Home Sweet Home

Your guest house must in the first instance be in the right location. Make sure that all building and structural alterations are planned carefully. There is very little that can be done if serious mistakes have been made with regard to these two aspects. On the other hand, if your location is good and your rooms and bathrooms are well built and appointed, you will be able to deal with most other problems you may encounter by making adjustments in your rates, services or marketing. (more…)

Without good lighting, the best bathroom will look uninviting — and may even be decidedly dangerous. It’s essential — and even illuminating — to choose the right lights! And if your bathroom gets good natural light, try to make the most of it.

Good lighting in the bathroom is essential not just because you look foolish if you apply your make-up like a clown but, more seriously, because you run the risk of misreading the directions on a bottle of medication. (more…)

Depending on its size, condition and accessibility, a cellar has the potential to hold almost anything.

Older houses often have nonhabitable cellars which have traditionally been used for coal and junk — but with careful thought and planning they can be transformed quite cheaply into efficient and capacious storerooms. Some of the best uses for the cellar are: (more…)

Step by Step

Don’t try to do too much in one day and make sure you arrange alternative washing and toilet facilities with a neighbour if necessary.

Preparing the floor The most suitable surface for laying ceramic tiles is concrete. However this must be wood-float finished (rough textured) — if it is a mirror-smooth or steel- trowel finish, it will first need to be scratched, roughened with a chisel or acid-etched. (more…)

Under-fives Handbag

Cute as they are, little children can create a storage nightmare. They are an active, inquisitive bunch, and their bedroom will reflect their changing needs. They require masses of equipment, most of which are vital at one stage of growth and redundant at another. In terms of storage, expandable and adjustable units are the most sensible option. They should be safe and durable, and all handles and shelves should be low enough for your child to reach. (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…)

This very simple box with its hinged-top lid panels is ideal for storing items such as copier or computer paper, old job files and children’s artistic endeavours.

The box used here is 2.4 m long to suit the standard length of MDF board, but could be shorter. The completed box can be positioned under a window and finished off with cushions, or placed anywhere in your office or study, depending on layout, so that it doubles as a piece of furniture. (more…)

The cozy book-lined study of past generations is rapidly changing into the home office of today. Even if you just want a little office space for family records and financial matters — it pays to organise it properly to suit the job at hand.

Although a ‘study‘ conjures up a very different image from that of a ‘home office‘, it is used for the same activities: paperwork, reading, study, peace and quiet, household accounts, correspondence, and so on. A home office, however, suggests something more streamlined and modern (and possibly even profitable!). (more…)

The bathroom is not a simple room to renovate, restore or redecorate. It can also be pricey, as any undertaking can turn into a major task if plumbing is involved. However, as the home projects in this section will show, DIY in the bathroom can provide easy and satisfying solutions to give your bathroom a new look. You can completely transform your bathroom by adding accessories, tiling a wall, putting up a fancy blind or installing a large mirror.

Once upon a time the bathroom was a room which contained a bath and very little else. Today the bathroom has many more fittings, is often larger and is a real centre of activity. It is also no longer a purely functional room — some people think of their bathroom as a place to relax in the spa. (more…)

This neat fold-away sewing centre has ample storage for not only a sewing machine, but also an overlocker, shelves of patterns, sewing accessories and other odds and ends.

This clever cupboard idea is based on a simple upright cabinet that takes no more room than a bookcase, and folds away in one or two easy steps.

The overall cupboard is 1070 mm wide as built (to fit in a corner) by 2070 mm high, and is a total of only about 350 mm deep with the doors shut. When open it reveals seven shelves for storage, and a sewing table 1220 mm x 600 mm. (more…)