You’ll find several types of decking at most home improvement stores, including pressure-treated lumber and composite material. Pressure-treated lumber can last for up to 15 years.

The most popular choice for decking is wood. Cedar is one of the oldest types of decking, and it feels nice to walk on. However, wood requires maintenance, including annual cleaning. It can warp, splinter, and rot. And because wood naturally weathers to a grayish color, you’ll need to refinish it every two to three years. Still, the natural beauty of wood is worth considering, and many homeowners love the look of a new deck! When you need a Salisbury Timber Merchants, consider https://www.timbco.co.uk

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One popular wood option for decks is redwood. These types of hardwood are naturally characterful and strong, and have the advantage of not requiring expensive chemicals to keep them looking their best. Their natural oils keep them resistant to insect infestation and fungal decay. Popular hardwood choices in the UK include English Oak and Yellow Balau. These are sturdy and heavy timbers with a fine texture. However, you should check the manufacturer’s warranty before buying any decking.

When it comes to choosing a wood for your deck, one of the most important factors to consider is cost. Prices can vary depending on availability and the quality of the material. Low-grade timber can hold too much moisture and be vulnerable to rot and mildew. But if you’re planning on putting up a deck on your property, you might want to consider composite wood. Its natural properties make it an excellent choice and it will last for decades.

In addition to the three main types of decking, you can also use a diagonal design to change the appearance of your deck. Diagonal decks, which run diagonally across the deck, tend to be more stable and don’t need sway braces. However, you’ll have to install full-length boards to create this type of design. You can also try using a framed diagonal design.

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One of the most popular woods for decks is Ipe, a hardwood that grows in Central and South America. It is durable, but also expensive. It can last at least 25 years, with some brands even offering 40-year warranties. Ipe is a dense hardwood that is difficult to cut. It will weather to a light grey colour over time. If you’re planning to install a composite deck, consider your budget and weather conditions when choosing a material.

Redwood is one of the most beautiful types of wood used for decks. Redwood accepts nearly any type of stain, but requires annual maintenance. If you’re going to use redwood on your deck, make sure you buy construction lumber.

With winter now here you might be wondering if there are any tasks that you can do in your garden to help get it tidy and ready for the Spring. Although it can be a little cold and sometimes wet and windy, the autumn and winter months are the perfect opportunity for a little garden maintenance. If you have recently moved into Gloucestershire Park Homes like those offered by http://www.parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park-homes-gloucester-gloucestershire you might be thinking of ways to get your garden planned for the glorious summer weather.

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Here are some of the maintenance tasks that you can get underway.

Greenhouse – if you have a greenhouse and have used shade paint on the windows to prevent the warm summer sun from scorching your fruits and vegetables, now is the perfect time for you to remove this. By having the windows fully visible you can allow the heat to naturally heat the space inside for you over the winter months. This is especially important if you have vegetables growing over this period and you are using greenhouse heaters to keep the internal environment warm.

Cleaning – this is also the perfect opportunity to give your greenhouse and your shed a good clear out. Get rid of any unwanted pots and take the time to repair any garden equipment that needs a bit of TLC. This means that when you come to planting in the spring you will have all the items you need close to hand and organised so you can focus on adding beautiful plants to your garden.

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Borders – take a look at your planting borders and give them a good tidy. This will often mean raking up any leaves that have fallen from the trees and shrubs that you have in your garden as well as any other debris that may have blown in with the wind. Perennial plants will often need to be cut back and you might want to save any seed heads so you can grow more plants in the spring. This is a great, cost-effective way to add more plants to your garden each year, by making the most of the seeds that your existing plants create.

Compost bin – with all the dead leaves and plant cuttings that you have, now is a great time to empty your compost bin and place all of the broken down compost onto your garden. This will then make way for new compost and all the items that you collect from your winter garden clearout. Make sure that you take the compost from the bottom as this will be the matter that has been decomposing for the longest and will have the best nutritional value for your garden.

Building a home of your own is something that many people have chosen to do. It has many benefits that you don’t get when you buy a house necessarily – having it from brand new, a home that you have designed for yourself on a plot of land that you have chosen are all reasons for people to build their own home from scratch rather than going to an estate agent and buying one.

However, before you decide to build a house and create your dream home, there are other costs involved with building your own home that you might not have accounted for. Here are the main things to be aware of and budget for accordingly if you are thinking of going down this route…

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The Land – This is something that can come as a bit of a surprise to people who are new to building their own property. It can vary a lot depending on where in the country you are but to get your perfect plot of land you may have to compromise a little. Land in some areas can be very expensive so it is a good idea to get some ideas of how much land in the area you wish to buy in sells for so that you can decide whether it fits realistically into your budget. Explore other options such as areas where land is cheaper or think about brownfield land and also buying land that has a building on it which you can renovate or demolish entirely and build on – this can often be a cheaper way to get some land to build on.

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Labour – Even if there are some things that you can do yourself, you are likely to need other people to do things for you when building your own home. As well as the building of the house itself, you will need to have an architect create the plans for the house and have the water connections to the property before the build commences, as well as power sources of electric and gas. A lot of time goes into building a house, so it is sensible to have other people help you with it, as it is not likely to be a job that you can take on alone, even if you are an accomplished builder.

Machinery Hire – To build a house you will need a lot of specialist equipment and machinery that it is unlikely that you will have lying around in the garden shed! Find out what you need and find companies such as this grab lorry hire Gloucester based company https://telstargrabhire.co.uk/ who will be able to hire the machinery out to you. This is something that you should arrange and investigate before building commences so that you have the equipment that you need ready and waiting when you need it.

The roof is an essential  part of a home’s construction. It keeps out the wet, wind and rain plus all the other elements that the weather can throw at us. If the roof goes down then the whole lot is going to come down. This is why it is vital that the roof is watertight and doing its job properly.

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With this in mind it is essential that the roof has a decent Roof sealant in place. You need to go to www.ct1.com/product-applications/ct1-the-ultimate-roof-sealant/ to get some high quality product to apply to the roof so that you know one hundred percent that nothing is going to get through.

Sealant is a plastic by-product that comes out smooth and is pushed into any cracks on the roof that have occured over the years. Another form of sealant is a liquid rubber paint that is applied as an overall coating for the roof. This flows into any holes and cracks so that the roof is completely covered with the sealant. This can last for years and even decades.

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If the wet is able to get in it can cause mold and mildew growth. The beams of the eaves can become rotten. This is very bad news as it can weaken the structure and bring the roof tiles down onto the ceiling.

Rather than risk a costly repair bill, go with the cheaper, preventative measure of the roof sealant.

Many people who are planning to have a new boiler installed in their homes wonder how to prepare for that installation. This can be a major issue because of the fact that a boiler can be quite large and awkward to install. Therefore, it is very important that you need to consider the location in your house and also the type of fuel that you would like to use for your boiler. Once you know these two things then you can be prepared for having a new boiler installed.

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The area where your current boiler is situated will need to be cleared of any furniture and other household items to provide clear access for the engineers. It will also be helpful if there is clear access from your front door to the location of the boiler. If old boiler parts are being removed, you might want to cover any valuable or important items or the floor with a dust sheet so as not to make unnecessary mess you’ll need to clean up.  For information on Boiler Installation Cheltenham, visit http://www.combi-man.com

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Try to keep children and pets away from the area so the engineer can work freely and undisturbed. There might be some noise and disruption for a day or two depending on the scope of the work being carried out. A straightforward installation will most likely be done within a day but if there are additional tasks involving radiators or pipes, you might expect a couple days of disruption.

Clogged drains are common and very frustrating. It may seem that no matter how many times you must unblock them, they ultimately become clogged again. That’s why prevention is key. Don’t wait until they’re clogged to give the drains any attention.

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1. Get your drains checked regularly by arranging a CCTV Drain Survey Cheltenham. A CCTV drain survey uses the latest remote access technology to check the inside of your drains. They will identify any problems, as well as blockages. They may even offer high pressure water jetting to clean the pipes.
2. Prevent food, coffee grounds and oil from going down the kitchen drains. These are the biggest culprits when it comes to drain blockages. Oil can be collected and re-used. Food should be thrown into the food waste or the compost, along with the coffee grounds.
3. Never flush wet wipes down the toilet. Even if the packet for the wipes says that they are flushable, do not risk blocking the drains, and throw them away instead of flushing. Even better would be to not use them. They are harmful to the environment and often end up polluting rivers and the sea.
4. Keep hair out of the bathroom drains by using a hair-catcher, then throw away the hair and dirt.

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5. If you are using building materials, do not rinse grout, or cement down the drain as they contain hardening chemicals that can cause blockages. As you can probably imagine, they are extremely hard to clean from the inside of pipes.

Hopefully these tips will help prevent your drains from getting clogged. I know from experience that by following these five tips, clogged drains can remain a thing of the past.

Oak feather edge cladding refers to the method of combining the aesthetic value of natural wood with the durability and maintenance of aluminium and steel. It is a type of wood, named for its brownish-red colour. Unlike many types of timber available today which tend to become weathered quickly, oak feather edge cladding maintains its beauty and integrity through the years, offering great resistance to the adverse effects of weather and elements as well as providing a great degree of insulation against heat loss. A suitable company like Timberpride can assist with this.

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A key advantage of using this form of building material is that the installation time is considerably reduced compared to most other forms of timber cladding. Even the largest buildings need only have the base and first floor treated to provide the needed level of protection. The surface to face contact with the building’s surface can be further strengthened by the addition of a special powder coated finish to the surface, again making this an ideal choice for high traffic commercial properties. To ensure that the installation goes to plan, a minimum of twenty-four inches of plywood and two inches of oak feather edge cladding is required to complete the job.

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In terms of strength, the advantages of oak feather edge cladding over other timber cladding materials are quite profound. The resistance to water is especially effective where the building’s main function is likely to be on the basis of water use. In the case of buildings for domestic use, such as in kitchens and bathrooms, as little as two inches of timber covering less than one square inch of concrete is all that is needed.

Whatever your current age, there will come a time when you may want to consider downsizing. There are many reasons for downsizing, including children leaving home, wanting to relocate to the countryside or coast and financial pressures, but one of the main reasons is retirement. Continue reading The pros and cons of downsizing in retirement →

A messy garden is a garden that is full of debris, dead leaves and grass that just won’t go away. This can be due to a lack of pruning, a lack of watering or an excessive amount of use. If you have a garden that is messy then it’s important that you find out how to clear it up if you want to be able to use and improve your curb appeal. For large projects and building work, consider Excavator Hire from a site like https://greenshaulageandplant.uk/

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One of the first things that you need to consider is why the garden is so messy in the first place. There are many different reasons as to why a garden can be messy and it’s important that you identify your garden problem and then get to work solving it. There are several different things that you can do to make your garden less messy, here they are:

Weeding your garden is one of the best ways in how to clear up a messy garden because it allows you to keep everything fresh and alive. If you have a garden that has a lot of grass and foliage then it’s important that you use a hoe to keep the grass cut short. You can also mow the lawn when it gets very tall, this will help keep it a lot tidier. If you have a water garden or pond in your garden then it’s important that you maintain it on a regular basis to keep it healthy.

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If you need some more advice on how to clear up a messy garden then you should visit your local gardening store. These stores usually have all kinds of useful equipment and resources to help you.

When you first get your new diesel mower, or your gas mower, you may be surprised to find out that you need to buy a hydraulic power unit. This is something that you really should consider carefully, because if you choose the wrong one, you could end up wasting money on a mower that doesn’t work right. Hydraulic motors and drives have been around for a long time, but they just haven’t been popular in the past few years. Now, however, there are lots of companies making high-performance drives and motors for garden equipment, and some of them are even offering a hydraulic power unit that fits directly onto the spindle of your existing drive.

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Gas and electric motors are a different matter. They both have a very flat torque-rate curve, so they both deliver about the same torque in top speed as they do in low speed, which means that a hydraulic power unit, like the ones from https://www.hydraproducts.co.uk/Hydraulic-Power-Units, with an electric motor of some sort will usually need a gas or diesel engine of a higher power rating to operate at its best. The problem here is that you get what you pay for, and the more powerful the motor, the more expensive it will be.

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One thing that many people don’t think about, is how to maintain the pressure in their hydraulic system. It’s usually best to use water or oil to keep the system well-maintained. There are several things that can go wrong with a hydraulic system, ranging from a low water level in the reservoir to a clogged drain line. In order to prevent problems in this area, and to make sure that your new unit is giving you the best performance possible, you’ll want to install a high quality water reservoir and drain lines. You can even buy special self-cleaning systems to help keep things cleaner.