A dishwasher is a convenient appliance to have in your kitchen. It can help you save time while making sure your dishes are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Buying a dishwasher for the first time, however, can be confusing. There are many models available, and in order to figure out which one is right for you, you’ll have to take a number of factors into account. Here are some things to keep in mind as you shop for a dishwasher.

Size

When buying a dishwasher, you’ll find there are two main width options. Standard dishwashers are 24 inches wide and are usually big enough to hold ten place settings. Compact models are 18 inches wide and can generally fit eight place settings. Although compact dishwashers usually have a more affordable price tag, you may end up running them more frequently, resulting in a higher water bill. In terms of height, most dishwashers are designed to fit under a standard counter.

Appearance

Dishwashers commonly come in white, black, or stainless. Ones with black and white finishes are usually magnetic. Models with stainless-steel finishes generally cost more money, but they offer a clean, modern look that appeals to many homeowners today. Many people prefer to match the appliances in their kitchen, so consider may want to consider what color your refrigerator is when choosing a dishwasher.

Energy-Efficiency

New dishwashers are generally designed to use energy more efficiently than dishwashers in the past. Models that have an Energy Star logo on them will can help you cut back on the amount you spend on your energy bills. If you’re concerned about water usage, you may want to look for a model that has a quick wash option, which will allow to run a shorter cycle.

It’s important to research different dishwasher models before … READ MORE

A Pool For The Family To Enjoy

You’ve made the decision to install a pool that your family can enjoy. However, there are numerous pool designs to choose from that might make it hard to make a final decision about the one that you want in your yard. Talk to a fiberglass pools St. Louis County MO company to get a few ideas while putting the suggestions offered with your own thoughts to create a pool that suits your needs and desires and that also offers a few customized details.

A Pool For The Family To Enjoy

Another option to consider if you want an area where you can relax is to create a recessed lounge. The area is designed so that it’s inside the shallow end of the pool instead of along the perimeter of the pool. You can put a table in the center of benches or chairs as well as a few steps that lead from the lounge to get outside of the water. Design your pool so that it overlooks valleys or mountains as well as other beautiful sights in the area. You can also design you pool close to trees or hedges to provide a natural form of privacy. Keep in mind that you might need to clean the water a bit more if you build your pool near a lot of trees because the leaves will come down in the fall. Consider a unique design when planning your pool. It could be a symbol of a favorite hobby or a career. Examples include a guitar or a music note. Install lights along the edges of the pool to illuminate the water at night, giving the design a glow that showcases all of the details that you include. There are multicolored lights that you can install as well that you can set to change colors automatically or change colors … READ MORE

Florida is home to some of the wildest weather in the country.  People who live here experience everything from severe droughts to catastrophic hurricanes that strike when people least expect them.  The toll the weather takes on the houses in this state is often devastating and expensive.

After your home’s roof has been torn apart by a storm or cracked because of severe heat and drought, you only have a matter of time to make the needed repairs.  With professional roofing, repairs, and emergency tarping Kissimmee FL homeowners like you may be able to restore your home’s integrity and value quickly.

Restoring Your Home after a Natural Disaster

Calling for Immediate Help

After the storm has passed, your first thoughts might revolve around what you need to do to get your home back in livable shape.  Your first call can be to a professional roofing contractor who has the time, energy, and experience needed to inspect the damage, give a free estimate, and then get to work restoring your house right away.

The contractor can come directly to your home within hours after the storm to determine what type of work needs to be done on the roof.  Before the actual work gets started, he or she can use a tarp to protect the inside of your house until the roof can be fully restored.  The tarp will keep out water, insects, and other dangers that could compromise the safety and comfort of your home’s interior.

The company also can give free estimates before starting the work.  You may want to make a claim against your homeowners’ insurance policy or use a line of home equity credit to pay for the work at hand.  Before you can do either, however, you need to know how much the work will actually cost.

A storm can tear the roof … READ MORE

Dry rot is a threat in every property in which moisture levels rise to 20% or higher. This can be in a closed off room, an attic, a cellar, a poorly ventilated space, caused by an outstanding plumbing repair, a hole in the roof or a drainage issue, but remedial dry rot treatment from wood rot specialists is imperative; the sooner, the better.

Dry Rot Treatment

However, it’s true that prevention is better than cure, so by acting today to ensure that dry rot cannot take hold in timber if there is an elevated moisture level, you can shield yourself from significant expense, and stress.

The airborne fungal spores are always present, they simply need the right conditions to embed themselves in untreated timber and to fruit across an ever-expanding area.

Dry rot is often more devastating than wet rot

As dry rot can present significant risks to a property’s structural integrity, health and safety for people and animals within and jeopardises maintenance contracts, mortgage and insurance agreements, why wait for an issue to appear before you act? Accredited experts like the team at Thames Valley Timber Treatment offer effective treatments which are not available in the public domain, have industry partnerships with specialists like Sovereign Chemicals, and offer dry rot treatment guarantees of up to 30 years so that you can dismiss any worries.

Step 1 – The survey

A full professional survey delivers an accurate assessment of susceptible areas. Remove guesswork which could lead to counterproductive dry rot treatment. Also, novices can easily confuse signs of dry rot with wet rot, don’t allow yourself to fall in to the trap.

Treating every timber and spreading chemicals around a property just in case, and at the risk of personal health is not a viable option, nor should it be advocated by wood … READ MORE

Home Gardening IdeasHave you ever tried beginning plants from seeds? Symmetry will often be visually attractive, and the lines of this Notting Hill garden beautifully mirror the curved elements of the house. An undulating glass conversatory which leads on to a garden for entertaining, and a target-shaped combination of paving slabs and bricks focuses the eye to the central dining space. A similarly symmetrical scheme would function well in a much smaller sized space: just like in the house, preserving order avoids the sense of an overly cluttered space and creates a feeling of calm.

Wooden decking and box hedges are an instant winner when it comes to smartening a compact space. Add a chic café table and chairs and we couldn’t imagine a lovelier spot for breakfast. Lighting is the simplest way to develop mood in a garden. A handful of hurricane lanterns or tea lights hung from a tree can add instant romance to a summer’s evening.

The Los Angeles garden of interior designer Michael S Smith is a lesson in modernism. The minimalist scheme is clean and very simple with just a handful of effectively selected and completely placed sculptures giving visual interest. It really is an thought that can be scaled down to even the smallest of gardens.

Jinny Blom’s modest city garden is a neatly walled space, replanted only months ahead of this photograph was taken. Clipped box cubes contrasts with a clever planting scheme that mixes substantial-leaved exotic plants with cottage-garden favourites. A wide pond is traversed by a clever walkway.

Apple trees can make the best addition to compact gardens. ‘Choose dwarf-bush, spindlebush or stepovers for small gardens,’ recommends the Royal Horticultural Society This distinct outside space surrounds antique dealer and decorator Max Rollitt’s rural Hampshire home Most of the land belonging to the farm … READ MORE