There are many simple tasks around the home that could be taken care of by modern technology.  You could free up your life to do more enjoyable things and save yourself a lot of time and hassle.  Options like gate automation can make your life so much easier and really improve the functionality of your home.

Automated Timing Switches

Timing switches can be a great way to automate a variety of different devices and gadgets around the home.  You can buy these switches and plug your electrical items straight into them.  You will then be able to program in a schedule of times when you want these appliances to turn on and off.

For example timing switches can be used for electric heaters.  The switches will automatically turn heaters on and off at the programmed times.  This enables you to heat rooms in advance so that they are nice and warm for when you get home.  This will also save you money as the heaters switch off again automatically so you never need to worry about leaving them on wasting energy.

Timing switches can also be used for other tasks like pumps for fish tanks.  You will be able to program when you want the pumps to turn on and off automatically and this saves you a lot of hassle.

Automated Washing Cycles

Many modern washing machines can now offer scheduled programming.  You will be able to load washing machines and then program what time you want them to come on.  This can save a lot of time as you can load the machine the night before and program it to automatically start the next morning.  No more rushing around before work trying to get the washing on!

[Photo courtesy of Gratisography/pexels.com]

Automated wash cycles can also save you money as you can program machines to wash at the cheapest tariff point of the day even if you are out and about.

Automated Gates

Gate automation can offer a practical way to secure your home whilst still making it accessible to you and your family.  These gates can also add style to properties and have a certain upmarket appeal.  The great thing about automated gates is that they can be opened remotely.  This means you don’t have to get out of your car and open the gates to access your property.  The gates can either be opened by someone inside the property or you can have a wireless controller in your car that triggers the gates to open for you.

[Photo courtesy of Daniel Frank/pexels.com]

This offers an incredibly convenient way to secure your property without making access difficult for you or your family. There are many benefits to installing automated gates on your property including:

• Increased Security – locked gates offer a powerful visible deterrent to opportunistic criminals. Automated gates have specially geared motors that make it very difficult for someone to force them open.  For additional security electromagnetic locks can be installed which power up when the gates are shut.  These exert a very powerful force that makes it incredibly difficult to force gates open.  Automated gates make it much easier for you to control who enters your property.
• Increased Convenience – automated gates enable you to enter and leave your property with ease. Some remote controller devices can be used up to 20 metres away.  This means you can ensure the gates slide open just as you approach so that you don’t have to stop your car and wait.
• Long Lasting and Durable – quality automated gates are available in a range of robust materials. Metal gates offer a tough and lasting option.  You can also get wooden electric gates for those that prefer a more traditional, natural finish.  Whatever material you choose with a little careful maintenance your automated gate should last for many years.

[ Tagged In ] Appliances Guide, Appliances Tips, Automated Machine, Home Security, House Care, House Security

The concept of a “forever home” is not a new one. It is most often used to refer to rescue animals, destined for a trouble-free life when they have found their new owners. It can also be used for humans – when we have found the house we intend to spend the rest of our lives in.

It can’t hurt to dream… can it?

[Photo courtesy of GregoryButler/pixabay.com]

In some ways, this is a lovely sentiment. The idea that there is one place out there that will be our forever; the homely pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But… it’s also not so nice, in a way. If you think about it, it tends to mean that every other house you live in – i.e. the majority – is your… temporary home.

That sounds less pleasant. 80% of the places you live are just temporary? Stepping stones on the road to “the one”? There’s pretty much no area in life that we’d accept this. We don’t wait until we are nearly pensioners to marry our significant other, having tried out plenty of others. We don’t buy anything else “forever”, either. Our cars have dates of exchange, our clothes go out of style and our tastes evolve. So why are our homes expected to fall into one of two categories: the mythical “forever home” and then the just… all the others?

Life is too short for this kind of thinking. A forever home is a great concept for a rescue pet, but not so much for humans. The idea that you might one day want to move on from your current dwelling doesn’t mean that you don’t care about it, right?

Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into the trap of leaving things for the “forever home”. These are the things we have on our wishlist and can’t imagine parting with, such as custom backyard pools and converted wine cellars. We’d never want to sell a house with something we had designed, so it waits for the forever home. And thus, we spend much of our life in a house that isn’t quite as we want it.

Reality or for the future only?

[Photo courtesy of sasmita/pixabay.com]

And… not to be the bearer of bad news, but – well, the house you’re in right now might be your forever home. You just don’t know it yet. By putting off the things and denying yourself in the quest for something better one day, aren’t we selling ourselves short?

Or is there some benefit to the concept after all? Time to examine the pros and cons, and then you can figure out what works for you.

PRO Forever Home: It’s A Dream

Dreaming the days away…

[Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures/pixabay.com]

Sometimes, we need something to look forward to. After all, we know that there is not really gold at the end of a rainbow – but that doesn’t stop us wishing that there is.

Is the idea point of the idea of this end house, that will meet our every desire, actually in the wishing? Perhaps it is the aspiration that is important – something we can anticipate. We all need to have our idea of perfection in mind.

CON Forever Home: It’s A Dream

Can something be a pro and a con at the same time? I’m making the rules here, so, yes!

For some of us, we will never live that reality. So we spend our lives in houses that are good enough, never doing the things we want to really make us love them. That’s a pretty depressing situation, meaning nowhere is ever fully satisfied. You keep putting it off and dreaming of the next step, but you will ultimately end up with a lost dream you never lived out. Perhaps it is better to focus on reality.

PRO Forever Home: It Might Actually Happen

Maybe there is something at the end of it.

[Photo courtesy of brigachtal/pixabay.com]

This is the area that makes it difficult to argue against. While some of us may never reach that perfect home, some of us will. We will find the perfect place we want to spend our lives; our dreams will come true; the sky will glitter with our delight.

In these circumstances, waiting and saving money to lavish on our eventual end property seems sensible. There are many things we save up for and then can go wild and enjoy – so something as fundamental as the home we live in is a tangible goal.

CON Forever Home: You Don’t Appreciate The Space You’re In

It’s said that envy is the enemy of peace, and there is some truth to this with the idea of a forever home. When you think of this blissful property you one day intend to inhabit, it can mean that you are effectively envying the you of the future. That person will have their desires; the crisp interiors they love; the rooms they never want to leave.

In the moment, that can be rough – because it means you don’t have what you want. It means you are settling, and that means you are not appreciating the now. It means you are not getting enough of the home you currently have, which is a shame, as it probably wasn’t cheap.

So Where Do You Fall?

It all depends on what motivates you as a person. If you need targets and goals, then the idea of a dream property in the future can be enough to keep you going. If you can fix it in your mind and try to make it a reality, then you can handle any temporary upsets because they are just that – temporary.

Reality or aspiration?

[Photo courtesy of geralt/pixabay.com]

If, however, you are not sure how you will get to the point of the perfect home, then why waste your time dreaming of it? This is particularly true if funding your dream home would mean a massive change in financial circumstances that is unlikely. Take a deep breath and learn to appreciate what you have. Furthermore, don’t just accept – if you need to make changes, then have the energy to do them. Get the swimming pool; fix the dodgy plumbing; go for the wine cellar; paint a thousand accent wall! Make your custom alterations and do things that make you happy. There is no point wishing for a future and saving your energy for it, if it isn’t going to happen.

[ Tagged In ] Home Improvement, Home Improvement Tips, House Care, House Improvement, House Tips, Maintenance Care, Maintenance Tips, Plumbing