Choosing the right water feature

There are many different ways of installing a water feature into your garden and this can often lead to a lot of confusion when you set out to decide on the type of water feature you would like to install. Since water can help increase the humidity in the air, adding a fountain in your outdoor area is a great way to provide a relaxing ambiance in your home. It can also provide a decorative touch that can enhance the beauty of your garden, which you and your family can enjoy.

Most people find it very difficult to decide as to how they should begin the process of installing the water feature in their garden. Since there are many different types and designs of water features which are available these days, it is very difficult for people to simply walk into the store and choose a specific water feature for their garden.

There are many water features which help people in being able to move the water in a particular way; people can choose to go in for the fountain style water features or can choose any other design such as the cascade or stream design which meets their requirements. The basic point that needs to be kept in mind is that the water feature that you plan to install should actually be effective for the type of garden you have. Moreover the design and installation of the water feature should be done in such a way that it complements the entire look of the garden.

Depending on whether you would like to have flowing water or would like to use the water feature for the purpose of storage, you can either choose the fountain or stream kind of water feature or else you can go in for the water storing barrels or a raised pond etc. Some people who would really love the fish and wild life can actually go in for the small ponds in the center of the garden where they can have some fish and turtles etc. Once you are able to decide the specific look and design you would like to go in for, it is going to be very convenient for you to find the right type of water feature for your garden at a reasonable price.

There are many designs in the water features which are available, based on the type of garden you have, you can actually select the one which suits your needs and in comfortable for your pocket. Once you start hunting for a good water feature, you would notice that there are formal collections and there are casual ones, there are practical water features which are simple and effective and there are fancy water feature which may not be that helpful. Therefore it is important that one realizes his options and chose the best from what he looks at.

Another aspect that people need to keep in mind while selecting and installing a water feature is that they need to keep in mind their future plans of any kind of expansion in the existing structure of the house because once the installation is done there are very few changes which can be made without shelling out money, therefore it is always better to install the water feature as per your future expansion plans and the advice of the architect / Landscaper.

L & L offer great advise and fitting services for a wide range of landscaping needs.
www.homeimprovementsdirect.co.uk

Interior painting tips

Interior wall painting is a quick and inexpensive way to transform a room. These interior wall painting tips will walk you through the process, from preparation to the final coat, and help you get the results you desire.
Although painting interior walls seems pretty straightforward, certain things about it can actually be counter-intuitive. For example, did you know that it is better to roll in a W shape rather than straight up and down? The following tips will help guide you in various aspects of interior paint jobs, from paint mixing to ceiling painting techniques.

Paint Mixing involves three things: stirring, boxing, and straining & thinning

Stirring: Stir from the bottom up; this assures mixing of the thinner, clearer layer at the top with the heavier, pigment-laden material that tends to settle at the bottom. To ensure uniform color among multiple cans of paint, boxing (below) is recommended, but not usually necessary.

Boxing: If you have more than one can of the same color, and the color in one differs by even the slightest degree (and this does happen), the difference will show up on your walls. To avoid this, pour all the paint into a five-gallon mixing bucket, stir it, and then return it to the cans. You can also work from one can and whenever it gets down to about half empty, refill it with paint from one of the other cans and stir thoroughly.

Straining and Thinning: Stored paint separates, and if stored a long time, a dry paint layer forms on top. First, remove the dried paint layer with a stirring stick and throw it away. Then stir stored paint to eliminate the lumps as much as possible and pour through a cloth paint strainer. If the paint needs thinning, add water (if latex) or thinner (if alkyd) as necessary.


Prepare the Room
First, remove any curtains or fixtures that can be readily detached from the wall. Either move furniture to another room, or move it to the center of the room you're painting and cover it with drop cloths. Move any loose rugs or floor coverings out of the room and cover the floor with drop cloths or dust sheets.
Clean the wall with water and detergent to remove any dust and debris that might mar your paint job.
Inspect the interior wall surface for holes or cracks. Use putty or spackling compound to fill smaller holes. Larger flaws may require more drastic measures, such as fiberglass tape. Buff the filled areas down with fine sandpaper until they are flush with the rest of the wall. If you're working with a stucco or textured wall, you may wish to use a texturing agent so the repaired section will match the rest.
Cut In with the Paintbrush: When painting interior walls, you want to start at the top and work your way down. That way, there's less chance of spilling or dripping on an area that you've already painted. You also want to keep a wet edge and always work from that edge to avoid striping or overlap marks. For best results, you should cut in and paint one wall at a time before moving on to the next.
Using a paintbrush, apply a strip of paint along the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. Start by pressing the edge of the brush against the ceiling and painting down with firm, steady strokes. Once you have a nice, straight edge along the top of the wall, turn your brush and go back over the paint to smooth it out.
You can use this same technique to cut in around doors, windows, electrical outlets, or light switches.


Painting Interior Walls
Opinions vary about this, but we recommend brushing first, rolling later. And it's definitely better to take care of the ceilings before the walls. You'll want to cover the perimeter of the ceiling and the top perimeter of the walls, as well as areas that cannot be covered with the roller. While brushing, observe the following: dip the brushes to cover only about one-third. Don't rub off the excess on the rim of the can; just slap it there lightly. Holding the brush at an angle, apply the paint in long, overlapping strokes, always keeping the pressure light and keeping the entire tip of the brush on the surface, pulling away only at the very end of the stroke to avoid clumping. The handle should rest in the crook of your thumb, and your thumb and fingers should be grasping the metal band around the bristles. If it's too big to hold this way, hold it by the handle like a tennis racket. Use your angular brush on woodwork and window frames, your trim brush on corners and edges.
Strokes of Genius: Fill your paint tray with paint and run the roller over the ridges in the tray to eliminate excess paint; the roller cover should be saturated but not dripping. Then paint strokes with the roller down and up in a "W" pattern. Each W overlaps the next until the surface is entirely covered. Then the paint is smoothed with non-diagonal strokes, all in one direction (top to bottom on walls; whichever you please on ceilings). This smoothing step is especially important to blend glossy finishes, though it can probably be skipped with flat paint.

Ceiling Painting Techniques

• Working your way across the ceiling widthwise rather than lengthwise, begin painting a series of overlapping W's until the ceiling is mostly covered. (If it's a large ceiling, do this in smaller sections, about 6' x 6').
• Go back over the ceiling (or sections) in the opposite direction.
• As a last step to smooth out the paint, give the ceiling (or sections) a series of light, one-directional, overlapping straight strokes from one end to the other.

For more ideas or if you would like a free quotation visit
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Landscaping border ideas

The Natural Border
It is fairly easy to create a natural border for your garden beds: Just cut out a space between the bed and the grass. The best tool to use for this is a flat-edge garden spade, which can create a clean cut between the existing grass and the garden bed. These can be found at any home and garden store or local nursery. They are relatively inexpensive, but you will find that they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to creating borders.
If you are starting a border from scratch, lay out your border with a string, then follow along with your spade, cutting deep into the existing grass or ground. This will leave a crisp line that designates your garden border. Once a natural garden border is created, it is very easy to maintain by using your spade to re-cut any grass or weeds that have grown in. You can also use a manual or powered edger to trim the borders as well.

Railway Sleeper
As we have seen in the above design notes, timber railway sleepers make an ideal material for constructing walls and terraces.
Cheaper to buy and quicker to construct than brick or block walls, they will form a solid and lasting solution to all terracing needs.
There are two main ways to use them, either vertically, or horizontally. The former is ideal when creating curved walls but is more labour intensive and expensive due to 30% of the sleeper being buried. The latter metod, decribed here, is good for straight walling runs, which lie upon a simple strip footing.
Railways sleepers used horizontally can create solid, linear retaining walls, potentially to any height, although for very tall retaining walls I would recommend a proprietary inter-locking walling system.

Plastic border
Once you have your border, many plastic edging products can help maintain its shape by keeping grass from spreading back in. They are flexible in nature and can be bent into shape and then hammered into place. When properly installed, they are hardly noticed and will maintain a natural look to your garden beds. For example, edgers are available that are actually held in place by the grass roots below growing through it. Many are made with a high-density plastic that are durable and built to last.

Brick and Stone border
To create a more formal look for your garden or walkway, borders made of stone or brick pavers have become a very popular choice. There are a number of styles and shapes. These products are extremely durable, and once properly set into place, they will last for years. The only maintenance will be to periodically remove any grass or weeds that have grown over the border edge. Since the paver acts as a solid barrier between the grass and garden bed, applying a grass and weed killer on a regular basis will keep the border looking orderly and well groomed.

For more ideas and pictures:
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First impression helps to sell your house

Painting the exterior of your home always increases the value, whether your planning to keep or sell your home. In addition to the fresh, new look you create with new paint, an exterior paint job also forces you to make necessary repairs to your home that can actually decrease its value if left unattended.

An exterior paint job when keeping your home will still raise your property value, as well as the property value and satisfaction of your neighbors. Especially if you ever plan to take out a second mortgage or home equity line of credit, you will be putting increased equity into your home by raising its value with a paint job.

When you have your home appraised, peeling paint and rotting wood will lower its value; therefore, eliminating these problems will raise its value in the eyes of an appraiser. Refinishing the outside of your home can increase its value by thousands depending on the size of your house. Since the cost of painting your home is significantly lower than the increase in value it creates, this is a very effective way to make an investment that provides an immediate return.

Whether or not to paint your home before you sell it is a question that many sellers are asking in the current buyer’s market. Since fresh interior paint is often the first thing a buyer will do to personalize their new space, it may seem like a waste of time and money to make such an improvement. Although a fresh coat of paint and the clean look it produces will certainly help sell your home, if a buyer plans to repaint in his own choice of colors regardless, he may not consider your efforts a selling point or a factor that warrants an increase in your asking price.

A new exterior paint job on a home for sale is another story, however. The condition of the outside of your home is the first thing that any potential buyer will see, and first impressions are extremely important. If a potential buyer sees that the outside of your home is rundown with peeling paint, rotting wood, or missing trim boards, his first impression of the house will be that you haven’t taken very good care of the inside either. You can use a fresh exterior paint job to draw people inside to see more, rather than causing them to turn down a showing.

Exterior paint means making necessary repairs too. Before you can paint the outside of your home, there’s usually a lot of prep work to be done. Exterior prep work can include any or all of the following:

Scraping off old, peeling paint
Sanding and primering any bare wood
Caulking any cracks in the woodwork or spaces between the siding and trim
Replacing rotten wood or missing trim
Fixing any damaged or loose siding or trim
While this sounds like a lot of work in order to get ready to paint a house, it should be considered a good thing because it forces you to make repairs that will not only make your home look nicer, but also keep it in solid condition. One of the worst things you can do to the exterior of your home is fail to treat any raw, bare, or exposed wood, since the elements will quickly cause that part of the house to rot. It’s much easier to treat bare wood now than to replace it later.

The constant changing weather conditions cause wear and tear on your house. A hot, sunny climate will cause paint to fade and peel on the south and west facing sides. A wet climate causes wood to rot at a much faster rate than a dry one. And a climate with lots of freezing and thawing weather will do the most damage to a wooden house (and paint job) as the materials expand and contract with the changing temperature.
Visit www.homeimprovementsdirect.co.uk for more information and free quotations.