The Types Of Windows Styles And Their Characteristics

Home Improvement

The Types Of Windows Styles And Their Characteristics

When you are choosing the windows for your home, you can choose a variety of different styles, frames, glazing characteristics and energy-efficiency options. One of the best companies for this business, Wandsworth sash windows, recommend you to consider the different styles so you could find the one that is most appropriate to you.

At the same time, it is not recommended to mix the different styles, as it will disrupt the overall look of your property. Therefore, we have prepared a small guide on several types that you can consider and analyze before you decide to choose one.

Double-hung windows

Retro Window On The Retro House
Old House With Black Window

The double-hung style is one of the most common styles that you can find all over the world. These consist of two frame units with the glass that can slide up and down. You can find these in all classic style houses but also in modern homes. The classic ones usually use the weights that serve as the counterbalance and these are hidden in the wall, behind the moldings. The modern ones use hidden springs that serve as the counterbalance.

PROS:

· A lot of different models
· Not too expensive
· Easy to use;

CONS:

· Springs wear out quickly
· Huge windows have low-security level.

Casement windows

These use the hinges (like those on the doors) that enable the windows to open horizontally. Usually, the one side stays in the place, while the other side moves along the X-axis and serve as the door. These are very popular and can be found in both modern and traditional homes. One thing that is great about these is they provide a great ability to catch some breeze, due to their concept of work.

PROS:

· Great when you want to “catch breeze”
· Narrow space makes it hard to enter for intruders
· Much better and stable than the double-hung;

CONS:

· Strong winds easily break them
· Common problems with mechanisms.

Slider windows

New House With Beautiful Window
Big Window In The House

One of the most popular styles is the slider style. These contain simple mechanisms that allow easy sliding left-to-right using the bottom tracks that are mounted on the window pane. These were highly popular during the 1950s and 1960s but this style remained popular even today. It is the best style for people who need to open and close frequently.

PROS:

· No mechanisms – no problems
· Cheap;

CONS:

· The bottom tracks must be cleaned frequently
· Do not come in all sizes.

Fixed windows

This style is very popular in the cities and buildings where the light is imperative. One thing that is special about these is that they offer a fantastic energy-efficiency as these are sealed permanently. These allow light to enter freely and use a pane that is placed within the frame. However, these cannot be opened. You can find them usually in the places where the good view is needed and ventilation is not a big problem.

PROS:

· Great sealing and good energy-efficiency
· Modern
· Cheap;

CONS:

· No fresh air as they are fixed/sealed
· Can provide a lot of heat during the summer.

The Effective Tips For Your Cleaning Business

Tips

The Effective Tips For Your Cleaning Business

When you own some business, you always look for the ways that could improve your business and deliver better results to make more money, right? Well, we have had talked to one of the best companies that offer a cleaning service in Chelmsford and they shared with us some of the useful tips that can improve your cleaning company’s performance.

In case you own the cleaning company, you know how hard is to maintain among the competitors. That is why we have decided to share some of the useful tips with you!

Get your business personal

As there are a lot of similar companies, you need to find a way that will make you distinguished and one of the best ways is to offer personalized service. As a first thing, implement the free estimate. This free estimation will allow you to get insight into the property you need to clean and therefore to plan the time for it and the price as well but also makes room to charge the different price for the different area/house that you will clean.

Preparing For Cleaning
Buckets Is Ready For Cleaning

Also, please spend some time with the clients to understand what they want. The customer service is very important in this business. Some clients will require you to use a specific cleaning agent, as the allergies of the clients may prevent you from using the standard cleaning agent. The more you talk to them, the more precise plan you will build and therefore, you will offer more personalized service.

Plan schedule carefully

Your schedule has to be clean and tidy, so you could manage to finish everything on time! The worst thing that happens is when you make an appointment for a certain client and then you forget about him and add another client at the same time. Try to schedule smaller properties earlier in the morning and leave the bigger ones for the afternoon.

The point is that you also have to consider the client’s time so make sure you develop a precise schedule so no one suffers because of the lack of conversation. Talk to them and find the solution, as well as the perfect time, that suits you and your client.

Use high-quality products

Cheaper products may be your initial equipment when you start, but the distinguished clientele recognizes high-quality products and they will know that you are serious about your work. Yes, the non-toxic and eco-friendly chemicals are much more expensive but do not save on these products.

Carpet Cleaning
Carpet Cleaning For New Home

Buy high-quality products that would not cause any health problems, as this is the last thing you want to do to your clients! If you do something like this, you can forget about them!

Use the advantages of marketing

The advanced technologies help us to use the power of marketing and expand our business. If you are not a skilled web designer, consider hiring someone to create the website for your company and do the SEO.

The good SEO can drastically increase your work volume, especially when you have good references included. If you have this business, consider investing some money into the marketing strategies to attract more customers and increase your pay!

best-cordless-vacuum-dyson-cyclone-v10

Home Cleaning

The 3 Best Vacuum Cleaners That Will Not Squeeze Out A Lot Of Money

Vacuum cleaners are the inevitable part of the house cleaning kit and every house has a one for the cleaning purposes. Shark Rotator NV752, for example, is one of the best ones that you can get, though it is made for commercial use.

Still, when it comes to cleaners, you need to consider several things before you decide to buy one. In this article, we will present few good ones, with their pros and cons so you could know which one you should get yourself. All three of them can be used both for commercial and residential cleaning as these are high-quality vacuum cleaners that are worth every bill.

Bissell CleanView 9595A

If you are on the budget but need to get a good vacuum cleaner, look no further as this one can offer everything you need at the reasonable price. It gives fantastic suction, cool design and durability.

Bissell CleanView 9595A
Best Bissell CleanView 9595A on market

It usually comes in black color, whereas the container has a purple color. Though it is not cordless, it gives you 25-foot cord. At the same time, its lightweight (15 pounds) allows you to move it around the house easily!

PROS:

  • OnePass technology with strong suction
  • Multi-cyclonic system that provides good airflow
  • Multi-level filtration system
  • Turbo brush tool that ensures effective upholstery cleaning

CONS:

  • A hose is not so flexible
  • Does not have HEPA filters.

Shark Navigator Pro NV356E

One of the best brands for residential cleaning is, of course, Shark Navigator! This model offers a lot of conveniences while its price does not go over the average. This white vacuum cleaner is a thin model that comes with 5” hose, which can be stretched up to 25” if needed.

Shark Navigator Pro NV356E
How to use Shark Navigator Pro NV356E

The lift-away function converts it easily into a canister that you can hold with your hand. While weighing 13.7 pounds, it allows you to carry it easily wherever you need to. Also, it has the automatic settings for upholstery/carpet/floor cleaning, as it recognizes the type of material on its own.

PROS:

  • Perfect for bare floors and upholstery/carpets
  • Never Loss Suction technology that separates debris from air
  • Lightweight and easily converted into a hand-held cleaner
  • HEPA filters

CONS:

  • Does not have any indicating light
  • Not really good for damp areas.

Hoover PortaPower CH30000

If you are looking for a high level of portability while having a good suction force, then Hoover PortaPower CH30000 is the right model for your needs! It comes with plenty of accessories, including a shoulder strap that allows you to wear it on your body and clean the room easily. However, it has a cord which means you need to use wall plugs. Still, it is extremely lightweight (only 8.3 pounds) and gives you 33 feet of cord length.

PROS:

  • 2.2 horsepower motor, with strong suction force
  • Reusable bags for dirt and dust
  • Good for all types of areas and materials

CONS:

  • A bit of shorter cord
  • Not good for elderly persons.
New-Home-Jitters

Home Improvement

Just Bought A New Home? Do Not Forget To Buy These Tools

When you buy a new home, especially one that has no additional equipment like screwdrivers and drills, you must know that you should also buy the equipment that you could eventually need. Whether you are working on applications for Spiral Wound Gasket or a round table, you should be equipped with the right tools. Although we had talked in some previous posts about the tools you must have for the home improvement projects, in this article we will list the tools that you must have when you buy a new home.

A battery-powered drill

Yes, this is one of the first tools you should buy as you never know when you could need some drilling for hanging a painting, a shelf or connecting the two elements on your walls. For the convenience, as well as the price, a battery-powered drill will be enough for smaller projects and needs.

Drill
A battery-powered drill

We recommend you to buy Phillips drill, along with slotted and squared drills to make sure you can perform different types of drilling. Always buy a new drill and new sets, as the price is not so different used and a new one.

An adjustable wrench

If you are not a big fan of home improvement, you will probably never need a whole set of wrenches. Instead of buying the whole set, you can buy one high-quality adjustable wrench and cover all the sizes of bolts and nails.

An adjustable wrench tool
An adjustable wrench

The high-quality ones have a self-ratcheting screw so they can adjust to the bolts easily, without any effort of adjusting them. This wrench will be just enough for all your projects and everything you could eventually need to hold, tighten and screw.

Hammers

When gearing up your set of tools, the inevitable part of this set is a hammer. There are many different types and sizes of hammers, but you would need more a pin hammer, which is lightweight and it is primarily designed for the in-house projects.

top-best-hammer
Hammers

However, it is not a bad idea to have a big and heavy claw hammer, in case you need to work with bigger nails. The claw hammer is usually used in some projects outside of the house, but it does not cost a lot.

The extension cord

This one is often omitted when selecting the gear for your toolbox. The extension cord come in handy when you need the additional sockets for your tools (hammer drills, electric saw or any other electrical tool) to avoid using the one socket for different tools.

Instead, plug all the tools in and use them all at the same time. Make sure you buy a high-quality cord to avoid possible fire and short-circuiting.

Step stool/ladders

This is beneficial part of your home toolbox set as it can provide the additional weight if you need it to work on higher levels. How many times you had a situation to change a lightbulb but you cannot reach it from your sofa or a chair? Buy an aluminum one as these are lightweight and provide a high level of stability and height support.

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Home Cleaning/ Services

How to hire a home cleaning service for the first time?

Finding someone to clean your home is a complicated and challenging task. First of all, you’ll need to find a reliable and trustworthy person or company with whom you will be comfortable enough and then test their professional skills.

If your budget can handle this change, then it would be nice to have someone address your mess, and give you some extra time for your personal needs. In the past, home cleaning service was reserved for wealthy and rich people, but the times have changed and now even average people can hire a cleaning company. That’s why commercial cleaners in Leeds assembled the list of things you should follow when hiring a cleaning service for the first time.

Online ad – 1 or 2 hours cleaning service

For a professional to clean one bedroom, it will take approximately 2.5 hours. Also, there is a time where even a small bedroom requires more time than expected. The majority of cleaning jobs are charged by the hour. However, some of them are not.

So, before you hire some cleaning service, make sure to know how they charge, and how your cleaning time will be spent. In addition, check out online reviews and find more information about your cleaning professional.

cleaning service

Do you need to perform cleaning before the cleaning?

If a cleaning professional enters a home that is a complete disaster, them more likely he won’t have time to focus on more pressing matters, such as deep cleaning on the areas you hate. In this case, you should consider picking up your socks and laundry and putting it to the right place, so that cleaning service can focus dirt behind your toilet.

Based on numerous studies, a lot of people do the necessary cleaning before the cleaning service arrives. So, you won’t be alone in this process.

Should you stay in your home?

Well, this is all up to you. Some homeowners like to be on board, so they can walk the housekeeper around the house, while others will leave this thing to professionals. If you aren’t sure what to do, then discuss this matter with a cleaning company.

A lot of people have a hard time trusting strangers with their home and personal belongings. But, any awkwardness should disappear after the initial meeting.

house-cleaning

Off – limits things to clean

There are a lot of things in this industry that is considered biohazards, such as blood, urine, pet mess. That’s why many cleaning companies avoid black mold. It is toxic, and it needs additional and professional assistance.

Also, some companies won’t move heavy furniture or do blinds or outdoor work. If you are dealing with pests, then don’t expect cleaning service to come to your home. Many cleaners are trained not to touch jewelry, TV and computer screens. So, before you hire a cleaning service, make sure to check their not-to-do list. This will save you some time and avoid unnecessary confrontation.

An-Ugly-Basement-Into-A-Functional-Room-111

Home Improvement

How To Turn An Ugly Basement Into A Functional Room In A House

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Turning a very ugly basement into a functional room in a house is easier than you might imagine. It can take up your time and resources, that is for sure, but when you think that you will be getting another room, it will all be worth your while. In addition to all that, you will be raising not just the functionality of your home but also its value. It is definitely a project worth considering, whether you have the experience necessary in DIY projects or not.

How To Create An Amazing Basement

In case you have a not-so-amazing basement, you might have found yourself a bit jealous of all the people with amazing basements. This is completely normal as it will give you the touch of jealousy and envy you need to be able to work towards creating an amazing basement for yourself. Do not think of it in a negative sense, rather think of it as of your inspiration to make your home better and more functional. Creating an amazing basement is easy when you invest time and effort into changing it for the better. You can also visit this website to find out more about how you can achieve just that: www.remodelgurus.com.

Step One – Clear Out The Basement

The first step would be to clear out all the crap that is sitting in your basement with no real purpose. You can have a garage sale that will make sure that you even get a couple of buck of all the things you no longer need. It can help you fund the investment in your basement, so this will be the first step that you can make in the right direction. The basement that you use just for storage is not a functional room in your home, so starting with this step is the basis of all the rest.

IMG_4492_zps58a76ea42222

 

Funding Changes To Your Basement

If you still need more money to fund the changes to your basement, make sure that you set aside some finances so you can go through with the projects. In case you exceed your budget, you will need to stop with the project, so make sure that you have a separate fund in case your budget dries out. Turning a basement into a room might take up more of your resources than you think, so being prepared is a plus.

Prepare-for-Home-Renovation

Home Improvement/ Tips

How to Prepare for Home Renovation

Doing a complete home renovation is a huge project that you shouldn’t take on by yourself if you don’t have any experience. however, if you do have or you are feeling brave, you can try it, but there is a risk that you might fail at some point or the results won’t be as good as planned. Speaking of having results as planned, the key thing with every project especially big ones like a renovation is to have a plan. Once you have a plan and you know what to do, you can simply follow the plan and not steer off the course. This article will hopefully teach you how to prepare for your home renovation and what steps you should take beforehand.

If you follow the advice that we will give you, then you shouldn’t have a lot of issues finishing your project no matter what it is. Keep in mind that a home renovation requires a certain level of skill and if you don’t have experience, you might find it complicated, but we will do our best to help you out.

Determining Your Budget

Number one step that should be involved in the planning process is to estimate how much the project will cost and see if you are in fact able to afford it. We have seen a lot of people make the mistake of starting a big project such as home renovation and never finishing it because of financial issues. Even if you find out that the project will cost more than you can afford at the time, you can make some changes and cut out some parts of the renovation projects and simply do it later on. This way you won’t have to deal with unfinished work because you didn’t have enough money to buy materials.

Eliminating rookie mistakes like this will help you with your project and even speed up the entire process because you won’t have to think about money while working. If you want quality results that you are proud of, you have to start thinking like a professional.

Preparing the Equipment

Getting ready for such big project is like doing half of the work. You might not believe us now, but if you skip these essential steps for preparation, then you will regret it quite fast. We are here just to help you with some friendly advice, it is on you to decide whether you will listen to us or no. If you don’t prepare the equipment that you will use for the project, then you will have to do it while doing the project which will prolong the process.

If your equipment is ready and you know how to operate with your tools, then you can start the project and you will feel confident. Trust us on this, it will be a huge benefit if you prepare your equipment on time. The tools and materials that you are going to use need to be all ready before you start, this way this won’t stand in your way of success.

 

Estimating-Property-Value

Home Improvement/ Tips

Tips for Estimating Property Value

When estimating the value of your property, there are some tricks that can help you get better results and, in this article, we are going to share some of those tricks with you. Therefore, if you are interested in learning those trick, better stay here and take in all the information. First of all, let’s start by explaining why you need to estimate your property. Well, the first most obvious reason is when you are looking to sell the property, you should know how much it is worth, so you know how much to ask for it. You cannot just put a random price on your home without doing a professional estimate, this way you will either sell your home for much less or you will never sell it because you put a too high price. Here are some tips that will help you get a better value after professional estimating.

Fix Big and Obvious Issues

When selling your home, the key is to get a quite high price estimate and one of the ways you can do it is by fixing mistakes and damages on the home. Of course, the overall price will depend on the location and the neighborhood also, but you cannot do anything about those things. However, what you can do is fix the obvious damages that are not going to cost you a lot of money. The reason why this is important is that damages can lower the price of your home quite a lot. You might pay $500 for a fix, but that damage could lower the price of the home by few thousands. So, you have to be smart when selling your home and invest in repairs that will benefit you in the future.

Coverups

In some cases, you don’t even need to repair a damage on your home, if you are creative enough, you can find a more affordable way to hide a flaw by covering up a damaged area. When the professionals come to estimate the home, there is a chance they won’t notice the coverup job and you can get away with it easily, but it is still risky.

 

Affordable-Home-Improvement-Ideas

Home Improvement/ Tips

Affordable Home Improvement Ideas

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Home improvement projects don’t always have to be expensive and take months to finish. Of course, there are some huge projects that in some cases need to be done but we are here to talk about some smaller projects that people can do by themselves. Hiring professionals is always a good choice because you are eliminating the chance of having a failed project, but you are spending more money. If you want to learn some easy projects that you can do alone without professional help, then you are in the right place. We want to share with people some simple ideas that can change your home and improve it significantly.

The key to every project is to have a result that will stand out and make a difference. If you are doing a project that won’t change anything, then what is the point of doing it. In case you don’t have ideas for new projects, don’t worry we got you covered with a short list of things that you should do around your home.

Planting New Grass

If you are not satisfied with the look of your backyard or even the front of your home, the easy way to fix it is to simply dig up your old grass and replace it with fresh seeds. Of course, if you already have nice grass, this isn’t a project that you should be doing. However, if you have old grass that needs some patching up, the smartest thing to do is simply planting new grass. There isn’t anything more beautiful, than seeing a home that has fresh cut grass that shines in green color. This is a project that you can do for yourself, it might take some time depending on the size of the property. The good thing about this project is that you don’t have to hurry with it, you can take your time and do it when you have some free time.

For the new grass seeds that you plant it will take some time to grow and give you nice results, but in a month, you can have a beautiful lawn. It should take around a week to have some results, but its safe to say a month is a good estimate when you should expect to see the wanted results. Grass seeds are not that expensive and because you can do it yourself, you can save a lot of money.

Pressure Washing

This is a very effective and inexpensive way to turn your home into a beautiful place. The entire concept behind pressure washing is to use these powerful machines to wash your walls, decks, and driveway. These machines are so powerful, they can remove dirt that has been on your walls for few years.

 

Planning-a-Project-Beforehand

Home Improvement/ Tips

Importance of Planning a Project Beforehand

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If you ever took on a home improvement project by yourself, then you definitely know the struggles, especially if for the first time because then you are just learning from mistakes. It is quite normal to make mistakes, that’s why your first projects should always be quick ones that don’t require a lot of skill. Once you get used to using all the tools, you can move up to some more serious projects. However, one of the key things that you should learn from your first project is that having a plan before starting is very important. Some people need a little time to realize this and they fail over and over. We don’t want you to be one of those people, that’s why we decided to create this article where we talk about the importance of planning out a project beforehand.

Even if you never planned out anything, you don’t have to be scared because it is a very simple and easy process. In this article, we will be covering some of the reasons why this is so important to have before starting a project. Next time you have a project coming up, just take our advice and make a plan, it will make your life much easier and save you a lot of time.

Helps you Avoid Mistakes

The first reason why we think this is so crucial is that it allows you to take a look at the project from a different angle which will give you the chance to avoid some very obvious mistakes. This is how professionals are doing it and the reason why is because they don’t want to look stupid making some obvious mistakes. That’s right even professionals are making mistakes, but they are planning out every step before they do it to make sure it will work. So, if you want to make a professional looking job, make sure that you plan our first all the steps that you are going to make.  Even with the simplest projects, you cannot go wrong if you plan.

Saves you Precious Time

Some people will refuse to plan out their projects just because they think it is actually costing them additional time. However, they are quite wrong because planning out a project will actually save you quite some time and you will finish the project much faster. Of course, you will spend some time planning, but later on during the project itself, you can just take a look at your plan to make sure everything is going the right way. Also, when planning, we mentioned you will avoid mistakes that otherwise you would make. Well, all those mistakes are using your precious time and, in some cases, these mistakes can take more time to be fixed than the whole project. By simply avoiding those mistakes, you are saving enormous amounts of time. For professionals, saving time is key because they want to do a quality job, but do it fast so they can move onto the next project.

 

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