There is nothing more exciting than starting life in a new house. But sometimes it can all be a little overwhelming – unpacking, purchasing home insurance, moving box after box, even the most patient person might become frustrated after a few hours. You have to take so much into account: Will the moving company damage some of my furniture? How will we get the huge refrigerator up the narrow flight of stairs? Which boxes should we unpack first? Luckily, we have prepared a short guide to setting up your new home:

Photo: brenner_ron

Plan

Before you lift a box, you’ll want to have a moving plan in place. Print off a layout of your new home and study it for a few hours. Determine where you want each and every item in your new home to go. Nothing is more frustrating than having to move your couches three times because you didn’t think ahead. Just remember to move the larger items first. You don’t want the removalist to trip over a barstool when he’s moving your new plasma TV. More »

Front yards can often be difficult to work with. If you have a backyard as well, it’s obvious that you’d prefer your children to play in the back, and entertain in the privacy of an enclosed back yard. But what do you do if you have the space of a decent sized front yard and aren’t sure how to get the most use out of it? We’ve got some great ideas here to help get you started.

Photo: mlibrarianus

Carport/Garage

Often, when a property has a backyard, the front yard is used as the perfect space to build a carport or secure spot to park your car. Having a carport or lock up garage for your vehicle has its advantages too. Not only is there a possibility that your car insurance costs will go down, but it also means that your vehicle is protected from the elements. No more racing out to put blankets on the car in heavy rain or a hail storm. More »

Carpet is not the only thing you can put on your floor for your home, office or business and alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. The problem with carpets is that once they get stained they may never be the same. Carpets also start to get worn as well as lose their colour and even start to smell from moisture or other stains.

Following are some of the alternatives to carpet:

● Polished concrete flooring
● Polished wooden floorboards
● Floating floorboards
● Traditional tiling
● Carpet tiles

Which one will be right for you and your home or business?

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People choose the furnishings that reflect their tastes and beliefs. So it would follow that a green home owner would naturally be drawn to pieces of furniture made of natural materials.

However, it can sometimes be more expensive if you adopt a ‘green materials only’ attitude to decorating your home. A lot of cheap furniture is cheap because it is mass produced and manufactured without using the most eco-friendly materials. More »

It’s something that the world is waiting for – the big switch to everyone driving electric cars and not using petrol or diesel anymore. However, although the technology exists, people are still taking their time making the switch – even though governments around the world are offering incentives to get people on board.

For example, the UK government offers a £5000 credit for drivers who are willing to purchase an electric vehicle, and that brings the cost down significantly. The government’s aim is to increase the number of eco car UK drivers, of course. More »

Climate change has brought the issue of proper waste disposal in our doorstep. While plants and animals need greenhouse gases to keep the earth warm, too much carbon monoxide and methane trapped in the air can be very harmful not only to humans and animals, but to the environment as well. Proper waste management can greatly reduce waste volume to diminish greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Photo: pfala

Solid wastes are commonly categorized into biodegradable and nonbiodegradable. Biodegradable wastes are typically those that come from animal and plant sources such as paper, kitchen food scraps, cardboard boxes, and the like. Nonbiodegradable wastes like bottles, metal scraps, etc. take years to decompose in the landfills. More »