Showing all posts by Nicki Cawood

In Garden

Looking After Your Garden in Summer

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Looking After Your Garden in Summer

The summer is the time when you want to enjoy your garden the most, it is also the best time to cultivate your garden and treat the plants, trees, lawn, and flower beds so they thrive during the summer weather. In this blog post, you will find out how you water your garden in the right way and what measures to take when the weather is good to ensure your garden stays beautiful. Looking after your garden in summer might seem like a lot of work but the benefits are many.

Water wisely 

People tend to think that more is better when it comes to watering the garden, they might also get confused about watering the containers versus watering the trees and grass. Both areas of the garden require different watering approaches. 

Although your containers need water regularly that isn’t the case with trees and plants with deeper root systems. These plants store water more easily and are sensitive to overeating. Only water these once a week. 

Look after containers 

Unlike plants and trees in your garden, your containers need more regular attention. They have smaller root systems and are usually bedded in less soil meaning they dry out more quickly in the sun’s direct light. 

If you sit in the garden regularly on your own or with your Live-in care you will want to enjoy the colours and presence of your garden flowers. To maximise the effect of garden flowers, water your containers daily to keep them healthy. 

Looking After Your Garden in Summer : Tree surgery 

Over the winter there is a lot of precipitation coupled with sunshine here and there. Most people don’t keep on top of their garden through the winter and this causes them to grow extensively in all directions. This can cause some issues in the summer. 

First of all, your summer garden won’t be as beautiful or easy to enjoy. You will have overgrown trees and foliage that needs to be taken care of by a tree surgeon. The summer is the best time to have your garden treated in this way and to get it ready for the winter again. 

Lawn care 

The lawn is the centrepiece of many gardens and it’s tempting to cut it in the summer when the soil is dry. Actually, this is not the best thing to do for your lawn in the drier months as it dries out the soil and can make the grass turn brown.

It’s much better to let the grass grow longer in the summer when the blades can capture the moisture and keep the soil damp. Instead, look for a dry day in autumn or opportunities in winter to cut the lawn. 

Looking After Your Garden in Summer : Remember to weed 

Looking after a garden is not a once a year activity, you need to take care of it regularly to get the best results. That means taking care of the weeds that threaten to steal important nutrients for your other plants and take over your garden. I’ve invested in an electrical weed burner and I wouldn’t be without it.

The summer is a good time to take care of the weeds in your garden, the weeds will be easy to see and you can uproot them by hand or use an eco-friendly anti-weed product to kill them off.

In Interior Design

10 Top Home Renovation Tips

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
10 Top Home Renovation Tips

Renovating your home can seem like a daunting task, but it’s also one of the most exciting things you can do as an adult, alongside having children and getting hitched! For many, home renovations are a pipe dream, thanks to rising housing prices and the general state of the world at the moment. However, if you are lucky enough to be getting some work done, then it’s time to do your research to make sure the process is as smooth as can be! These 10 top home renovation tips will help you along your home-renovation journey. 

  1. Get to know your home first 

If you’ve just bought a property with a plan to ‘do it up’ take some time to live in it first. This will give you a chance to get to know the space and learn the big (and little) things that can change your plans. You’ll learn where the sun reaches in each room, how you move through the rooms, which spaces people tend to congregate in, and, essentially, you’ll learn the personality of the home. Once you’ve done this, you’d be surprised how your plans change. So, first things first, get to know your home before you fix it up. 

  1. 10 Top Home Renovation Tips : To project manage or to not project manage? 

This is a big question in any home renovation planning stage. If you’re just changing up a bathroom or a kitchen, then you can probably manage the process yourself. However, if you’re undertaking something like a large extension or a whole floor renovation, then it’s probably time to bring in the professions. If project managing isn’t something you’ve done in the past, you may find that you cost yourself a lot of time, money, and maybe even tears by hiring a dedicated project manager. Alongside helping with the day-to-day running of the project, their expert knowledge means they’re probably the go-to person for finding the right rubber strip supplier or flooring expert. 

  1. 10 Top Home Renovation Tips : Schedule makes perfect 

Before any renovation work begins, it’s important to have a clear schedule of works drawn up. This can be done either by you or by the project manager, but it needs to be thoroughly thought and clear. Without this, you may find that you have different contractors and tradespeople overlapping and getting in each other’s way, or jobs are done in the wrong order. Instances like this can be costly, so carefully plan out the order of work to ensure that each job happens at the right time in the renovation process. 

  1. Budget for hidden costs 

When you come to tackle a renovation project, there will always be hidden costs, like rewiring. These can wreck your plans if you haven’t got enough funds to cover the work, so make sure to factor a buffer into your budget. To save yourself the heartache, make sure to check over old radiators and boilers, and get regular services if you can, and hopefully, by the time you do work to your home, you won’t need to replace a boiler. As a rough guide, add 20% to the cost of your project to create a backup plan. 

  1. Do research to save money

Taking the time to do your research and learn about new styles, techniques and materials can save you money in the long run. By heading online, you can discover online retailers who make the perfect lamp you’ve been looking for at half the price, or you could discover an up-and-coming flooring expert who’s making his name on Instagram. 

  1. 10 Top Home Renovation Tips – Stay away from trends 

That’s not to say grey isn’t still a fashionable colour and open-plan living will go out of style, but it does mean that you should not base your renovations around the latest interior design trends (remember the avocado bathroom suite?). Fast interior design fashions can age a house and may mean that you want to start renovating rooms a year or so after you’ve done them. To get longevity out of rooms, make design choices that suit your own personal style and that are timeless. 

  1. Consider the character of the place 

Take a good hard look at the bones of your property. Are there any features that you might miss if you rip them out completely? Chances are, you will. So, before you consider totally stripping your home back and starting afresh, have a serious think. By being sensitive to the property and conducting renovations that take into account the place’s history — even if that history is the 1990s — you are more likely to make sensible design choices, and regret fewer things. After all, you didn’t see the Victorians bricking up fireplaces, did you? 

  1. Stick to the plan 

As renovations begin, it can be tempting to keep adding to the project or changing plans. But please, don’t. This can cause a huge number of problems, mess up carefully laid plans and your builders probably won’t thank you either. By making last-minute changes, you’re also likely to eat into your reserve budget, meaning you’ll need to scrimp on the finish later. 

  1. 10 Top Home Renovation Tips – Lighting matters 

We all know how important natural light is. Maybe that was one of the reasons you started your renovation journey. It’s important not to gloss over the lighting choices for your home, too. You can check out loads of blogs and mood boards to give you inspiration, but try and visualise the specifics of your home before you place an order. By observing how light moves through the room and noting down dark spots, you’ll do yourself a favour in the long run. 

 

  1. Look after yourself 

This isn’t strictly home-renovation-focused, but it’s important to take care of yourself during the process. Doing up a home can be hard work, so remember to do things that make you feel calm and happy. Take a long bath or spend a weekend away from the project just to enjoy yourself. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

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