Houseimprovements and Garden

If you have decking in your garden or outdoor area, you already know how lovely it is to sit out there and enjoy the great outdoors.

Decking is a great alternative to landscaping the garden, as it is made from a natural product (wood) and is the maintenance is easy. But how often should you clean it and, importantly, refinish it?

Refinishing your decking means that it won’t splinter or crack as easily, which is especially important in the summer when you might be out there with bare feet!

It is a relatively easy job to do, so why not give it a go… You’ll be surprised at how much a simple refinish can transform the look of your decking, and in fact of your whole garden!

Restaining your decking will smarten the look of your outside space © Flicker / Garden Focus

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A common issue in houses or flats, is having a large room that you want to turn into two smaller rooms.

However, converting a room can be a huge and expensive job, as not many people have the skills to do the building work, decorating and electrics themselves. This means employing professionals to carry the work out for you, which can prove to be very costly.

Depending on what the rooms are going to be used for, one great alternative is to separate the rooms with curtains. This works especially well when the two rooms have similar purposes; for example, they will be both be used as children’s bedrooms.

Curtains can be used to divide a room, or for decorative purposes © Flickr / 01 女王

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Want to make your house a bit more personal and unique to you? One of these easiest ways to do this is with wall art.

Recently I went to a friend’s house, and noticed a beautiful image that she had on the wall. It was a large, decorative sticker that cost very little, but completely jazzed up her large expanse of wall.

Stickers and stencils come in a huge variety of shapes, designs and colours, so take your time to find something that will suit the vibe of your room. A vibrant colour that contrasts to the colour of the wall usually looks best, but don’t choose that if you are trying to keep a room neutral.

They are the perfect decoration because, not only are they cheap and effective but also, if you choose a sticker, then it can be removable so won’t have to stay if you choose to rent or sell your house.

Turn a blank wall into a feature wall, with wall art © Flickr / Vinyl Design

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If you’re lucky enough to have a garden or outside space, it really is important to make the most of it. By simply adding a few lights, you can ensure that you use it in the winter as well as the summer months.

There are many different types of lights that you can get now for your garden. It has been proved that, when looking to buy a house, more people would rather have a garden than an extra bedroom. So making the most if your outdoor space can be beneficial when it comes to selling your property.

Lights can also be practical; for example, by choosing citronella candles that will ward off mosquitoes as well as giving a gentle light. When buying lights, be sure to choose ones that are specifically made for the outdoors… You made need lights with a long extension lead too, if you have to plug them into an electricity supply that is indoors.

Using lights in your garden means you can use your outdoor space any time of year © Flickr / wonderlane

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Making changes to your bathroom doesn’t have to mean a huge overhaul of the furniture. Simple changes can be made without much disruption or effort.

Often, bathroom suites (the sink, toilet, and sometimes the bath) are the last thing to get replaced in a home, so you can be stuck with a design or colour that is quite dated. Although these can be expensive to replace, you could make cheaper changes to update your bathroom.

One way in which you could this is by replacing the seat of the toilet. You can buy lots of designs now, from most hardware shops, from novelty toilet seats to plain, neutral colours.

Another very easy way to brighten and update your bathroom is by changing the shower curtain. You can buy a range of colours and patterns so take your time to find one that suits your new bathroom look.

Instead of a traditional bath mat, you could opt for a rug as there is often more choice, but make sure it is quite a thick one so that is is absorbent, and also choose one that is washable.

Using bright towels, shower curtains and other accessories will lift the look of your bathroom © Flickr / dandeluca

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Improving the look of your home can sometimes be a time-consuming or costly job. However, improving how it looks with the use of rugs is neither of these things.

Using rugs has many advantages for your house. Bright rugs can instantly lift the atmosphere in your home, by adding a splash of colour. This is cheaper and easier than painting the walls to brighten them, or using colourful curtains.

You don’t need to take time to hang rugs (as you do with curtains) or prepare them in any way. Simply buy your desired rug, lay it on the floor, and you’re done!

Rugs also have the advantage of protecting your floor. If you have expensive wooden flooring, rugs can prevent your floors getting scuffed or scratched by your furniture.

Using a statement rug in your house can brighten up any room © Flickr / HBarrison

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Quite often, we find that we simply don’t have enough space in our homes. How often do you feel the need to de-clutter or have a good clear-out to make more room in your home?

I often find that my home looks cluttered because I do not have the room to put everything away. When all your belongings are tidied away, your house looks cleaner and clearer; it’s a simple fact. But unfortunately, we can’t always tidy everything away.

However, with a few clever storage solutions, you will find that you can de-clutter your home very easily. Just follow these easy tips and it won’t be long before your home is mess-free!

Firstly, opt for furniture that is dual-purpose. This could be a coffee table that has drawers in for use in the lounge, or a sofa bed in a bedroom. This automatically cuts down on the amount of furniture you will need.

Mounting shelves high on a wall is an instant space-saver © Flickr / Justin and Elise

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One sure-fire way to spruce up your garden is to install a water feature. This will instantly increase the value of your house.

It is not impossible to install a water feature yourself, but it can be quite difficult so you will need to do your research beforehand. However, the advantage of ‘doing-it-yourself’ is that you can get exactly the feature that you want, so that it suits your garden perfectly.

Firstly, you have to think about the size and shape that you want. Do you just want a pond or do you want a fully functioning fountain? Think about the depth that you want your feature, and if you want any type of guard up around it (consider this if you have small children). Do you want it to take up a lot of your garden?

Whatever its size, a pond or water feature will enhance any garden © Flickr / Cliff1066

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Wooden flooring has a huge number of benefits. As well as being easier to clean, it can be made to look either traditional or contemporary. These days, it is also a flexible material so you will be able to fit it to a room of almost any shape.

Importantly, it is readily accessible and easy to buy from almost any hardware store. An abundance of straightforward step-by-step instructions are available on the internet, explaining how to lay the floor, and which floor would suit a particular room best.

Remember to think about your furniture when choosing your wooden floor. Do not choose too soft or delicate a wood if you have particularly heavy furniture, or furniture that you move around a lot, as this could scratch your floor.

Think about what furniture will be in the room when you choose which wood to lay © Flickr / ASurroca

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A fresh lick of paint can take years off your home and, when done correctly, add thousands to the property value.

Painting is something that, of you have time and patience, can be done just as well by you, as by a professional painter, especially if it is just in one room.

If you want to completely change the colour scheme of your home, it is best to try out different colours first in a smaller room, perhaps the bathroom. If choosing colours in the bathroom first however, remember that other rooms in the house may have more (or less) natural light, so the effect may be different throughout your home.

The colour you choose is important, so consider how the colours will look with your furniture, and with the different lighting throughout your house.

Get the paintbrushes out and paint your rooms, to improve the look of your home © Flickr / Alan Cleaver

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