06 Feb 09 Swimming Pool Cabana
So you have picked out the perfect swimming pool and even the very best in high quality mechanical glass pool shelters so that you can enjoy your new swimming pool all year round, but it doesn’t stop there. For many people looking to buy a swimming pool today, a swimming pool means not just the water to splash around in, but also a pool side Cabana to utilise as a changing room, store pool equipment or as a sauna. The ultimate in swimming pool luxury includes the perfect outbuilding to accompany it and your swimming pool design will need to ensure it accommodates this essential extra. (more…)
Tags: cabana, garden, home improvement, swimming pools
16 Dec 08 How to Automate Your Garage Door
Imagine how convenient and powerful you’ll feel driving up to your home, pressing a single button, and watching your garage door open. The first time you do this, you’ll feel like you’re a millionaire coming home to your giant mansion. But you may think this is simply much too expensive. However, turning a standard garage door into an automatic garage door really isn’t that hard, and it’s one project that just about anyone can do themselves because the kits are easy to install and have very detailed step by step instructions.
First, before you purchase an automatic garage door kit, you need to be sure you purchase one that is for the right type of garage door. If you have a sectional roll-up (a garage door made of several panels held together by hinges), be sure the garage door kit is for sectionals. The same goes for a tilt-up garage door. The two are motorised in different ways, so make certain you have the right stuff before you begin installation.
Once you have the correct motorised attachments, it’s time to get to work. You’re probably going to need at least one other person to help you automate your garage door because you’ll need to lift some things up to the ceiling of your garage. It can be difficult to hold some of these items while attaching them to the ceiling and it can be dangerous if you try to do this alone. You don’t want to fall off the ladder and land on the hard floor of your garage, after all.
Once you’ve got the hardware installed up on the ceiling, you may have to make a few decisions. One is concerning the indoor button to open and close your garage door. Most kits include a button, and it is very convenient to be able to open your garage door without using your car remote if you need to go in and out the garage but won’t be getting in the car. If you’d like, you can actually install the garage door button so that it looks like it’s always been there. This involves cutting a hole into your wall, of course, and it also involves wiring the garage door into your home’s power system. This can be dangerous, and it’s advisable that you contact a professional electrician to deal with it.
The other option doesn’t look quite as pretty but it’s much easier. Some garage doors have battery-powered buttons for opening the door. You just stick a few batteries in them, mount them anywhere you like, and you’re good to go. These buttons won’t look quite as nice since they won’t be flush with the wall, but they’re much easier to handle. Of course, you can always cut a small hole around them and recess them if you’d like.
Automating your garage door has many uses. Safety is one of the biggest bonuses you get out of automating the door. You can drive right into your garage and lower the door, so you won’t have to be concerned about walking from your car to your front door in the dark ever again.
Tags: garage doors, home improvement
11 Dec 08 What is Copper Repiping?
Unless you’re a plumber or other construction professional, you probably have no idea what copper repiping is. Basically, copper repiping is completely refitting all of the existing pipes in a home or a business. Why do you need to do a copper repipe though, especially if there’s nothing wrong with the existing pipes? Well, the main reason is that homes and other buildings built over 25 years ago were built with iron pipes that were coated with zinc. These galvanized pipes, however, have an issue—as they get older, the zinc lining will start to erode. This allows rust to form on your pipes. As they rust, you’ll have to start replacing your pipes. Instead of replacing these galvanized pipes with other galvanized pipes that will eventually need to be replaced again, most people choose to replace them with copper pipes. This process is called copper repiping.
Copper is the best material for indoor pipes because it’s durable, safe, lightweight, and, unlike galvanized pipes, it does not rust. It’s also very flexible. Plumbers can bend copper pipes so that they fit within any space. This makes it especially easy to repipe older homes with copper since plumbers can bend the pipes to fit as necessary.
Tags: copper repiping, plumbing
05 Dec 08 Buying Reconditioned Stair Lifts
Some people have recently discovered the market that is available for selling and buying reconditioned stair lifts. This is not a bad idea as stair lifts can be modified to fit the needs of the current user with very little effort. For example, if you need to make a straight stair lift longer than it already is, there are kits which allow you to extend the length of the rods that the lifts run on. These are usually known as “joining kits”. If you are looking at a stair lift that is longer than you require, it is not difficult to shorten the rails length to accommodate your needs. Another important feature is the fact that most of these straight stair lifts can be easily changed so that the seat will be positioned for either the right or left side, depending on what is needed. (more…)
Tags: stair lifts
06 Nov 08 Welcome to Source Mall
This is the very first post on this newly launched Source Mall blog. Coming soon will be news and reviews of online shopping experiences, where to find the best deals, and information about interesting and innovative new products. Please add us to your bookmarks and come back soon!
Tags: source mall
