Budget Home Improvement

A spiral staircase is both functional and attractive

A spiral staircase has aesthetic appeal and adds a touch of the unusual and exotic to the overall impact of your décor. It also has the advantage of space-saving; spiral stairs don’t take up as much room as a traditional staircase.

There are lots of options in the type of design and materials that can be used, so you have more leeway for imagination when creating a distinctive, individual look for your home.

The issue of space is one that must be considered in any building project, but especially if the intention is to add living space without infringing too much on what already exists. For example, creating a sleeping loft is a great idea if you need an extra bedroom but logistics prevent building out from the lower floor. A spiral staircase needs to be anchored at only two points, so it’s easier to stabilize without additional reinforcement.

With new construction, a spiral staircase offers a wide range of options, as it can access multiple levels allowing more living area in each one. In addition, you can put the staircase in any part of the building or outside; it needn’t be confined to the bearing walls or other structural limitations.

On the other hand, a spiral staircase is generally steeper and narrower than the conventional type. Think carefully about the use you’ll be putting it to and the nature of the traffic. Getting large items of furniture up or down is much trickier than on a straightforward flight of stairs.

Another point is the irregular tread pattern; on a normal stairway we establish a ‘gait’ after the first couple of steps and then pretty much go on up or down on autopilot. With a spiral, you have to pay attention to each step, and for anyone whose balance is a bit unsteady, this can be very uncomfortable.

Whether you’re planning new construction or just an addition, a spiral stairway can be a very attractive space and cost-saver, but you should weigh the pros and cons carefully so you can be sure it will enhance the value of your home as well as fit your lifestyle.

You can never have enough storage

Storage space is one of those essential requirements for what most of us consider comfortable living, and it’s hardly possible to have too much, but very common to have too little.

If you are fortunate enough to have outdoor living space, a yard, garden etc. you’ll have furniture, tools and equipment adding to your storage needs, but you also have the ideal solution: a weatherproof shed.

Now all you have to do is decide on the size you’ll need and how best to fit it into the landscape. Remember that the likelihood is you’ll be adding more ‘stuff’ over time, unless you’re unusually frugal or your existing items are indestructible, so plan for bigger rather than smaller than your present needs.

By the same token, security is important; you’ll want to insure that your barbeque and bicycles stay where you put them, which means sturdy construction and a good lock.

The first order of business is the location; depending on the amount of space available, you can choose to place your shed where it’s easily accessible (and visible) from the house or hidden from view.

If you’ll need electrical connections it’s advisable to consult an electrician regarding lines or cables that may need to be installed. Also consider sun and shade; if you want more light, south-facing windows are the way to go, but the interior will get very hot in summer.

The next step is a foundation, and there are several ways you can go depending on the size and materials used for the building. With larger sheds, say more than 200 sq.ft., you need a permanent foundation, generally poured concrete piers or wooden posts. Be sure wood posts are made of pressure treated lumber that’s rated for ground contact or burial, and in all cases be sure there is adequate drainage.

With smaller sheds, solid concrete blocks or pressure treated wood can be set directly on the ground; make sure they are spaced closely enough to provide firm support for the floor frame.

You’ll want to leave at least two feet of space on all sides of the shed, as that allows for air circulation which helps keep the shed dry. It’s also much more convenient for painting or making repairs on the outside. Water is the worst enemy of just about any construction material, so allowing good air circulation both on the sides and underneath is crucial for weather-resistance in the long term.

When deciding on the size, keep in mind any large equipment such as lawn mower or patio furniture that you’ll want to store, and that leads to the size of the door or doors. You can choose hinged or sliding doors; both have advantages but be sure you allow room for the widest items to fit through, and note that sliders take up more wall space when opened.

Interior space needs to be adequate for maneuvering large items in and out and so you can get to everything without risking life and limb. Well-planned shelves and hangers can add a lot of storage space to a limited area. If you plan to use the shed for hobby activities, allow enough floor space as well as headroom so you don’t have to stoop over your work or play area.

One final tip: use good quality materials, whether you buy pre-fab or build your own. They’ll cost you less in the long run, and look better with less maintenance.

Utilise your attic as valuable storage space or an extra bedroom

If you want to make effective use of all the space in your home or even if you want to make another room altogether, perhaps you can consider using your attic.

Most attics are used for storing junk that doesn’t see the light of day for years but it doesn’t have to be like this.

With a little bit of planning and some not too difficult work the attic can be transformed into an extra room or just an attractive storage space.

First you must check how the roof of your house is constructed. It may be conventional rafters or trussed which is a web of boards made up of triangles between the floor and the roof. These boards are dependable on each other so can’t be moved.

In this case you won’t be able to convert your attic into a room.With conventional rafters you will have plenty of space. The only boards will run from one edge of the roof to the other.

You will need to lay loft insulation if you have not already done so. Even if you have, check that there are no gaps and cover any parts that are not insulated. Fibreglass is the most effective and widely used sort of loft insulation and comes in easy to lay rolls. Wear protective clothing when laying the insulation and cover as much of your body as possible, including wearing gloves, goggles and a mask.

You can use paper-faced fiberglass for most parts of the insulation and it is a good vapour barrier but when going round a heat source with insulation use un-faced fiberglass because the paper is a fire hazard. Once you have finished the floor you need to install the insulation on the ceiling and walls of the attic. Good insulation will save you a surprising amount of money on energy bills.

Now you will be ready to install the interior walls of your attic room – the drywall. These are boards which are usually made from gypsum or plywood. They can also be known as sheetrock or wallboard. Once they are installed you have your walls and can cover them just as you like, as in any room in the house.

Last but not least comes the question of lighting. The only light in the attic until now will have been artificial and this is your only option unless you wish to put in a skylight or two. You can even put in a full-sized window if you want. This can be a good idea but make sure you position them so that you get the best light path from the sun. Once this is done your attic room will be ready to use as you see fit.

Liven up your sitting room with a home entertainment system

One of the most popular ways of livening up a living room these days is by installing a complete home entertainment system to be enjoyed either by yourself or in the company of friends and family.

The good news is that, although it may seem like a daunting task, it is relatively cheap and easy to do.

Before the advent of videos and dvds, the only way to watch a film before it hit the television screens, was to go to the cinema. But even then, although this gave us much greater access to new films, the sound and experience still couldn’t compare to a visit to the pictures with their sound systems and big screens.

Times have changed though and the technology available to the average person in their own home is phenomenal. With a home entertainment system the picture and sound quality are great and you can have most of the effects of the cinema without having to leave your own home or pay the ever-increasing prices charged at cinemas.

The first thing is your television screen. There are two main choices for a home entertainment system. You really need a flat-screen, high definition tv and they come as either LCD or plasma. Plasma screens come in larger sizes and are also slightly cheaper so they are most people’s first choice for a home cinema.

Then you will need a DVD or BD player. BD or Blu-ray disc is the latest state of the art concept of optical disc. Instead of the red laser used by a DVD it uses a blue-violet one, therefore giving it the name Blu-ray. However, if you have a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pick-up unit, a BD can be made backwards compatible quite easily.

The blue-violet laser has a shorter wavelength the red laser so the laser spot can be focussed with even more precision. Therefore the data can be packed and stored on the disc much more tightly than on a CD or DVD, using less space even though they are the same size.

Finally for your home entertainment system you will need a surround-sound system. A surround-sound receiver. For this you need to choose a receiver with a four-channel Dolby Pro-Logic decoder. This is for the most basic surround-sound. For more realistic sound effects there are more advanced options available.

You can get a receiver that has a five-channel Dolby Digital decoder. Then to get the full effect of the surround-sound you will need at least five speakers consisting of a small central speaker, two large front speakers and two small rear or side speakers. Now you are ready to go with your very own home cinema.

Conservatories through the ages

The earliest examples of conservatories were to be found many years ago when people used to build them themselves using wooden posts with screens stapled to them.

They would enclose their front or back doors with the main purpose in those days being to keep insects out.

These days the concept is much more advanced. Conservatories can be made from a variety of materials, hardwoods like oak, UPVC or aluminium. Most people heat their conservatories as well for winter-time. This can be done by plumbing in to the existing central heating system or by using free standing electric, gas or oil heaters.

Nowadays the conservatory is actually an extra room to the house and most people furnish them accordingly. This can be with similar furnishings to the living room indoors but specialist conservatory furniture is also available. Stylish designs made from cane, rattan or wicker are all seen in many conservatories.

Because a conservatory is so open to sunlight, consisting mainly of glass, you will need blinds or shades to stop fading and damage to your furnishings from the harmful UV rays of the sun. There is now, however, an alternative which can reduce heat in the summer, keep it warm in winter and help keep the conservatory at a regular temperature.

It is a special coating that is applied to the glass known as Solar Coating. It is called Pilkington K glass after the name of the company that invented it; Pilkington. How it works is by having a very thin, hardly visible coating on the inside of the double glazing pane. It reduces heat loss to the outside from the conservatory by not allowing the glass to generate any heat into the gaps between the sheets of glazing.

Sunlight is still allowed in and any heat generated inside the conservatory from heaters or just simply body heat, is directed back into the room. This also reduces the condensation that can sometimes build up. If you feel the internal pane of the double glazing you will feel that it is slightly warmer to the touch than usual. It looks the same as normal glass but in some lights you can see what looks like a faint film on the surface.

So Solar Coating can be used either as an alternative to blinds and shades or even used with them for maintaining a constant temperature in the conservatory. There is also available a metallic PVC application that can be applied to the conservatory roof. On really hot days this can actually reduce the temperature inside the conservatory by twenty degrees Celsius which is an additional aid to regulating your room’s temperature.

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Budget Home Improvement

A spiral staircase is both functional and attractive

You can never have enough storage

Utilise your attic as valuable storage space or an extra bedroom

Liven up your sitting room with a home entertainment system

Conservatories through the ages

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