I shut one side of the double doors to my garden office one particularly hot summer, and it just bounced back at me. It had become warped in the sun and wouldn’t close. Depending on the materials they’re made of, patio doors can expand in the heat. Vinyl, fiberglass and wood patio doors can warp …
Do Patio Doors Expand in Heat? (And What Action To Take) Read More »
So you’re thinking of laying a new concrete patio? Read on because this article could prolong its life. All concrete patios should be laid with a rebar or ‘reinforcing bar’ grid, to stop large cracks then areas of crumbling concrete forming over time. You will still get some small cracks with rebar, but these will …
Do Concrete Patios Need Rebar? (Essential Information) Read More »
There’s nothing more magical for the whole family than lighting up the trees in your garden. But how do you achieve this effectively? To spotlight a tree’s leaves, foliage, and branches, choose bulbs with a wide 30° spread. To light a tree trunk, choose bulbs with a 10° to 15° spotlight spread. Combine the two …
How Do You Light Up Trees in Your Yard? (5 Lighting Tips) Read More »
As our exciting home reno reaches the ‘fitting out’ stage, we’re looking at what ceiling fans to install in our covered porch in the yard. We’ve recently come across the Harbor Breeze brand, but are they any good? Harbor Breeze ceiling fans are made by Texan importer and manufacturing firm Litex Industries and are a …
Are Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fans Any Good? (Brand Overview) Read More »
My wife is looking into wraparound lights for our garage and her studio, but I thought they were just for offices? Wraparound lights have a single-piece lens that wraps around the feature. This diffuses the light, as it’s coming from three sides of the light fitting, not a single point. Wraparound lights are ceiling-mounted rather …
We’re using a lot of drywall anchors in our new extension and outbuildings such as my office and my wife’s studio in the yard, and inevitably holes are drilled in the wrong place. So are drywall anchors reusable? While drywall anchors don’t have to be permanent, if you change your mind about the location of …
Depending on where you live in the US, investing in storm doors like we’re considering can be a must. But do you need to compromise on insulating your home if you also want to protect it? Most storm doors have an R-value of 2, and these values are additive. So, if you have a solid, …
We’ve got a large old Monstera plant that’s grown right over the top of its moss pole – so how can we replace or extend the pole? Remove a moss pole by untying any support wires and then coaxing the plant away from the stick. If a few aerial roots get damaged that’s fine, but …
BJ’s is a family favorite in our household, but like so much else, are they owned by that commerce giant Walmart? BJ’s is not owned by Walmart, and rejected an offer from them in 2011. BJ’s returned to being a public company in 2018, having been acquired by Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital …
Is BJ’s Owned By Walmart? (Your Questions Answered) Read More »
Our neighbors have just got bought a pair of geese that get pretty noisy when you walk past their yard. We didn’t know why they got them until we found out they’d recently been burgled. So do geese make good guard animals? Geese have been used as guard animals for thousands of years since ancient …
