Renovating | Southern Shores

5 Benefits of Adding a Carport to Your Home

Date October 24, 2016 Category Renovating

If you don’t have anywhere to house your car, adding a patio or carport to your home will have many benefits, not least being the fact that your car will be protected. Leaving a car out in the weather is the best way to see it degrade over time, with that nice mirror finish soon looking less than pristine and rust forming in places you probably can’t see.

However, it is not only the car that will benefit from having shelter. You will find when taking out car insurance that one thing you will need to fill in is whether you keep the car out on the street on if it has a locked up garage. If the former is true, your car insurance is likely to be more expensive. Even if you keep the car locked in an open yard, it is still liable to vandal damage as well as damage from the weather.

(more…)

6 Kitchen Renovations to Die For

Date July 17, 2015 Category Renovating

If your kitchen is badly in need of renovating it is essential to know what kind of renovations are possible and what would best suit your lifestyle and tastes. Not everyone has specific tastes in kitchen renovations so it is wise to get some ideas and jot down those that appeal to you most. However, you also need to ensure that your kitchen becomes more functional as well as more attractive, while at the same time fitting in with the decor the rest of your home displays.

Finding kitchen renovations to die for is not difficult; you only have to Google the topic to find many wonderful pictures of lovely kitchens. What becomes difficult is incorporating the different elements so that they work together and don’t look odd with the rest of the home. For instance, you may really love exposed beams, but unless they are featured somewhere in the rest of the home they won’t look very attractive on their own in the kitchen.

If you are serious about having the best kitchen renovation possible but know that you could use some advice, it is wise to consult a professional kitchen renovator, one who specialises in doing kitchens only so that they can give you the benefit of their advice – and won’t try and talk you into renovating the rest of the home as well.

(more…)

Tools and Equipment for Home Renovations

Date February 25, 2015 Category Renovating

When you are planning on home renovations of any kind, it is essential to have a checklist of the tools you will need to complete the job. Most DIYers think in terms of cordless drills, hammers, saws of various kinds, a ladder, screwdrivers and so on, but more may be needed, depending on the job you are going to do.

For instance, if you plan on adding another room or a deck, foundation work will be needed. This means you need more than a shovel and crowbar; very likely you will need an excavator or a bobcat and depending on the layout of the block it could be a tiny one or a larger one that is needed. But wait! Can you even operate one of those things?

Most people have no experience with operating an excavator and it is not the kind of thing you should learn as you go. Could be you might dig up something that was meant to stay down there, like the foundations you wanted to keep, or some plumbing work or even phone lines. Luckily, when you hire equipment such as a bobcat or excavator, it usually comes with a skilled operator.

(more…)

What to Expect When You Hire Equipment for Home Renovations

Date August 17, 2012 Category Renovating

Whether you are renovating a property or doing any similar job that needs large plant hire equipment to do it, the best way to get that equipment is to hire it. It is almost impossible to purchase high ticket equipment such as a bulldozer, excavator or bobcat due to the cost tying up your finances.

Such equipment is really expensive and if you need a loan to buy it, you will be paying probably over double the purchase price due to the interest on the loan, so hiring equipment is the best way forward. But what can you expect when you rent equipment?

You can expect the equipment to be in good condition with low work hours on the clock.
You can expect that the equipment to be delivered to your work site without you having to supply a truck to cart it.

(more…)

Stress-Free Kitchen Renovations

Date April 16, 2011 Category Renovating

Renovations in the house are often stressful, but when it comes to the kitchen it can be even more so. The kitchen is one room that is used throughout the day to get meals and snacks and if it cannot be used to its full potential due to ongoing renovations this is sure to cause a great deal of stress. Since stress is not good for your health, it is important to find ways and means to cut it out of your life, especially during renovations.

Good organisation is key

For some reason, many homeowners think they can renovate the kitchen on their own. But when it comes down to doing it, they get into strife because they haven’t organised the various trades to come on the right day – or at all – and so those renovations drag on for weeks, creating a stressful atmosphere in the home.

It is far better to have the whole renovations done by professional kitchen renovators who are used to working out exactly what is needed. If you are doing it yourself, you don’t really have much idea about how long each task will take. If you allow too long, time is wasted waiting for the next portion of the job to be done. If you don’t leave enough time, tradesmen are sitting around doing nothing while they wait, which costs you money for nothing.

(more…)