The advantages of using brick cladding

Whichever country or region you live in, you will find that the materials used to construct houses, apartments and buildings are often reasonably priced and readily available. The abundance of certain raw materials will often direct the local construction industries’ end product; for example, an area filled with forests and an abundance of trees equates to timber abodes. The same applies to desert and frozen environments, where both sand-based structures and igloos can be found.

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Why does the UK love its bricks?

Clay is in abundance in the UK. As a key element in bricks, it is also the dominating factor when it comes to the construction of buildings. This creates uniformity, with the cladding often used in older homes to conform to these social expectations. This is especially important, as research shows that timber is prone to damp in addition to being a fire risk.

What is brick cladding?

Cladding is a component that is attached to a primary structure and forms a non-structural surface. Unlike a solid building, the cladding cannot stand on its own and does not increase the building’s stability; however, it does play a structural role and has numerous advantages:

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– It can provide openings for ventilation, daylight and access.
– It generates an increasingly airtight envelope.
– It prevents the spread of fire.
– It creates a uniform external façade.
– It provides thermal insulation.
– It is effective to prevent sound transmission.
– It adds an extra layer of security and privacy.
– It protects the building from external elements.
– It is lightweight and therefore easy to manipulate and handle during installation.
– It is very stylish and attractive and hides ugly and worn structures beautifully.

Well-designed, high-quality and properly installed cladding helps to reduce the need for continuous electrical and mechanical maintenance. It effectively improves energy, thereby lowering running costs.

The structural role that comes into play when using curtain wall, lumber or even brick cladding a building is the transference of wind loads, snow loads and impact loads.

The quality of the cladding plays a big role in the effectiveness and longevity of the project. While you can purchase it in various forms and material types, it is often available in prefabricated panels. Some even have additional components such as roof lights, gutters, doors and windows.

 

Why everyone needs to make a will

What happens to your property, money and possessions after your death is a concern for many people, and the best way to ensure that your estate is disposed of in line with your wishes is to make a will.

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If circumstances change during your lifetime, you can also amend your will by adding a codicil or executing a new document.

Inheritance

By making a will, you can ensure that you pay the minimum Inheritance tax on your estate.

An outline of probate, wills and inheritance can be found at the government’s own website.

Although you can write your own will and get it formally witnessed and signed, your estate could be complex. If so, it is best to seek legal advice. Wherever you are located, Mayfair, Mansfield or Manchester solicitors who are equipped to advise you can be found at sites such as https://bridgelawsolicitors.co.uk/offices/wilmslow-manchester/.

Using a solicitor is a good idea if you share a property with someone who is not your wife, husband or civil partner, or if you wish to leave property or money to a dependent who cannot look after themselves.

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Wishes

Other issues may arise if there are family members who may challenge your will, such as a second spouse or children from a previous relationship. You may have assets overseas or a business, in which case getting a professional to draw up your will and advise on possible tax relief is recommended.

Your will should set out who the beneficiaries are, care for any children under 18, what happens if a beneficiary pre-deceases you, and who is to carry out your wishes and act as executor of the will.

You should also ensure you keep your will in a safe place, either with your solicitor or bank or in a will storage facility. Always ensure a third party, ideally the executor, knows where your will is kept.

Although people often do not want to think about events after death, it is vital not to delay in making a will once you begin to accumulate assets, including pension rights. Making a will means that you will save your family or partner unnecessary distress at what is already a difficult time for them.

Without a will, everything will be shared in a manner defined by law and may not reflect your wishes.

 

Check out these 12 iconic sights in Cheltenham

Cheltenham has lots to boast about, from stunning architecture to historic sights. Here are the town’s top iconic places to visit:

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1. Cheltenham Racecourse

This world-famous racecourse attracts 700,000 visitors annually. Since 1818, it has hosted some of the most famous races in the world.

2. Pittville Pump Room

One of the town’s most iconic sites, situated at the top of the park, this Grade I listed edifice is fringed by its magnificent colonnade. The breathtaking entrance and domed ceiling make the Pump Room an extraordinary sight.

3. Everyman Theatre

This gem has been welcoming audiences for 130 years and the inspirational auditorium was designed by Frank Matcham.

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4. The Rotunda

This Grade I listed building, resplendent with its colonnade and dome ceiling is now home to the Ivy Montpellier Brasserie, it also boasts a magnificent central bar.

5. Imperial Gardens

The gardens offer a most delightful setting for picnics as well as a landscaped area within the town setting. In the summer months, both the alfresco bar and bandstand entice throngs of visitors.

6. The Daffodil

This unique building is one of Cheltenham’s stars. Its period features include a sweeping staircase, distinctive chequered floor and impressive art-deco dining room.

7. Cheltenham Town Hall

This Grade II listed Town Hall boasts Baroque-style architecture, circled by Corinthian-style columns. Visitors can delight in the interiors, which includes the breathtaking coved ceiling.

8. Cheltenham Ladies College

The college’s renowned copper dome was originally built as an observatory at the end of the 19th century, designed to revolve to take in views of the night sky.

If you’re having a celebration in the town and are looking for a Cheltenham photographer, someone like https://www.stevemacphotography.co.uk can help.

9. Sandford Parks Lido

This historic lido has welcomed visitors for over 80 years. The town’s most esteemed summer spot, it offers the perfect day out for swimmers of all ages.

10. The Royal Crescent

Creating a breathtaking, sweeping arch in the town centre, these Georgian townhouses are a perfect example of Cheltenham’s period architecture – http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2005/05/13/cheltenham_history_feature.shtml.

11. Pittville Park

First opened in 1825, Pittville Park is well known for its utopian lake, attracting everyone from nature lovers to families.

12. The Promenade

From prestigious shops and talked about cafes to the Neptune Fountain, this cosmopolitan spot is nestled in the heart of town.

Six tricks for flawless eye makeup

Applying foundation and lipstick is quite straightforward compared to getting your eye makeup right. Here are six tricks you need to know in order to nail it.

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Choose the right tools

Your brush makes a real difference to applying eyeshadow well. A soft and fluffy brush will apply less colour than a firmer one, giving a much more natural look. If you are aiming to create a defined crease, a pointed, tapering brush will give you a soft and diffused line.

Choose the best shade of eyeshadow

Your natural eye colour defines which eyeshadow shades suit you best. People with hazel or brown eyes are fortunate because almost any colour will look good, but a greyish beige is always really flattering. If you have green eyes, warm shades that include a little red will emphasise the golden flecks, or you could opt for something neutral such as the Vanity Flare Nude Eyeshadow Palette from Benefit cosmetics. Blue eyes often look good with the peachy gold warmer shades of eyeshadow but as Marie Claire says, you should choose whatever you feel best with and never be afraid to take risks.

Apply eyeshadow to flatter your eye shape

If you aim to make your eyes look bigger, choose warmer tones and emphasise your eyes by taking it higher and lower than normal. To make round eyes appear more feline, blend the eyeshadow out and up towards the outer corner of your eye. People with hooded lids can use more colour because it is really only visible when your eye closes. A range of eye makeup is available from companies such as https://www.carapharmacy.com/en/Benefit/b-743.aspx.

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Try a subtle approach

If you want a more understated look, try using tinted eyeshadow primer to add a wash of colour to your eyelids. Primers are not unlike cream eyeshadows and you can add a little definition by running a brush along to define the crease.

Try a cut crease

Sharp cut creases do not suit everyone but you can compromise by applying a soft line of metallic colour in the crease that will not give a heavy look, but will define the shape of your eyes.

Clean up any mistakes

If you hold a fan brush under the eye while you are applying eyeshadow, any stray bits will drop on to the brush rather than on your foundation.

Tips for staying calm at the airport

Do you love going on holiday but break into a cold sweat at the thought of the airport? While some people love the bustle, excitement and waiting around in departures, most of us would rather be magically transported to our destination without all the hassle. If you find your stress starts increasing as soon as you walk up to check-in, here are some tips for keeping calm at the airport:

  1. Let someone else drive

Driving to the airport, finding the right terminal and locating the car park is enough to set anyone on edge. Choosing public transport also means lugging your bags around and relying on others to get you there on time. The most relaxing option is to let someone drive you in comfort, so you can begin your holiday from your doorstep and not when you step off the plane! For Coach Hire Dorset could be the solution. For coach hire in Dorset visit Turners Coaches today.

  1. Have everything to hand

Avoid stress by having all of your important documents easy to reach. Place boarding passes, passports, tickets and flight information in the same pocket of your bag each time you travel, so reaching for it becomes second nature. This will save time and you from panicking to find the right documents at the right time.

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  1. Weigh luggage before getting to the airport

A set of luggage scales is a must-have accessory for frequent flyers. They can save you from embarrassment and hold-ups at check-in and help you avoid costly additional charges from the airline. This also means you don’t have to feel apprehensive on check-in and can just relax.

  1. Check the latest security measures

Getting through security can be time-consuming, especially when people don’t prepare for what’s involved. Understand that you might get patted down, be prepared to remove your shoes, take laptops out of bags and walk through scanners etc.

  1. Be patient and breathe

Nobody enjoys queueing but there’s no point in losing your temper, getting uptight or being miserable about it. Take a deep breath and practice some patience next time you’re in an airport. Do what you can to help speed up things but for the times when you can’t, just relax and accept the situation.

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  1. Be kind to yourself

Plan in advance to spend your time in the airport indulging yourself or having a treat. It is the start of your holiday after all! Buy a best-selling book, treat yourself to some perfume or see if there’s a spa or salon on site. Save the time you’ll be waiting around at the airport to do something nice for yourself.

  1. Give yourself lots of time

So, these days with online check-ins, you don’t need to be at the airport 3 hours before your flight but it’s still a good idea to be there at least a couple of hours ahead of time. This way you can check-in your luggage and clear security at a relaxed pace instead of panicking to get to the gate on time.

  1. Keep focusing on the destination

Try not to become overly distracted by the queues and people but on the excitement of flying and getting away for a holiday. If you feel your anxiety levels increasing, think about your destination and that a little stress at a bothersome airport is totally worth it.

 

 

 

 

Why have a standby generator?

There will be times in all our lives when the National Grid lets us down. Many people alive today will remember frequent power cuts due to industrial action, brown outs in extended cold weather, days without power after floods and gales, and the occasional local disaster due to road excavations or sub-station burn-outs. Then add the many occasions when power fails due to shorts or overloads inside your own home.

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Mains supply is not a constant. Once upon a time, Britain relied upon its inexhaustible coal supplies, but today almost all sources of power are imported and therefore exposed to the many political instabilities looming on the horizon.

And what about those occasions when you need power too far from the mains supply? Perhaps you want to spend time literally off-grid. There are great property bargains to be had if you can supply your own power. When you only want to bridge the gap until mains power is connected, a generator rental will suffice. In other cases, you’ll want a permanent or backup supply.

Weather

Always plan in readiness for extreme weather, as it always happens. The floods of 2007, blizzards of 2009, and the Great Storm of 1987 left families without power for weeks. In winter, that’s a serious threat: your family may have to be evacuated, disrupting your job, damaging your income, and leaving your home unprotected.

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Generator rental

Rental is an option if you plan it in advance. Long term rentals are cheaper than short ones, so are an alternative to buying. Long-term planning means you can have infrastructure in place so that emergency power cuts in automatically in a power failure. Your appliances keep running without interruption. This is vital if you have hundreds of pounds of food in the freezer, a basement conversion that uses a pump to keep it dry, or a business that needs to stay open. Any generator rental professionals will be happy to advise you how this works.

If you’re thinking it makes sense to rent only after an emergency arises, remember that when the power fails across a wide area, it’s too late. Even if you can still get to a rental company, others might have got there before you.

A standby generator can be installed directly into your building’s electrical panel and will be powered by propane or diesel.b

 

5 trends we’ll all be wearing from the catwalks this spring

The spring/summer collections for 2019 have hit the shops, and they’re hotter than ever. From noose hoodies to shackled models, there’s been a lot of controversy on the catwalk this winter as the summer clothes have been showcased. Which of these trends have hit the shops and which ones will we be wearing from spring?

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1. Utility Shorts

Those of us who prefer to keep the very upper echelons of our thighs covered up will be relieved to hear that functional, utility-style shorts are going to win over hot pants or tiny denim cutaways. This year’s shorts are looser and less fitted than in previous years, but they are likely to come in a wide range of patterns, colours and materials.

2. Tiny pleats

As the pleat trend evolves, they’re getting smaller. Tiny pleats were seen on both skirts and dresses on the catwalks. These micro pleats have the added bonus of aiding better movement than wider pleats and being more flattering.

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3. Fantastic flats

Every few years, flat shoes come back with a bang, and that’s because we all prefer being comfortable to having aching soles. This year’s flats have had a seriously fancy make-over, however. Flats with tassels, flats with feathers, flats with fake fur… there really is nowhere this trend can’t go. Expect to see shoes in the season’s top colours and patterns such as green, yellow, animal print and neon.

4. Tie-Dye

The fashion world has finally come back to the funkiness that is tie-dye. Seen on T-shirts, hoodies and maxi dresses (https://www.axparis.com/collections/maxi-dresses), tie-dye is the perfect laid-back summer choice. Want to go for a truly authentic look? Make your own tie-dye clothes at home!

5. Big hats

Whether you have a wedding to attend or you simply want to make a statement, an oversized hat is the perfect accessory for spring and summer 2019. This trend covers everything from wide-brimmed and beekeeper hats to straw hats, floppy hats and fab ’90s bucket hats. As with all the best fashion trends, oversized hats have a practical bonus: they’re good for protecting your face from the sun. They also look super sassy!

Will you be wearing any of these trends? Come back for five more trends for spring from the catwalks in our next fashion post.

5 ways to bring some hygge into your home

When the nights draw in and stormy weather batters our homes, we all crave a roaring log fire, a soft blanket to hide under and a pair of fluffy slippers to relax in. The Danish phrase hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) refers to the unique native concept of intimacy and cosiness. It means enjoying the ordinary, soothing and inexpensive things in life.

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The trend has now spread globally. To create authentic hygge in your own dwelling, get yourself a warm drink, put on a chunky sweater, and follow the tips below.

1 Turn up the heat

A flickering fire will instantly bring intimacy to any space. If you lack a fireplace in your abode, create a cosy and warm vibe by creating clusters of candles of many shapes and sizes.

Kayleigh Tanner, chief of the UK-based blog Hello Hygge remarks that her favourites are Yankee Candles with scents like vanilla and cinnamon, but she says a collection of inexpensive tea lights will work just as well.

2 Foster the outdoors inside

Nature is inherently stress-busting and relaxing. Take a cue from the natural world and bring some greenery into your home. Do you have problems keeping plants alive? Use natural materials like stone, leather and wood in your rooms.

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3 Switch off the lights

Overhead lights are typically too bright to bring that homely feeling you crave to your room, unless you have got a dimmer. So switch off your overhead light and use table lamps as an alternative.

A metal log holder will make a stylish statement next to your hearth. For where to find a metal log holder, suppliers include https://www.themetaltree.co.uk/ metal log holders.

FamilyEducation also suggests some hints for introducing hygge to your abode: https://www.familyeducation.com/videos/9-ways-to-bring-hygge-into-your-home.

4 Streamline

Small spaces can be cosy, preferably when they are uncluttered. Kate Marengo, president of Interior Chicago, comments that people can’t relax in overwhelming spaces. So before you bring in your hygge touches (a throw, candles, books), follow declutterer Marie Kondo’s style and get rid of extraneous objects that don’t make you happy.

5 Embrace something soft

Hygge is all about texture, says Pia Edberg, author of The Cozy Life and based in Vancouver. She suggests arranging soft items around yourself such as fluffy pillows, knitted fleece throws, comfy furniture and shagpile rugs.

Driving safely in your lorry

Driving a lorry carries a big responsibility, both for the driver and other road users. Safe driving and correct positioning on the road is also vital to help traffic flow correctly.

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Watch out for pedestrians

At all times, maintain awareness of the kerb, not getting too close, particularly in pedestrianised areas. Correct use of signals and mirrors will help to protect the safety of others.

Hold correct position

Ensure you maintain correct positioning on the road. Don’t drive in the hard shoulder of a motorway, and don’t mount the kerb or enter cycle or bus lanes during operational times. Constantly scan the road ahead to be aware of need to change lanes using correct procedures (mirror, signal manoeuvre) and identify hazards as soon as possible. This will also help other road users to adapt their position ahead of the potential obstacle.

Also ensure awareness of lane markings. Not only will this help to choose the correct lane for your journey, it will also ensure the best possible flow of traffic, particularly at busy times.

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Understand the logistics of your vehicle

Larger vehicles will require prior planning, for example wide vehicles will occasionally need to straddle lanes and routes will need to be planned if driving under height-restricted tunnels or bridges.

When driving round bends, consider the sharpness of the bend, the speed you need to travel so you maintain control and the visibility before and through the bend. Also ensure close attention to weather conditions and act appropriately. Check forecasts ahead of starting your journey Uneven, slippery or icy conditions can have a huge impact on judging the best speed to safely navigate the bend.

Correct livery

Driving a lorry requires a bit of help from signage, using chapter 8 chevrons and other livery, for example. Always use a trusted and approved supplier such as https://www.vehiclechevrons.com/.

Overtaking other vehicles

When overtaking, you will inevitably move your lorry closer to oncoming traffic. The added risk of this means you need to ensure enough space to safely overtake and then return to the correct lane position. Ensure you have enough speed in your vehicle to overtake quickly, yet within the speed limit. You will also need to recognise that you need more space than you would in a car or van.

Three interior design trends for 2019

Whether you are planning a full renovation project or are simply looking to refresh aspects of your home, here is a glimpse into some of this year’s most prominent interior trends.

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Embrace opulence

Introducing touches of sumptuous velvet into your home is an excellent way to up the opulence factor. Velvet features heavily in the interiors of many of the Parisian hotel bars that Vogue has proclaimed as some of the most beautiful places to be seen in 2019.

The velvets of today are much softer and far more stain resistant, which makes this beautiful material a more practical choice than it was even just a handful years ago. You could start small with throw pillows and cushions; alternatively, if you are committed to the velvet trend, a plush velvet sofa will make an attention-grabbing style statement and become a luxurious focal point in any living room.

Dance with drama

Another key area to play with drama and ambience in 2019 is the kitchen. It is time to ditch the blinding white kitchen cupboards and instead refresh one of your home’s most-used spaces with a deeper and more mysterious hue. Matte navy or black cupboards will do all the talking, especially when contrasted with crisp white walls and metallic lighting fixtures.

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If your kitchen is more on the bijou side, introducing richer hues in smaller areas will give you the same aesthetic without creating the illusion of a smaller, more cramped space. Incorporating light-reflecting accessories will also help to offset the space-reducing qualities of dark colours. Shiny brass and copper ceiling lights will contrast wonderfully with dark tones – just make sure that your fixtures are consistent with each ceiling rose to create a striking design feature.

Light the way

Statement lighting is uniquely placed to complement every design trend. Whether you are looking to make a feature out of an ornate ceiling rose or favour a more contemporary aesthetic, refreshing your lighting fixtures is a simple way to transform the look and feel of a room. Porcelain fixtures are ideal additions to classic spaces, wood and painted ceramic are the perfect match for shabby chic interiors, and sleek metals finish minimal modern spaces beautifully.

2019 is the year to dip into dramatic design and follow through with the ideas you have not yet dared to make a reality.