Wooden playhouses are a great hive of activity for children’s creativity and imagination. The way that your playhouses are decorated brings a complete influence for play inside their new garden building.

Prepare for the inevitable

When you’re considering how to paint and decorate your children’s new wooden playhouses, think ahead. They’re going to make a mess in their private den and they will spill sugary juices all over the place, attracting ants and other bugs to spend time with your children. This means that it’s easier to choose paints that are easy to wash to remove the effects of a meal consumed in their private location, but possibly cooked, elsewhere.

Involve your children

If your children are old enough, it’s good to get them involved with painting wooden playhouses. They may not make a perfect job or be anywhere near professional standards, but when did that last force a parent to believe their children isn’t as good as Picasso when they brought home their works of art from school. If they’re not quite old enough to wield a paintbrush yet, they can at least choose the colours.

Playhouses for children benefit by being painted brightly and with cheerful colours. If you can avoid black, brown and dull, dark colours, you be working along the right lines. You can however, use black paint to create a blackboard on one wall of the playhouse so that your children can draw creatively all over the wall whenever they want. You could fix a basket to the wall by the side of the blackboard and fill it full of different coloured chalk and an eraser; you’ll probably save yourself a large clearing up job afterwards, as well.

Your children’s private artwork can be framed and used as real artwork for the walls within the wooden playhouses, as long as you remember to remove glass frames and change them for plastic so that a dangerous glass accident can’t occur. It will be a good idea to hang your children’s artwork at eyelevel, for them.

Using soft furniture

Beanbags are always great for children to sit and lounge around in, but you can include chairs and tables for places to eat within the wooden playhouses.

To make playhouses work at their best for your children, adding a few storage facilities will allow you to keep toys and supplies handy when your children aren’t using them and the addition of rugs on the floor will make the area feet friendly, not forgetting to only choose rugs that are easily washable.

Most of Walton’s playhouses allow a lot of natural light into the play area, but if you insist on an electrical feed into the room for lighting, it’s essential that access to any of electricity is impossible for children’s hands, screwdrivers or any other item that can bring electricity into contact with your children.

Ask your children how they would like their wooden playhouses decorating and even if you have to do almost all of the work yourself, your children will be delighted with the result.

More and more landowners are having to rely on less grazing as motorways and building sites take up more of our countryside. The recent poor weather has also left limited grass for stock to graze on. Strip grazing is an effective way of controlling pasture use and can be created simply by using electric fencing. An electric fence can be moved to allow stock to graze the land in patches and can run off either batteries or the mains. Fences that run off a mains supply should have warning notices securely attached to them as they can cause injury to walkers who may try to step over the fence.

Farm supply stores will provide the fencing posts and tape needed to erect an electric fencing and will offer helpful advice if this is the first time you have used it. This type of fencing is more and more popular today and can be seen in many horse pastures across the country.

Land management is essential for all sorts of stock and a correct working programme ensures that your stock is getting the full benefit of the foodstuffs you are providing for them. Farm supply stores provide wormers for all animals large and small and will need your name address and postcode to sell you all large animal worming products. Ground should be fertilised regularly and rested periodically to ensure the grass can recover. Water supplies are essential and your local farm supply store will have a range of water troughs including automatic watering systems that refill as the stock drains the supply.

Farm supply stores provide feed for all types of livestock and also for pets and horses. Larger outlets will have a supply of hay and haylage that can be purchased and some may offer delivery for orders over a certain size. Stores often offer deals on bags of horse feed where buying in quantity reduces the price. With feed prices steadily rising and no sign of an improvement in the weather these offers help greatly on feed costs and should be watched out for.

Versatility

One of the great advantages of a handyman is their versatility. Because a handyman is a multi-skilled worker, they can carry out a range of DIY chores for you around the home in a single day or half day. This means labour is generally more cost effective because you are not asking them to travel long distances to carry out a single task. Furthermore a skilled handyman can carry out many of the tasks a specialised worker can do. For example rather than calling out a plumber to replace some leaking taps or an electrician to rewire some lighting, a handyman should be able to do all of this in a single sitting. Handymen can complete a range of tasks from re-grouting tiles, painting and decorating, fixing windows, replacing locks and minor carpentry.

Trust

One of the reasons people like to employ a handyman rather than more specialised workers is because it means they can use the same worker for a number of jobs and build up a trusting relationship in the mean time. Having strong camaraderie with your workers is important not only because it means you can trust them to do the job properly and not worry about being overcharged, but also because they will know what you want and the best way to assist your home improvement needs.

Experience and Advice

If you have a good handyman one of the most important ways of benefiting from them is by tapping into their many years of experience. A good handyman will know the best quality and most cost effective solutions to home improvement issues and will also know a range of specialists within the construction industry to help them complete the job, such as carpenters, traders, or local plumbers in Bromley.

To find garden buildings that are suitable for your use, you should think carefully about how you’re going to be using your garden office. Are you going to be working alone and will someone look after your urgent telephone calls when you are out doing business with customers? Will you expect to receive visitors to your business in your garden building? Will you need the log cabins to double up as a relaxing get away from it all location, or an entertainment centre as you socialise at weekends?

Log cabins are not automatically office buildings

If you intend to use your new garden office regularly, outside of the sunshine hours, there are a range of elements you need to consider to make sure that your choice of log cabin will make it a great working environment at any time of the day and any time of the year.

Unless you are intending to find garden buildings that can run your electricity requirements from solar panels, you are going to need to consult with a qualified electrician to discuss the various ways that power can be brought down from your property to your garden office. You can help the electrician by preparing a list of all of the electrical items that you may or may not be using in your garden office so that they can identify how much power you need to receive. You should include all of your obvious computer and printing equipment along with modems, places to charge your tablet computer and mobile phone, heating and lighting and last but not least, a coffee machine.

Insulation to keep you warm

When you have purchased a log cabin from the selection of Walton’s garden buildings, you will know that you have purchased a high-quality building made from high quality timber, which provides a good level of insulation.

Nevertheless, when you wish to use the building across the colder months, a great source of heating and extra insulation around the walls and ceiling will help you maintain the warmth. If you can think far enough ahead you may be able to include under floor heating for your building. At the very least you will need to add some roof insulation and look at the many options to add insulation to your walls.

By double glazing your windows and door, you will be ensuring that your insulation plans are complete.

By carefully checking the thickness and quality of the floor for your log cabins, you will be able to find garden buildings that have floors that can cope with the extra pressure that you will be placing upon it. If you intend to install metal filing cabinets, these items can quickly become very heavy.

A good quality thick concrete base will help any log cabin’s flooring operate exactly as one of your rooms would in your home.

Security becomes essential when you’re storing such a range of valuable goods in one of the Walton’s garden buildings. It will pay you, long-term, to install high-quality locks and perhaps consider a range of security lights and alarms to ensure that burglars look elsewhere for goods to steal.

There is a lot to think about when you’re transforming a log cabin into a modern garden office, and that preparation is key to your success.

When you install a strong secure set of fence panels around the borders of your property, you are making a statement of intent to potential burglars that they are not welcome in your garden or around your property. Fortunately, when you install new garden fencing, you are adding a natural environmentally friendly product which is particularly attractive and enhances the rest of your garden.

Thieves want to leave your property as quickly as possible and by the easiest method. When you find fence panels and gates that can secure your borders, you are making it very difficult for prying eyes to see around your property and even if burglars climb over your fence panels, they do not know if you have an alarm system that will spot their entry, immediately. Even if they have managed to break into your Fort Knox facility, and they have to leave the same way they came in, they are not going to be best pleased at having to climb a six-foot fence with any of your goods in their bag.

Talk to the professionals

When you find new garden fencing that looks suitable for your garden, you can always speak to the sales department at the company to see what recommendations they will make and offer you to enhance the security of your new fence panels. Those fence panels are not designed to make your garden look like a high detention facility, but are to provide you with a first line of defence which will hopefully deter amateur burglars and preferably delay and detect professional burglars who may target your property.

What do the experts suggest?

First, avoid cheap and the flimsy materials because they are not going to deter a burglar from entering your property. If you spend a little more and purchase high-quality fence panels, they are more likely to do the job for you. It might be easy for a burglar to kick through a thin fence panel, but it becomes a much more difficult job if they want to try and break (noisily) through a good quality tongue and groove fence panel.

Where you can choose two metre fence panels, they are above the height that most people could easily see over your fence. This would mean that people would have to show themselves working with intent to even see into your rear garden and this alone will help burglars choose another person’s property over yours.

The locks that you choose on gates should be high grade and high-quality. Some people spend a lot of money on their new garden fencing as a method of securing their premises, but then they go and choose a cheap lock which can easily be broken off by an amateur, let alone a professional.

Maintaining your fence panels is important if they are to remain sturdy and durable. You will want your new garden fencing to look attractive, but if you fail to maintain them regularly, they may rot and become weak and a good quality burglar will know the weak spots to look out for.

You can make a substantial difference to your garden security by adding fence panels to deter and delay potential burglars from entering your property, but you must ensure on a professional installation to complete the task properly.

Having grand ideas

When you have received a big city bonus or your annual sales commission, you could consider the addition of a rotating base for your wooden summerhouse. It will be much easier to install the rotating base before you ordered your summerhouse kit, but if you insist on completing the exercise the other way around, you surely can.

The Victorians made a rotating base for wooden summerhouses a popular idea and it’s only with modern electronics that this can be truly effective. A rotating base allows you to turn the summerhouse so that you can choose either to face the sun full on, move your summerhouse so that you are in the shade if you’re considering keeping your skin healthy or moving the summerhouse to face a different part of your garden or someone else’s landscaping for a lovely view. A rotating base can be difficult to install if you’re using a corner summerhouse in your garden, but it can be achieved if you leave sufficient space around your corner summerhouse to allow it to rotate successfully.

Using different types of upholstery

Your wooden summerhouse will be particularly individual if you choose upholstery that your friends and neighbours won’t have seen because the patterns are difficult to get hold of.

Because you may be in and out of your wooden summerhouse looking after a barbecue or playing lawn tennis, there is an argument that suggests that your upholstery, whilst needing to be well padded, should comprise of loose cushions so that they can easily be changed and washed.

Adding a shelf unit

There are many advantages to adding shelving to your wooden summerhouse and where you’ve bought one of the many available summerhouse kits, you might have been offered shelving as an option. If not, when you can avoid the standard shelving kits available from the local DIY store, a visit to some antique stores can provide you with shelving for your drinks, books and glasses and maybe somewhere to hold a radio if you need some background music when you’re reading the latest bestseller in your quiet retreat.

Using the leaded glass option

Common during the Georgian period, decorative leaded glass can be added to your wooden summerhouse for the doors and the windows giving the effect of a period property in your garden. The price may not be as restrictive as you first imagine.

Don’t forget your flooring

There are many different flooring options for your corner summerhouse and these may be offered to you at the same time as you buy your summerhouse kit. Some people will prefer the natural feel of seagrass and sisal, which can be pleasantly warm underfoot, while many people will go for an easy to clean suggestion of vinyl flooring with a particularly modern textured finish.

Finishing the inside walls

It’s very tempting to leave the inside walls of your wooden summerhouse in their treated wood colouring as they are delivered to you, but you have the option of painting the walls in any colour of your delight or adding a tongue and groove lining effect which can be delivered in a range of colours and just needs applying, in panels, to your walls.

Here are some ways to create your dream garden and turn it in to your private sanctuary:

Water features
Water features add an extra dimension to gardens as well as creating something focal to look at. Depending on the size of your garden options range from a pond, fountains and smaller water features that are easier to manage and install. A bird bath may also create a pleasant side-effect by encouraging your local winged neighbours to join you. Choose from traditional materials such as sandstone or marble or opt for more modern steel effects.

Pathways
Particularly if you have the space, pathways can create an interesting textural effect to your garden by breaking up the space. In particular pathways can be a great way of dividing your space and creating distinct areas to walk between, providing exciting new areas to escape to. Use paving such as slate tiles to create a winding walkway, or use them for interesting stepping stones.

Plants and trees
If you are lucky enough to have some trees in your garden already then it’s a great way to plan other elements around it. If not, spend some time researching what types of plants and trees will complete the look of your garden and get set to work on planting them. Opt for plants with various full grown heights as well as different colours and textures. This will ensure that your garden is visually interesting and will add interesting textures to the space.

Furniture

Once you have created a beautiful area to enjoy, chances are you are going to want to sit in it to make the most of it. The type of furniture available for gardens is wide and can range from the practical table and chairs through to pretty wooden benches and charming swings, perfect for romantic evenings. For a really individual effect consider creating some handmade furniture – even wood logs as stools can add a creative touch.

In addition to the extra energy use, estimates suggest the cost of electricity and gas could rise to £1,428 next year, an increase of £118 on 2012 prices. British Gas has already announced a nine per cent rise on the cost of its dual fuel tariffs, effective from mid-October.

Families worried about facing the ever-increasing cost of energy are looking to cut costs elsewhere within the home. By implementing just a couple of changes they could save cash and live more comfortably during the winter months – even despite the frost and snow.

Lowering running costs

Reducing the cost of an electricity bill is simple but requires vigilance. Switching normal light bulbs for an energy-saving variety saves the average household around £55 a year in electricity costs, while ensuring lights are only switched on in rooms that are in use provides further savings.

Similarly, using kitchen appliances more wisely helps to save cash. Leaving appliances on standby wastes around 7kW of energy a day, while storing items on top of a fridge or freezer prevents these appliances from cooling down as efficiently, which means they cost more.
When it comes to replacing appliances, choosing an eco-friendly A+ rated model helps lower outgoings even further.
Insulate

Preventing heat from escaping through walls and ceilings helps families stay warm during winter. A quarter of heat is lost through the roof of a house and the investment could save up to £175 a year. There are also schemes in certain areas that provide cut price or free insulation depending on a family’s personal circumstances.

Assess any outgoings

Homeowners could be paying over the odds for their mortgages, so it makes sense to reassess loans every few years in an attempt to make savings. Individuals could benefit from the low interest rates by shopping around, or asking a broker to scout the market for them. Additionally, examining car, home and life insurance policies could highlight potential savings.

Whichever type of flooring you choose – solid, or engineered, wood, carpet, or a more resilient material, such as vinyl, linoleum, or cork – it is the flooring which draws the rooms and other areas, of your home together and creates a visual impact. In considering the type of flooring that is appropriate for each room, or area, you should think about the purpose for which the area is used and how often – a heavy traffic area, such as a hallway, kitchen, or bathroom, may require more durable flooring than other areas – but also the aesthetic qualities of flooring and what it adds to the look and feel of a room.

Types of Flooring

Carpet was once the floor covering of choice for many consumers and although wall-to-wall carpeting is not as popular as it once was, it can still provide comfort and durability in the modern home. Carpets and rugs, are available in various different colours, patterns and textures to suit any interior décor and can be particularly useful for disguising dirt, or flaws in an existing sub-floor.

Solid hardwood flooring, or laminated wood flooring – as a less expensive and more durable option – has become popular and is straightforward to install. Similarly, stone, marble and ceramic tiles are popular for high traffic areas, as they are durable, easy to clean and fairly quiet to walk on. They are, however, quite expensive, so vinyl or linoleum flooring is often a more cost-effective solution for householders on a budget and certainly worth considering as an option in today’s tough climate.

Floor Installation & Staining

Perhaps the most important factors to consider when choosing flooring are the type and condition, of the sub-floor onto which it is to be installed. Sub-floors are typically constructed from plywood, or concrete and, while a plywood sub-floor is likely to be suitable for any of the popular nail down, staple down, glue down, or “floating” approaches to flooring installation, a concrete sub-floor effectively rules out nails, or staples. The condition, or structural integrity of the sub-floor may also govern the types of floor heating systems that can be incorporated, if that is what you desire.

With regard to staining floors, popular surface finishes include polyurethane, which is fairly thick, requires 2, or 3, coats and is fairly slow to dry, or water-based urethane, which dries faster, but typically requires at least 3 coats to produce a satisfactory finish. Water-based urethane is, however, less toxic and, being water soluble, can easily be cleaned up using ordinary soap and water.

It’s easy to see the attraction of a hot tub. Enveloped in the warm bubbles it doesn’t matter if the air is chilly; the hot tub provides a wonderful way to relax and unwind at the end of a stressful day.

It used to be that you would have to visit a health club to enjoy the hot tub experience. However, while still considered a luxury item, hot tubs have become much more affordable and can be found in homes and gardens across the country.

As with any big purchase you need to do your research before buying. Calculate how much space you have to work out whether you can actually accommodate a hot tub. The tubs come in different sizes largely depending on how many people you want to fit in so you will need to take this into consideration.

Location

Where do you want to put it? Many models can be installed either indoors or outdoors, so you could upgrade your bathroom and have the tub inside or go for an outdoor location.

The bigger the tub and the more features it has, the more it is going to cost. Look out for free delivery and free installation offers (or choose one you can install yourself) and interest-free purchase deals allowing you to spread the amount over several years at no extra cost.

Maintenance

Check what comes with your tub. You will need a cover if it is going to be outdoors. Cleaning fluids and chemicals and if you live in a hard water area will also be needed to combat the build up of limescale.

Take into consideration the cost of keeping your hot tub running smoothly and think about buying a warranty, or taking out a maintenance plan in much the same way as you might for your gas boiler. That way you shouldn’t get stung by potentially high repair bills.