CrossTeam Properties Offers Advice on Home and Garden Improvements

If you do not own a shower enclosure but have a shower/bath combination in your bathroom you have probably at some point bought a new shower curtain, taken it home to hang in the bathroom and realised you’ve forgotten to buy either shower hooks or rings.

While they are items most of us never give a thought to, the range and styles of these important little fixtures is amazing and may be the difference between a perfect bathroom and a merely functional one.

To begin with, decide whether you prefer a shower ring or a hook. Although your budget may not accommodate power-glide rings, these are the favoured choice of most interior designers. Usually made of stainless steel, these are generally attached to tiny rollers, which makes for optimum smoothness of use and are guaranteed not to rust, an important consideration if buying cheaper snap-on wire rings.

Again, it is not crucial to buy the most expensive shower hook, but the more money you spend, the greater the quality and range of design. Most good-quality hooks have a high level of decorative workmanship and therefore make it that much easier to match up with the rest of your bathroom accessories.

Another good tip is to avoid the snap-on plastic rings, which are priced at the lower end of the market. Although they may look sturdy enough when initially fitted, prolonged use often results in them breaking, often at the most inconvenient moment.

Be careful to check just how many rings and hooks come in a packet. The vast majority of shower curtains are fitted with twelve holes. This is by no means the case with packets of either shower rings or hooks.

Once your new shower curtain has been fitted you can be safe in the knowledge that your next power shower won’t leave water all over your bathroom floor.

Renovating or updating your house can not only make it a better place to live, but also adds value to the property. Most home renovations such as painting and decorating are DIY projects and can be done by the homeowner, but more complex jobs like fitting a kitchen should be left for the professional fitters and electricians.

Updating the bathroom has become a popular project for a homeowner and adds a great deal of value to the home if done correctly. Again, the painting and decorating and even the tilling and floor laying can be done by the homeowner, but fitting the bathroom suite or new shower enclosure should be done by a qualified plumber.

Other popular DIY projects are gardens, where the homeowner can easily lay decking or paving stones and plant trees and flowers to create stunning results. At the end of the day only do the DIY projects you are happy to do and leave the rest to the professional builders, electricians and plumbers.

Quartz worktops are made from a combination of natural quartz and epoxy resin which is vacuum pressed to create standard slab sizes. Quartz worktops have become popular with homeowners because of its strength and durability as well as its hygienic properties and low maintenance needs.

Quartz worktops and slabs are manufactured in an automated and monitored process and starts by blending the raw materials together in a big mixer. Next, the mixture is poured into a mould and then compacted with a special vacuum machine that vibrates the mixture at the same time. The quartz slab is then cured using a kiln heated to 90 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes; this bonds the mixture together giving it its strength. The slabs are then polished to give a high quality finish and pass through a quality control process to ensure the highest quality.

Now that all the hard work is done, all you have to do is choose the colour and size of your quartz worktop and begin experiencing the benefits of this great product.

The cost of DIY underfloor heating will be less than paying to have it professionally installed, provided that you have an extensive level of DIY knowledge. After all, you do not want to end up paying tradesmen to help you, as you could well end up paying much more for your heating system

However, if you are purchasing an all-electric underfloor heating system, for example, and are happy that apart from actually connecting it to the mains you can install the rest of the system, then you will definitely save money compared with getting the professionals to do the job for you. A water underfloor heating system is always trickier, as you are dealing with plumbing and electrics, so your DIY knowledge needs to really be professional level. Obviously, if you are a plumber or electrician and are installing an underfloor heating system in your home, then by all means consider the DIY route, especially if you can still take advantage of wholesale deals.  

As far as finding the components is concerned, you should always shop around and see who is offering what. Remember, you can often get a better deal by shopping online and may find a real bargain, because some Internet based companies do not have the overheads that result from owning a shop. These companies can therefore afford to sell you the goods at reduced rates. Finally, don’t forget to include delivery costs in your price comparisons.

Usually the best products used in building and finishing for homes and commercial premises, are natural products such as travertine, which when cut and dressed to form a classy tile enhance any area into which it is fitted. Travertine tiles can be used as a flooring material, kitchen countertop and increasingly as a wall tile. Travertine tiles are increasingly used for exterior cladding and patios and the travertine tile most commonly used is a natural chipped edge version, but honed and polished travertine tiles are best if used as a wall decorative cladding.

Travertine tiles can be supplied as a mosaic; patterns include, brick, standard mosaic, French pattern and mixed colour mosaic. Travertine is a long lasting stone and its durability lends itself to all kinds of application, from private homes to commercial developments.  It provides a truly classical look and has a timeless beauty.

The natural colours of travertine make it particularly appealing and although in its purest form travertine tiles are white, but impurities can cause the colour of travertine tile to vary and to be yellow and brown. This beautiful natural stone belongs to the limestone family and because of the way it is formed; it has a unique composition which is due to water that is rich in carbon dioxide travelling through rocks, which are in limestone areas.  The water creates cavities, which give travertine tiles their special characteristics and make it so different to other natural stones, giving travertine tiles a unique appeal.

Choosing a bath is worth taking time and trouble over, so avoid the temptation to be rushed into buying one. Think of how it will look in the bathroom and design around it.

If you have a family with small children and limited space, a two-person bath may well be the best option. However, there are a couple of things you should consider first.

Most important is the size of your water tank. A double bath or corner bath inevitably uses more water than a standard model. Baths are filled with hot water at roughly a ratio of 2:1. Therefore it is important to determine the capacity of the bath and equate it to the size of the water tank. Nobody wants to bathe in a half-filled bath, so work out the economics of investing in a new water tank. Failing that, you could buy a water heater that only serves the bath and leave the existing one to heat water for other domestic uses.

Another option may be a Sok bath, which is very deep. Additionally, it is fitted with a type of chromotherapy that allows you to experience different colours as you soak. 

However, it does take up a lot of space and you would need to check that your bathroom has sufficient electrical capacity to cope with the demands placed upon it. One major plus point for this type of bath is that it ensures the bathing experience is one of total relaxation. 

A further option is the traditional freestanding bath. This is freestanding and very capacious. Sitting in the middle of the bathroom, means it takes up space and if you like your bathroom neat and tidy, the sight of exposed plumbing may be a drawback.

A gazebo is an ornamental building that will enhance any garden.  It is an architectural hard landscape structure that can style to the most simple and smallest of gardens.  But a gazebo need not only be a thing of beauty, it can also be a building to be used in the most practical of ways.  The functions of a gazebo are endless; it can almost be an extra room to the main dwelling. 

So what is a gazebo?

A gazebo is structure, sometimes octagonal in shape, with a solid roof, sometimes in the shape of a cupola.  The sides were traditionally all open as the main objective of a gazebo was to view the landscape from all angles.

Nowadays, gazebo designers are not the purists that they once were. Garden Gazebos can be constructed with solid walls or have sliding screens in those areas of the world where mosquitoes are a nuisance.  It is even possible to enjoy modern utilities such as electricity.

Open gazebos are a useful addition to a garden in warmer climates, a private place where one can seek shade on a hot day.  Where winters bring snow and colder temperatures, solid walls offer welcome protection from stormy winds.

Gazebos are permanent structures that require planning permission and a chat with the local authorities is always recommended, especially if utilities such as electricity or water are going to be incorporated into the architecture.

Hand mixing is a thing of the past, forget all the hassle and pain that goes with this chore there’s a hand mixer that will suit your lifestyle and needs in store. Hand mixers are very convenient, easy to use and provide you with plenty of mixing speeds to choose from making it possible to get your job done in no time and with little effort.

The Dualit hand mixer is a stylish tool equipped with great capabilities and functionality to do your daily mixing tasks, and helps you whip up wonderful recipes in the kitchen. This product includes two multi purpose oversize flat beaters, two dough hooks and one balloon whisk, which makes it capable of doing the hard work that comes with creating everything from whipping cream to mixing dough.

It also features a unique, manual retractable power cord for easy storage plus a convenient beater ejector lever for easy release hence make it easier to clean.

The Dualit hand mixer has five speed settings to accommodate your various mixing needs, and a 300 Watt heavy duty professional motor to deal with the toughest of mixing jobs.

Available in 4 colours black, chrome, glacier blue and cream, the Dualit hand mixer is a perfect kitchen accessory that can be colour coordinated with your kitchen and other appliances.

Make your cooking and baking fun, there’s a Dualit hand mixer for everyone whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook just learning the ropes. Save your time and energy in the kitchen, purchase you own Dualit hand mixer today!

There are lots of flooring covers that can be used in rooms that have underfloor heating, but sadly carpet isn’t one of them. Therefore, if you cannot bear the thought of not having carpet underfoot then underfloor heating probably isn’t for you. This type of heating system must be installed under materials that will use the warmth and conduct it so that the heat passes up into the room, materials like wood, tile, concrete and laminate are all excellent options and they are also clean and dust free, which is another benefit of underfloor heating.

Think about the reasons why you have a carpet, is it because you don’t like your bare feet stepping on cold floors when you first get up in the morning and carpet provides an insulating layer to the room that stops heat being lost through the floor? This is something it does extremely well, but with water underfloor heating you don’t need carpet. Floors are warm under foot, even tiled floors, and the heat cannot escape through the floor, because that is where it is emanating from. Insulation will have been used during the system’s installation to make sure the heat is always directed upwards. Carpet is also probably the hardest floor covering to clean, requiring regular vacuuming and if it becomes really bad, time consuming specialist shampooing may be necessary. Laminate, wood and tile, however, are much easier to clean as they can be mopped quickly and wiped with a damp cloth.

You may not be planning on moving house immediately, but improving your home in sensible ways can add significantly to the value of your property. Here are a few ideas, some DIY, some more in the field of property development.

Building a well-designed extension can add between 10% and 50% to the value of your home. Choose wisely though, if you’ve got a couple of bathrooms, but a claustrophobic kitchen, the kitchen should win as the site for extension. Adding a glass extension to a small dining area can create the enchanting effect of eating al fresco whilst being protected from the elements in centrally heated comfort. Unless it’s a major project, like adding a new storey or doubling the floor area, you won’t need to employ architects, but a good builder will be invaluable. Even if you can’t afford a new kitchen, just replacing the doors, wall tiles and worktops and installing new appliances can give it a dramatic facelift.

Replacing old, tired bathtubs, basins and WCs doesn’t necessarily involve calling in a plumber, none of these is too difficult to install if you’re not changing their locations. Replacing the tiles and flooring, too, can make the room look fabulous.

A painting and decorating facelift, both inside and outside the home, may be a little time consuming, but can have a truly dramatic effect, making your property look like a gleaming show home for relatively little cost.

Finally, if your carpets have seen better days, getting a new one; bold, funky colours and stripes are in vogue at the moment, will add a razzle-dazzle finishing touch.