Category: Design

The Unexpected Place of Truck Trailers in Home and Garden Design

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Landscaping

If you’ve ever passed a truck trailer on the highway and found yourself imagining the potential it holds beyond the realm of transportation, you’re not alone. Increasingly, homeowners and garden enthusiasts are tapping into the creative possibilities these unconventional structures provide.

From dolly trailers to flat top and drop deck trailers, this article will explore the novel ways truck trailers are being integrated into home and garden designs. If you’re curious about how you might leverage these unique, industrious structures in your own home and garden, read on.

Truck Trailers: A Brief Introduction

Truck trailers are usually associated with heavy-duty transport. They’re designed to handle massive weights, tackle challenging terrains, and protect cargo from the elements. However, the same attributes that make these trailers perfect for transport also make them ripe for repurposing.

There are several types of truck trailers. Dolly trailers, for instance, are commonly used for heavy haulage and have a low bed height for stability. They’re rugged, durable, and can stand up to harsh conditions. Flat top trailers, on the other hand, are characterized by their open flat platform, without sides or a roof, making them perfect for carrying oversized loads. Lastly, drop deck trailers, also known as step deck trailers, are essentially flatbeds with a raised and lowered section, used for carrying taller items.

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What Your Cat Needs Inside Its Cat Enclosure

What Your Cat Needs Inside Its Cat Enclosure

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

There is a misconception amongst many people, including cat owners, that cats prefer to stay indoors. This may be down to the fact that cats generally do not like wet weather, but if you were to investigate further, you would find that many cats love being outdoors, and one of the best ways to allow them to do so safely is with a cat enclosure.

A cat enclosure can be a DIY project for enthusiasts. Still, the wisest choice, especially concerning your cat’s well-being, is to purchase your cat’s enclosure from a dedicated pet enclosure supplier. They will have several options ranging from simple netting to a full-sized prefabricated cat enclosure that your cat will love spending hours inside, and it can do so in perfect safety.

Once they have their cat enclosure, your cat can sleep, rest, play, scratch, meow, eat, drink, and do what ultimately comes naturally in their private space. Best of all, from your point of view, they will not be doing any of that indoors, so issues such as noise, scratched furniture, and accidents on the carpet will not arise whilst they are outdoors in their backyard cat enclosure.

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Composite Decking Versus Timber Decking

Composite Decking Versus Timber Decking

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

One of the questions deck builders are asked, possibly more than any other, is ‘What are the advantages or disadvantages of composite decking versus timber decking?’.

It is a very valid question, and before we answer it, we are going to be upfront and say that we are going to try to be as neutral as we can. There are always going to be differences of opinion with regards to certain products and services, and that is equally true when it comes to composite decking and timber decking.

Some favour the former, and others the latter so we are going to try our best to be as objective as we can as we go through some of the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two types of decking. For specific and more personalised answers, ask your builders which Building Supplies would suit your property best.

Look and Feel

This is one where your choice is going to very much be based on your personal preferences rather than on any kind of technical specification, however, let us try to give you some comparisons.

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Shade Sails Vs. Umbrellas

Shade Sails Vs. Umbrellas

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

Many businesses these days have outdoor customer areas and they see the need to provide shade, otherwise those people will go elsewhere so they don’t have to sit in scorching sun. However, there are several ways to ensure the customer area is shades and two of the most popular are with shade sails and sun umbrellas. So which is the best?

Advantages

Sails

  • Sails offer a larger area of shade that can include tables, chairs, walkways and borders of the area.
  • The sail is higher, which allows more air and breeze to pass under and through the structure, so the area is cooler.
  • You get more UV protection from a sail and they are usually showerproof as well.
  • Commercial sails don’t have to be taken down; in fact they are not meant to be removed like residential ones are.

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Hardwood Flooring

Choosing Hardwood Flooring Over Carpet

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Maintenance

In the midst of a house renovation you might have to make a consideration between laying carpet or installing timber flooring. Hardwood flooring has quite a few more positives than negatives when you start comparing it with carpet. Here are a few of the points to consider when trying to make that choice.

Timber Flooring is Modern Looking

You look at today’s innovative building designs. They are trending towards clean lines, simplicity, and that catch word ‘minimalism’. With a timber floor you get a blank canvas on which to express your personality. Carpet is kind of 70’s. It looked great in your parents’ house, in the lounge room, but it’s time your home zoomed into the 21st Century.

Cleaning

Commercial cleaners advise that you can easily clean a wooden floor with a sweep and a vacuum. Follow that up with a warm water mop to clean the surface and you’re good to go. The carpets will require a vacuum and more than likely a steam clean every few months from a carpet cleaning service, especially if you have pets and kids. Stubborn stains in carpet can be rather hard to remove. There are no stains on a timber floor (unless you spill acid and it eats into the wood). Marks from high heels can be repaired although some say it adds character. Scratch marks on timber floors are usually sustained by the coating rather than by the wood itself and easily fixed with a quick sanding.

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Picking The Right Frames

Picking The Right Frames For Your Home

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

Every home has frames hanging on the walls. Some will contain paintings, many will be photographs, and there may even be certificates and awards displayed proudly for all to see. In most cases, the only thought that will have gone into each frame is whether or not it is hanging straight after it has been mounted. However, if you want the interior design of your home to utilise framed photos and paintings fully then more thought needs to be given to the whole process of choosing the frames you hang on your walls.

Obviously, one factor in the whole process will be how many rooms you have in your home. Large houses with 3 or more bedrooms and other rooms such as a study or separate dining room will have much more scope for both the quantity and the types of framed items you can display than a one-bedroom apartment. Nevertheless, whether your home is large or small you can still make choices about the sorts of framed pictures or photos you use.

One element to consider early on is whether the furniture, fixtures and general decor in your home are mainly traditional or modern. In many cases, there may be some overlap but most homes will tend to veer towards one or the other. If it is traditional then the sorts of frames you want to hang should reflect this, even if they are to be used for photographs instead of paintings or prints.

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The Difference Between Limestone Bricks and Blocks

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

Limestone is one of the most commonly used building materials because it is strong and durable. It is cut into bricks and blocks. There are several differences between the two, including the size.

Limestone bricks

Bricks are the smaller of the two and are coursed so they can be used just like normal bricks. They have a 10mm joints, while blocks are cut to allow 20mm joins. The limestone blocks are cut at the quarry and then transported to the factory for further cutting in bricks.

The bricks come cut in two different ways.

  • Firstly, with faces and edges diamond cut, and perpendiculars tungsten cut.
  • Or secondly, tungsten cut face and perps, with diamond cut edges.

The geological name of the limestone in the bricks is Tamala Eolianite, and it was formed in the Pleistocene Age.  The type of stone is called Coastal Limestone and it has a Calcium Carbonate content of between 70%-95%. Of a cream colour, the compressive strength is 3.5Mpa Avg. Bricks come in 6 different sizes.

Bricks can be used in many projects from planter boxes to garden walls and from wall cladding for single or double storey buildings to even larger commercial buildings. These bricks do not have cement added; they are completely natural limestone.

Limestone blocks

There are two different types of limestone blocks.

  • Natural Tamala limestone blocks with quarry cut finishes on all surfaces. These are useful for fences, feature walls, piers and retaining walls. The grain is fine to medium with a compressive strength of 3.5 Mpa. There can be waste if a block splits or breaks which means they are not quite as environmentally friendly as the reconstituted blocks below, however it is still a beautiful product worthy of attention and frequently found enhancing an urban environment with the elegant shape and colour.

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10  Reasons to Choose a Colorbond Roof

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

The roof is like a lid for your home. Just like a lid on anything else, it is meant to keep out moisture and preserve the contents of the home in good order – including the occupants. If you are building a new home or renovating an old one you will need to decide what kind of roof you want. Here are ten reasons to choose Colorbond roofing.

    1. Colorbond is made from steel with a baked on coloured surface which stops the steel from rusting and enhances the whole home. Steel is a strong material, yet it is light compared to some other roofing materials.  It has been made especially for Australian conditions that can be baking hot during the day and frosty cold at night.
    2. Because the sheets are large, the roof will be finished quickly, saving time and costs on labour.
    3. There are many colours to choose from, meaning you can create a nice colour scheme overall. The colours reflect those found in our Australian environment.
    4. A steel roof may sound as if it will be hot, but nearly all the colours have thermal technology and reflect the sun’s rays, thus providing insulation. When there is also insulation in the ceiling your home will be cool in summer and warm in winter.
    5. Colorbond roofing is a popular choice in Australia so your home will blend in with others in the district.

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Fabulous 6 Natural Stone Decking for Pools

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Pools

The vicinity surrounding your pool plays a significant part to give your pool the right character and style. Enlisted below are 6 natural stone pool decks options to transform a simple pool setting to an extraordinary one.

  1. Travertine: Quite an ideal choice for setting up an opulent pool deck. This material is preferred mostly for its:
  • Durability
  • Porous nature, allowing it to absorb water immediately, leaving the deck dry and safe at all times.
  • Propensity to always be cool to touch
  • Enduring feature through all weather conditions, including freeze/thaw.
  • Distinctive colors- ivory, brown and gold
  1. Flagstone: This flat slab of natural paving is perfect for around the pool installation. A huge number of pool owners are fond of this pool deck material for-
  • Its huge array of shapes and sizes to create an extraordinary pool deck
  • Its textures and colors are rich in earth tones
  • Its facet to survive regular usage while defying humid temperatures and keeping the surface slip-free
  • Its low on maintenance and can be installed easily

Two types of Flagstone include- Bluestone and Slate

  • Bluestone is the best pick for an outdoor setting that is enclosed by a natural scenery
  • Slate is a type of stone decking that suits traditional and natural spaces flawlessly.
  1. Limestone: Limestone is a building material that is famed across the globe for making decking a hassle-free process. On top of that, limestone is-
  • Robust
  • Long lasting. It can withstand the test of time irrespective of harsh climatic conditions
  • It has a way to charm spectators with its warm and earthy look
  • Exclusive looking. Its looks make pool designers opt for it for pool coping as well.
  • Available in a huge assortment of shapes and sizes cut to suit individual requirements. Color-wise, there are infinite choices like blue, pink, brown, grey and a lot more.

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How to Get The Right Scaffolding for Your Project

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

There are as many different types of scaffolding as there are building projects. Each project has its own specific requirements and some require scaffolding that is quite unique in that the shape, load and design specifications are different from any other. Even if your project is not totally unique, you will still want to be sure that you get the right type of scaffolding for it. So how can you be sure?

Since most scaffolding is hired, you need to choose a reputable scaffold hire company that employs trained engineers to design the scaffolding you need. Sometimes, the engineer will deem it essential to come out to the building site to take a look at the geography and ground conditions of the layout as well as other essential features such as power lines that may be nearby. Other times they will simply work from the specifications and plans that you supply to them.

The company will then design a scaffolding that will work for your project and present it to you for your approval. It is important to make sure that the structure has been designed properly and also that the actual components of the scaffolding are of the right kind and strong material. The two main choices are aluminium and steel. Aluminium is light and strong, while steel is also strong, but heavier. It is generally chosen for a structure that is complex and larger. (more…)

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Positioning Windows for Passive Cooling

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

If you want your home to leave a small carbon footprint and cost less to run over its lifetime, a good place to start is with the windows. Traditionally, windows were smaller and many older homes still reflect this trend, but it is not difficult to have larger ones installed and you will be amazed at the difference it makes. Windows let in the cool breezes, natural lighting and warm sun in the winter, if they are in the right position. And if you are building a new home, now is the time to ensure that your windows are large enough – and are positioned in the correct way.

Why Wind Direction is Important

When you purchase a block of land, probably the last thing on your mind would be what direction the prevailing winds usually come from. But this knowledge is important in passive cooling because you will need larger windows on this side. It is easy to find this information out. Ask some locals who have lived there a long time or find out from the weather bureau. Researching the topic online may be the way to go if your area is well-known. Many cities on the coast will have breezes coming in from the sea.

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The Ideal Solution for Limited Mobility – Install a Lift

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

People with limited mobility find it difficult to go up and down stairs whether they are elderly or young with some physical limitation. Very often children and young adults have been injured in a car accident or contracted some disease that prevents them climbing stairs.  Yet they may have a lovely home with more than one storey, or if it is built on a hilly location, the garage may be underneath and the home is above. This requires going up steps that can be very difficult to negotiate. The ideal solution are lifts, specifically to install disability lifts.

Advantages of a Lift for Young Adults

In fact, even those who are young and strong may find going up stairs difficult at times during their life. When you have a baby, the nursery is usually upstairs in a two storey home. Imagine the difficulty – and danger – of carrying a tiny baby or wriggling toddler, not to mention all their paraphernalia, up and down the stairs. There is the pram or stroller, the baby seat or capsule, the walker, various large toys and many packets of disposable nappies, to mention just a few.

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How Bathroom Mirrors Enhance Space and Light

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

Not all bathrooms are spacious and well-lit. Older homes often fail in this regard, especially if they were designed many years ago when no one thought the bathroom was very important. It was simply considered the place to have a quick bath or shave and leave as soon as possible so the others could use it. These days it is more of a place for rest and relaxation as well as for applying make-up and doing other beauty routines. Such things require light and space, but if your bathroom has neither, what can you do? There are simple ways and means of enhancing the light and space in a bathroom renovation.

Use Mirrors

We all know that mirrors are needed in the bathroom so that we can see what we are doing. Shaving, plucking, styling hair and adding make-up all need a mirror. However, mirrors also reflect other things apart from your face. If you place an additional mirror right opposite the window, your light will increase and so will your perception of space.

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How Improved Design Enhances Sliding Aluminium Windows

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

One great thing about aluminium windows is that they don’t need painting. If you have ever had the job of painting a window you will know how fiddly it is. Aluminium windows come in silvery grey or brown, both of which seem to suit a variety of colours, as well as brickwork. They are simple to operate and provide a good view and plenty of light, since you can get large sizes.

There was only one thing wrong with them and that was the tiny grooves inside the gutter that contained the sliding part. Happily, this has disappeared, leaving the window much easier to clean.

What Else is New with Aluminium Windows?

Once, the sliding aluminium window did just that; slid to one side of the opening, leaving half the window cavity opened. Of course you could adjust this to any amount from a narrow crack to the full half width. But nowadays you can have all the advantages of aluminium windows in designs that are not just sliding. There are: –

  • Louvres
  • Bifold
  • Hopper
  • Sash
  • Double Hung
  • Fixed

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What Type of Fencing is Best for Homes

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

There are many different types of fencing for homes and the one you choose may depend on your location or the main reason for fencing your home. For instance, if you live on a farm, you may need to have a stock fence of barbed wire around your home just to keep the cows off your lawn and stop them munching up your flowers. But if you live in a residential area you are likely to need a fence for a different reason.

Reasons for Fencing

For instance, you may simply want a fence to mark out the boundaries of your block. But if you have trouble with children riding their bikes over your lawn and gardens, you would want a sturdier fence than just a pretty boundary marker.

Due to recent government regulations around the world, the glass fencing specialists at www.clearazglassfencing.com.au have seen the demand for glass pool fencing go up in recent years – where homeowners want to protect their young children or pets and add value to their property.

Many people these days choose a fence for security reasons. This means that the fence will need to be high enough so that no one can climb over it, and sturdy enough that it cannot be pulled down or have a hole cut in it.

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3 Reasons why You Need Security Doors

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

Many homeowners take security for granted without actually checking to ensure that their home is safe. Or they may have a security door at the front, but none at the back. Since doors and windows are the obvious ingress points for a burglar, it makes sense to ensure all such openings are secure. If you have not thought too much about security, here are 3 reasons why your home needs security doors.

1: Security Doors Ensure Your Personal Safety

This may seem obvious, but unless you have been the target of a home invasion it will not really hit home. Having your home broken into is bad enough, but being the victim of a violent home invasion is much worse. It takes years to recover emotionally and mentally from such an attack and of course, the physical repercussions may be with you for months or years. If you happen to be at home when your house is robbed, you can often fall victim to an assault, even if that was not the main reason the invader broke in. Older people, especially, find it difficult to recover from such a trauma, while children can be badly affected and have nightmares for years afterwards. How much better would it be to prevent it from happening in the first place.

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Adding Elegance to Your Bathroom – Frameless Shower Screens

By missalis | | No Comments | Design, Renovations

The bathroom is an important part of the house since every member of the family uses it. These days, having an elegant bathroom is considered essential, so what can you do to make your bathroom into a place that everyone will enjoy spending time in? The answer is easy. Add frameless shower screens. There are many benefits –

  • With no solid walls to cast shadow in your small room it will look much bigger. Having a light, airy space will create elegance and offers the perception of space, making your bathroom look bigger than it actually is.
  • Being lighter makes it easier to see, so you don’t have to switch the light on quite so much – a benefit to the planet as well as to your wallet.
  • Enhances your lifestyle. When you have a bathroom that is pleasant to be in your lifestyle is enhanced, your stress levels go down and you can feel happier and more relaxed.
  • Frameless shower screens are easier to clean. The glass for the frameless screen is thicker to attain the required strength. With no frame to worry about you can get on with cleaning the glass with wide sweeps of the cloth. The job is done much more quickly.
  • Frameless shower screens are – pure and simple – more elegant than any other kind of shower screen. You will be proud of your bathroom once it is finished.

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Home-Lift

4 Benefits of Installing a Home Lift

By missalis | | No Comments | Design

Mostly when we think of lifts we think of them in some commercial setting such as a high-rise apartment building or a hospital. We would certainly find it difficult to get around such places without having lifts to help, but what about installing a home lift? When you think about it, it is a really sensible idea. Here are 4 benefits of having a lift installed in  your home.

1: A home lift will increase the value of your home. If you get to the stage where you want to sell for any reason, having a home lift will mean that the selling reach is widened, making your home suitable to many more people such as older couples or those with a disability. Your home will very likely sell more quickly when there are more people for whom it is suitable. This will allow you to get on with the rest of your life instead of wasting time waiting for it to sell before you can really put your other goals into practice.

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