Monthly Archives: December 2018

Lawn Care Service & More – What To Look For In A Professional Landscaping Company

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When
it comes to maintaining your home’s lawn and gardens, nothing can get
them looking green, lush and blooming like hiring a professional
landscaping company. Homeowners quickly realize that teaming with a lawn
care service firm to handle their lawn mowing and yard maintenance
needs instantly delivers a wide range of benefits. Residents immediately
notice a major uptick in free time when they are not constantly
consumed with maintaining their property upkeep on their own. When
coupled with the added bonus of having a gorgeous yard that adds to the
home’s value and is often the envy of the neighborhood, teaming with a
professional landscaping company is often a very easy decision to make.

Entrust Your Property To A Qualified Landscape Services Provider

Sure,
the perks of outsourcing law mowing and more to a pro are plentiful.
However, homeowners searching for a qualified landscape services
provider for their property management needs have to manage some major
considerations when screening prospective firms. A home’s yard and
property is one of the biggest contributors to overall curb appeal and
should never be entrusted to a subpar provider. Knowing what to look for
when screening a lawn mowing/design expert can help ensure that you
partner with the right company for the job.

Three Crucial Considerations During The Screening Process

The
first thing you should look for when searching for a firm is years of
operational experience. All too often, customers partner with startup
firms that just don’t have the tenure required for a project beyond a
small lawn mowing. Searching for a team with 10+ years of experience is a
great way to know that you’re working with an established firm that has
the knowledge you need to get your outdoor project completed properly.

Beyond
mere business history, you also should source a team that touts a
well-trained staff who’s skilled in the most recent yard care
innovations. A seasoned and qualified team should also manage projects
using the very latest machinery to deliver a finished product as quickly
and efficiently as possible on your home property. Most importantly,
your chosen provider should always stand behind their work. Finding a
company that offers a customer service guarantee for every project they
undertake means they can offer clients the ultimate experience in vendor
selection peace of mind.

Finally, you should also look for a
business that offers a wide range of service capabilities that extends
far beyond just lawn mowing. Remember, maintaining the look and overall
health of your property is a year round endeavor that requires proper
care and attention. Look for an industry expert that, beyond basic grass
care, also offers clients capabilities that include tree and shrub
maintenance, auxiliary services, architectural design and even periodic
seasonal pickup. A one stop property solution source will help ensure
you’re working with a well-rounded seasoned professional capable of
managing all your yard requirements as well as sustaining a long term
professional partnership with you!

The Interior Design Projects Of Fritz August Breuhaus

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Known for his good looks, winning personality and how he charmed women, Fritz August Breuhaus was considered to be one of Germany’s most sought after and most important architects. However, he is also known for his contributions to interior design. His interior design projects ranged from the interiors of his own flats and libraries in various parts of Europe to designing the interiors of training vessels, battleships, steamships and airplanes.

Also known as Fritz August or F.A.B, he was born on the 9th of February, 1883 to Heinrich Hugo Breuhaus and Johanne Kipling in Solingen, Germany – a steel industry centre. Friedrich pursued his studies in a well-known private boy’s high school in Oberkassel.

From 1929, Fritz August added “de Groot” to his name; to make it known that he was a descendant of Breuhaus de Groot, a famous dynasty of Dutch painters. However, in reality Fritz August was not the great-grandson or grandson of Frans Arnold Breuhaus de Groot.

Completing his schooling and graduation in the French town of Bonn, he returned to Solingen in 1900 to start apprenticeship at a steel founding firm. In 1902-03, Breuhaus studied at Hessische Technische Hochschule Darmstadt. In 1903, he studied construction science at Technische Hochschule Stuttgart and attended classes on design, watercolour painting and decorative design. In 1904, he studied at an arts and crafts school “Kunstgewerbeschule Dsseldorf”.

From 1913 to 1914, his interior design projects included a library room, a hunting room, a dining room, and also for a cabaret hall on the “Delphin”, a pleasure boat. He served in the First World War and became a sergeant. Following Breuhaus’ arrival from Russia, his life was a picture of disaster – he lost a son to pneumonia and divorced his first wife.

Breuhaus turned to fabric printing, and the designing of furniture, utilitarian and decorative objects, and wallpaper in the 1920s. He became a star in interior decoration when he furnished the first class of the luxury liner named ‘Bremen’. The period from 1920 to 1930 is marked by Breuhaus marrying again and by his winning various interior design competitions. During this period, he did interior design for steamships such as ‘Westindiendampfer’ and ‘Azorendampfer Orotava’, and also for a barbecue restaurant.

In the period from 1932 up to his death in 1960, Breuhaus’ activities included interior design for ships such as the SS Cordilliera and Gorch Fock and for the passenger section of airplanes such as the Heinkel HE 70. He also designed the interiors of an entrance hall for an organization of Berlin artists. Fritz August Breuhaus, the interior designer and architect passed away on the 2nd of December, 1960.

Determining Cheap Apple Kitchen Decor

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If you are like most homeowners, your kitchen is very important to you. It is the hearth of the home where people feel most comfortable and at home. However, many people neglect their kitchen in favor of sprucing up their family room or home office. If you need to give your kitchen a small makeover but do not have a lot of money, you can still find cheap kitchen decor that is still popular and modern. You could get Italian kitchen decor or even one of the most popular themes: apple kitchen decor and you can easily find cheap apple kitchen decor.

Flea Markets and Antique Stores

Some of the best places to find cheap apple kitchen decor are at flea markets or antique stores. Flea markets are great especially in this economy because people will be trying to sell things to make money. Instead of finding a bunch of junk, you are more likely to find decent products that people just have no use for anymore or that people want to sell to make money for something else. Because the apple kitchen decor concept is a popular theme, chances are you will be able to find some cheap apple kitchen decor at a flea market.

In addition, if it is yard sale season you will probably be able to find some cheap apple kitchen decor at a yard sale or garage sale. If you are looking specifically for apple kitchen decor you might be out of luck at a yard sale, but if you are looking for something that you can modify to fit your theme, you can find some great deals. For example, you could get a plain wooden shelf at a flea market or yard sale for just a few dollars. With a few stencils and a little bit of paint, you can stencil on some very nice apples or apple themed ideas.

Department Stores

If you do not like used products, you can still find cheap apple kitchen decor. Many department stores have cheap and discounted lines for various products. Chances are you can find some cheap apple kitchen decor at your local Wal Mart or Target. Remember, you do not want to go overboard with your apple theme, so try to look for cheap apple kitchen decor that is more along the moderate end. For example, you can get some apple themed kitchen wash cloths or drying cloths. Or you could get some bronze apples to put on a shelf. Whatever you do, remember to look in your local discount or department store for the cheap apple kitchen decor you are looking for.

Free Of Charge Dog House Plans

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Known to be man’s best friends are dogs. That justifies why you want to groom dogs. For you to be triumphant in raising dogs, providing them with reliable dog confinements is a requisite. To make that happen, you have to obtain dog house plans first. Unfortunately, you don’t like the idea of spending big amount of hard cash for plans. So, are there any ways where you could acquire economical dog house plans or perhaps, procure free plans.

Is that possible? Yes, that’s possible. .

Proceeding next are methods that you could use for obtaining free of charge dog house plans.

One of the most common techniques that you can use for obtaining free dog house plans is through downloading free plans from the internet. At this present time, there are a number of websites on the internet that has to do with plans for dog houses offering free samples of plans. So if saving bills is your top priority for dog house plans, it’s no doubt that getting free plans from the internet is ideal for you. Don’t you bother about its reliability because the truth of the matter is, you can actually get worth having free dog house plans from the internet. Though, you have to be selective when getting it because some free of charge plans are unreliable. So you have to be extra cautious when you’re dealing to it so that you’ll avoid getting below par plans.

Another method that you can employ for obtaining free plans for dog houses is through producing plans yourself. That is if you have know how in drawing or have background in architecture. If you know how to draw, then for sure, you’ll be able to come up with quality dog house plans yourself. For you to execute it successfully, why don’t you gather ideas about dog house plans from construction magazines or from the internet now? Surely, that would lead you to gaining some insights about plans for dog houses.

Finally, if you have an architect friend, then you can request him to draw plans for dog houses for you. I’m absolutely sure that your friend would give you those plans free of charge.

Revealed above are strategies to use should you opt for free dog house plans.

The author is associated with Specialized Design Systems LLC, a contractor that has been manufacturing and offering exceptional dog house plans now! Found at !/~/category/id=274166&offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc are vast information regarding dog house plans.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Push-fit Fittings

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Different Types of Plumbing Fittings
– In the UK there are two ways in which most plumbing is done, the first and most common is done with copper pipe and fittings, the other is the newer plastic push fit system. The copper pipe and fittings has come under scrutiny recently as the joining of the copper pipes is increasingly
difficult as it is often time consuming and awkward due to the fact that copper pipe is often supplied in straight lengths meaning that it needs
to be joined or bent when ever a change of direction occurs. Plastics on the other hand, like that of the push fit system helps to eradicate this awkwardness. Push fit gives you a simple and easy way to make a joint without losing reliability and can be straightforwardly broken down and reassembled.

Advantages of Push-fit
– Plastic pipe is flexible; it is able to bend in a non-linear fashion. Copper piping has limited flexibility.
Plastic piping will not burst. Copper piping has a tendency to freeze and burst leaving huge amounts of damage making it harder to introduce this into
cold areas like cellars. Very much in contrast to plastic pipe.
Due to its flexibility plastic pipe can be pushed thought holes in joists rather than being laid in notches. This is not realistic with copper piping
as it is hard to get the holes in line.
Push fit systems can also be used with copper pipe when so desired as it is very adaptable.

Disadvantages of Push-Fit
– Due to its flexibility the plastic pipe will not support its own weight. This is will not jeopardize its ability to work however, but it would be difficult to poke a bent pipe through a hole in floor boards.
Plastic pipe cannot come into contact with anything that is very hot, for example a boiler. If in contact with a boiler there is a possibility that it could melt therefore it is advised that metal pipe work is used for the first few feet.
Aesthetically the plastic pipes are bigger and less attractive than its copper counter parts.
Plastic pipes and fittings are pricier than their competitor copper.

Availability
– Like that of the copper piping, plastic piping is available in both 15mm and 22mm diameter. They are available in a wide range of accessories
including: straight, right angled and Tee couplings. Washing machine taps, tap connectors, in-line stopcocks, one-way valves, stop ends and tank connectors.

Useful Suggestions
– If you don’t normally use plastic fittings it is certainly worth keeping some around, especially in the winter. If a pipe bursts you will be able to fix the problem in a matter of minutes and the effects will be long lasting.

Installing Laminate Flooring

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Once you have decided that it is time to install new flooring throughout your home, why not consider laminate flooring instead of traditional wood.

Laminate flooring was introduced into the market due to a number of reasons like the fact that trees are now protected as they are becoming more and scarcer. Another reason is that wooden floors are very expensive to source, install and maintain. For people that still want the look and feel of wood but are sensitive to the environment will be more prone to choose laminate wooden flooring.

The laminate wooden flooring industry has become so big that there are many different reputable brand names that you could choose from today. All of them strive to provide top quality products at reasonable prices and all include installation into their flooring price. This will leave you with less stress in hiring the services of a contracting company to do the installation for you.

When compared to the features of any other floor covering on the market, laminate flooring has proven to far outreach advantages. Here are some reasons why it is better to make use of laminate flooring for your home, office or school:

Laminate flooring is very easy to maintain. Simply wipe with a wet cloth on a regular basis and you will not get a build up of grime. If there is a stubborn stain, the use of a cleaning agent like a Handy Andy and a wet cloth will suffice. There is no need for sanding, varnishing or painting as it is made from coated PVC.

The surface of the flooring is sealed so as not to catch dust, dirt and stains. Wood and tiles on the other hand have spaces in between which do the above.

You get various degrees of quality within the range of laminate flooring. The cheaper one is very thin and perfect for areas where there is not a lot of traffic. The more expensive one has been treated with anti-mould and water proof layers at the bottom and is much thicker in texture, resulting in a better durability especially in high-water or high traffic areas.

Laminate flooring has a beautiful wooden look which, like wood, will suit any room and give a classic feel wherever you have it installed. The colour of wood blends in to any theme and room colour.

Regarding the installation process, laminate flooring is much easier and also cheaper to install. The planks are fitted with teeth that fit into each other to form a perfect seal. The end result will look like planks of wood attached together as with a traditional wooden floor.

So when you are next looking to add style to your room at the fraction of the cost, why not call in the professional services and knowledge of a laminate flooring Gauteng shop.

Professional Interior Design From Crispin Williams

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For fifteen years, Crispin Williams has been operating in interior design. These interior designers in Sussex provide a full and complete style service, having expertise in planning restaurants, bars and cafes, residential, and varied retail outlets each little and large, all of an individual nature.
These restaurant interior designers supply a nationwide service and abundant of their work will be seen in the South East of England, at intervals easy reach of London. Crispin Williams works from concept to realization, giving the ultimate complete service. They’ll advise on spatial necessities before you even acquire the location, and their big selection of experience and expertise ensure that the finished product will specifically fit your requirements. They’re restaurant designers encompassing all styles and sizes of restaurant, from tiny intimate, low budget restaurants to large 2 hundred cowl restaurants. The styles are varied and innovative, and they need a high level of customer satisfaction, as will be seen from the testimonials for these interior designers in Sussex. Their customers usually return for additional! A number of their restaurant styles are part of larger complexes, or type half of a franchise, and Crispin Williams skilled information and ideas can save time and money, as these restaurant interior designers use their experience on your behalf .A serious strength of those interior designers Sussex is their intelligent use of house to relinquish an airy and light-weight feel to their designs.
As well as being restaurant interior designers, Crispin Williams additionally have an impressive record as retail interior designers. The retail designs from this company in Sussex are designed to interact and elevate the customer, with their glorious use of area and innovative concepts. Crispin Williams is passionate concerning individuality and the retail styles mirror this with their clever use of space maximizing the potential of the area available. Crispin Williams has an intensive background in trade and a nice deal of technical information, that may be a necessary strength for retail interior designers.
If you’re wanting for interior designers Sussex, Crispin Williams has designed properties throughout the South East area; in specific he is among simple reach of London, Brighton, Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells. He has designed both large interiors and little budget retailers, and with a straightforward and tactile approach to style, provides an all round service second to none.

The History Of Landscaping

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Mayans lined walkways leading to their temples with intricate plants and flowers, the Romans created courtyard gardens within the boundaries of their properties for the enjoyment of their family and friends, and royalty would plant profuse amounts of flowers and trees as a symbol of their wealth. In the 17th century in Jamaica, slave plantation owners would line the walkways to their mansions with Royal Palms. Throughout history, landscaping was used as a sign of not only beauty, but also wealth, power and respect.
Hardscaping is the use of the terrain itself, or rocks and stones brought in from other places. Nowadays it’s mostly just rocks and stone walls for aesthetics, but hardscaping was also used for practical purposes. The most obvious example of this is the Great Wall of China. Qin Shi Huang unified all the states of China in 221 B.C. and to block invasions from the Xiongnu people in the north, ordered that the wall be built to help protect his new borders from enemies. Of course in this case hardscaping was completely utilitarian.
Another example of hardscaping is the mystical Stonehenge of England. The mystery of these rocks is that though they are in England now, they actually came from Whales, which means that the builders somehow transported these rocks over 200 miles. This has led to many theories of everything from aliens to astronomical miracles. Most likely these creators were just very dedicated (or well-paid) individuals committed to finishing the product.
Nowadays, from the San Joaquin Valley of California to New York’s Hudson Valley, landscaping and hardscaping are now used for personal homes and commercial businesses as a way to improve the quality of peoples’ physical surroundings and to give a sense of nature in an increasingly material world.

Energy-efficiency Electronics Hardware A bridge Fuel To The Future

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Demand for energy continues to be a major topic around the world. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or hydro power are increasingly being utilized to provide for that demand. Many States have even recently passed laws raising the minimum renewable usage cap that utility companies must implement into their overall supply. But … we still require escalating amounts of energy for agriculture, industry, and to heat our homes and offices. Emerging as a “bridge fuel” to clean energy and renewable resources, the power electronics industry is poised to span that gap with hardware solutions needed to build intelligent power systems.

The Obama administration plans to spend billions of dollars on power conservation and sustainable energy projects as part of a $787 billion stimulus package which is has focused on energy efficiency. Andrew Fanara, of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program has famously said. “Energy efficiency is the bridge fuel we must build on and must invest in” he stresses “Energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest, fastest way to act.”

In part, the administration’s strategy is to use improved energy efficiency as a method of buying time to invest in and explore emerging and clean energy options. With initiatives like the smart power grid gaining traction, the power electronics hardware that makes it all work and its new designs aimed at increasing energy efficiency will be at the core of the plan.

Already, there is huge demand for power efficiency by consumers found an industry survey. And, consumers are willingly paying a premium for electronic hardware that delivers energy efficiency. This trend anticipates a growing number of electronic hardware devices will be utilized, which lowers costs and drives improved energy efficiency. Measured in dollars per watt this high volume of hardware deployment forecasts the efficiency for power electronics may drop to as low as 12 cents per watt by 2013.

The focal point of “smart power” systems and a national smart energy grid has clearly been on the hardware side of the equation. To be successful, in the not to distant future, engineers will also make use of the intelligence provided by software so that the hardware components communicate most effectively to accomplish maximum reduction of power consumption. The know-how exists now for this integrated software, but it is still far from widespread.

Power Profiling is a valuable energy-efficiency tool that granularly identifies the power consumed specifically by HVAC, appliances, networks, lighting etc. and communicates this information to users. A user profile is developed by use of proprietary algorithms that calculate information regarding a structure’s overall usage, and several data points such as the time of day and its energy consumption history.

The purpose of power profiling is to enable users to know exactly what activities or systems are consuming the most power, including how much, and how that consumption is affected by actions they take. Most HVAC and appliances are not yet enabled so numerous hardware metering devices are used throughout the structure, at least an adequate number to demonstrate to the user what the largest power users are and how to limit consumption.

Home Area Networks (HAN) are increasingly communicating with utilities in addition to the traditional media centers and computers. Both utilities and consumer electronics companies are offering and assortment of hardware solutions with methods of pre-programming and remotely controlling home systems such as water usage, heating & cooling, and appliances. With the arrival of “smart” appliances and new wireless network protocols designed specifically for energy-efficiency, many of these hardware solutions communicate to users and utilities over one or more wireless systems.

ZWave for media and home automation

ZigBee chosen by utility companies because of it’s secure protocol, and

EnOcean a European self-powered energy harvesting technology that powers devices without the use of batteries.

Hardware using these wireless protocols can all be controlled from a single point building management system, or a homeowner’s computer. Even though these technologies are still on the leading edge, trends indicates they are very near to wide-scale adoption, enabling buildings to connect to smart grid applications that exponentially increase energy-efficiency.

Advances in alternative energy sources have provided greener ways of producing electricity and the burgeoning energy-efficiency industry is providing a plethora of energy saving hardware devices to help users re-tool . We can reduce energy consumption with these advances and make strides toward energy independence. Consider what T. Boone Pickens says “In additional to putting our security in the hands of potentially unfriendly and unstable foreign nations, we spent $475 billion on foreign oil in 2008 alone. That’s money taken out of our economy and sent to foreign nations, and it will continue to drain the life from our economy for as long as we fail to stop the bleeding.

Projected over the next 10 years the cost will be $10 trillion – it will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.”

“By investing in renewable energy and conservation, we can create millions of new jobs. Developing new alternative energies while utilizing natural gas for transportation and energy generation; securing our economy by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and keeping more money at home to pay for the whole thing.”

Moving forward with renewables is a must, but it is also a documented fact that this increased capacity will not be enough to meet upcoming demands and provide energy independence. The tremendous strides being made in energy efficiency technologies are to help stem the tide, bridging the gap.

Wood Flooring Can Increase The Value To Your Home Says Hertfordshire Criterion Flooring

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You do not have to wait until you move to a new house to add value to your home according to Criterion Flooring, a Hertfordshire Wood Flooring specialist. By adding value to a home that you wish to sell through home improvement such as putting down wood flooring, you could reap the rewards and sell your home much faster.

The days when you could do up your home with a lick of paint and then put it on the market for a quick sale are long gone. Since the property market crash, selling a property is much harder than it has ever been before, and that is why house sellers need to be on top of their game and provide the buyer with a house they will fall in love with straight away.

With the economic climate struggling, house hunters want a property where they do not need to do much work to make it into their prized home, and this is where the seller comes in. By providing Wood Flooring, house hunters will see a nice home, the floor is one of the first things they notice and by installing quality wood flooring, you are that one step closer to selling your home.

A survey by the National Wood Flooring Association asked estate agents what impact wood flooring has on a property they are trying to sell, 82 per cent said a home with wood flooring sold faster and for more money.
By investing in wood flooring, you are providing your seller with a home that not only looks nicer but also is also easier to clean. Wood flooring makes it much easier for the new buyers to clean their property; it also saves them money in the long run. With carpets, they have a shorter shelf life than wood flooring and when it comes to maintaining a carpet within a home, especially when it comes to spills on a carpet or deep dirt, wood flooring is much more cost effective to clean.

If you have a home in Hertfordshire and you are looking for advice from a Hertfordshire wood flooring company, then contact Criterion Flooring who can offer free advice on how wood flooring is more cost effective than carpets and how a wood floor can help add value to your home and help you to sell it faster.

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