Home Improvement

How to Revamp Your Teenager’s Bedroom

July 1, 2020 by Anne Sweet 5 Comments

The change from child to teenager certainly is a big one and it is important that they have a bedroom that is more appropriate and a reflection of their personality. Stereotypically, teenager’s spend a lot of time in their bedroom and you will want this to be a space that they enjoy and feel is their own and no longer childish.

With this in mind, here are a few tips for revamping a bedroom for a teenager.

Let Them Choose a Style

Teenagers won’t want their parents to choose how their bedroom looks so you should always sit down with them and let them choose their own style. This will help them to feel more mature, ensure that it is a space that they enjoy spending time and also make sure that you do not get it wrong and feel their wrath!

Throw Out What is No Longer Needed

When kids reach their teens, their tastes and interests change drastically and they might find that they no longer want items like toys and games. It is a good idea to throw out/sell/recycle anything which they no longer want/need so that you can free up space and give them a fresh slate.

Fitted Wardrobes

Fitted wardrobes from places like Hammonds are a great option for a teenager’s room because they can help you to maximize the space while also giving them plenty of space to store clothes and other items. Teenagers rooms are stereotypically messy so providing them space to store things is important for keeping the space neat and tidy.

Invest in New Furniture

You might also want to invest in new furniture which suits the new decorative style and also their needs. They may want to spend time in their room doing homework, playing video games, watching films and socializing so you need to have high-quality furniture that will allow them to do this, including a desk and office chair.

New Bedding for a Teenager’s Bedroom

You are also likely to find that they will want new bedding for their new space, especially if it is currently something childish like their favorite superhero or Disney film! Again, it is best to let them choose so that you don’t get it wrong and they can create a space which they feel is their own.

It is a major change when your child reaches their teen years and it is likely that they will want a bedroom which better reflects their personality and is less childish. It is important that you get this right as it is such an important space for them during these years and these tips will hopefully help you to revamp their bedroom to their liking.

Essential House Upgrades to Consider This Year

June 30, 2020 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

When you are considering renovating your home, it can be difficult to distinguish between the house upgrades that you need and those that you just really want. To ensure that your renovations are beneficial to your home and that you can eventually get a return on your investment, here are some of the best upgrade options that are available to you.

1. Replacing Your Windows

Your windows can often be one of the most neglected features of your home, with upgrades to them often prioritized beneath flashier and more exciting alternatives. However, replacing your windows is paramount if you want to reduce your energy bills, to ensure that your house is safe and secure for years to come, and if you’re going to prevent issues such as damp and mould from creeping into your home. If you are looking to replace your windows, you should consider investing in ready made wooden windows from Timber Windows Direct, as these can be easily installed DIY while being custom made for the specifications of each individual space in your home.

2. Updating Your Bathroom

To ensure that your bathroom remains a hygienic and easy-to-maintain room in your house, it should be high up on your list of potential upgrades. While pink and green bathrooms are now out-of-fashion, old bathrooms can also often be great breeders of mould and damp, especially if you have tiled walls and flooring or if the room is not well-ventilated. Some of the best bathroom updates that you should consider include installing energy-efficient appliances, such as low-flow showers and high-efficiency toilets, using marble on your walls rather than tiles to reduce issues with your grouting and sealant, and using pedestal sinks to disguise your plumbing.

3. Spruce Up Your Kitchen

The next important room that you should consider upgrading is your kitchen. Kitchens can quickly become out-dated due to the fast-paced nature of technology innovation. To ensure that your kitchen area can keep up with the times, you should consider installing a range cooker or AGA to help you to cook high-quality dishes for a large number of people, and replace your devices with smart alternatives which can connect to your mobile phone. You should also consider installing a breakfast bar or island to help to create a more communal space, as well as help you to increase the preparation space and storage facilities in the room.

4. Landscape Your Garden

However, in all the excitement of your latest home renovations, you should not neglect your garden and the exterior of your home. This will ensure that you can create a relaxing extra living space that will make use of every inch of your home and allow you to bring nature closer. As well as hiring a landscape gardener to help you to create beautiful flower beds, paths, and water features, you should repair your fencing, paint your exterior walls, and install outdoor furniture to allow you to enjoy your garden to its maximum potential.

This is a collaborative post.

Creating Space in Your Home

May 19, 2020 by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

Creating Space in Your Home

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve all become intimately acquainted with the confines of our own homes. Given this limitation, it’s easy to feel a little bit of claustrophobia. Perhaps you’re sharing the building with an active family; perhaps the clutter is getting a little bit out of control. If you’re going to retain your sanity, it’s vital that you carve out a space or two for yourself – where you can work, relax, and exercise in peace.

Let’s look at exactly how you might go about creating that space.

Creating Space with Storage

For every square inch of space that’s out of sight but not being used, you’re creating visual clutter. And the more efficiently you can use your existing storage space, the less you’ll have to rely on freestanding wardrobes, bookshelves, and other devices that can make a room feel that little bit smaller if they’re not used sparingly. If you’re trying to make space in a small house, then you’ll need to use every storage hack in the book.

Do you have any storage hacks to share? My daughter’s share a room and we managed to save space by removing their bookshelf when we bought new bunk beds with book shelves on them. They love their books!

Creating Space with Room Dividers

If you can’t create new space, then you can at least keep clutter out of mind, and gain some privacy, with the help of a few strategically-spaced screens. These are fantastic for partitioning off corners of bedrooms, living areas and hallways for use as art stations, studies, and meditation areas. Throw in a pair of noise-cancelling earphones and you’ll be able to put some mental distance between yourself and the rest of the household.

Take advantage of the garden

There’s nothing quite so capable of busting stress as a garden. It can function as an outdoor dining room, lounge, office space and gym – but only if you take care of it in the right way. This means making time to give the lawn a regular trim, tending to the flowerbeds, and installing a few tasteful items of garden furniture. As with any room in your house, you’ll want to bear in mind how you’re actually going to be using the space, and then plan the layout accordingly.

Hammocks and Garden Decorations

If you’re looking to really relax in the garden, then a fold-out sun-lounger or a towel spread across the lawn might do in a pinch. But a fixed item like a bench, or a hammock strung between two trees, can make a real feature of your garden furniture. The possibilities are endless, so be sure to experiment and do your research before investing.

I’m spending more time in my garden now and I’ve just invested in a new safety screen for the trampoline for the kids and a new rotary washing line. Exciting I know! But what about me? I love how garden furniture can be so comfy these days. I can’t lie on a sun lounger, but I’d definitely looking for something more cosy than folding metal chairs, which we currently have.

Luxury garden furniture from Cox and Cox — *From CoxandCox.co.uk*

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post

Lights on Earth – Photowall Review and Discount Code

February 25, 2020 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

The lovely people at Photowall offered me a gift in return for my honest review along with a special discount code for my readers.

Lights on Earth

As my son’s room is in dire need of something to brighten the walls I thought I’d give him the choice of what to have. A photowall would have been fantastic, but I wouldn’t be able to get one up anytime soon so we decided on a nice poster.

At Photowall the choice is amazing, you can have wallpapers. designer murals, posters, canvas’ or framed prints. You can even choose a photo or picture of your own.

The designs are amazing and there is so much choice, animals, food and drink, maps, sports, astronomy and so much more.

I had a feeling that my son would go for Astronomy, he has a real fascination with space.

This is the picture he chose, Lights on Earth by David C. Miller and I love that you can see the Northern Lights.

Our Review

The Little Man was very please with his picture which came on a canvas print and with a smoked ash hanger. You can also choose to have a print without a white border.

I thought The Little Man would have chosen to have the poster above his bed, but he thought it would be better on the opposite wall so he could see it when he woke up as he lies facing this way.

I think he made the right decision and it looks great.

The quality of the poster is really good and it looks fabulous in the frame. The Little Man is very happy and so am I.

Discount from Photowall

I’d definitely be happy to buy from Photowall again and when it comes around to decorating my bedroom after the work has been done, I’d really consider a mural. I’d love a bookshelf wall, especially as I’m having to get rid of two of my bookshelves to make way for my lift. It would be nice to have a city skyline, or a beach view though. I think it would probably take a day or two to choose.

What do you think? Would you choose a mural or a poster, a print or a canvas? If there is anything you’d fancy from the website Photowall have offered a special discount code ‘raisiebay2021’ which will give you 25% off for as many time as you use it for a month.

10 Essential Home Maintenance Jobs

November 22, 2019 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

Sometimes it’s easier to put the little things off rather than doing them straight away. This can then lead to a small problem becoming a big issue. Follow this guide to see the ten most common home maintenance jobs that you might be putting off.

Check Your Heating System

During the winter months, an efficient heating system is essential for keeping costs down and your home warm. If you have an older boiler you could find yourself spending up to £320 more than a brand new A-rated model. Choosing a new boiler can be a little overwhelming given that there are so many options out there with so many different installers. Here is a great article about boiler installation, going over what you can usually expect from the installation process.

Window Insulation

Drafty windows can be a key cause to a rise in energy bills. Poorly sealed windows can be a cause of a serious draft in winter due to cold air entering your property, which can not only lead to a colder house but a bigger bill at the end of the month. The way that you can fix this is by looking at your caulk line. The caulk line is the rubber piece that insulates your window, and if this is looking dry or cracked, then it’s a significant insight into what the issue is. To change your caulk line is easy, remove it with a sharp knife then run a new one across the open seam.

Check For Damp

Damp can be a serious cause of concern for families and can be especially dangerous to families with asthma sufferers. There are several ways to spot damp around your home:

A damp musty smell
Dark or discoloured patches on walls or plaster
Listing or peeling wallpaper
The appearance of mould or mildew on walls, floors or ceilings
Walls floors or ceilings that feel cold or damp

Fixing damp can be a specialist job however there are certain cases where using anti-mould paint can be a solution, however, we would recommend getting quotes from different tradespeople and then opting for the most reliable and trustworthy.

Check Your Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors are vital to any household, the last thing you want is a raging house fire to go undetected due to smoke alarm neglect. Most modern smoke alarms will give a warning as to when their batteries are running out however it is still advisable that twice a year you conduct a smoke alarm test to be on the safe side.

Bleed Your Radiators

Bleeding your radiators is essential for making sure that your radiators are running at full capacity and efficiency. There are signs to check if your radiator needs bleeding:

If the radiator is cold at the top
Damp patches or condensation surrounding the radiator
Creaking sounds caused by air pressure causing vibrations

Going about bleeding your radiator is easy enough. To begin with, make sure that you have these items:

A radiator key
A cloth or clove
An old towel
Container

To begin with find the radiator that needs bleeding. Make sure that your heating is turned off and give the radiator time to cool down. Place the old towel and container below the valve to catch any spillage that may occur. Use your radiator key to turn the radiator valve anti-clockwise just enough so that a hissing sound occurs, meaning the air is escaping. Re-tighten the valve and then you’re done!

Check Your Plumbing System

Making sure that your water can remain free-flowing through your pipes is essential all your round. Following these tips will mean that your pipes are less likely to become clogged:

Invest in a hair strainer for your bathroom. A hair strainer is ideal as it catches stray hair that would build up in your drain and cause a blockage in your pipes. This avoids having to fish the hair out with your hands
Avoid pouring fats and oils down the drains. These fatty liquids and oils will clog up inside your pipes, just as it would inside your body arteries. The easiest way to prevent this is by altogether avoiding oil near your sink, but in case of an accident, run hot water and washing up liquid down you drain (immediately) to emulsify it. The easier way to get rid of your fats and oils are to wipe them down or wait for them to solidify and get rid of them into your household waste.

Pest Prevention

Pest prevention is a vital part of home maintenance, especially during the summer months as insects become more prevalent. It is better to exterminate pests and vermin before they have a chance to establish a nest and begin to call your home theirs. Common household pests can include:

Termites
Rats and Mice
Bed bugs
Wasps
Flies

In severe cases, the easiest fix is to call out pest control services, which are cheap and easy to find. However, do try and use preventative measures such as boric acid and Orange Guard before spending your money. And in some cases there are more humane ways to deal with pests such as human rat and mouse traps that will not hurt the animal.

Insulate External Pipes

Insulating external pipes and taps are a great way of preventing freezing and bursting over the winter months. Using foam tubes to insulate your pipes is a great way to ensure that your pipes will not freeze and if you have exposed hot water pipes they will keep their heat. There are some great guides for this around the web and it is a great way to keep your water flowing this winter.

Clean Out The Gutters

Cleaning your gutters is very important to get done before seasons like late summer and autumn when heavy rainfall usually occurs. Cleaning gutters out ensures that there will be no damage caused by water build-up during periods of heavy rain.

Clean The Air Conditioning Filter

Most homes are now fitted with air conditioning to help cool your home during summer. Making sure that your air conditioning is clean enables your unit to run at full efficiency as the dust and bacteria can restrict airflow and stop the unit cooling the air down. The best time to clean your air conditioning unit is before summer (or whenever you start frequently using your AC) and then once a month, while in regular use. Following these four steps will ensure that your filter gets a deep clean:

Remove the filter. Turn off the electricity source and take off the cover of the unit (usually done by releasing the push tabs or loosening the screws). Then remove the filter by sliding or releasing the clips.
Submerge the filter in lukewarm water. Add a mix of washing up liquid and warm water to a bowl and leave inside for 15-30 minutes for best results.
Spray the filter. Mix up a solution of equal parts vinegar and water into a spray bottle and cover the filter. Leave for 10-15 minutes, and this will kill off any harmful bacteria.
Allow the filter to air dry; this could take several hours.

These ten points should mean that your home stays a little more efficient each season. Keeping your property in good order is essential to making sure a house stays a home.