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Summer Home Improvement: Building a Summer House

10th July 2018
clean gutters

Summer is not only the hottest of all the seasons but it is also a time to enjoy the outdoors, spend time at the beach and simply relax and unwind at home. For some homeowners, this is also the ideal time to build the perfect summer house to boost your property and make the summer so much more enjoyable.

There are many great ways to build a summer house and add a very enjoyable space to your property. Not all building projects require a lot of money so if you do it right, it can be a cost-effective way of getting a large summer house this summer. Then, of course, you have to choose the right products and an experienced builder, especially if you have a limited budget.

Here are a few great benefits of building your own summer house:

  • Outdoor dining. With a summer house you can enjoy summer dining in your own backyard. It’s perfect for larger families too, as you’ll be able to spend time together in a great setting that is still close to home.

  • A hobby Room. Many home owners use their summer houses as a place to enjoy their favourite hobby. Whether it’s embroidery, sculpting or building, a summer house offers you the perfect space to enjoy your own hobby.

  • A home office. Not all summer houses should be simply for relaxing; you can also use your summer house as a home office to extend the functionality of your home. This will also save money as you don’t have to rent additional office space.

  • Entertainment area. Having a summer house built is a great way to entertain family and friends right at home. You’ll be able to enjoy your backyard and entertain in your own space, without having to use your main house.  

  • Space for the kids. A summer house is perfect for the kids as it’s close to home but also separate and designed just the way you want. You can be creative and choose your own style, which will perfectly complement your home and extend it at the same time.

Whether you love contemporary summer houses or a modern, unique design, you can easily have your own summer house built in your own backyard and create a space to relax, unwind and even entertain your friends and family. You can also choose an insulated summer house so that you know your house will have the perfect temperature all year round.

If you want expert help with building your summer house, you can find a highly experienced local builder  you can trust from HaMuch to help you design and build the perfect summer home.

 

Summer Home Improvement: Garden Fence Ideas

9th July 2018
Repair Fence

Adding a garden fence to your home is a great way of increasing its value and giving it a stylish look. There are different fences available, depending on your property type, layout and design. A garden fence can be a practical addition to your property as well.

Here are a few great garden fence benefits for your home:

  1. It’s decorative. When it comes to fencing, you can be creative and have any fence installed that you want. There are different materials and designs available and your landscaper can give you tips on what will work best.

  2. It increases security. A garden fence can add a measure of security to your home, especially if you choose a higher, stronger fence. You can choose a durable design and have a high fence installed to boost security around your summer home.

  3. It creates a boundary. One of the main reasons why people install garden fences is to create a boundary for your property. It’s convenient, stylish and very practical. A summer house looks even better with a beautifully installed garden fence around it.

  4. It adds privacy. You can also choose wood fence panels, which is a great way of adding both style and security. Privacy is becoming increasingly important as home owners want to know that they have privacy inside their property. This is also why you can install higher fences as opposed to smaller, wooden picket fences.

Garden fences can be very convenient and add a measure of style, security and privacy to home summer home. If you want to install a cost-effective fencing option, you can go with a PVC fence. When you install a PVC fence, you will enjoy an easy installation, optimal privacy and a variety of styles. Plus, it’s very affordable too. A PVC fence requires little maintenance over the years, so it’s the perfect choice for your summer home’s fence.

Working with a Professional

When it comes to installing a garden fence, it pays to work with a professional. Not only can you get excellent ideas but you can get tips on what the best option for your specific property will be. With so many great materials and designs available, you can be as creative as you want and get a reliable, durable fence that will last for decades.

Adding a fence can be a great way to add value to your home and increase privacy. But it can also be a way of enhancing your backyard and installing an entertainment area, or simply a landscaped garden to compliment your home.

With HaMuch you can find an affordable professional in your area to install a beautiful and very modern garden fence for your summer home.

Summer Home Improvement: Garden Furniture Ideas

4th July 2018
garden furniture ideas

Turning your house into its summer edition is not only enjoyable to have but also a great way to add some style and elegance to your everyday living. With so many different garden furniture ideas, you can really transform your garden into a relaxing and rejuvenating space. From beautiful and modern garden furniture ideas to durable rattan garden furniture, there’s something for everyone.

Adding beautiful garden furniture is not only a great way to enjoy your garden, but also a way to add value to your property overall. Regardless of the size of your summer home, you want to spend a lot of time outdoors and this is why you need the right outdoor patio furniture.

Enjoying Your Summer Home

Your summer home is a place where you can relax and unwind, as it is a space that is unique, personal, and available to you whenever you need a break from the busy everyday life. Whether it’s a modern and sophisticated home or an old eighteenth-century cottage, you can really do a lot with a holiday home, especially with great garden furniture.

Here are a few great garden furniture ideas for your summer home:

  • Repurposed furniture. You can add a unique style to your summer home by using repurposed furniture that you bring back to life. With a little paint and a few tweaks, you can breathe new life into old furniture for your garden. 
  • A built-in bench. A built-in bench can add a very versatile style to your garden and it can double as additional storage space. You can design a built-in bench in almost any length, shape and style, making them very convenient.  
  • Contemporary furniture. You can consider various alternatives to wood, which will add a beautiful contemporary look to your garden patio. You can even consider adding a slate table as this makes a great outdoor patio idea.  
  • Choose harmonious furniture. Another great option is to choose furniture that will complement the design of your garden. This will add a touch of harmony and will immediately allow your garden to be relaxing and versatile. 
  • An eye-catching piece. If you truly want something to stand out, choose an eye-catching piece of furniture that will immediately draw attention. This can be a traditional wooden bench or even rattan garden furniture.  
  • A layered look. Similar to interior design, you can create a beautiful layered look for your garden by combining different furniture styles. Wood is a very versatile material to use here and it’s perfect for your outdoor garden.

With so many great ways in which you can add style and convenience to your outdoor garden, your summer home can be a really enjoyable place to be. You can add a touch of your own personality and choose garden furniture that fits in perfectly with the rest of your home.  

To find out more about working with qualified tradesmen near you, use HaMuch online and choose a tradesmen like carpenters and gardeners that can help you design and install outdoor patio furniture for your beautiful summer home.

Summer Home Improvement: Balcony Ideas

26th May 2018
Balcony Ideas Remodelling

Balconies provide an excellent space for those who need to step out for air. Depending on how big your balcony is, you can in fact do a lot with this extra space. A little bit of creativity can go a long way in changing something that looks simple and small. There is a whole list of balcony ideas you can look into if you’re thinking about increasing your property value. Speaking to family or friends for ideas on how you can set up your balcony is a great start or you can read up on it yourself, do a little bit of experimenting on the setup and decide for yourself what works best for you.

If you need help in setting up your balcony and getting specialists to do the work, check out hamuch.com for wholesome deals on handy professionals who can help you maintain not only your balcony, but the rest of your house as well.

Setting it Up

Balcony furniture plays a vital role in your balcony’s overall looks and appeal. Your balcony’s appeal is important, as this space can be therapeutic in nature if the setup is done properly! You don’t want to miss out on such an opportunity, especially if you live in a city area where nature is not close by.

A small table (perhaps coffee table), a chair or two, lights, cushions and plants are great starters for balcony furniture. A balcony garden can do wonders for your home. Using different plants, ranging from plant pots, climbers, hanging plants, different coloured flowers to even planting seeds to grow your own vegetables. There’s a lot you can do to personalise your balcony.

The type of balcony railing you choose is important since it is related to your safety. You want to make sure your balcony railings are sturdy in nature. The colours you choose for the balcony railing also contribute to the overall harmony of the balcony setting. Hanging plants on the railings is also a great idea in order to give the balcony a greater ambience.

As for the types of plants, there are so many plants that you can choose from, especially if your balcony is east facing and gets 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. You can choose to grow hollyhocks or geraniums. Daffodils, cosmos, daisies, verbena and lilies are all great choices too.

 

As for balcony décor, you want to try and personalise it as much as possible. Hang things that you feel represent you. Choose colours that you find appealing and soothing. Light it up using small lights, candles or even lamps. Maybe even hang up a frame or two. There are Facebook pages and other online shopping outlets that will provide you great décor for your balconies. Don’t hesitate to check them out.

Through it all, keep in mind that it’s best not to overcrowd your balcony. For best results, you’d want to keep it minimal yet optimal. Enjoy the space while you relax and let out stress with a cup of tea or coffee in hand.

 

Home improvement on a budget: Place an outdoor garden path

16th May 2018
improve your garden

Garden paths provide a warm, welcoming feel for those who walk through it. Whether it’s the habitants who live in the house or visitors who come over, garden paths provide an instant attraction that seldom goes wrong.

Setting up your garden path is one of the best ways to make your home appear more welcoming, creative and even innovative. Not to mention how it greatly increases your property value! There are numerous garden paving ideas available on the internet these days that you can have a look at. There is even garden design software, which helps you to virtually design your perfect garden design prior to setting it up in real life.

If you are looking for professionals to help you set up your garden or renovate it, do check out hamuch.com for amazing deals on experienced specialists who are willing to come and get the work done.

Garden Path Ideas

There are a variety of ways in which you can set up your garden path, to give it an appealing ambience. You can personalize the look as much as you want. One of the main areas that fall under garden paving ideas is choosing a material to cover the path with. You can choose stones, gravel, pebbles or bricks to lay out. You’d be surprised at the wonders the material chosen does. The colours of the stones chosen also determine the end-feel. If you are nature-loving, you want your pavement and overall ambience to reflect nature’s touch. Whereas if you like the indoors, you want your pathway to give off have a more homely feel.

Pebble garden ideas include selecting different sized pebbles to be used throughout your garden path. You can do so much with the different types of pebbles available. Each area can be an accumulation of pebbles, even the stairs can be set up using pebbles. The pebble look can incorporate a modern touch when you’re camping or enjoying in the outdoors.

Adding on garden path lights can help to not only make your garden appear brighter but also offer greater security around your house. You can even put up lights around your main door or on the patio to give the look a smoother finish. This way the lights start at the pathway and finish all the way at your doorstep.

Garden path edging allows you to fix up the edges of your garden, setting it up to look more refined and polished. If you want your garden path to look wider, just lay out curbstones throughout the garden. Garden step ideas will again be inclusive of the material you wish to use for your steps- whether it’s stones, bricks or cement. Many gardens include level changes within their steps. Different materials may be used to change the look around.

Enjoying Your Garden Setup

Once your garden path is ready you can enjoy coming and leaving from the pathway each and every time you leave your home! The sun will appear brighter, shining strongly, especially on your home whenever you walk through your pathway. You can start feeling right at home from the first step on your garden path.

 

Home Improvement on a budget: Restore your deck

15th May 2018
Garden decking restoration for home improvement on a budget

Decks are now considered as one of the most down to earth, low-cost and great ways to add on extra living space to a house. Decks make it opportune to just sit and enjoy your time outside, whether in the day or at night. Whenever friends and family are over, decks provide that excellent extra space to just get away from the rest of the crowd, for a one on one conversation. Entertaining guests on the deck is also a great way of using up the space. There are probably more ways to use a deck than can be listed.

Yet, decks are susceptible to the wearing effects of bad weather. Over time, decks tend to get discolored and ruined. As such, deck maintenance is crucial to preventing any kind of discoloration that may form due to algae, dirt or other such plants. Splinters can also form over the years, making the deck surface rougher, even more prone to collecting dirt and build up. Not to mention, it can cost heavy on your wallets as well.

Routine Deck Maintenance

For your routine deck maintenance, you should make sure to properly examine your deck once a year or two. You want to look out for any loose boards or projecting nails that might be popping out, needing repair as soon as possible. In order to properly go through with the inspection, you want to clear your deck from all furniture or other things that may be lying around. Cover up any plants that may be out. Next, sweep through the deck to get rid of large pieces of debris, dust and all other particles. Before you begin the cleaning procedure, you want to keep children away from the area in order to avoid any safety hazards.

What Deck Maintenance Entails

Whether it’s deck paint to revive your deck or to get rid of deck stains, deck maintenance pretty much covers the basics of keeping your deck looking good as long as possible. There are deck cleaners like Ronseal DC Decking Cleaner which help to clean your deck, remove built up dirt and shine it up. Cleaners can be used prior to using a deck finish, which gives a polish. Similar to maintaining your car’s exterior, a deck needs to be maintained on its exterior. After cleaning a wood deck, in order to avoid splinters forming afterwards, you can opt to sand your wood using deck sanders before you recoat with deck staining and sealing. This will help ensure that the refinishing job offers the best results.

Black decking paint helps protect your deck from peeling or flaking and protects your deck from moisture damage. Under decking treatment, you will find deck oils and deck stains. There are different deck stain colors available in the market. Which one is the best deck cleaner or best decking treatment, can only be determined through test and trial of different brands.

If you don’t feel quite up to maintaining or cleaning your deck all on your own, hurry up and visit hamuch.com for wholesome deals on handy professionals who can come and help you maintain your deck anytime, anywhere, at your convenience!

Get Your Garden Ready for Spring

27th March 2018
Spring Garden

With the start of spring, winter gardens that have dead plants will be done away with and lively spring gardens will be in view throughout neighborhoods. Spring plants are colorful and fill the heart with joy. After all, once we’ve been through the severe cold of winter, pleasant weather alongside vibrant plants is a full package of bliss and joy.  

Steps to Prepare Your Garden for Spring

In order to get your garden ready for spring, consider the following five steps:

Firstly, you want to clean out your garden from any lingering effects from winter’s severe weather. You can always hire garden cleaners to get the cleaning job done. Or you can choose to connect with your garden and take up the challenge yourself. Get rid of debris that may have been left behind by storms. Cleaning will also help prepare your garden for the new buds you will be planting. Early spring flowers and spring plants in general tend to have a breathtaking beauty attached, and so you want the perfect clean background to go along with it.

Secondly, you want to get your garden tools ready. If you don’t have a box of garden tools, make sure to buy yourself one. For old tools, clean them off using water and soap and consider using mineral spirits for the tools with wood handles. These mineral spirits aid in protecting your wooden handles from splintering in the future.

Now it’s time to get some TLC for your soil. As you will be planting on the soil, it is essential to have soil that is ready for blooming plants. Rake out the soil using a pitchfork and add on fresh compost. Manure bought from the stores also works well if you don’t already have compost stored in your compost bin. It’s best to put in the compost and nutrients for your soil a good two weeks before planting in order avoid burning the roots of your new plants.

Once all that it done, you should try to find out what flowers are best to plant in spring. For this, it is probably a good idea to visit your local nursery in order to get a better idea of what kind of vegetables and flowers are best to grow for your locality. You may want to discuss the nits and grits with your landscape gardener on the type of look you anticipate from your spring garden.

Lastly, put in your efforts to maintain your garden. From watering your plants, sweeping the weeds that will be falling every so often, to cutting off flowers that are fading or drooping.  You want to keep a lookout for anything that seems out of place or untidy.

What to Do in the Garden Now

Once your garden is set and ready for spring, you can watch and enjoy your little utopia of plants, a vibrant ray of colours and a plot of goodness unfold before your eyes. Your garden may just prove to be a source of therapy on stressful days. It will also give you something to put your mind to if you have extra time in hand. You can take up other hobbies while you spend time in your garden; perhaps even discover yourself on a whole new level.  

Say goodbye to all your worries. If you need to lend a helping green hand for your beautiful garden, simply visit hamuch.com for the best and expert gardeners and gardening services around you with full transparency rates at ease!

First time buyers: Top Five Tips to Avoid Homeowner Hassles

27th March 2018
Gas

Buying your first house can be a stressful experience. Once all of the legal dealings are out of the way, and you’ve popped the cork on your ‘welcome to your new home’ bottle of champagne, the reality sets in – everything from the bricks and mortar to the knives and forks are now your responsibility.
We at HaMuch have put together our top five tips to help make your first home run like a dream.

1. Find the essentials

When you first move in, it can be tempting to focus on where the TV will go and what colour the spare bedroom will be, first make sure you find the essentials. Locate your gas and electricity meters, the fuse box, and the stopcock on day one. Once all your boxes are unloaded from the moving van, you should take readings from your meters, as your suppliers will need this information, and it will avoid you getting over charged.
If you can find your fuse box in the dark and can access (and shut off) your stopcock valve quickly, you will be covered for most major emergencies. When you need the services of an electrician or a plumber, they will ask you where these are, so it’s handy to tell them straight away.

A fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper can help to make it your own

2. Put your own stamp on it

One of the best things about owning your own home is that you can decorate it the way you like. A fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper can help to make it your own. If you’re not keen to get out the pasting table or paint brushes, it’s worth finding a good local decorator who can work their magic on your walls and get the look you want.
If you peel back the paper to reveal a cracked or problematic wall, a good plasterer should be able to skim it for you, making it the perfect surface to paint. You can then hang your mirrors, pictures and shelves to your heart’s content.

Find trusted certified tradespeople in your area

3. Make friends with tradespeople

You’ve committed a lot of money to your new home, so it’s easy to become nervous when jobs too complicated for DIY need doing. Find trusted, certified tradespeople in your area, so you won’t need to worry next time your boiler needs servicing or you need a new plug socket.
Make sure your electrician is regulated to meet UK safety standards, your plumber is WIAPS approved and your gas engineer is on the Gas Safe Register. You can check all of this information from HaMuch when finding a tradesperson.

Double-glazing will also save your money long term on your heating bills

4. Check your security

When you first move in, it is worth making sure you’re happy that the doors and windows are secure. Consider changing the locks if the house is not a new build, or replacing the windows if they’re not double-glazed. This will make your home feel safer and give you peace of mind. Double-glazing will also save you money long term on your heating bills.
You may also choose to invest in a burglar alarm or security lights to help keep your home safe when you’re away. Make sure you choose a reputable company to fit these to make sure you get a reliable service.

A good local gardener on the case will help you fool the neighbour into thinking you're Monty Don with minimum effort

5. Consider the extras

If your house or garden is large, or if you’re working full time, think about hiring a cleaner or a gardener to help keep your house looking its best. It can lift your spirits considerably to come home to a spotless house, and having a cleaner to look after this for you can take a load off your mind.
Gardens can start to look drab without regular TLC, and if you’re not green-fingered, this can start to feel like a chore. Getting a good local gardener on the case will help you fool the neighbours into thinking you’re Monty Don with minimum effort.

HaMuch has more than 11,000 trusted local tradespeople who can help with every homeowner hassle.