Adding a water feature to the inside your home is a unique and fun way to bring in a little of the great outdoors. There are a number of different ways you can add water to decorate your home and one of the simplest ways to achieve it is the addition of one of the many indoor floor fountains available on the market today. Over recent years, water features have become quite common in outdoor landscaping and are utilized often on the patio, in the garden, and the swimming pool. However, by placing one of these items inside your home, you may very well be the first on the block to discover that these fountains provide the same soothing qualities indoors as they do out.
One of the great things about adding a water feature inside your home is that there are practically no limitations as to where they can be placed. Since most indoor water fountains operate on normal electrical house current, you can place your fountain anywhere as long as you are within the reach of an electrical outlet. These fountains are available in numerous different designs and are made of a variety of materials, which allows you to match most any style you may choose for your home decor. There are many smaller models manufactured that take up very little floor space thus allowing you to place them in even the smallest of entry halls.
Not only do indoor water fountains add the beautifying effects of water, but many fountains also have some type of lighting as an additional benefit. Again, no special wiring is required for this added feature as the lights normally operate from the same power source as the fountain itself. With the development of modern LED lighting fixtures, you can have lights that change color, thus adding another special and unique effect to any area of your home and do so using very little energy.
While many people choose their indoor water features as the waterfall type, you can have most any type that you desire. If you prefer water being pumped vertically and flowing over stones or a marble ball and falling gently into a copper bucket, I am sure you can find a fountain on the market that will closely resemble what you are seeking. Even if the exact indoor water feature you have in mind is not out there, the parts to custom design and build your own are readily available either on the internet or at your local home improvement store.
The components of indoor floor fountains are actually quite few and simple in their operation. To construct your own water fountain, an electric pump, the tubing to direct the water where you want it to go, and a container to hold the circulating water make up all the components necessary for its function. Add a spout of some sort such as bamboo or an old time water pump, a few stones for the water to flow over and you can pronounce yourself as the architect of your very own indoor water fountain.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Is It Time to Replace Your Outdoor Furniture
My wife and I embarked on a journey recently to replace the furniture on our patio. When we started looking into this project we found several options in different styles, colors and materials. While we chose a nice set of outdoor wicker furniture and am quite pleased with it, I am sure we failed to consider all the things that we should have before making our selection. I came across this article on the subject and thought I would share it with you. I would like to thank the author for allowing me to reprint it here.
Selecting an outdoor furniture is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Garden and patio furniture can spell the difference between a good garden lounging experience or a lousy one. And since gardens are considered to be mostly a haven of relaxation, a place where you can unwind with nature and with family, the importance of selecting the right furniture to enhance both look and experience cannot be stressed to highly enough. With all the available choices then, how do you pick the right outdoor furniture?
First and foremost, it is important to keep your theme in mind when choosing your furniture. Colors and designs can be points of consideration. In the same way, it should also match other existing outdoor furniture and fit your personal plans. If you are after comfort than aesthetics, you may want to go for a chaise lounge rather than straight, rigid chairs. Similarly, if you are planning to entertain guests in the garden, having a small bar set and tables with matching seats would be more appropriate.
Choosing furniture is not just about what you want. Its also about available space. A long wicker seat will not only cramp a small patio but may even make it look unsightly. If you have limited space, settle for slim or compact furniture. A tall round table for example with high stools would fit well on a small patio.
Of course, durability is another point you need to consider. Remember that your outdoor furniture will be exposed to the elements. The most durable materials include wrought iron. If you want to steer clear of the quaint rustic look and prefer the earthy appeal of treated wood or contemporary look of aluminum or plastic, these materials are also great options. In some cases, you may want to get matching umbrellas or covers for these furniture.
You will need to have an even more durable piece if you live in an area that changes seasons. Imagine how it will be like for the outdoors during winter. To address the problem, you can, of course, move your patio and outdoor furniture inside during the winter season. If you have no extra space where you can move them to during cold days, you might as well not buy any outdoor furniture at all since they will not be able to last for long in cold weather anyway. Unless you have other ways of preserving them, you will just be wasting your money keeping them for one season and losing them in the next.
Outdoor furniture, regardless of their material do not come cheap for most people. Spending on outdoor comfort and fun may not always seem like a practical thing to do. But then again, there are always other affordable ways of furnishing your garden. Some of these options can include bargain or second hand furniture. A downside to this option is that you can never tell if the quality of the furniture is good. In such case, you can wait for brand new items to go on sale during special holidays and seasons.
When buying pieces of furniture whether for outdoor or indoor use, it is important to trust only reliable companies. You may want to do some research on company reputation online or with the Better Business Bureau. It would also be helpful to read customer reviews and feedback in independent review sites.
The right outdoor furniture can add a fresh twist to any plain-looking garden. The most important thing to remember though is that it should be able to provide you with utmost comfort and relaxation.
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About the Author
See the best garden furniture cushions online. Learn about the latest on wicker furniture cushions, outdoor seat cushions, patio furniture cushions, and lawn furniture cushions.
Source: GSArticles - Submit Articles 4 Free
Important Advice in Choosing Outdoor Furniture
Selecting an outdoor furniture is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Garden and patio furniture can spell the difference between a good garden lounging experience or a lousy one. And since gardens are considered to be mostly a haven of relaxation, a place where you can unwind with nature and with family, the importance of selecting the right furniture to enhance both look and experience cannot be stressed to highly enough. With all the available choices then, how do you pick the right outdoor furniture?
First and foremost, it is important to keep your theme in mind when choosing your furniture. Colors and designs can be points of consideration. In the same way, it should also match other existing outdoor furniture and fit your personal plans. If you are after comfort than aesthetics, you may want to go for a chaise lounge rather than straight, rigid chairs. Similarly, if you are planning to entertain guests in the garden, having a small bar set and tables with matching seats would be more appropriate.
Choosing furniture is not just about what you want. Its also about available space. A long wicker seat will not only cramp a small patio but may even make it look unsightly. If you have limited space, settle for slim or compact furniture. A tall round table for example with high stools would fit well on a small patio.
Of course, durability is another point you need to consider. Remember that your outdoor furniture will be exposed to the elements. The most durable materials include wrought iron. If you want to steer clear of the quaint rustic look and prefer the earthy appeal of treated wood or contemporary look of aluminum or plastic, these materials are also great options. In some cases, you may want to get matching umbrellas or covers for these furniture.
You will need to have an even more durable piece if you live in an area that changes seasons. Imagine how it will be like for the outdoors during winter. To address the problem, you can, of course, move your patio and outdoor furniture inside during the winter season. If you have no extra space where you can move them to during cold days, you might as well not buy any outdoor furniture at all since they will not be able to last for long in cold weather anyway. Unless you have other ways of preserving them, you will just be wasting your money keeping them for one season and losing them in the next.
Outdoor furniture, regardless of their material do not come cheap for most people. Spending on outdoor comfort and fun may not always seem like a practical thing to do. But then again, there are always other affordable ways of furnishing your garden. Some of these options can include bargain or second hand furniture. A downside to this option is that you can never tell if the quality of the furniture is good. In such case, you can wait for brand new items to go on sale during special holidays and seasons.
When buying pieces of furniture whether for outdoor or indoor use, it is important to trust only reliable companies. You may want to do some research on company reputation online or with the Better Business Bureau. It would also be helpful to read customer reviews and feedback in independent review sites.
The right outdoor furniture can add a fresh twist to any plain-looking garden. The most important thing to remember though is that it should be able to provide you with utmost comfort and relaxation.
--
About the Author
See the best garden furniture cushions online. Learn about the latest on wicker furniture cushions, outdoor seat cushions, patio furniture cushions, and lawn furniture cushions.
Source: GSArticles - Submit Articles 4 Free
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Flooring Choices that Add Beauty to Your Home
Nothing is more distracting in a home than worn or dirty carpet floors. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, cleaning is simply not enough. When this occurs, it becomes necessary to replace those old carpets with fresh new flooring. If new carpet is your choice, then make sure you hire a quality installer. If you are looking for carpet in Atlanta, make sure you check with the many great companies such as Atlanta Carpet Masters. If you are considering other flooring types, read the article below for tips on all types of flooring. My thanks go out to the author for allowing me to reprint the information.
Some Ideas For Fantastic Floors To A Beautiful Home
Upgrading their home is definitely one thing people happily do during the time they own a home. There are absolutely many and various ways to upgrade your home that people do. Some people like to add new rooms or make an existing room look great. For example they like to upgrade kitchen and bathrooms. But one thing that you can do which affects the entire home is definitely upgrading your flooring. This one thing can really make your home look great.First of all by modifying your home's flooring you can automatically change the entire look of your home. If your home had carpeting all over and you change it to hardwood it is a completely different look. It definitely is much better then if you just did carpet cleaning. The main reason why it changes a home so much is usually because you are used to the old flooring.
Another great flooring option you can do is to change out the carpets of your home. For your home, nothing is as beautiful as a new and plush carpeting. But sometimes it is harder to do especially in this kind of economy.
People do not actually realize that a good carpet cleaning can sometimes do the same good affect. That is if the carpet you are cleaning is nice in the first place. If it is a nice cleaning might be all it needs. If that is the case then you might just want to go with carpet cleaning.
Now if you are really hurting for cash and you surely can not afford any of the first two probable options, then you could just clean it yourself. Now if you choose this route it will only work if you use high qualitycarpet cleaning products. Only the best that these carpet cleaning companies utilize will surely work. Because if you go cheap you will be able to tell because it won't look as nice.
So those are some simple flooring ideas you can follow and implement if you are actually looking for ways to make your home look nicer.
About the Author
Find the best hardwood flooring right here at hardwood flooring San Diego. The place to have your carpet cleaning done by the best Carpet Cleaning San Diego company.Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Preventing Roof Leaks
More often than not, roof maintenance is not thought about until a leak has already developed. By the time the leak is apparent though, the time, effort and expense required to rectify the problem is much greater than if action was taken beforehand. Therefore, knowing a little about what causes leaks to develop can be a real help in stopping the issue before it becomes serious, and can save property owners a lot of money in the long-run.
The first step in learning about roof leaks is to know a little about roofs themselves, with the built up asphalt roof being a good example as it is the most common type of roof. This type of roof consists of 3 or 4 layers of asphalt sheeting that has been bonded together with tar. The top layer of asphalt sheeting will have had a fine mineral granule embedded into it. The purpose of the mineral being to act as a barrier between the weather and the asphalt below it.
8-10 years is the typical life-span of a built-up asphalt roof. Regular maintenance is required during this time, as areas such as roof vents, vent pipes and skylights are susceptible to becoming un-sealed. The normal maintenance for these areas involves the application of plasticized cold asphalt. The problem with these treatments, along with other petroleum based roofing products, is that they rapidly out-gas into the atmosphere over the course of a few years. What is left behind is brittle, non-flexible and most often permeable by moisture.
When this occurs the asphalt releases the protective mineral that shields the underlying asphalt. Once the asphalt is exposed, it is subject to deterioration from UV rays, weathering elements and rapid out-gassing. Weathering elements such as rain, hail, snow, dust and, most commonly wind, promote the breakdown of built-up asphalt roofs. It is shortly after this point that property owners will begin to discover all is not well with their roof.
So, what can home and business owners do to prevent their roof getting in this state? Firstly, they should inspect their roof and its coating at least every year. Secondly, they should apply a non-petroleum based protective treatment to it.
If a roof leak should have already developed, and a property owner is faced with expensive repairs, the it may be worth their while to change their roof coating system to a solar reflective one. This may be slightly more expensive than going through with the repairs, but in the long term money will be saved as the roof will be more durable and will require less maintenance.
The first step in learning about roof leaks is to know a little about roofs themselves, with the built up asphalt roof being a good example as it is the most common type of roof. This type of roof consists of 3 or 4 layers of asphalt sheeting that has been bonded together with tar. The top layer of asphalt sheeting will have had a fine mineral granule embedded into it. The purpose of the mineral being to act as a barrier between the weather and the asphalt below it.
8-10 years is the typical life-span of a built-up asphalt roof. Regular maintenance is required during this time, as areas such as roof vents, vent pipes and skylights are susceptible to becoming un-sealed. The normal maintenance for these areas involves the application of plasticized cold asphalt. The problem with these treatments, along with other petroleum based roofing products, is that they rapidly out-gas into the atmosphere over the course of a few years. What is left behind is brittle, non-flexible and most often permeable by moisture.
When this occurs the asphalt releases the protective mineral that shields the underlying asphalt. Once the asphalt is exposed, it is subject to deterioration from UV rays, weathering elements and rapid out-gassing. Weathering elements such as rain, hail, snow, dust and, most commonly wind, promote the breakdown of built-up asphalt roofs. It is shortly after this point that property owners will begin to discover all is not well with their roof.
So, what can home and business owners do to prevent their roof getting in this state? Firstly, they should inspect their roof and its coating at least every year. Secondly, they should apply a non-petroleum based protective treatment to it.
If a roof leak should have already developed, and a property owner is faced with expensive repairs, the it may be worth their while to change their roof coating system to a solar reflective one. This may be slightly more expensive than going through with the repairs, but in the long term money will be saved as the roof will be more durable and will require less maintenance.
About the Author
This article was written by a builder, with over 35 years experience. He is currently working in Las Cruces, where he is building luxury homes, which you can learn more about here: Las Cruces Homes For Sale.
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