I wasn’t so happy with the idea of leaving it on while I was at work, but now working from home, it suits me perfectly; get the school and kindy drop done, have my quiet morning coffe and put dinner together.  Then at that crazy time of night for families, dinner  is already done.

But what about those heavy, stodgy stews?

I have found a huge number of recipe books and places online which have an unbelievable amount and variety of slow cooker based meals.  From light Italian soups, rich French casseroles, poached Chinese chicken, desserts and that family staple ham and pea soup.

You can spend either not much at all or quite a bit on a slow cooker, they can be quite basic to offering more features such as timers and bowls which can be used on the stove top to brown meat first.  Whatever you need in a slow cooker, you can find.  So I’d recommending having another look at the idea.  Tonight, Veal Osso Buco with Balsamic Sage Sauce – Yum!

 
by Emma North

To begin with, there are five basic types of lighting, get these right and you are on your way to great lighting.

Task Lighting

This lights the work we need to do in a room or space, whether that be cooking, reading, sewing or homework.  Decide on what activities you need to light and then choose where and how strong these lights need to be.  For example, a sewing table is going to need stronger, more focussed lighting than cooking.  Task lighting needs to illuminate the activity or work surface, not be pointed at your eye.

Think desk lamps for studying, down lights or close pendants for the kitchen or a directional floor or table lamp for curling up with a book.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting provides that overall soft light, the background glow.  A great way to achieve this is with uplights, using the ceiling as a reflector.  By bouncing the light off the ceiling or walls, it gives the space a warm, shadowless soft glow – think of an overcast day.  Table and floor lamps can serve two purposes, not only by down lighting tasks but they can also direct light up to be reflected off the ceiling.

Be aware of using just down lights as your background lighting, they can be very harsh and by creating focussed spots of light, don’t provide a soft overall glow.

Directional Lighting

This form of lighting illuminates the building, an architectural feature, a designer piece.  Probably the least important lighting in a home, it draws the eye and highlights features in your home.  Be careful not to overdo it, your home could end up feeling like a ‘look at me’ art gallery.

Decorative Lighting

Yep, the pretty stuff, a stunning feature pendant or gorgeous chandelier.  Decorative lighting adds that glamorous touch to a room, that WOW factor that you can’t help noticing the moment you walk in.  Again, don’t overdo it.  One special decorative light in a room is enough glitz.

Kinetic Lighting

Lighting that moves, that plays with shadows on the wall.  Kinetic lighting is the light you get from a fireplace, candles and yes, even the TV.  Who doesn’t love the movement of shadows outside, as the sun moves behind a cloud, the mesmerising flickers of light sitting under a tree.  Adding a touch of kinetic lighting to your home through a fireplace or carefully placed candles can create an instantly warm, snug feeling.

Working through the different types of lighting for your home it is also important to remember; leaving exposed bulbs is very harsh and creates a lot of glare, opaque, patterned and reflective shades are going to give you a more pleasant lighting scheme.

If you wanted to go that step further, a great tip from Kevin McCloud; go around your home with a car inspection lamp and large reflective saucepan or wok.  It gives a great idea of how the light will work and play in your home before you start installing.
by Emma North

Now that you have chosen your flooring type, then comes the fun bit – what will it look like – think about which species, colour and grain type do you want?

The best advice is to simply go out and have a look.  You really can’t get a feel for a timber without seeing it.  There are so many possibilities and choices- Australian hardwood, imported timbers, cream, brown or red toned wood…  For the most part this will come down to what you like and what your budget is.  However, understanding the different grades and hardness scale will let you make more of an informed decision.

Grades of Timber

Timber flooring comes in three grades – classifying the amount of grain, features and character of the timber.  Depending on the style of your home, furnishings and personal taste, one will suit you more than the others

Select Grade:  This timber has minimal grain and markings, producing a more consistent, sleek feel.  Often the more expensive option, this grade of timber is popular because of its minimalist look.

Standard Grade:  Cheaper than select or top grade timber, you see more of the timber’s natural grain and features, although they are not too overwhelming.

Character or Rustic Grade:  This grade shows the timber in its natural glory – all of the grain, knots and insect markings.  For a country feel, this may be a great option style-wise as well as in price.

Hardness and Durability

Technically speaking, different species of timbers are given different ratings for hardness and durability – a great way for you to compare different timbers to decide what is best for your circumstances.

The Janka scale is the industry standard for measuring and reporting the hardness of a species – the ability to withstand denting and wearing.  The higher the janka rating, the harder the timber.  For eg. Ironbark is quite hard with a rating of 15.0 compared to the softer Tasmanian Oak at 5.5.

The durability rating from 1-4, gives an indication of the species’ resistance to natural hazards including fungi and humidity. This rating is probably more of an issue when choosing outdoor timbers.

There is much to consider when looking at laying a timber floor.  Most importantly it is a natural product, no two trees are the same and so there will always be variation in colour, grain and look.  Along with this, be aware that conditions such as the climate and humidity will affect your timber floor, it can move, shrink and expand. For some great advice on maintaining your new floor, check out C&G Timber Flooring and your timber floor will look its best for years to come.

Timber is a natural and renewable product with high insulation properties, making it a sustainable choice for your home.

Stay tuned for Part 3 on our timber flooring series; taking a look at bamboo flooring, or go back and have a look at Part 1.
by Emma North

Of all the decisions we make when building or renovating a home, one of the more important is what type of flooring to choose.  From carpet, tiles, concrete and timber, the options, considerations and choices can seem endless.  The best option for your family and home depends on a range of things including children, pets, mobility, comfort, personal preference…

If you have already decided on the warmth and natural feel of timber, your decisions don’t simply stop there: many different types of timber flooring are commonly available and they come with a vast array of timber species to choose from, each one has a different look or finish, plus specific care and maintenance requirements… Selecting the type of timber floor that is right for you and your home requires careful consideration.

Solid Timber Flooring

This is the type of timber flooring you’ll find in older houses.  Solid timber boards are generally 19mm thick and are suitable to be installed on bearers and joists or over concrete.  When walking on timber flooring that has been laid over joists, you may notice some movement and squeaking, whereas a plywood base or glued onto concrete will give a much firmer result.

With a huge range of timbers to choose from, solid floorboards allow you to select either soft or hard woods – for full flexibility in colour, grain, hardness and durability.

One of the great benefits of installing solid timber flooring is that it is able to be re-sanded and polished.  Those bumps, dents and scratches can be dealt with, and a change in finish means you can update the look of your flooring without needing to replace it.

Solid Timber Overlay Flooring

Similar to solid timber flooring, timber overlay is typically thinner, usually about 12mm thick.  This means it must be installed over a solid base such as concrete as it is too thin to be used straight over bearers or joists.

With many of the benefits of the solid timber floorboards such as the ability to be re-sanded and finished, timber overlay flooring often comes in cheaper and can be easier to lay.

Floating Timber Floors

Also described as timber laminate or engineered flooring, floating floorboards are a timber veneer over plywood or plantation pine.  The depth of the veneer is important, often being around 3-4mm thick.  The thickness and quality of the veneer is what is going to determine the durability and lifetime of your flooring.

Their ability to be laid over most structurally sound floors and choices of underlay make these a great option for renovations along with units needing acoustically rated sound proofing.

Thicker veneers are often able to be sanded and re-polished (but please check with the manufacturer first).

Cheaper, pre-finished and quite easy to install, floating floors are often a handy solution for DIYs and those renovating on a budget.  However, this benefit can also be their downfall – cheaper veneers are usually thinner and therefore less durable and less able to be sanded back – making a flooring refresh much more difficult.  With timber laminate flooring, the old adage “You get what you pay for” is very much the case.

Laminated Flooring

This type of flooring is engineered in the same way as the laminate used for your kitchen benchtops.  Be aware that it is not timber veneer.  Laminated flooring is much cheaper than the other options, but is nowhere near as durable or as hardwearing as timber or timber veneer, it cannot be re-sanded and finished when those scratches become too much.  Be careful not to mistake this type of flooring for timber veneer floating floors.

You may be thinking, “But what about bamboo?” With as many options and products as timber, bamboo flooring is a whole article on its own.  Stay tuned for that one.

Once you have decided which type of flooring will best suit your needs, the look, style and type of timber chosen raises its own issues.  Look out for Part 2 of our series on timber flooring to find out more about these.

Ironically, the ultimate in toileting hygiene and cleanliness was invented in France, the country where it isn’t strange to find those dreaded squat toilets in some tourist areas.

So what are we missing out on? Apart from a fresh, just stepped out of the shower feeling, a bidet provides a great service for people who may have mobility issues. Often adequate wiping after using the toilet can cause concern for elderly people, using a bidet all but eliminates this – they are easy to use and very effective. Other benefits are for the carers of people with mobility issues; anything which makes toileting a dependant easier has to be great.

Some interesting facts about the bidet
• The bidet was invented in the late 17th Century, probably for the French Royal Family (maybe why we call the toilet the ‘throne’.)
• In 1980, The Japanese, lovers of all things techno, created the electronic bidet, with remote controls, music, lights and auto drying it is an experience in itself!
• 95% of Italian homes have a bidet.

With so many benefits, the bidet is a very under-utilised bathroom fixture. Think about how much of a difference it could make to your lifestyle.

Come and talk to us at the Home Show. Our professional consultants are there to answer all of your questions and have some great advice for you to consider when planning a home rennovation, extension or granny flat. Not only that, but we have some great Home Show Specials (supported by RT Edwards) – including a stunning Bosch appliance package and a quality split system air conditioning unit each worth up to $2500*. Not to mention our “Win a Tradie for a Day” Facebook competition.

So if you are thinking about more space for your family, we’d love to see you at the Home Show, we’re there until Sunday 11 March.

Brisbane Home Show March 3-11 2012 RNA Showgrounds.

*Conditions Apply

Watch this heartwarming testimonial to see how Lifestyle Granny Flats helped Lynda and how they can help you too.

Extended Family Care

When the Olsons decided to move in with their daughter’s family, a solution to the lack of space needed to be found.  A Granny Flat was the perfect answer, allowing the Olsons to remain close to their family while retaining their independence and respecting the privacy of both families.  They had seen the quality of work by Total Lifestyle Builders in neighborhood extensions and after some research contacted Lifestyle to begin planning their new Granny Flat.

Guiding the Olsons through every step of the process, Lifestyle Granny Flats’ architect-led design and construction team made sure that every aspect was organised and completed to the highest standard.  Peace of mind was very important to the Olsons, but luckily, from initial designs, 3D walkthroughs of the proposed granny flat, council approvals and documentation through to final construction, the team at Lifestyle Granny Flats ensured that the Olsons had complete control over the build, right down to an all-encompassing fixed-price contract.

The resultant brick veneer granny flat extension to the family house has given Mr & Mrs Olson a modern, stylish home.  The design by Lifestyle Granny Flats provides the best of both worlds – they keep their privacy while having the security of being close to their family, as Mr Olsen explains,   “…we are now able to spend our remaining life knowing we are comfortable being close to our daughter and two grandchildren, and they will be here to help and support us during our senior years.”

Lifestyle Granny Flats is a division of Total Lifestyle Builders specialising in remodeling and extending homes to meet the changing needs of families. With expertise in the design and construction of high-quality, value-for-money solutions, their work includes free-standing granny flats, on-ground extensions and second-level extensions. Whatever your home extension needs, contact us on (07) 3367 8222 or visit their website at www.lifestylegrannyflats.com.au

• Cooler in summer
• Warmer in winter
• Reduces energy costs
• Low reflection

Improved glazing is different to ordinary clear glazing because it stops a large proportion of the sun’s direct heat from coming through the window.

The Low-E coating on the glass gives it better insulating properties by filtering the sun’s shortwave radiation (which cuts down on the amount of solar heat gain in your home). Improved glazing also has a neutral appearance (unlike tinted glass) that allows high levels of natural lighting to come through the glass.

Fitting improved glazing in our homes will eventually become a standard requirement for all Australian homes. At Total Lifestyle Builders we can provide expert advice on where to fit improved glazing in your home.