Archive for January, 2010


The average person visits the bathroom about 6-8 times a day, making it an average of 2,500 times a year. That adds up to about 3 years of your life on the john. If we factor in how much the average person spends in the shower or bath, taking into account here that we live in a hyper clean society, we have to tack on a couple more years. At least. And then think about everything else you do in there, from bathing your kids to getting ready for a night out. That’s a lot of time in that small space we call the bathroom.

It’s no wonder then, that remodeling trends for bathrooms have been doing flips and turns faster than the water going down in your toilet. And more spectacularly, too.

The bathroom has become a proper room in the home, much like a bedroom or a library. Bathroom remodeling has become a much more involved process that takes into account, rather seriously, the varying needs of the people using the space and the various design elements that can be incorporated into the space.

Here are some things that are changing and that you too, with a bit of planning, can change in your own bathroom:

Bigger bathrooms:
Bathrooms are getting bigger and bigger. People are knocking down walls to give themselves more room in the space, making it a veritable room instead of the traditional closet like space that we have gotten used to entering sideways and exiting as quickly as possible. People in older homes are knocking down walls to make room while those building new houses plan ahead for a larger bathroom space.
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Increasingly, homeowners looking for an inexpensive way to make their home more livable and increase curb appeal with an eye toward resale are embracing the nationwide trend of creating outdoor living spaces.

These areas usually feature spaces for entertaining friends and family while grilling, dining, eating and relaxing. That often means room for a patio, a grill, a sink or a fireplace. Some think of it as adding a family room without the roof.

For many, the building technique of choice when creating these spaces calls for using segmental concrete paving. This technique employs interlocking units-called concrete pavers-that are strong, durable and are growing in popularity worldwide. In Germany, for instance, there are 15 square feet of pavers installed per person annually. In the Netherlands, most of the streets and sidewalks are made of pavers.

Often used in walkways, patios, plazas and historic restoration projects, pavers are manufactured in a variety of shapes, textures and colors and can be easily removed and reinstalled.
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Composting your kitchen and garden waste is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you dispose of in your rubbish bin. By composting your waste you can generate a free source of rich compost to help improve your garden, and also help to reduce global warming in the process.

How does home composting help to reduce global warming?

When sent to landfill organic waste is compressed under tonnes and tonnes of other waste types. The organic waste therefore does not have enough access to air, which restricts the waste from being able to decompose properly. Instead of decomposing, methane gas is produced which contributes to global warming.

The Compost Bin

The first step to start composting at home is to get a compost bin. You can either purchase a compost bin or you can make your own. Compost bins can be bought from the majority of garden centres. The government funded Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign also sells discounted compost bins.
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Bathroom remodeling is also a homeowner’s vision or nightmare, depending on the quantity of escapade possesses. A lot of things are well thought-out in the bathroom remodeling procedure.

One of the primary areas to consider is whether the whole bathroom wants to be stripped out and totally replaced or if merely parts of it require to be altered. If it is broad enough to need an entire remodel, take advantage of the chance to update trimmings and furniture.

Bathroom remodeling is sometimes an unexpected event due to damage from a water drip or a number of other kind of damage. Except you are a carpenter, plumber, electrician, in addition to interior decorator, you will require the assist of a skilled expert to complete the work.
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