Out of all the things you can do to ornament and add life and vigor to your garden, water features stand apart in their own special category. If done right, they can add mystique, romance, fun, and function to any garden at all.

Here’s a look at some of the best water features you can include in your garden and their unique benefits.

Pools

Swimming pools are the ideal addition to your garden if you, your family, or friends are interested in having some fun in the sun, and hiring a pool builder to install one might just change your life. Not only does a swimming pool by its very nature suggest a degree of wealth and luxury, but they’re also just incredibly versatile in terms of all the different ways you can enjoy them!

With a larger pool, you can get some serious exercise in by swimming laps back and forth. Kids can learn to swim in a pool. Family and friends can have their own water polo tournaments. Or, if you’d prefer, you can just lounge about on a deckchair getting a tan, and jump in when you want to cool off.

Image by Nowis via Wikimedia Commons

Ponds

A pond is one of the most aesthetically pleasing and relaxing garden features out there, and there are many different styles to choose from. Do you want a pond straight out of a European fairy-tale, with lily pads on the surface, flowers on the bank, and maybe some ornamental features at the bottom? No problem!

Or how about you turn it into a traditional Japanese koi pond and sit next to it for some Zen meditation and quiet contemplation on those hectic days?

Fountains

Fountains are a brilliant way to delight and intrigue guests and to create a sense of magic and wonder in your garden. The sky is the limit with how fancy or elaborate you can go with these, but there are a wide variety of options available suited to different budgets.

With a fountain, you can turn your garden into a scene from Renaissance Italy, or a modern, hip environment from the most fashionable city you can think of.

Bird baths

Not only are birdbaths available in a wide array of affordable and classy designs, able to act as a stunning ornament in and of themselves, but they also serve a feel-good purpose.

After all, our little feathered friends need a cooling drink from time to time, don’t they?

With a bird bath, you not only decorate your garden, but you also invite the local wildlife in and make them comfortable during their stay. A fantastic way of engaging with your local habitat.

Wells

Wells are an immensely practical item – that is, of course, why they were invented. In the modern day, most of us have the luxury of getting our water from a tap. For anyone who feels like enhancing their own sense of self-reliance, however, it could be worthwhile having your property surveyed, and potentially building a well if conditions allow.

Not only will this be one of the most interesting garden features most of your friends have seen, but a well can also be designed in a variety of classic styles harking back to romantic Bavarian villages.

Planning any trip away from home requires some doing, especially if it is a long one. For someone doing it for the first time, it becomes all the more daunting, even with the various guides, blogs and apps available online these days.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

The question, however, which comes up more often than not is from where to begin? If you follow this step by step guide on what to be prepared for next time you step out of home on a long vacation, then the task of getting there and getting back home again will become much less overwhelming.

Make a list

A thing to do list will go a long way in taking care of what you need before you set out and not worry about leaving home for long. Just add things you remember, even if you have to cross them out again. This will not only make travel easy but planning better.

Travel light

When going on a lengthy holiday, one does get tempted to pack as much as you can to last the trip. The truth is that you will require a lot less. Just  carry clothes for about ten days and then by specific clothes for the location once you reach there. This way you need not haul a bulky bag for months on end.

Take care of the loose ends

Leaving home for an extended vacation can have some annoying drawbacks. Apart from forwarding your contract details to a reliable person, the problem of having someone to pay any upcoming bills needs to be taken care of.

Prepare your travel kit

Plan your itinerary and give the details to parents and friends. Make copies of your passport, visa and other travel related documents and make several copies for yourself and passing on to friends and families. Finally do not forget to take travel insurance – it as an absolute must.

Plan your mode of transport

Cutting down on transfer travel time and cost makes a great difference to the entire journey. The actual charge for valet parking at any airport terminal, both for short and long term can be quite high, even after the significant discounts on offer. It is better, therefore, to have a private transfer arranged to avoid the hassle of standing in the long taxi queue and over payment. Try booking a reliable transfer agency like KiwiTaxi, online. You will not only save on parking charges but will ultimately spend much less on your transport costs. While flying may be an option in some places, hiring a recreational vehicle from KiwiTaxi, can be not only cheaper but also have ample baggage space especially when travelling with families and kids.

Once you have decided to make the big adventure trip, the one which will take you miles away from home for months on end, these are the minor things which will come to your help and need to be tackled. Remember, any vacation is supposed to be fun and relaxing, therefore, a poorly planned one can result in a major headache.

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Buying a new home needs careful planning and consideration. Most home-buyers focus on the price and location of the home they want to purchase. The house condition and its age is an important factor for most home-buyers because of the maintenance, upgrades and cost of repairs.

Finding the right home is not always an easy task just like finding the right car it can be an overwhelming process and emotionally draining to home-buyers.  But with the technology today and right research, there are many different resources where to get complete and helpful information that you need when purchasing a new home or car, just take for example cars.com when you are planning to buy a new car.  Their website have a huge selection of information and resource to teach you on your potential car purchase. They provide extensive reviews and essential information about a wide variety of different cars, it is either used or new.

[Photo Courtesy of Pascal Renet/pexels.com]

And just like doing a good research when buying a new car, a good research  and doing home inspection is a very essential too when purchasing a new home for your own satisfaction by visually evaluating the home’s condition and identifying the problems with the house.  Although, generally speaking, the seller is not required to make repairs if problems are discovered during a home inspection but not to disappoint or cancel the deal often times the seller agrees to make a repair.

Visiting different realtors and car dealers is essential to find the best deal especially when you are buying an old house or a used car.

Home improvements are great to add value to your property, but they can be a pain to finance. In fact, most homeowners tend to focus on personal loans or an FHA 203k loan – they can be used for refinancing and repairs instead of buying a new home – when they look for financing options. But, believe it or not, there is more than one way to finance your home improvement project without taking a personal loan. Below, you’ll find 5 ways that should do the trick for you.

Build an eco house

#1. Let the home raise money for the improvement

If you already have a first mortgage on your home, homeequitylineof.credit can be a valuable option for you. You can draw out money as it fits and choose to pay it back when you can, as long as you keep the minimum monthly payment. You don’t even have to pay interest either until you use the money. But beware, though: If you can’t make the payment, you could end up homeless.

#2. Go green and get funded

If you decide to go green and add eco-friendly transformations to your home, you might not even have to pay for it by yourself. According to archive.epa.gov you can find funding opportunities for green buildings, including grants and tax-credits. There is a variety of national and local programs available. For an updated list, you may want to get in touch with your local authorities.

#3. Find a construction loan

Construction loans are rare and they are difficult to obtain. But this short-term loan option allows you to pay for the construction or extension work. You will need to need to make major renovations to be eligible for this kind of loan. At the end of the construction process, you will need to get the end loan, which is a loan to pay off the first loan. However, construction loans are very cumbersome in terms of application and funding, as the money is only released at specific stages of the project. Finally, if the work can’t be completed within the agreed scheduled, you might have to pay additional costs until you can move in.

#4. Borrow your 401(k)

It’s common for 401(k) programs to let you borrow from your account and pay back the loan over a number of years – generally five – via payroll deduction. However, you can only borrow up to 50% of your account balance, which limits the amount you can get. Additionally, if you leave your job or change company, you will need to repay the loan earlier. In that case, the loan becomes a withdrawal on which you owe taxes and penalties.

#5 Reverse mortgage for 62+

If you are 62 or older, you can get a reverse mortgage on the percentage of equity that you own in your property. While a reverse mortgage is expensive, you don’t have to repay it until the home is sold or you’ve changed address.

Each way of funding your home improvements presents specific advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, unless you inherit a bunch load of money from a rich aunt, you will need to pick the most suitable borrowing option for your situation.

The rod pocket curtain is a variation of tailored curtain giving each window the best covering treatment to protect the entire home from the prying eyes of Peeping Toms. It is designed to enhance the appearance of your home no matter how large or small your windows are. Rod pocket curtains are manufactured with different sizes of pockets enough to insert the rod for easy installation. You can have a header to turn your window look elegant and fabulous.

These curtains are available in floral, geometric figures, plaids, checks, or stripes. You can pick a width of 68 inches to as much as 84 inches depending on the size of your window frame. Bold colors are perfect for the living room where most family members gather for their bonding moments. The polyester rod pocket curtain is the best option for your home office so that the light cannot distract your working mood. Striking colors in nylon or taffeta could add more inspiration to your kid’s study room.

[Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske /pexels.com]

Before you purchase the curtains, decide which size is suitable to your window length and size. Most notable lengths for curtains range from 84”, 96’’ and 108.” If you want elegant looking windows, the 108 inches is suitable for your home. A large window and sliding door need 120 inches length rod pocket curtain. If your house has Mediterranean or European features, try to have faux silk or silk curtains. They give your window the best treatment.

Stripes are a big no if your window is too tall while checkered is discouraged for short windows because it makes the window look stouter. Rod pocket curtains are effective in giving an illusion of width so be careful when you hang them on the window. If your window is short, you need to hang the curtain rod very close to the ceiling while the hemline should be floor length. Wide windows need curtains rods to be extended in few inches from the window frame while the entire curtain could cover them.

When it comes to protecting the environment, the benefits are a long way in the future, and the costs are immediate. That’s why, according to interior designer and TV personality George Clark, people aren’t going to change the way they live – at least not without some benefits in the here and now.

Rather than taking an ideological view on the climate, Clark is more pragmatic. He says that if people are going to change, they need some incentives other than another Al Gore presentation about the end of the world.

Fortunately, things have moved on quite a bit since the early days of eco-friendly design. It’s no longer such a compromise to renovate a house in an eco-friendly way. In fact, in some situations, it’s incredibly high tech.

For regular homeowners, this means both getting some benefits and saving money on gas and electricity bills. Living more sustainably and reducing utility costs go hand-in-hand, and it’s something that everybody can benefit from.

Governments have realised this too. In the UK, for instance, the government wants to fit solar panels to 800,000 “social houses” to reduce utility costs for low-income residents. When you compare gas and electricity prices before and after the change, there’s a large difference. And that’s the benefit of eco-living: it helps level the playing field. No longer do you need a substantial income to run a big house, just the right approach to energy usage.

Here are some renovations that are eco-friendly and could save you money in the long term.

Build Draught Excluders Into New Doors

If you’re planning on fitting new doors, you might be able to save a bit of money on your gas and electric at the same time. Rather than fitting draught excluders, which can look cumbersome and get dirty really easily, find ways to use the door itself to plug gaps between one room and another, especially exterior doors. The good news is that the majority of modern exterior doors come with draught-excluding seals which work much better than regular excluders. Find a door that fits the door frame perfectly and put an end to inch-thick gaps under your doors which let in all the cold air from outside.

Buy Furniture And Fittings Second-Hand

Most people think that the biggest energy cost involved in the delivery of goods comes at the shipping stage. But, in reality, it’s actually the manufacturing stage which involves the most energy use, especially for products which contain metal. As a result, even if you buy furniture locally, you may not be reducing the carbon footprint of your renovation.

It’s always better, therefore, to make use of old furniture: furniture that would otherwise have been thrown in a skip and dumped in a landfill. What’s more, second-hand furniture offers opportunities that new furniture doesn’t. Upcycling a piece of new furniture doesn’t make much sense. But taking something that is apparently past its best and making it new again can be a gratifying experience and something that’s well worth doing at least one.

Choose Low Electricity Appliances

When renovating a room, we rarely consider the type of appliances we choose. But it turns out that not only is the choice of appliances essential for eco-living, but it’s also important from a stylistic point of view.

Appliances, like radiators, aren’t just appliances anymore – something which many homeowners just hope will fade into the background. They’re fast becoming focal points for the room. There’s no longer any need to stick with your original cast-iron radiator and decorate the rest of the room around it. You can get different styles of radiators that can be made to suit any room and look good too.

A current favourite is tall, thin radiators that snake their way all the way up a wall to the ceiling. Gone are the ugly traditional column and cast iron radiators. Designer radiators are here to stay, and they look a heck of a lot better than their counterparts. Designer radiators come in chrome, stainless steel, and aluminium, as well as different colours.

Replace Your Drapes With Thicker Material

According to estimates, as much as 30 percent of all the heat lost from a home is lost through the windows. That represents a significant bump to your electricity and gas bill. But the good news is that you can stem the loss of heat through judicious investment in drapes.

Thin curtains might be all the rage right now, but thicker drapes can be made to work too, especially when paired with the perfect interior. You don’t want your drapes to look too heavy or overbearing, like something out of Wuthering Heights, but you do want something that will stop heat escaping, especially now winter is approaching.

Most professional drape suppliers will allow you to choose the tog of the material. Selecting a higher tog can help to keep small air pockets within the material, providing additional insulation and reducing heat loss.

Experiment With LED Lighting

LED lights were originally invented back in the 1990s. But, as with any new technology, they were extremely expensive, to begin with. Today that’s all changed, and the cost of LEDs has come down considerably. No, they’re not quite as cheap as old-fashioned incandescent bulbs just yet, but they’re well on their way. And, importantly, they provide greater bang for the buck: LED bulbs are able three times as expensive as regular bulbs, but they may last thirty times as long and use 10 percent of the energy.

There’s also another feature of LED lights that make them particularly appealing to homeowners: their versatility. It turns out that the underlying LED technology is a lot safer than traditional lighting technology and this means that LED lights can be arranged into all sorts of configurations which simply weren’t possible in the past. LEDs can be made so small and use up such little energy that they are now being fashioned into sources of light which mimic things in the natural world, like rushes and twigs. LEDs can also be placed in areas where it would previously have been difficult to put bulbs, again adding to their versatility. Lighting a space from multiple vectors, for instance, is easier with LED bulbs than other varieties.

Stick With Wood Frames

If all you cared about was looks, which would you choose? Factory-produced UPVC window frames or wood frames? In all likelihood, it’s the latter. And the reason? Factory-produced UPVC frames are generic, ugly and hard to repair if they get damaged. Wooden frames, on the other hand, can be sanded down, chiselled away and be replaced piece by piece if necessary.

But there’s another reason to stick with wooden frames whenever possible: plastic frames are just downright dangerous for the environment. According to health experts, UPVC frames emit a toxin which can harm your health as well as the rest of the environment. Wood frames covered in non-VOC paint don’t.

Fill Your Cavity Walls Before You Start The Decorating

If you’re stripping back your old decor and are looking to replace it with something new, it’s worth thinking about filling the spaces between your cavity walls before you start decorating. Homes which don’t make use of cavity wall insulation can see their gas and electric bills skyrocket. What’s more, halfway through a renovation is the opportune time to start injecting insulating material. It’s cheap, and it’s best to do it while the decorating is ongoing to minimise disruption.

Buy Furniture Made From Recycled Materials

Have you ever wondered where all your recycled plastic and metal goes? Most of it goes back into new packaging products, but a small chunk of it also goes to make furniture.

The great thing about recycled furniture today is that you would never have guessed it was, other than the fact that manufacturers tend to be very proud of the fact. It’s high quality and sometimes more durable than unsustainably sourced furniture, thanks to its high plastic content.

Scrap Radiators Entirely

[Photo courtesy of Bill Nichols/Geograph.org.uk]

As discussed, efforts have been made to redeem radiators. But no matter how hard designers try, they rarely fit into the design of a room. Plus, they’re also not particularly energy efficient according to Clark, which is why you should consider alternatives.

Fortunately, you don’t have to freeze in the winter to keep your home stylish: just choose underfloor heating. Not only does it keep radiators out of your living spaces, but it’s also more energy-efficient, slashing the cost of your gas and electric bills.

Use Local Materials For Renovation Works

Bamboo is often considered to be an eco-friendly material because it grows quickly and comes from bamboo farms. But bamboo is cultivated a long way from its target market. Buyers of bamboo are often people in rich countries in the northern hemisphere, whereas bamboo tends to be grown near to the equator. That means that there’s a lot of energy involved in shipping it to your house. You can bypass all of this, of course, by source sustainable materials locally.

Have you ever thought about completing some renovation work on your home? This is a possibility worth considering for one key reason. It will allow you to add a lot of value to your property. So, eventually, when you decide to sell, you’re going to be able to put it on the market for a lot more than it was originally worth. The best part is that the changes we are talking about here don’t have to be dramatically expensive. In fact, they can be fairly cheap and completely affordable even if you are working on a budget. Let’s look at some of the possibilities, and along the way, we’ll think about the type of value you could add to your home by making these changes.

New Flooring

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

One of the most important points to remember when you are changing your home is that it’s not about how expensive it is or how much it’s worth. It’s about how much it appears to be worth. If your home looks like it’s worth half a million, that’s exactly how much buyers are going to be willing to pay. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that when you sell the home, the price is determined by the building and the land rather than the interior. This isn’t true, and buyers can be influenced by a modern home design.

That’s why you should consider replacing carpeted floors with laminate flooring. This looks stylish and contemporary, but it is surprisingly cheap. You can get laminate flooring for your entire home for just a few thousand. If you don’t have that type of money home loans from GoBear and similar companies could provide the solution. They can lend you the money you need to pay for the change, and you can pay them back in the period of a year.

Light Fixtures

[Photo courtesy of SplitShire/pexels.com]

Lighting is a brilliant way to make a property look different without actually changing all that much about it. If you want a key area of your home to focus on, you should look at the kitchen. By changing the kitchen, you can add as much as ten thousand on to the asking value of the property. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend ten thousand renovating this room. Instead, you can spend a couple of hundred replacing the light fixtures and adding spotlights that look stylish. The other benefit of spotlights is that they draw attention to key features in a room that you want buyers to focus on.

Aesthetic Materials

[Photo courtesy of Pineapple Supply Co./pexels.com]

It would be wonderful if you could add marble or granite fixtures to your home. However, most people don’t have this type of money in their budget and are reluctant to borrow large amounts of cash. That’s understandable, so instead use aesthetically similar materials. You can buy materials that look like marble for a fraction of the price, and unless they ask directly, you don’t have to divulge that it’s not the real deal.

Good luck with your own home renovation. We’re sure you’ll be thrilled with the level of value it adds to your property.

Finding discount for household essentials is the foremost reason why homemakers spend longer hours when shopping at the malls. If you happen to be the husband of a woman who loves a bargain, chances are, get irritated every time you go shopping with her. It is an instinct for housewives to control their spending, so their families can survive until the next payday.

The curtains are one of the things that homemakers would like to buy at discounted prices. They have the patience to wait for the best, whether it is a holiday, Thanksgiving or a closing out sale. Discount curtains are no longer a rare opportunity for shoppers since they are made available at online shops as the competition is becoming stiff.

[Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske/pexels.com]

Curtain products are advertised online; hence, the online stores are offering them at a lower price so they can dispose of them and allow the new product line to replace the old stocks. This is the time that homemakers and shopaholics are waiting so they can buy many curtains for their homes.

Some online shopping portal offer discounts for various curtain types from 50% up to 77% discounts. The best example for this is the five-piece set of Zebra-five piece set curtain which includes a topper, two tiebacks and two panels. Its retail price was $29.99 and now it is sold at $14.99 which entitles you to a saving of $15. A purple voile sheer curtain with floor length of 84 inches including two panels was originally priced at $34.99 and now it is available at $14.99 which entitles you to a saving of $20 or 57% discount.

These examples clearly show that discounts for curtains can help low income families buy affordable curtains that are made of various designs and patterns. It only needs patience and extra time to enable you to discover the online store that sells cheap but high quality window coverings.

Everyone wants a beautiful garden in which they can relax and be at one with their own little piece of the great outdoors. The trouble is that very few of us have the time and effort spare to commit to maintaining one. Mowing the lawn, weeding, planting and all of the usual activities necessary for a beautiful garden may be fun and easy over the summer months but when the leaves fall from the trees and the rain clouds come out in force, many of us prefer the creature comforts of the great indoors.

The quandary, then, is how can we put together a garden that is not only beautiful all year round but requires an absolute bare minimum of maintenance. Believe it or not, it can be done. Here’s how…

Lose the lawn

A lush green lawn is a beautiful addition to any garden, but it also requires regular maintenance. If you’re not prepared for mowing, clipping and weeding on a weekly basis then it may be time to consider the alternatives. Fortunately they can be both beautiful and affordable. Paving your garden gives you absolute control over the look of your garden and with the huge variety of colors, shapes and materials on offer, there’s huge scope for customization allowing you to tailor the look of your garden to your own personal tastes. Of course, even the most robust weed control membrane may be breached every once in awhile so it’s important to be vigilant and patrol your garden with a bottle of weed killer handy every now and then.

For those who want the low maintenance benefits of paving while still enjoying the ability to plant, gravel lends a Mediterranean style to your garden while allowing you to plant drought resistant plants like lavender. This way you can give your garden some beautiful, colorful flourishes that provide nectar and pollen for visiting insects while also preventing weeds.

However, if you want the appearance of turf, as well as providing a soft, safe surface for your children to play on, a synthetic turf such as Multiturf may offer you the best of both worlds. Synthetic turfs look and feel much like regular grass yet require no mowing or other maintenance. For those who want a neat, lush lawn all year round, synthetic turf is the way to go.

The perfect plants

A lawn free garden will require some plants to prevent it from looking and feeling sterile and lifeless. But since we’re looking for low maintenance options, it’s vitally important to choose the right plants. Fortunately, there are many beautiful and hardy perennials that will add color and vibrancy to your garden yet expect almost nothing in return. Evergreen shrubs like holly, lavender and daphne are famously reliable though if you’re looking for a little more range of color we recommend the ‘Jules Verne’ peony, the Japanese barberry and ribbon grass.

With a little imagination, a beautiful yet relatively maintenance free garden is not a pipe dream but an affordable and attainable goal.

You wouldn’t think it but there are a lot of things to consider before you purchase a rug. One of the most common mistakes that people make when buying a rug is going for the cheapest option,  which is why we’ve put a little step-by-step guide to follow and make sure you make the best choice for both you and your home.

First of all you need to remember that everything looks different in a showroom setting and this includes rugs, which is why you really need to take your time when it comes to choosing the one you want. Consider your options and don’t rush into anything, the rugs aren’t going to run away and if the retailer offers them; always ask for samples. Samples are great if you have a few different ideas in mind and you can actually take them home with you to see how the rug may fit with your decor.

So what else is there to consider? Well, the simplest of things can make the biggest difference for example, the size of the room that you will be placing the rug. The thing about rugs is that they they can make a room appear smaller than it actually is, so if you are thinking of placing a rug in an already small room then it’s probably best to avoid rugs with intricate and busy-looking patterns as well as dark rugs. If you are planning on placing a rug in a smaller room then the same rule applies as does with decorating, lighter colours will make the room appear more spacious and bright.

Another important factor when it comes to choosing your rug is the texture that you opt for. The texture of the rug can add different depths to the room, for example if you chose a pile or shaggy rug then this would make the room feel cosier than your standard modern rugs, which tend to act as more of a feature.

You don’t always have to worry about your rug directly matching the decor of your room, one of the trendiest options in the rug world for the last couple of years has been antique statement rugs. You know the kind? They seem to make their way into charity shops quite a lot but in all honesty they look ideal in modern spaces. Go on, be unique and bring something ‘stand out’ to your room!

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

It’s also worth thinking about the kind of home you run in accordance with the rug you choose, for example if you were to purchase a crisp white sheepskin rug it probably wouldn’t be best placed in a home with pets and toddlers running about. That being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice sheepskin, you just need to make sure everyone knows the rules!

If you do buy a high-quality rug then there is more of a likelihood of it needing to be professionally cleaned, in fact that goes for any rug, especially if it is kept in a high-traffic area. It is advised that you have your rugs cleaned at least once or twice a year by professional cleaners, this prevents the rug becoming unsanitary and can be done on top of regular cleaning on a weekly basis.

So there you have it, just a few pointers to help make the decision of buying a new rug that little bit easier. Take your time to ensure that this rug can be the one you and your family will enjoy for years to come.