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Laying a lawn is a task that’s best left to the professionals especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. However, if you can follow a simple logical process, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache – simply start from the edge and work inwards. If you’re looking to lay your lawn by yourself, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to consider the processes involved in lawn installation in order to ensure your project turns out a success. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, the tools you’re going to need to lay your lawn includes the following – sturdy boots, gardening gloves (should be thick), wheel barrow, garden fork or rotovator, landscaping rake, laying boards, knife or edge trimmer, hosepipe and broom.

1. Start from the outside edge. Install the initial strips horizontally overlapping the boundary a bit (trim the back once done). Press down carefully to make sure there’s a good contact with the soil (make sure not to squash the lawn).
2. Proceed to lay the adjacent pieces till the first row of the lawn along the entire edge is completed.
3. Continue with the next row. If there’s a need to stand on the laid turf, simply make use of a plank so as to avoid squashing or denting the turf. It’s important to ensure the successive rows are staggered to prevent the short edges from lining up.
4. Proceed by butting and pushing the edges to create a tight joint (make sure the turf is not stretched).
5. Use a wood saw or sharp serrated knife to trim any untidy edges. Remember to make use of a plank to ensure you do not walk directly on the turf.
6. Water the newly installed turf adequately to ensure the water penetrates the soil. However, do not turn it into a mud bath.

There are a wide range of ways in which having an answer to this question can help home and property owners. For instance, this can help you predict the cost before fitting a new unit. However, regardless of your purpose, this guide has been created to give you an idea of the energy usage that’s associated with different types of air conditioners. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, it should be said that there’s no straightforward answer to this question as there a number of variables that can affect the energy efficiency of one’s air conditioning unit. As a result, the calculations for your personal space may vary from the estimates you’ll see on the internet. For example, the type of air conditioner you choose to install will be a key determinant of your system’s energy usage.

• On the average, a central air conditioning system incorporates within the range of 3000 and 3500 watts per hour during the summer months. However, if you happen to operate the “fan only mode of your central air conditioning unit, the energy usage will most likely drop to about 750 watts per hour.
• For a mid sized portable air conditioning unit, you can expect the system to consume an average of 2900 watts per hour. However, large units as you would have expected would exceed the energy usage of central air conditioning units, this can be up to 4100 watts per hour.
• For a mid sized window air conditioning unit, this will consume about 900 watts per hour. While you can expect the smaller unit to use about 500 watts per hour and the larger ones to consume about 1440 watts per hour.

If you’re looking at the possibility of installing a satellite dish on your chimney, then you’ve come to the right place! First and foremost, it should be noted that chimney mounts are mostly incorporated for individuals who desires the installation of an antenna at the highest point of their roofs without having to drill holes in the roof. This is quite popular as they’re able to ensure an easy installation and also works incredibly well for several antennas. What about satellite dish? Can it also be mounted on a chimney? Let’s take a look!

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, a satellite dish can be installed on a chimney. However, it must be said that this installation is not advisable. Unlike antennas, satellite dishes are aimed much more precisely. While antennas can be positioned as far as 15 degrees off the main aim before the reception is affected, satellite dishes, on the other hand, need to be positioned about one half of one degree in order to allow for a good operation. This is mainly because the broadcast tower you’re aiming your antenna at is, at most, 75 miles away compared to satellite dishes which are aimed at broadcast towers which are at least 22,000 miles away and that’s even if you happen to be directly under one.

Installing a satellite dish on a chimney will make it difficult for you to get it secure enough to have it properly aimed. This isn’t to say it won’t work at first, but most times, winds will probably drive the satellite dish off the target in little time.

How To Paint Exterior Walls

Painting of exterior walls is a value adding task which can be done by any competent DIYer. So if you’re confident enough to pick up a brush and roller, then all you need to do is to follow the instruction in this step by step guide and you’d be glad you did. Painting your exterior walls yourself can save you lots of money that would rather have been spent on hiring the services of a professional painter and decorator. However, if you don’t feel confident enough to pull this off, then it’s advisable to call in a reliable painting specialist who can guarantee the best results for help. Here, we’ll take you through the needed steps to complete the painting of your exterior walls.

✓ Surface Preparation. This involves protecting all fencing and exterior wall component that’s not to be painted with a drop cloth or masking tape. You’ll also need to completely wipe out any dust before you start to paint a plaster surface. If it’s a previously painted wall, you’ll also need degrease it and remove or scrape off any loose areas of the plaster.

✓ Priming. This involves preparing the primer as instructed in the manufacturer’s guide. Then start to prime the surface by using a brush or a small paint roller to prime the corners, little items as well as all surfaces that are difficult to reach. Once done, then you can tackle the larger surfaces using a larger paint roller.

✓ Painting. To start painting your exterior walls, you’d have to prepare the product first by missing it thoroughly as instructed in the manual. Once done, you can repeat the same process as given in the priming stage above using your paint this time. Once done, you can decide to apply a second layer within a minimum of 4 hours after applying the first layer.

Can You Plaster Over WallPaper?

If you have wallpaper installed on your wall surface and you’re considering plastering the wall, when you put into consideration the stress involved in removing a wallpaper you may want to consider plastering directly over the wallpaper. This is quite understandable as removing a wallpaper can be quite time consuming and tedious, but plastering directly over wallpaper is a mistake that should never be made. Plastering over wallpaper is in no way a viable option due to the fact that it can only turn out disastrous after a couple of weeks or even days in some cases as the plaster will crack and crumble. As a result, you’ll have to firstly scrape off the wallpaper in order to assist the plaster get to be firmly secured to the wall behind.

When you plaster over a wallpaper, this will make the wallpaper wet and it’ll absorb the moisture. And once the plaster does not have moisture, the only result is for it to crack and start to crumble. Hence, plaster and wallpaper is never a good combination.

Asides from cracking and crumbling, anther issue is that the wallpaper will bubble. You can actually key the wallpaper with the help of a knife and it might look secured for some time, however it’ll eventually crumble and you’d have to scrape off the plaster complete to start all over again. The wallpaper will bubble as the plaster can’t be keyed into a wallpaper and the wallpaper will only work as a barrier between the plaster and the wall.

Overall, plaster always needs to slowly dry off as well as a good and proper surface to grip to. No matter the amount of PVA mix you spread on the wallpaper, it will always remain a barrier. So you’d have to remove the wallpaper completely to get a great result.

Cracks on your concrete driveway can look scruffy and unsightly. They can also lead to further damage, as moisture can get into the cracks and make them worse. So, it’s important to seal the cracks as soon as you can.

Start by cleaning the area and removing any loose materials. This will help any new materials you introduce to bond with your existing driveway. Then use concrete caulking or sealer to fill in the cracks. You’ll need to use a trowel to push the filler firmly into the crack.

Once you’ve filled in the crack, make sure you consult the product instructions and leave it for the amount of time specified before using your concrete driveway again.

No matter how small or little your lean to conservatory is, the benefits that can be derived from it remains immense. Not only does it add to the value of your home by making it more attractive to potential buyers and securing you a long term investment, but it can also serve as a relaxation or hang out spot with family and friends. In fact, with the lean to conservatory’s simplistic design, it happens to be an economical way to extend your home and also to maximize your living space. If you’re considering to build a small lean to conservatory on your property, then you’d probably want to know exactly how much this is going to cost. In this post, we’re going to look at the price involved in constructing a small lean to conservatory.

When it comes to building a lean to conservatory, there are a bunch of factors that’ll play a key role in the final cost of the project. For example, you’d have to make a decision on the glazing options, roof type, size and more. All these factors will have a huge impact on the final cost you’re going to incur to complete the project. For instance, a polycarbonate roof material lean to conservatory with a size of 3500mm x 2000mm will cost within a range of £7000 to about £8000, while a glass roof material lean to conservatory of the same size will cost within the range of £7500 to about £8500. In order to get a more accurate cost estimate for your small lean to conservatory project, there’s the need to call in a professional to discuss your specific requirements as well as budget.

General construction work should be restricted to the following hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. Saturdays 8am to 1pm. Most councils advice that noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays but you should check with your local council to confirm this.