Category: House & Garden

Top Tips For Maintaining A Sparkly Clean Pool Fence

Top Tips For Maintaining A Sparkly Clean Pool Fence

If you own a swimming pool in Australia, or are planning a pool renovation, then you need to have some sort of pool fencing. Pool fences are governed by a range of legal requirements throughout Australia, and you need to make sure that your fence meets these requirements, otherwise you might find yourself hit with major fines or other penalties.

Glass pool fencing is one of the most popular fence styles to surround your swimming pool, but it’s one which has to be kept clean and well maintained – glass fencing experts, clearazglassfencing.com.au advise that if your glass fence isn’t properly maintained, it will look dirty and worn, defeating the purpose of having a stylish glass fence in the first place.

To help you combat the dust, dirt, grime and bird poop that will seem drawn to your glass fence like nails to a magnet, we’ve put together the following list of top tips for maintaining a sparkly clean pool fence:

  1. Clean It Regularly!

The key to keeping your glass pool fence in sparkly new condition is cleaning it as often as you possibly can. While you can get away with only cleaning your fence a couple of times a year in mild climates, you should try and clean it at least once a month if you live near the ocean, near an industrial area or in a harsh climate.

Remember – you can’t hurt your fence by washing it too much!

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Creating Kerb Appeal

Creating Kerb Appeal

Make a Change

The kids are back at school, the holidays are over, a New Year has begun, and the beautiful weather is begging you to work outside and add a bit of change to the home. Freshen up the look of your home and add a bit of kerb appeal for 2018. Don’t worry too much about cost. You can add a new look for the year without breaking the bank and work with a landscape designer to add appeal to your property.

Grass Out

Many front yards are still looking like golf course greens. The grass requires ongoing maintenance and a lot of water during summer. If you eliminate the grass you will avail yourself of more time and save a valuable resource – water. Think of the area without grass as a blank canvas on which you can create something new.

Personal Courtyard

Older style houses had a front porch on which you could sit and enjoy the fresh air and watch the world go by. New designs provide just a small entry area now. By adding a small courtyard, you can recreate that welcoming entrance your grandparents used to love. Plants and a paved patio will help to make a private and relaxing setting. If you add a well-designed water feature then the sound of running water will greet your guests as they visit your home. If traffic noise is a problem, the water feature will help lessen the sounds from the street. Imagine yourself having a nice morning coffee in your courtyard or a cold drink after a day at work.

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How to Keep Your Garden Nice When You are Not There

How to Keep Your Garden Nice When You are Not There

Professional landscape design is a thing of beauty. If you are a keen gardener who is proud of all the lovely flowers, shrubs and other plants in their garden you might not be looking forward to going on holidays. Designing your own garden is beautiful, but require someone to work in them pruning, weeding, watering and planting to look their best.

So if you are planning that overseas holiday or trip around Australia, what will happen to the garden while you are away? You cannot depend on rain to water it, but even if you have automatic irrigation installed, things can go wrong. The sensors may not work or the pipes might get blocked up. Then your beautiful garden will shrivel up and be brown and bare when you get home. All that work done for nothing!

You may live in a climate where rainfall is plenty, or you may have good neighbours to look after the watering for you. But there is still weeding and pruning to be done. You might even have annuals or perennials waiting for you to plant them out. It’s almost enough to make you cancel those holiday plans and spend time in the garden instead.

But before you do that, consider having professional landscaping done on a regular basis while you are away. In fact, this is a good idea even when you are home as it will give you a better chance to relax or take up that hobby you never have time for. Your landscape design could even improve with professionals on hand to care for it or even add to it.

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Fence Designs for your Backyard

Fence Designs for your Backyard

Backyards, secured and private, and spacious are standard in Australian neighbourhoods. Australians use their backyards for all types of relaxation and recreation. Private means cannot be seen by the prying eyes of passers-by and sticky-beak neighbours. There are many different styles of fencing from which to choose. Securing your backyard can be done without costing a fortune, regardless of what material or design you select. Listed below are a few options available for residential fencing that will give you privacy and security at the same time.

Privacy Fences

These fences work as physical barriers between the outside world and your backyard. You need to check with your local council and your neighbour when planning height, cost and material. The usually acceptable height for backyard boundary fences is 1.8 metres. As well as being legally correct, it’s also about the right height to obstruct visual and physical access. The front fence is a different matter altogether. You have an extensive range of designs and materials to consider that can create a personalised appearance. As there are no limits, you can even have a custom-built fence to suit an individual taste. While most residential privacy fences come in wood, there are many other materials to be found. A popular alternative is metallic decorative strips that suit garden fencing.

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Swimming Pool

How to Get the Most Out of Your Swimming Pool

If you are wondering whether to put in a pool or not, it may be because you are not sure whether it will be worth it. Concrete swimming pools last a long time so there are many years for the pool to get substantial use, especially if you have children and a pool cleaner. Here are some of the ways in which you can use your pool to ensure you get the best value from it.

  • It is usually the children who use the pool most. They’ll run home on a hot summer day and jump straight in. Swimming and playing in the pool is an excellent way for kids to get healthy. They will lose weight as they exercise in the pool. They can swim laps and when they take swimming as a sport it will really help them to come first in races if they can practice at home every day.
  • When the children are old enough, you can host their birthday parties beside the pool. Pool parties make it really easy to entertain the kids. A few pool toys will help them have great fun. The food and drink can all be set up outside and this keeps your home much cleaner.
  • You can also entertain guests poolside. Install a barbeque and entertainment area, deck chairs and a table and you are ready to go. Guests can swim or not as it pleases them.

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Does Your Shade Sail Really Work?

Does Your Shade Sail Really Work?

If you are looking to shade your home or garden, it would be very frustrating to have one installed only to find the shade is cast in a different place from where you wanted it, or that it didn’t throw enough shade. If you’ve ever been to a park or other public place where shade sails have been erected, yet found there was very little or no shade, you may wonder if they really work.

Part of the problem is that you may have been there at a time when the sun was in a different position than the one chosen to give shade. For instance, early morning shade will be missing if the angle of the sail was set to provide shade at midday or later in the afternoon. This is why you need to give some thought as to exactly what you want your sail to do.

If a sail is to throw shade onto the walls of the house, the angle of it will need to be different from one that is to provide shade on the ground at noon. The shape of the sail must also be taken into consideration. In addition, you’ll need to ensure the sail is stretched in the right way to avoid wind shear and prevent water or wind-blown debris from sitting in the middle and weighing it down.

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Pro Golf and Pro Turf

Pro Golf and Pro Turf

When the US PGA, 2017 finished, everyone focused on the game the winners played, rather than the turf. The winner was an American golfer, Justin Thomas. The golf course was the famous Quail Hollow, and for those who don’t think watching golf on TV is like watching paint dry, they would have seen the way the course was prepared for a major championship. The pros of golf like Australia’s Jason Day, Adam Scott and John Senden play on the best courses.

When it comes to golf, the pros know their turf. And if you are talking about golf turf, then golf course superintendents аrе рrоѕ аt mаnаgіng golf turf. It’s their job to know their grasses. What are the best types for toughness and durability and grasses that make a golf course look so beautiful?

Course Maintenance

The job of maintaining the course is the responsibility of the course superintendent. They make sure it gets fertilised, watered, mowed and shaped so that the result is great looking greens and fairways. To be honest, a great golf course, properly maintained, helps even the golf hackers to improve their scores. Golf course designers and superintendents understand that there is the need a variety of different turfs to create the best surface for a particular part of the course. Taking care to choose the best kind of turf will ensure the golf course becomes a popular one.

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How to Avoid Problems with Your Renovations

How to Avoid Problems with Your Renovations

DIY renovations can save money and give great satisfaction to those who love working with their hands.  Whether you love working with timber, painting, or simply planning it all out, working out when electrical contractors and other trades should come and fitting the different pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, doing home renovations is what makes life worthwhile for many people.

If you are into home renovations and improvements it is essential to know what is legal for you to do and what is not, when council permission is needed and what all those other rules and regulations are. No one likes red tape, but it is a fact of life and ignoring it can be costly.  Here are some ways to avoid any problems with your renovations.

  • Cost out the job. If it is going to cost more than $3,300 you will need council permission.
  • Work with the council to determine what is needed in your state, as the rules and regulations vary by state.
  • Ensure you don’t do work that needs a licensed professional, such as an electrician or residential plumber, even if it looks simple.
  • Make sure all your tradies are fully licensed and have insurance.
  • Have your plans are approved by council and get the necessary inspections as the work progresses, even if it means a delay waiting for the building inspector to come.
  • Don’t attempt to do work you are not qualified for or skilled enough to do. It may seem like it’s going to save money, but in the long run, problems can pop up and be more costly to fix.

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7 Ways to Use Limestone Blocks in the Garden

7 Ways to Use Limestone Blocks in the Garden

If you are considering upgrading the landscaping around your home or commercial building limestone blocks are a good choice for many elements. Limestone is a durable material that is beautiful in its own right. It is strong enough to withstand being out in the weather all the time so is ideal for seating that does not have to be brought inside overnight to protect it from the weather.

There are many other ways to use limestone as part of your landscaping:-

  • Retaining walls. Most blocks that are on a slope will require retaining walls to ensure the soil does not wash away in a storm. But retaining walls can also be used as a garden edging where it needs to be that bit higher than a normal edging. Knee high or even hip high walls are often used to contain plants on a sloping piece of ground. Retaining walls can be used as a feature to enhance the garden or lawn.
  • If you have created a beautiful outdoor area for alfresco meals or entertaining, a wall of limestone can be used as a windbreak, for privacy or to throw some shade onto the area. This can be the ideal finish for your outdoor area to make it pop. It can take what looks a bit plain and convert it to something that is really different and pleasing.

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The Advantages of Good Landscape Design

The Advantages of Good Landscape Design

A lovely landscape design not only adds value to your property, it can transform your outdoor area into a beautiful place to sit and enjoy Mother Nature’s bounty. Most homeowners don’t have the training that professional landscapers have undergone, so their attempts at landscaping fall far short of what is possible. The result is they don’t get the best out of their block of ground and the value of the home is less than it could be.

Even if your block is not as large as you would like, there are many lovely garden designs that can make it look larger or in many other ways enhance your enjoyment of life. If you are lucky enough to have a large block, proper landscaping can really enhance your space and provide an outdoor area that is totally amazing.

A good garden design can –

  • Create small, private pockets that delight your heart
  • Give privacy from the roadway, public path, or the neighbours
  • Create a windbreak that enables more delicate flowers to grow well
  • Offer shade in an otherwise hot area
  • Provide a delightful, safe and shady spot for the children to play
  • Cover up an eyesore such as an old shed or fence or wall that is not on your own property
  • Lead you into other areas of the garden
  • Create a peaceful oasis in a busy cityscape
  • Provide an aesthetically pleasing area to entertain or to relax and enjoy some down time
  • Add value to your property
  • Make your property stand apart from others
  • Give your home street appeal.

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