Home Improvement Ideas From Let Me Build It!

Gazebos have been part of gardens for thousands of years; the earliest historical gazebos were in use in Egyptian gardens 5,000 years ago.  The architecture of gardens was drawn on the tombs of Egyptian royals, murals depicting the complete plan of the garden.

The earliest known plan belongs to an Egyptian courtier whose garden design in Thebes has shown that gardens were probably enclosed and had freestanding architectural structures similar to pergolas or gazebos.

Gardens in Egypt were built close to a body of water, either a river or a canal, and were normally used for producing food.  The rich, however, as well as growing crops, could afford to grow trees and flowers, the flowers used to make garlands to wear at festivals and to be harvested for medicinal purposes, the trees to provide welcome shade.  Pools were filled with fish and guinea fowl while pergolas were built in order that vines could grow, producing wine and raisins.

Some historians speculate that early gazebos were actually used as temples; temples were the representation of heaven and the Egyptians believed was the home of a god.  Thus the garden was designed so that sacred trees were planted in front of the gazebo and certain flowers were grown to be given as a sacrifice to the god.

Egyptians believed that when they died, their garden including the gazebos, followed them on the journey to heaven.

An ambitious DIY project, not too far removed from serious property development, is installing a new kitchen. Underfloor heating is a great way to heat it and should only take you about a weekend to do. Don’t worry, it may sound daunting, but it’s hardly the province of architects and you won’t need a degree in engineering. 

Underfloor heating is essentially a heating coil, which is held in position by mesh. All you have to do is unroll the mesh and lay it flat on the floor. When you come to a wall, cut the mesh, but not the wire and come back in the opposite direction, right next to the first strip. Take care not to overlap the wires and avoid laying the mesh beneath kitchen units.

You’ll see that the system has a separate sensor, which must be wired directly into the thermostat. This wiring must pass through an electrical conduit, which needs to be chiselled into the wall and behind the skirting. You’ll need to tidy up afterwards with a touch of painting, decorating and plastering, but no serious building work is involved.

Where the wires enter the conduit through the skirting, apply some silicone to seal the aperture, this stops tile adhesive from setting around the sensor. At this point you’ll need to call in a qualified electrician to connect the system to the mains power.

The final step is to lay adhesive over the mesh and coil matting, put your floor tiles in place and you’re done. If you’re laying a laminate or wood floor, you may have to include an additional layer of Marmox insulation board.

In the past, bathrooms were considered places of pure functionality. However, in more recent times the bathroom has assumed a place as one of the most important rooms in the home. Indeed, apart from the kitchen, the bathroom is probably the place where we spend most of our time.

No wonder then, that more and more attention is being paid to making the bathroom design a refuge from the trials of modern day living.

The rise in popularity of the bathroom spa exemplifies this trend. House owners are increasingly utilising any spare space in the house to enlarge the bathroom and turn it into a luxury area in which to thoroughly relax after a busy day. Indeed, many homeowners view a refurbished bathroom as an investment and one that will pay a good return if and when the property is sold.

Interior designers and bathroom appliance manufacturers have been quick to spot the trend. Virtually every day, new appliances are launched onto the market. Innovations such as the steam sauna, state-of-the-art bathroom sinks and toilets, baths in every shape and hue, underfloor bathroom heating and invisible ventilation systems, have all made their appearance and been quickly absorbed into the mainstream.

In essence, the vision is to turn the once humble bathroom into a luxurious spa. Where once you would only encounter such opulence in a 5-star hotel, new technology and design has completely transformed the way we use and see the bathroom. Today, homeowners from all walks of life have been quick to embrace the trend.

They say that Rome was built on Travertine, which to some extent it was, certainly many parts of it was, including large quantities of Travertine used for the Colosseum which dates back to the year 80AD! Belonging to the limestone family of stone Travertine is a beautiful natural stone which in its purest form is white, but impurities can cause the colour of travertine to vary and to be yellow and brown.

There are many forms of finish to be seen in Travertine which is a stone that is soft and delicate to look at. The classic aged look of Travertine tumbled stone will warm your home. A polished or honed travertine becomes a bit more formal, yet it’s still inviting. The soft earthy hues of this natural stone keep it in tune with nature. The stone surface can be left in its natural state with the small holes and pits unfilled. This is a warmer aged look which will acquire a beautiful patina over time. Leaving the stone unfilled will affect the durability and it can attract dirt much easier than a filled travertine making it harder to keep clean.

Travertine is a long lasting stone and its durability lends itself to all kinds of application, from private homes to commercial developments.  It provides a truly classical look and has a timeless beauty. Travertine tiles are used in flooring and wall cladding and it is a popular choice for bathrooms, kitchens and hallways, as well as being used for external paving and masonry.

To ensure years of enjoyment from your garden gazebo, it is important that it is cared for and maintained properly.  Of course, it depends what material your gazebo is made from.

If your gazebo is made from vinyl then all that is required is an occasional wash with soap and water.  Vinyl gazebos are the easiest to maintain.  Another low maintenance choice is a gazebo made from wrought iron.  Like a vinyl gazebo, wrought iron is maintained with soap and water but benefits from an annual spray of polyurethane spray to preserve the newness of the gazebo.

The most popular choice for gazebos is wood.  To maintain your wooden gazebo keep the structure clear of pants and bushes, trim them regularly to prevent them dampening the wood.  Keep the outside of your gazebo clear of clutter to ensure a constant airflow.

Gazebos that are built from pressure treated wood need the minimum of looking after; apply a water-repellent sealer every two or three years.  Make sure that you apply the sealer to all the exposed wood.  The sealer can be used immediately on buying the gazebo to keep its newness or applied at a later day to allow it to take on a more weathered appearance.

If you decide to paint your gazebo rather than leaving it natural, then wash it with warm water and a mild detergent.  Use a soft bristled paintbrush and be careful especially when the paint is few years old and is starting to peel. 

Water underfloor heating is nothing to do with a system gone wrong, as you may think when you first see it. It is simply one of the two main systems that can be installed when you choose underfloor heating. Water underfloor heating refers to a pipe work system, whereby electricity is use to heat the water, which in turn heats the floor to produce the heat that is needed to keep the house warm. 

A series of pipes are laid, running in snake patterns, across the whole floor plan of the house. At this stage a little attention is needed to room layout, because underfloor heating can be used in all rooms. A good underfloor heating engineer will ensure that there is plenty of pipe work in each room, but it is laid in continuous lengths rather than each room having its own set of pipes, which means that the whole system is easy to control. If you are using a screed type floor you are actually harnessing the heat storing properties of the concrete. This results in some serious savings, both in terms of money, as you will need to heat the house for less time and in terms of fuel consumption, as you will not need to burn so much electricity to heat the water. Water underfloor heating is thought to be the best way to go in new builds where the floor is yet to be laid.

Well, OK, this isn’t exactly a major property development project, but the idea of replacing a bathroom sink sends some DIY-ers into panic. Anything that involves water seems to mean only one thing, ‘Get a plumber.’ Except it doesn’t, this is a project any practically minded person can pull off.

First of all, check that the wall is solid, because a basin screwed into a dry wall is just asking for trouble. You may have to remove an area of plaster and secure a horizontal wooden stud in place to take the weight of the sink. This will mean a little additional painting, decorating and plastering, of course, but it’s not heavy-duty building work.

Put the taps on before you place the sink on the wall. If the new taps don’t meet the copper pipes, use flexible tap connector pipes and remember to use the washers and gaskets supplied with the new taps to ensure they’re water tight.

Check that the sink is level, using a spirit level, but before you screw it to the wall, connect the sink trap to the waste pipe with the fixings supplied. Use adjustable spanners, you’ll need two, to tighten the nuts on the tap connectors; you might also want to add a couple of isolating valves to the hot and cold supplies, they’ll enable you to turn the supply off to the bathroom sink without shutting off the mains. Apply a bead of sealant around the lip of basin where it meets the wall.

No rocket scientists, no architects and no plumbers will be needed for this job.

Granite is an igneous rock which if formed by magma and is a major part of the Earths continental crust; it is typically made up of mica, feldspar and quartz. Granite is hard and durable and has gained widespread use as a constructional material, where it is used for floors, pillars and granite worktops.

Granite comes in many different colours including black, white, brown and red and is caused by differing percentages of the three main minerals mica, feldspar and quartz. This makes every granite deposit unique and gives it its thought after veining and crystallisation appearance.

Once the granite has been excavated from the earth, it needs to be cut into manageable pieces for further refinement. This is no easy task as granite is second only to diamond in hardness, but is generally done by using diamond tipped circular saw and water coolant.

When the granite has been cut into a manageable size its sides are roughly smoothed before being ground and polished. The granite worktops are polished to a glossy, glass like finish then shipped to the granite workshop. From there it can be ordered by a customer to their specific requirements, whether it is for floor tiles or worktops.

The granite has now come from under the ground and ended up as a shiny worktop in your house that is strong and durable enough to last a life time.

Picture courtesy of Granite-Charlotte

In the current economic climate and the impending climate change, saving energy in the home has become a priority for most of us. There are various ways to save energy in the home while being eco-friendly at the same time, here are some of the best ways to save money and help the environment:

•    Fitting roof and pipe insulation; this will keep the heat in your house, saving you money on your heating bills.
•    Upgrading your windows and doors to double glazing. Double glazing can reduce heat loss from your house by up to 50% and is a great way to lower your bills.
•    Buy energy efficient household appliances. Over the last few years there has been an increase in energy efficient products hitting the market from washing machines and fridge freezers to televisions and kettles. Energy efficient products help the environment by cutting down on harmful pollutants caused by energy companies.
•    Changing to energy saving light bulbs; this one is pretty self-explanatory, they save energy and last a lot longer than standard light bulbs.
•    Change your old log fire for a gas fire. Installing a gas fireplace in place of your coal or log fire will cut down on harmful pollutants going into the atmosphere and will also save you money.
•    Cavity wall insulation. This is similar to roof insulation in that it reduces heat loos from the house. Cavity wall insulation is installed by drilling a series of holes in the wall and pumping the insulation into the wall cavity.

There are many more energy saving home improvements on the market, so it’s best to have a look round and see which ones are suitable for you and your home.

As with most things, the cost of underfloor heating is going to vary and the best thing you can do is get a quote. For a professional installation there are two options open to you. 

The first option is to seek out an underfloor heating company that will quote you based on the cost of all materials, as well as the time they take to come and install the system for you. Be sure to obtain an itemised list of what they will and won’t be supplying and the exact terms of their fitting prices, as well as any additional charges should the job run over schedule. The best thing to do is get quotes from three different suppliers, as this gives you a good comparison for establishing the cheapest option. Do not rush out and accept the cheapest price before you have checked that the quotes are comparable.

The other way to get a professional installation is to purchase all the components yourself and then employ suitably qualified tradesmen to fit the system for you. In the case of a water underfloor heating system, you will need a plumber and an electrician and if you are burying the pipe work, you will need to find someone who can lay the floor for you after the main heating system has been installed. It is hard to say which will be cheaper, as costs will vary, so shop around and see what deals you can make; there is always a deal to be done.