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Pebble dash is an effective way to tune up your house or property as it can go a long way to enhance its curb appeal while also add to its resale value if you should decide to sell later on. Although, it’s highly recommended to leave this task for a reputable specialist, it’s also something that can be done as a DIY task. It must be states that this is a pretty difficult job and even more so if you haven’t attempted it before. In this post we’re going to take you through the processes involved in pebble dashing a wall. Let’s take a look!

• Mix up water with the lime strictly following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once done, leave it covered up to hydrate for at least 24 hours.
• Take one part of the slaked lime and mix it up with cement and six parts sand. This is to give the base mixture required to spread onto the surface.
• Use a trowel to apply the mixture onto the wall. Ensure that the trowel is level and use the edges to make a flat and smooth layer of the mixture on the surface as a base layer. Allow the base layer to dry for up to an hour. Then, rake the surface using a notched trowel and allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.
• Rinse and drain your pebbles. Then, set them under the wall you’re pebble dashing.
• Take the top coat of five parts sand and mix with one part cement and one part slaked lime. Use a trowel to apply this mixture over the base layer and smoothen it with the trowel to create a flat and even top layer.
• Spread a plastic sheet beneath the wall you’re pebble dashing to capture any loose pebbles as they fall.
• Grab the bucket of pebbles below the wall and scoop some of the pebbles up using a scoop or trowel. Some will stick and some will fall into the plastic sheet already placed below. Continue throwing the pebble dash until the surface is completely and evenly covered with pebbles.
• Lightly press and fit the pebbles on each section into the wall and leave for at least 24 hours to dry.

If you’re a home or property owner planning to get an electric vehicle, having a Level 2 charger installed in your garage or near your driveway can go a long way to make charging really convenient for you. So if at all you want to take on this task by yourself, you should ensure to do it the right way. If you lack the confidence or skills required to pull this off, then we’d strongly recommend you hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results the first time. In this post, we’re going to provide you with an good insight on the home electric charger installation process. Let’s take a look!

• Determine the eligibility of your home. Make sure your home is eligible for a charger installation by consulting with your Technical Safety BC.
• Confirm you have sufficient electricity supply. Is there enough electricity distributed to your home to support an ev charger?
• Confirm that your electrical panel has enough space to accommodate a circuit breaker for the electric vehicle charger. If not, you’ll need to hire the services of an electrician.
• Get an electrical permit. Apply for an electrical permit with your municipality or Technical Safety BC.
• Charger installation. Proceed to fit the ev charger, but make sure a safety officer is on hand to examine your electrical work before you conceal any wiring or attach to a supply source. Then your electrician will have to complete the contractor consultancy form once the installation is done.
• Inspection. The inspection should be inspected by your municipality or Technical Safety BC.
• Apply for a rebate.

How To Clean Concrete Roof Tiles

Dirt, moss and algae usually sees concrete roof tiles as the perfect place to reside. They can damage the structural bonds of your roof, they can lead to overheating of the attic and roof space as well as blocked gutters. In order to protect the structural integrity of your roof and ensure your home and properties are well protected against the elements, it’s therefore crucial to clean your roof regularly. There are plethora of ways to go about this but which method will best suit your concrete roof tile?

When it comes to working at heights, skill and confidence is paramount even if the actually cleaning and maintenance happens to be an easy task. As a result, if you lack the two attributes mentioned, we’d strongly recommend that you call in a professional roof cleaning contractor who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we aim to give you a good insight into the concrete roof tiles cleaning process. Let’s have a look!

✓ Use a trowel or stiff brush

This is a manual method which involves scraping off the algae, moss and dirt by hand using an effective tool like a trowel. However, before you do this make sure its a very dry day. Also, you can make use of a stiff brush to scrape off the dirt. Both cleaning tools are very easy and effective means to clean concrete roof tiles.

✓ Use chemicals

You can apply fungicide, moss killers and anti moss treatments with the help of a spray to kill any plant life on your concrete roof tiles. However, you should only do this after you’ve successfully scraped the surface with a trowel or a stiff brush.

Do you have a tree in your garden that doesn’t seem to be faring very well? If you think its time to call on a tree surgeon for help, you might also be wondering how much you will be charged for hiring a tree surgeon especially if you’re on a tight budget. However, the fact remains that the amount a tree surgeon will charge largely depends on a range of influencing factors. And before we proceed, it’s important to note that most tree surgery companies will deliver a wide array of tree surgery services rather than trying to sell service packages. So what are the factors influencing the service cost charged by a tree surgeon? Let’s have a look!

• Tree Size

Before carrying out a job, a survey of the tree in question would be conducted. This normally includes taking measurement of the height, crown as well as the trunk width in order to determine how large the tree is. If it’s a very large tree, it may require the use of a heavy duty equipment to cut down which will make the job more expensive.

• Accessibility

If the tree does not have sufficient access to make for an easy cut down, then the project will be more expensive.

• Location of the Tree

In the event whereby the tree happens o be close to building or power lines, this will require more efforts to have it removed which also means more money.

• Tree Type & Count

The cost of tree surgeon will also on the type of the tree in question as well as the number of the trees.

• Waste Removal

After trimming or cutting down a tree, the removal and disposal of the tree can further attract more costs. Some tree surgery companies will charge you for the services, while others may not.

Artex simply refers to a surface coating that’s commonly incorporated for interior decorating. Although it’s usually found on ceilings but it can also be used on the walls as well. The surface coating enables the professional plasterer or decorator add both texture as well as patterns to it. Originally, the name “Artex is the trademark of a UK based company known as Artex Ltd. Over time, the Artex name has been used to refer to all textured coatings, although there are other businesses that manufacture and sell identical products.

You can find Artex on ceilings as well as walls of mainly residential properties. In the 70’s and 80’s, it was pretty much a trend to have either your wall or ceiling ( can be both ) covered with Artex. The surface coating can be incorporated to create raised, textured swirls as well as patterns on ceiling and walls. There are a number of different patterns that can be made using Artex and some of these includes the following: Broken leather, swirl, stipple, fan or shell as well as knifed plaster. It can also provide just a bobbly raised uneven patter appearance from top to bottom.

Artex is main put to use by mainly decorators ( mostly plasterers). This is a skilled job as it’s tedious to create uninformed patterns especially if you don’t know how or where to start. Although the skill of Artex is very much a trade that’s dying rapidly now, but it was pretty much in high demand especially in the 70’s and 80’s. Nowadays, homeowners now prefer smooth plastered finishes over Artex, as they can be easily painted or wallpapered.

Though it's hard to maintain woodworm out totally, you can certainly make your home less enticing by:

Keeping all timber completely dry - The wetter wood ends up being, the less complicated it will be for larvae to bore with as well as stay in. Women timber beetles wish to give their offspring the best opportunity of survival so will certainly pick a wooden surface with this in mind.

Keeping your residence warmed and well ventilated - Home heating your house to an appropriate temperature while keeping it ventilated will minimize the possibility of moisture accumulation as well as saturation of wood.

Getting furniture made from good quality hardwood - Hardwood is understood for being most resistant to woodworm invasion due to its thickness and lack of nutrients for woodworm larvae to live off.

Sealing timber with varnish - Varnish makes it harder for wood uninteresting pests to pass through a wood surface area. It is also toxic. Attempt to re-varnish or seal any surfaces that have actually deteriorated in time.

Very carefully looking for indications of woodworm when purchasing antique or used furnishings - Always inspect that you are not bringing anything infested right into your house, checking for the tell-tale indicators defined over.

Eliminating contaminated wood from your house - If you learn that a piece of lumber is infested, remove it simultaneously preferably.

Changing infected timbers - Once contaminated hardwood has actually been removed, make certain to replace it with brand-new lumber that is appropriately prepared with a protective surface and also dealt with.

Deal with the wood with a woodworm treatment - take the aggressive action to avoid problem as well as deal with hardwood with a woodworm awesome.

Using flytraps - Flytraps can be made use of in a preventative technique to catch and also consist of adult timber uninteresting beetles prior to they have a possibility to mate.

The number of sensors you need will depend on the size of your home. Most alarm systems feature 2-4 passive infrared sensors (PIRs) for motion detection, and 2-4 magnetic contact sensors on doors and windows. An alarm company will advise you of how many your property will need upon an inspecton.

We all know how helpful air conditioning systems can be especially during the hot summer season which is great at making your home feel nothing less than an inferno. So if you have an AC system, you’d probably want to know if leaving it on will be cheaper and more efficient.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, leaving your air conditioning system on will make make it cheaper and more efficient. This isn’t what you or many other people will have in mind though. Under no circumstances should you leave you air conditioning system on full blast 24/7. To make your air conditioning system more efficient by leaving it on has a right and wrong way you can go about it. Let’s have a look!

If you’d ever noticed, any time you turn your air conditioner off during a very a hot day, even if it’s for just a couple of hours, things tend to get thrown out of balance pretty quickly. When turned back on, your AC system will have to work even harder to restore the usual comfort levels in the room. When you abuse this dial in such a fashion, the AC system can only become more inefficient rather than making your home more comfortable quickly.

On the other hand, your AC system ( when tuned to the right settings) can help maintain the proper temperature and humidity balance within your home instead of turning it off while away. And upon getting back, you can simply turn down the thermostat a bit which helps you prevent the usual stagnant air that you’d be hit with when your return home (with the AC system turned off) that’ll have you racing for the dial.