Loft conversions seem to be springing up in every street, so what’s involved and how do you go about it?

Loft conversions are easiest in houses with a high – pitched roof. This should give enough height to create a room which you can stand up in comfortably – it won’t do you any good to stoop and no builder in his right mind would agree to work on such a project, unless all you want is a smartened up attic purely for storage. Before you start any work check with your planning office – often there are restrictions which you must respect.

If there isn’t enough height then sometimes your roof can be raised. This is obviously a much bigger undertaking and its vital you talk with your local planning authority about whether you can do this. If there’s the height at the apex of the roof but the loft is too narrow then you may want to extend out the eaves with a dormer window which protrudes out of the roof. Again, you’ll have to talk to your local planning authority about this. (more…)

The front door of your house is the first thing visitor’s focus on. It sets the tone for the rest of the home, shows the outside world how well maintained your house is and should be a welcoming, enticing entrance. Think about cottages with rambling roses round the door or 10 Downing Street with its perfect shiny black door. The front door defines these properties and yours can do similar things for you.

If you have a period home doors come in all sorts of styles. Georgian front doors and surrounds were influenced by Greek and Roman architecture with a plain door and a classic portico built over it. There is often a plain glass panel over the door to let light into the house. Victorian doors are generally more decorative, often with leaded stained glass panels set into the top half. These let in light and can look particularly beautiful at night if lights are on inside the house. Both Georgian and Victorian doors were traditionally painted with dark gloss paint – for instance black, dark green or dark blue. (more…)

With many varied swimming pool designs and gear out there, making the right choices can be very confusing. From various swimming pool liners to purchasing varied toys, you certainly have a good deal to select from. You can always enquire at a local supplying store to ascertain what’s on offer, because the experts there can certainly assist you. The 1st thing to do while scrutinising your swimming pool is to work out your average depth. Your average depth will help you ascertain your swimming pool capacity. You will be able to work out your average depth by adding together the deep end and the shallow end, and then dividing by two. (more…)

Historically flat roofs have been used mainly in the Middle East, the American southwest including other places where the climate is arid and dry and drainage of rainwater off a house roof is not of great concern. As opposed to a sloping roof that is pitched at an angle a flat roof is flat with a more or less horizontal layout. In fact is not totally flat but usually incorporates a slight slope that is roughly equivalent to 1 percent of the run of the roof to aid draining water from the roof into gutters/drains located at the lower side of the grade.

Although sloping roof designs have been preferred in the US in the past flat roofs are fast gaining popularity because new technology has enabled a reduction/elimination of the disadvantages associated with flat roofs in cold climatic conditions that allowed formation of ice dams that blocked free flow of water off the roof making inhabitants suffer roof leaks as water pooled on the roof. An inherent advantage of a flat roof is that it is easier to inspect as compared to a sloping roof. (more…)

Chilli hot red! Burnt orange! Aubergine! Pea green! Sky blue! Its time to put some colour back in our homes. Gone are the 1990s when interior design was all about neutrals and soothing pallets. Dreary safe schemes just don’t do it for us any more. So here’s a guide to putting some “va va voom” back in your room.

First lets understand colour. Colours are primary, secondary and tertiary. The three primary colours are red, yellow and blue. Mix these in equal quantities and you get secondary colours – orange, green and purple. But mix the primaries in unequal quantities and you get a whole range of colours and different hues, for instance lighter or darker purple according to the mix of red and blue. And then tints are created by adding black or white. (more…)