence

How to Maintain Your Fence

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On July 23, 2015

In Fencing

Just like a house or any other construction, a fence needs a certain amount of maintenance if it is to last well.  According to fencing contractors Eline Fencing, what you’ll need to do depends on what kind of fencing you have, but a steel panel fence is one of the easiest to maintain.

Here are some tips on how best to maintain your fence

  • Steel panel – the main problem with a steel fence is rust, but if you keep the bottom clear of soil and mulch, it shouldn’t rust for many years. Never bank soil up so that it rests against the bottom of a steel fence, and don’t dig a channel for it to rest in when erecting it. Once the newness wears of and the colour starts to fade, it can be painted, but use a paint that is suitable for steel. Don’t use water based paint. Never paint over any rusted surface as the paint and rust will just come off.

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Lower Mortgage

How Financial Planning Can Reduce Your Mortgage

By

On April 12, 2015

In Home Finance

It is said that those who fail to plan, plan to fail.  While that might not be quite true there is certainly some truth in it, especially when it comes to finances. If you don’t do at least some financial planning in your life, it is highly unlikely that you will reach your goals. You may think that having a career that pays well is all you need, but most financial advisors will point out the numerous people on high wages that are strapped for cash, simply because they don’t plan their finances.

A mortgage is one of the largest costs most of us will ever have to pay. It takes many years to pay it back and is quite a struggle for some people. Others flounder and fail, losing their home and going bankrupt. This could often have been avoided with advice from a financial planner.

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