Home Improvement Ideas From Let Me Build It!

Increasingly, people use wooden decking as an alternative to grass. Once the decking has been installed it requires little maintenance and is also an easier surface to use for outside parties and BBQs.

Some DIY stores sell specialised kits with either wooden planks or tiles. Another choice to take into consideration is the type of wood that you wish to use. As well as natural soft and hardwoods, you might like to take composite decking into consideration. This material is made from recycled timber as well as PVC, and has a reputation for being low maintenance and long-lasting. Another environmentally sound material is Thermodeck. This comes from Scandinavia and is manufactured using only softwoods from sustainable forests. The material is guaranteed to be water-resistant for 15 years.

Spirit levels and hammers will be required in the construction process, as will drills, but once you start assembling the decking you will see that this job is logical and straightforward, especially if you enjoy carpentry and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Most people add on a conservatory in the hope of gaining extra living space.  However, with the bright, open space comes heat in summer and cold in winter.  The lovely grand windows that bring in the light also allow too much energy and heat to escape.  The extra space can provide a great place for entertaining, if the temperature and light conditions can be controlled.  Blinds are the solution most homeowners need to make their conservatory into a comfortable living space that can be used year-round.
 
Tall windows can be difficult to fit.  Custom conservatory blinds are an excellent solution for keeping your living space comfortable.  Vertical blinds fit tall spaces well, and are adjustable, allowing you to let in as much or as little light as you like.  The types of blinds are nearly endless.  Fabric, bamboo, aluminium and PVC are all excellent choices, depending on your home’s décor, coming in a wide range of colours and styles.

Roman blinds add a casual elegance that goes well with a less-formal family style home.  Their simple, fold-up design creates a subtle sense of luxurious style.  Choosing natural, easy to care for materials like bamboo makes looking after for the blinds easy.  Bamboo blinds can be cleaned with a damp cloth and allowed to air-dry.  PVC and aluminium blinds can be treated the same way.

For families who prefer a bit more privacy, blackout blinds are a good choice.  Blackout blinds have a heavy lining to block light, heat and cold, creating a completely controllable, comfortable environment that makes your conservatory an enjoyable living space for your family.  The graceful, clean lines of blackout roller blinds make them the perfect unobtrusive accessory for your conservatory.  Choose from the wide variety of materials available to match your home’s décor and your family’s lifestyle.

Do It Yourself (DIY) tasks do need the practitioner to make an initial investment in a certain amount of tools. These tools can be dangerous, so it is important that they are kept under lock and key. This also applies to paints, garden fertilisers and any other potentially harmful DIY aids.

Power tools can be expensive but they will prove to be invaluable. Most practical work around the house will need you to use a cordless screwdriver or a drill, and some carpentry jobs will benefit from having a specialist tool. A little online research will help you to compare prices, and the reviews will help you make up your mind about the tool’s quality.

Safety equipment is also important. Try to ensure that your ears and eyes are protected, and if you are felling trees or cutting wood outside try to wear a high visibility jacket.

Tool storage is also important. The better organised your toolbox or shed the less likely it is that you will lose chisels, drill bits or your favourite screwdriver. Try to keep your toolbox locked at all times.

There are many things you can do to make your ceiling look more attractive.  If you do not already have coving in place it is a good idea to consider installing it.  Coving is an excellent way to distinguish the wall from the ceiling and gives the room a more complete and finished look.

It is also possible to wallpaper the ceiling, however this can be tricky to accomplish.  If you do wish to go down this route, it is worth considering the overall look you wish to create.  You do not want to add an overly imposing paper to the ceiling as this will make the room feel smaller.  Similarly, if you pick an overly subtle paper it may not be noticed at all, it is all about finding the right balance.

One of the easiest things to do is to paint the ceiling.  This allows you the flexibility of colour choice so you could opt for a paler shade of the colour you have used on the walls, or feature wall.  For large rooms there is also the option of having a design painted onto the ceiling, such as vines or flowers.
 
A ceiling rose can also be fitted and this can be left plain or subtly painted to give the ceiling a focal point.  They can be fitted by using adhesive, or larger ones can be fitted using screws.  They look especially good in older Victorian houses as they would have originally had these features when first built.

Wooden floors look great, however not all floorboards are in a good enough state to be put on show. This is when laminate flooring can be used.  Thanks to the vast range of colours and styles there is bound to be one that suits your personal style.

Before you begin you will need the following items, laminate flooring, trim and skirting, a saw, workbench or something similar, and flooring adhesive.  An underlay needs to be fitted before the laminate is laid.  If you are fitting the flooring onto concrete or tiled floors it is recommended that you cover the floor with a plastic-film moisture barrier.  Because the laminate floor can expand and contract like normal wood, an expansion gap of 10mm should be left by using fitting wedges, or expansion spacers.
 
Starting in the left hand corner, place the board lengthways making sure the short tongued side is facing the wall.  Fit the wedges at interval around the board.  The next board should be placed end-on to the first one.  The short tongued edge of the second board should slot into the long tongue of the first board.  Repeat the process until you reach the other end of the room.  If there is a gap, measure out a board to fit into this space and fit into place once you have cut it.
 
To start the second row, place the board next to the spacer wedge.  Press it forward and down until it locks into place with the existing board.  Now repeat the first process until you have reached the far wall.  For the last row, take a board and place over the last one, nearest to the wall, place a third one on top of it and push this one so it touches the skirting board.  Mark the board to be cut, and fit and repeat, removing the wedges once complete.  The floor trim can then be trimmed to the right length and glued into place.

The standard planting material sold by supermarkets, department stores, and hardware shops is the pre-packaged perennial. This is a root with bare leaves and compost, sphagnum moss or moist peat around the roots. The entire plant is sealed into a labelled polythene bag.

The main advantage of buying one of these pre-packaged plants is that they tend to be a lot cheaper than their counterparts grown in a container are, but there are also a few drawbacks of which buyers should be aware.

First, you cannot see exactly what it is that you are purchasing. With a plant in a pot, you can have a good look and check it out for defects such as disease and malnutrition. In addition, premature growth might have got underway in the warm conditions that may occur inside a shop.

The plant should be completely dormant, and have no leaf buds starting to open, or shrivelled or diseased stems, and neither should there be small, white roots that grow into damp packing material.

Check out the signs as best you can through the material before buying a pre-packaged plant.

There are plenty of different blinds available in many colours and styles that would be suitable for your child’s bedroom.  However, you might find yourself being worried about safety.  There have been rare instances of children being injured by blind cords and chains, and although blinds are a cleaner and more compact alternative to curtains, this is of concern.

However, many retailers sell ‘child safe blinds’.  These are cordless blinds which are spring operated by simply pulling on or pushing up the blind.  They look like roller blinds but don’t have the cord, so are completely safe for use in your child’s bedroom.

Child safe blinds come in a wide range of colours and patterns, so you can be sure that there will be one to suit your child’s bedroom.  It is also possible to buy child safe blackout blinds, so your child can get a peaceful night’s sleep no matter how light it is outside.

Also, the blinds are surprisingly reasonable in price, so you can benefit from peace of mind without having to spend a fortune.

Although one of the more unpleasant jobs in a DIY enthusiast’s repertoire, unblocking a toilet is probably one of the most important. Not many of us can survive long without access to the lavatory and a faulty toilet can soon leave you with pools of water all over your bathroom floor. Luckily, fixing a blocked loo is not the emergency that it might at first appear and can easily be fixed in just a few minutes.

Tools for Unblocking

There are several useful tools if you have a blocked toilet. The first is a plunger, which is usually enough to shift whatever is blocking the pipe, allowing the water to flow away as it should. Stay hygienic and wear rubber gloves, and have old cloths handy for cleaning up any spillages. If the obstruction proves too stubborn for a plunger, you can always buy a plumber’s tool called an auger, a flexible metal rod that can be pushed round the U-bend to dislodge whatever is stuck there. In the unlikely event that neither of these methods work you could try a chemical solution, but read the instructions carefully and ventilate the area well.

When decorating or carrying out home improvements, the quality of the finish depends on how well you work throughout the whole project.  There is little point investing in expensive wallpaper or brand-name paints if corners have been cut during the preparation process.  In order for your newly-decorated room to look perfect, all surfaces, and especially the walls, have to be properly prepared.

Stripping wallpaper can be a tedious job, and if you are redecorating an old house there can often be layers of old wallpaper to get through.  To give your renovations the best possible finish it is essential that every last scrap of paper is removed as any pieces left, even in the corners or by the skirting boards, will affect how the new paper hangs, or will show up clearly in the painted finish.  Hiring a steam stripper for a few days can make the job a lot easier, but there is no substitute for good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Underneath the old wallpaper, you may well find that there are cracks or even small holes in the wall’s surface.  If you are planning to use paint in your redecoration, it is vital that these are covered and filled as smoothly as possible to give an even finish.  Even if you are planning to re-paper, any cracks or holes can become worse over time, affecting the way the paper hangs.

Smooth filler over the cracks using a palette knife or trowel, and push it into any holes, having first removed as much of the loose debris as possible.  Leave the filler sticking out from the wall a little, as this will be filed down in the next stage, sanding down the wall down for a smooth finish.  Finally, you need to give the whole surface a clean before starting to repaint or re-paper.

If you are running out of space in your home, but do not wish to endure the expense and upheaval of moving to a larger dwelling, perhaps you should consider a garden room. A garden room is a self-contained building that can be quickly and easily constructed and installed in your garden by qualified professionals, providing you with a spacious annexe to your house.

Different people use garden rooms for different purposes. Maybe you are going to start working from home? Garden rooms can become inspiring places to spend the working day, and yet you are only a short stroll from home and family. Join the growing band of converts to homeworking. Discover a new life/work balance and say goodbye to commuting.

Other popular uses for garden rooms are extra dining space, games rooms, gym, music rooms, artist garden studios, treatment rooms or just chill-out spaces to relax in a green and pleasant environment.

One of the attractions of a garden room is that most can be built without the need for planning permission. Some restrictions exist regarding boundaries and conservation areas, but these are subjects your suppliers will have experience of and be able to advise upon.

You will love your new garden room so much, so make sure you can use it all year round. By ensuring adequate insulation, double-glazed windows and suitable heating, your garden room will be welcoming throughout the seasons.

Garden room suppliers generally offer a comprehensive service that includes building installation, including electric and data point packages and assistance with planning issues where necessary. Most companies have a selection of ‘off-the-peg’ models that cover many customers’ requirements and tend to be the more cost effective option. However, if your requirements are very specific, many companies will work with you on a bespoke design that suits your needs.