Use your Orangery to Get the Most Out of a Rainy Summer

So far this year, we’ve seen a fair deal of poor weather in the UK. While we may
have seen a few glorious days of sunshine, they have been few and far between.
Instead, replaced by torrential rain and even unprecedented storms. The state of
the English summer is on everybody’s lips, this year more than ever. As we look
for ways to lift our spirits, looking to our gardens may not be everyone’s first
thought as the rain lashes down. However there are ways to enjoy the outside
world, come rain or shine, and that is with a luxurious home orangery.

Like conservatories, orangeries allow us to bridge the gap between inside and
out - bringing elements of the outside world in to our homes, and bringing
aspects of our home in to the garden. With this in mind, we can still enjoy the
scenic views our gardens have to offer, sitting comfortably dry in a beautiful
orangery. In fact, many people admit to finding the sound of rain above their
heads soothing, just as long as they aren’t getting wet.

Our mixed climate can even be seen as an advantage to garden lovers. The
English climate gives us the chance to grow some exceptional plants in our own
gardens, more so than in those more typically desired tropical locations. While
our neighbours on the continent may get more annual sun, they don’t have
the rainfall and conditions needed to grow such a wide variety of plants. Now
typically you may wonder ‘what is the point’? when the strong likelihood of rain
prevents us from getting out in the garden to enjoy such scenery? Well with your
own orangery you can sit back and enjoy these plants, even if it is raining.

The design of traditional orangeries are specifically built to maximize natural
light anyway. With their large glass window and roof panels they focus
what sunlight there is in order to fill the space. This allows you to enjoy the
substantial daylight of the summer months, while blocking out the rain. There
are also many window options such as double glazing that help to keep heat
inside and block cold air from entering. This means that even in poor weather
your orangery offers comfort and warmth. It can even reduce the noise of rainfall
which many can find distracting.

So instead of complaining about the rain this summer, why not take measures
to enjoy the summer as much as you can with the construction of a brand new
orangery? It is the best solution for enjoying the outside world, come rain or
shine.

How to Transform your Bathroom

Your bathroom is one of the most important features of your home, regularly used by
everyone and frequently seen by guests.

But is it letting you down? Are tired tiles and a drab design ruining our bathroom?

Here are some top tips on making sure your bathroom stays bang on trend.

1- Build up a plan.
Magazines, TV programmes and showhomes are all filled with the latest styles in
bathroom decorating. Use this to get ideas before you start your renovation. Many
people find it useful to cut out images they like and use them as an base for their
design.

1 – The plumbing.
Stylish fitted bathroom suites are becoming more and more affordable so having
the suite of your dreams is closer than you think. Maximise the available space
in a small bathroom by having a pedestal-free sink fitted to allow storage space
underneath and a combination shower/bath maximises both space and gives you
more freedom. Make sure you chose a colour which will not date quickly, pink
and green suites tend to fade quickly, while classic porcelain white is always in
style.

2 – To tile or not to tile.
Deciding whether or not to tile can be difficult, it is an expensive and laborious
task – especially if you decide to do it yourself. In a smaller bathroom, choosing
to tile the entire room can sometimes be a mistake as it can make it seem smaller.
A current trend is just to tile splash-back areas, i.e. around the bath/shower and
behind the sink, then using a high-quality, water-resistant paint on the rest of the
room. This has a number of benefits 1 – a reduction in cost, 2 – the tiles will be
less overpowering in the room, so the braver decorator could use brigher, more
vibrant tiles and 3 – it is less time consuming to fit.

3 - Design accents
Pick a colour theme for your bathroom and follow it through the room, by towels
and toothbrush holders that match features in your tiles. Add plants and candles to
give your bathroom an extra luxurious feel.

4 – Themes
Many people choose to theme their bathroom i.e. using nautical colours and shells
to give a seaside theme, this can look good as long as it is not overdone. Make
sure to plan any theme like this before starting, a half-completed room can look as
bad as one which has not been decorated at all.

5 – Enjoy

Above all things, your bathroom is somewhere you can relax and pamper
yourself, so make sure you have a room that is just right for you.

The Top Ten DIY Accidents

More than 200,000 people end up in hospital in the UK each year because of accidents that happened while carrying out repairs at home. The beginning of May starts the usual DIY period when all the adverts on TV suddenly become about laying that new patio, replacing your kitchen or bathroom or painting your living room. And as soon as the sun dares make an appearance its off down the local DIY shop or builder's merchant to buy a new tool or or equipment and start on those repairs. 

It is not surprising that a large number of accidents are down to the mis-use of knives, screwdrivers and scalpels and saws, however with power tools now being much cheaper than they used to be and more and more people having access to these, incidents involving drills, jigsaws and other related tools are also on the increase. 

Even hanging wall paper can be hazardous and resulted in around 1500 trips to the hospital in one year and even cleaning windows, with around 30,000 people ending up in hospital after falling off ladders. 

Many of the accidents occur because people do not plan the project properly and rush into the job as soon as better weather arrives. Or they go out and buy a tool like a chainsaw which if used in any other work-related environment would require proper training. 

But its not just the actual tools causing accidents, but the materials people are working with. The lowly piece of wood or chipboard is top on the list for causing accidents, with paving or concrete slabs and blocks next, also nails and metal sheets and screws and even paint and wallpaper. 

The top ten DIY accidents are as follows:

1. Top of the list is predictability cutting yourself with a saw or knife or other sharp tool, most commonly when cutting cables or carpets or slips with the saw when cutting wood. 
2. Straining muscles and your back lifting heavy objects and dropping objects like concrete slabs on to toes and fingers. 
3. Somewhat related to the above, are injuries caused by moving furniture around.
4. Injuries caused by tripping over cables and wires
5. Surprisingly not higher up is falling off a ladder or down steps
6. Getting an electric shock
7. Injuries caused by stripping wallpaper or painting a ceiling or wall, notably paint dripping into the eyes.
8. Allergic reactions to chemicals used
9. Burns from blow torches, paint strippers etc
10. Inhaling fumes or chemicals

Many of these accidents could easily be avoided by wearing simple safety equipment like googles, masks and gloves. At other times people over estimate their own abilities, particularly with regard to work involving gas and electrics. These types of jobs should be left to the expert. 

© Rachel Gawith is a freelance writer and marketer and is currently working for What House and WhatNewHouse promoting their websites.