Cross Team Properties

An increasing number of people have little or no access to their own outdoor space, and for those who wish to grow herbs or flowers a window box is a superb solution.

In order to build your own window box you should visit the local DIY retailer and buy:

•    Plywood – half an inch thick.
•    A drill.
•    A clamp.
•    Screws (rust resistant).
•    Brackets – to fix the box to your sill.
•    Wood preservative.
•    Rawlplugs.
•    Screws.
•    Water-resistant glue.

First, measure the length and width of the windowsill. Then cut the lengths of wood accordingly, making sure that the box will be wide enough to hold the base tray that will be inserted inside the box.

Using the glue fix all the pieces of wood together and then strengthen these joints with the screws.

In order to make sure that the box can be drained, fix a small piece of wood onto the base of the box and drill holes into this to promote drainage and air circulation.

Now that the box is constructed it can be fixed to the windowsill with the brackets at the side. Make sure that you are safe when doing this – perhaps ask a friend to help you. You will need the rawlplugs to attach the water-resistant screws. Your window box will be ready to be filled with a mixture of peat and soil and you can start to plant.

Herbs are a good idea, as they are often sweet-smelling and this scent can permeate the open windows. Alternatively, a mixture of blooming plants and herbs can also look stunning as well as providing you with a free source of culinary ingredients.

One of the great cornerstones of gardening is the seed packet. This has long been the standard means of raising both biennials and annuals. Relying on seeds for obtaining the plants for your garden, you have a much wider range of varieties to choose from than if you rely on bedding plants alone.

A number of perennials can easily be raised successfully from seed. The types marked as being F1 hybrid are the best to get because these have been selectively bread for vigour and usually produce more attractive blooms than do the standard types. The downside is that they are more expensive, but serious gardeners consider them to be worth it.

At sowing time, seed starter kits are readily available. These are plastic trays filled with seed compost that has been pre-sown, and a transparent lid is in place as cover during germination. These kits are extremely useful if you are short on time, although the range of plants on offer by this method is rather limited and the cost of planting seeds from scratch is considerably lower if you have the time and inclination to do it.

Having a separate shower room in your home, perhaps as an en suite addition to a bedroom, is the perfect and convenient way to provide additional personal hygiene options. A bathroom, complete with a full-length bath, can be a wonderful place to relax and recuperate. Soaking in a hot bath, perhaps scented with fragrant oils or surrounded by candles, is a wonderful experience. However, when you are in a hurry, or just want to wake up and feel invigorated, a quick shower is ideal.

You can have fun styling a shower room, as it lends itself more to an uplifting, bright style than a traditional bathroom. Brightly-coloured porcelain tiles could be used to line the shower unit, or you could paint the walls and tile the floor in vibrant colours. Consider who will use the shower room. If it is an addition to a child’s room, they may want to choose a fun colour scheme and accessories. If it is an en suite for a teenager’s room, they may think it is cool to choose a large, trendy shower head.

A broken tile can ruin the look of wall, but it is a simple enough job to remove and replace it.  So simple, in fact, you can do it yourself.  To do this you will need grout remover, a power drill, hammer and chisel, replacement tile, wall tile adhesive, wall tile grout and tile spacers.

Begin by using the grout remover around the damaged tile.  Then, using the drill, make some holes in the tile, this will weaken it and make it easier to remove.  Use the chisel and hammer to cut through the tile between the holes you have made and remove the central section of tile.  From there slowly and very carefully move out towards the edges until the tile has been completely removed. 

Remove as much of the old adhesive as possible before placing the new tile, this will ensure a more flush fit.  Once you are happy that the tile will fit correctly, apply the tile adhesive and place into the gap, then insert the tile spacers to ensure an even line around the tile.  Once dry, remove the spacers and re-grout.

If you are creative and good with a paintbrush, a novel way of decorating your home is to paint a fresco as a focal point.

This ancient technique is gaining in popularity as more and more of us want to stamp our individuality on our homes. The techniques used by the Old Masters are still popular and are relatively easy to follow.

Ideally a fresco should be painted when the plaster of the room is wet. The first step is to draw out your design on tracing paper, creating a cartoon. This will form part of the finished image. This is also a good time to work out the colours that are going to be used in the finished fresco.

The plaster will be made up of lime; this is essential so that the colour paint pigments will bond with the plaster. Apply three coats of plaster to the wall, leaving five days between each application.

Meanwhile ensure that your paints are mixed; paint pigment can be expensive and it is a good idea to shop around. Most Do It Yourself (DIY) shops should hold these materials. Mix the paints using distilled water. To create the colour white just mix lime with the water.

Once the final coat of plaster has been applied and is damp but firm to touch, trace the cartoon over the area where you wish the fresco to be painted. This tracing line will serve as a marker to help you to create your design. Now comes the exciting part of actually applying the base coat. Experts suggest that green, earthy pigment is used as a base coat, and once it has been applied you can start to paint in the detail.

When the work is completed the paint might fade over a couple of days, but between seven to ten days should be sufficient for the fresco to be perfectly dry.

Vertical blinds are the latest trend in window covering choices.  Simple, elegant, easy to use and easy to maintain, vertical blinds are an attractive choice that add a refined touch to any room in your home.  Fabrics come in an endless variety of colours and patterns, and bamboo, wood, PVC and other materials give you limitless options to choose from.

Perfect for the tall windows of a conservatory or for creating privacy in a bedroom or bathroom, vertical blinds are a practical, efficient way to control the amount of light you allow into a room.  Add blackout liners to make vertical blinds into blackout blinds, perfect for nurseries and media rooms, where light and temperature control are important.
 
Since many manufacturers offer options like opening from the right, left or centre and a wide variety of style options, vertical blinds are an attractive option for any room in your home.  Colours, textures and styles to match any décor are available, and the easy-to-care-for vertical slats make vertical blinds a dream for busy homeowners.  Whatever your family’s style, there are vertical blinds perfect for your home.

Symptoms of Air Build-up

Have you ever noticed strange percussive noises coming from your radiators? When you touch a radiator, does it feel colder at the top? Both indicate that air has got into the system. This occurs naturally, with air progressively entering the central heating system in small doses, which eventually build up into pockets that rise to the highest point in the radiator. This will eventually impair your system’s performance, so it must be resolved by ‘bleeding’ the radiator.

This can be a messy job, because bleeding is a fairly descriptive analogy, once you begin the operation, dirty water will start dripping out, so always have a receptacle of some type positioned underneath the bleed screw. 

How to Bleed Radiators

Look for a valve near the top, which has a square-shaped shaft inside. You will need a special key, which are available from any DIY store. Insert the key and turn it slowly; as you do, you will hear a faint hissing noise as the excess air escapes, along with the water.

Some systems do not require a radiator key and instead have a slot, which means that a screwdriver can be used instead.

It is possible to have a functional bathroom that doesn’t compromise on style for those with mobility issues.

Through innovative design, homeowners can bathe in safety and comfort whether using a walk-in bath or specially-adapted wet room, and the looks achieved are contemporary and stylish as opposed to institutional.

Most UK bathrooms suppliers will be able to discuss safe bathing options and talk you through the models and choices available.

The growth in popularity of wet rooms has meant that those seeking a safe bathing solution can incorporate cutting-edge interior design into their new bathroom plans. Wet rooms are, by definition, more spacious than shower cubicles, allow ample access room and can be fitted with non-slip flooring.

There are many products aimed to make life easier for those with mobility issues. Baths with non-slip surfaces are helpful in preventing accidents, and wall-hung sinks and toilets can be fitted at exactly the right height for ease of use.

Accessories and furniture adapted for ease of use, and taps with lever-style functions offer both practicality and contemporary style.

The quickest and easiest way to freshen up any room which has started to look a little dull and lifeless is to give all the woodwork, the skirting boards, doors and window frames, a new coat of paint.  It does not even have to be a different colour – a fresh coat of white gloss can do the trick.  There are a few precautions to be taken before, during and after painting, to ensure a quality finish and to avoid getting any paint where it does not belong.

Masking tape is a painter’s best friend as it can be used to protect the glass next to window frames and the wallpaper or paintwork next to skirting boards.  This allows you to paint faster, although you should still take care as paint can easily flick beyond the tape if you are going too quickly.  Without this handy tool, painting the edges carefully can take a long time.

Apply the paint steadily and evenly, in long strokes.  This will prevent paint from building up in the areas where the brush first touches the surface and which can cause an uneven finish.

Carpets are a fast way to give your floor a new look. Fitting a new carpet can often be a daunting process, and often the first-time fitter can be unsure of where to begin. 

Let us start off with the basics. Two types of carpet exist, one with a built-in underlay, and one that requires an external underlay. When purchasing your carpet, it is best to first measure the area that you want covered. Buy a roll that is larger than the measurement that you took, as you can cut it down to the specific size.  Before you begin laying the carpet, you need to first make sure that the floor you will install it on is clean. You then want to ensure that the ground is smooth and free of any obstacles that will interfere with the fitting. Next lay down your carpet and cut away any excess that is left, and also to fit around any impediments that may be in the way, such as a fireplace. Once you have done this you should proceed to stretch out the carpet to effectively cover the floor until you are happy with the result. 

You should have a carpet grip, and with this you should begin to fit the carpet into place; this will help the carpet to stay in its position. You can get carpet grips with nails fitted that keep them in place, and there are also adhesive backed ones. If you don’t have one or would like to use a different method, then carpet-bonding glue is also available for use. You should cut away the edges of the carpet around your doorway. You can also add in a threshold bar on top of this, as it will keep it held down in place. Enjoy your new carpet!