Home Sweet Home

The owner’s children must not run loose in the house. In fact, if the family live on the same premises, there must be a clear division between the facilities for the guests and the family home. You may not, under any circumstance, use a family room for a guest!

One of the strongest selling points for guest houses is “value for money“. Be careful not to price yourself out of the market and do not see-saw with your rates, putting them up dramatically when things seem to be going well or dropping them substantially if not. You will lose your loyal customers this way. Note the trends in the market and retain a long-term vision. Do not become greedy or desperate! (more…)

For an area that is used several times a week and is always hard at work to keep you looking your best, the laundry is often sadly neglected. Pay it a little attention, too, and solve those washday blues at the same time.

To get the most space and ease out of your laundry, first consider its layout and be critical about its shortcomings. Many householders have no choice but to incorporate the laundry into the bathroom or kitchen, so the laundry basket, peg bag, sink unit, bucket, washing machine, dryer, detergents and all the rest of it has to be fitted in as unobtrusively as possible. Your laundry may even be positioned in a narrow passageway or back corner. Don’t despair — well-thoughtout planning doesn’t require a lot of space. (more…)

Ceramic tiles

If ever a product has stood the test of time, it is the ceramic tile. Popular since the days of the Romans, ceramic tiles are still the most versatile of the bathroom surfaces. They can be used for both floors and walls and are available in a huge variety of colours, shapes and prices.

When choosing tiles, select ones that are in scale with your bathroom. If you choose a fancy shape, such as the ogee or Moorish designs, keep the colours simple: too much variety looks over-fussy. (more…)

Shelve it, stack it, stow it, store it! Shelving is one of the easiest and most versatile ways of dealing with domestic clutter. Place items on view or design a system to hide them away.

Good storage, as much as having good installations to handle it, is a state of mind and relates to a very human desire to put things away or hoard. Before choosing a suitable storage system for your lifestyle, there are a couple of points you should consider.

Do you want to conceal things or display them? Most household items are well hidden away in cupboards and nooks, whereas some items, like collectables or ornaments, are possessions you would like to see. (more…)

French polishing storage cabinet is a skilled craft but, using proprietary solutions, it can be tackled by anyone with patience for that special piece of storage cabinet that is beau but not faux.

Step by Step

1 Remove broken latch and strip wood veneer off storage cabinet top panels.

2 Rub down storage cabinet timber with methylated spirits using steel wool to remove lacquer. (more…)

20 Work a maximum of 1 m at a time. If you do more, you run the risk of the adhesive skinning, and not adhering properly to the tiles.

21 Lay the first tile straight down without sliding it in place. Take great care in aligning it properly. All tiles should be laid without sliding them in place.

22 Lay the following tiles in the form of triangles towards the corner, butting each one against its neighbours.

23 When you reach a wall, tiles will need to be cut. (more…)

One of the simplest and most attractive floors is the polished timber-strip floor. In many a renovation or restoration, old floors of hard-to-get and well-seasoned timbers can be exposed, and brought to light in all their original glory by careful sanding and clear finishing.

For a new room, or when replacing a floor, there is nothing quite like a timber-strip floor. It’s not an easy project, but is well worth the effort - even if you hire a professional to do it. (more…)

Fabric, pelmets and blinds

Dressed windows, in the form of curtains, elaborate drapes and blinds, are probably the most decorative type of fabric use in the home. Large or small areas of attractively used fabric can quickly transform a room — so look upon window dressing as interior decorating, as well as a practical essential. (more…)

Give the lid of the paint tin a good wipe before opening it to avoid getting dust and dirt in the paint. Mix the paint thoroughly and pour some paint into the tray. (Cover the tray with clingwrap or tinfoil beforehand to make cleaning afterwards easier.) Before using a new brush the first time, work its bristles back and forth over your hand to get rid of loose bristles and dust.

Don’t dip the entire bristle area into the paint; you’ll have major job cleaning it and get paint clogging at the base, eventually turning your paint job into a mess. No more than half the length of the bristles should be covered in paint.

The basic rule is work top down and outside in. This means you’ll start with the smaller brushes, do all the corners and edges and cover for roughly 5 cm into the larger areas so that you leave enough space when working with the roller. (more…)

Aren’t we lucky? Our sincerest wish for our readers is that you never need to try your hand at it. But some of you may live in one of the older blocks of flats where the plumbing has not been updated, or in a house where the plumbing still has to be updated. Most of you are more likely to use a plunger forcleaning a blocked drain in a shower. Read on — the same principles apply.

You WILL NEED

• A plunger
• Long piece of flexible but sturdy wire
• A solid resolve to not puke
• A clothes-peg (for your nose)
• Just the tiniest bit of elbow grease. (more…)