Awnings have always been very popular in the UK over the years. An awning is an addition or secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is normally made of canvas, woven acrylic, polyester yarn or fabric, cotton or laminated vinyl. This material is stretched tightly over a light structure of aluminium, steel, iron, wood or fibre. An awning can be added to both residential and commercial buildings and serves several purposes including covering a patio during the summer or sheltering from rain and snow, provide extra seating area for a bar or coffee shop, advertising space, and to beautify.

There are mainly two types of awning available in the UK that one can choose from.
– Fixed awning that are permanently fixed on the wall.
– Retractable awning that are equipped with a retracting mechanism. These are the most popular awning in the UK.
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Underfloor heating is more energy efficient than radiators as it works at a lower temperature at the same time as delivering the same level of comfort, saving householders money as the boiler doesn’t have to work quite so hard and, as a result, uses less energy. Underfloor heating heats an entire room from the floor upwards.

Wet underfloor heating systems are connected to a boiler or heat pump and it works by circulating warm water through a section of piping which is built either into the flooring or underneath the floor. Wet underfloor heating can be used with a number of floor coverings including vinyl, carpet, tiles and laminated flooring.

Reputable suppliers of underfloor heating may guarantee their heating pipes for as long as 50 years and will be able to supply a plumber or heating engineer who has experience of installing such systems. For an average sized 3-bedroomed house, a householder would expect to pay around £2500 for a wet underfloor heating system.

Tile trims simply refer to elongated strips of plastic moulded into an average length of between 2.0m – 2.5m. They are available in various depths and colours. Their thickness also usually varies considerably in order to accommodate the continuously increasing tiles options. It is equally worth noting that most of the commonly used trims are usually either light pastel or white in colour. This choice of colour is mainly aimed toward achieving the nearest match to most of the tiles commonly used in construction today. According to recent reports, the most common sizes being used range between 6 to 8 millimetres. This is mainly attributed to the fact that at the moment most people prefer to have the medium while others the large format tiles. Interestingly, 9 mm to 12 mm trims have lately slowly started to dominate the market.

An overview of the application areas for trims

Some trims are designed for use on internal corners. Tiles which are very common in shops and readily available are meant for external corners. These latter are mainly used to protect the external edges of tiles (where the two tiles have been placed to meet at 90 with each other). The inclusion of the trim saves the installer from having to use “Jolly tiles”. These type of tiles are designed with one edge mitred (by the manufacturer) at 45 and are usually characteristic of an appealing finish to any square corner. (more…)

As everyone knows, property in large cities, like London, is often out of the price range of ordinary hard-working people. Properties, whether rented or for sale, seem to be getting smaller and smaller. However, even if your first foot on the property ladder appears hardly big enough to swing the proverbial cat, then don’t worry, as there are plenty of ingenious designers around who are catering specifically for those living in tiny bedsits or studio flats.

The trick is to use multi-functional furniture and compact storing. Consider buying a sofa-bed which can easily be transformed for sleeping at night and sitting on during the day. Or you may want to install a wal-mounted bed which can be pulled down with ease at night but which leaves plenty more floor space for daytime living. Another idea, is to have a wall mounted, hinged table which can be easily assembled for dining but packed away, flat against a wall, when no longer needed. Buy stackable stools or chairs which can be hidden away until they are needed. Alternatively, invest in an extendable table which folds down really small when not in use. Consider buying furniture which also incorporates plenty of storage. If you want to clearly distinguish areas for different functions, then think about using wall partitions and sliding doors.

Nowadays there does seem to be a fascination with TV programmes which involve cleaning homes. Aggie and Kim started it a few years ago, but now we watch episodes where avid cleaners are sent into cluttered, messy, untidy homes to work their magic. There are even programmes transforming run down mansions into homes fit for kings.

However, some of the best cleaning tips are the old-fashioned ones.

For cleaning windows, the old-fashioned way, you will need:

• water
• a pile of old newspapers
• white vinegar
• a bucket
• a squeegee.

Depending on how many windows you wish to clean, you may need to buy at least 4 or 5 litres of white vinegar to make sure you have enough for the job.

Make up a solution of 50/50 vinegar to water.  Crumple up sheets of newspaper and leave in the water solution.  Once the newspaper has soaked up the water, squeeze out any excess.  Use the wet, crumpled newspapers to rub over your dirty windows, making sure you do not miss bits!  As the newspaper starts to disintegrate, then replace with another sheet.

You can wipe the windows dry with a squeegee or crumpled up sheets of dry newspaper making sure that you don’t leave any streaks.

Then stand back and admire the view through the clear glass.