Homily Magazine

Pond lights are a good way to add nocturnal ambiance to backyard water features. There are many available illumination options that change dark and uninviting locations into secure enclaves by illuminating waterfalls, fountains, trees, decks and pathways with an almost magical quality. When adding pond lights to a landscape, safety must always come first. Water and electricity don’t go together and the consequences of a mishap could end up being fatal. As a safety precaution, only use solar powered or low voltage fixtures when working near ponds or other water features.

Pond Lighting Technologies

Light bulb efficiency measures the cost of producing units of light. Electrical costs for lamps are a direct function of the total wattage of the bulbs that are being lit and the light emitted by these bulbs is measured in lumens. The other major factor in efficiency is the cost of the bulbs themselves and the mean time to replacement. The most efficient lamp would produce the most lumens for a given wattage; have a low purchase price and the longest life before burning out. Unfortunately that bulb does not exist yet. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Dishwashers always tend to break at the most inopportune moments. They also tend to be tricky to fix. Here are a few things to try out first before calling your plumber.

Make sure the dishwasher is broken down. See where the dishwasher was at during the cycle. Was it stopped mid-cycle or was it completed and the water is just not draining properly? If it was stopped mid-cycle that would explain the lack of drainage.

If there is no chance of re-starting the dishwasher look for causes that could have made it break down mid-cycle. For example, there may be a power interruption or broken circuit. Make sure that the electricity is working in the room. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Since people only want the best in life, they resort to various Chinese beliefs like feng shui just to attract positive energy. Same applies when remodeling your house, principles governing placement of furniture, color harmony, and elements are incorporated to make the dwelling place more conducive.

Feng shui is a Chinese belief of beautifying a place, be it a residence or a building. Its purpose is focused on receiving positive energy by attracting good fortune and health in one’s life. It utilizes certain instruments such as magnetic compass and bagua in defining correlation between the solar system and environment. It aims to balance a place and the forces of nature. Therefore when remodeling your home, make sure you apply feng shui principles, which are as follows: [Read the rest of this entry...]

Generally, the hot and humid climate leads to certain problems concerned with your home maintenance. One of them is the accumulation of unwanted plants (moss) on your roof. They not only dampen the surface of your roof but also pave way for an easy penetration of water into the interior walls and ceilings.

The roots of the moss act as an easy passage for the water to enter into your walls and ceilings.

Though there are traditional methods available to curb the growth of such plants on your roof but these methods also affect the architecture of your roof a lot in a negative way. For instance, a chemical bleach easily sweeps off all the moss from your roof but it leaves you with a dampened roof. In addition, the gutters and downspouts face the problem of corrosion owing to usage of these chemicals. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Many famous people have become parents in their older years such as Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and Elton John and now the celebrity Frank Skinner has joined the ranks.

The comedian has revealed that he is to be a father at the grand old age of 55 and that he is expecting a bundle of joy with his long-term partner Cath Mason. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Building something has a great satisfaction to it and probably no more than building your own bed. If you have never built one before, or even if you have, it can be a tricky job to do. It truly is a job that can not be rushed as it has to be sturdy enough to sleep on in comfort. Listed below are a set of instructions on how to build a bed. They are easy to follow and will allow you to have a hand built bed in a short time from now.

• Get yourself some bed rail hangers, wood and wood screws. If bed rail hangers are a problem then you can use eight long lag bolts instead. Get these from your local hardware store. Also take the plans of your bed as the store owner should be able to give you some advice as well.

• If the wood that you have found is not the size that you want it then either get it cut to size or do it yourself.

• Review your plan as now you should have everything you need to make the bed. Firstly secure the bed rail hangers to the end of the side rail of the bed and the head posts. Repeat this for all four corners.

• Once you have done that then screw the support rail to each side rail. Space you screws so that all areas are supported equally. Space them about 12 inches (30cms) apart is quite acceptable.

• Secure each support and block to the centre of the head and foot rail using the screws.

• These support blocks will need grooves cut into them so they can be fitted together with the support beams. Once this is done they can be connected with the support beams.

• Nearly there. Finish off by placing a piece of ply wood on the support rails and the support beam. Make sure it fits comfortably but that it does not need forcing is too slack in the bed frame. Now simply add the mattress and the bedding and the job is done.

Simple and easy to follow instructions to have your own custom made bed. This is a basic construction of the four sides, legs centre support beam, struts to lay between the sides and the centre support beam and finished off with a snug fitting piece of ply wood.

Woodworking for the home is satisfying to the soul and something to be proud of. As it is my passion I want to share it with you at my site.

Many people are interested in growing their own plants, fruits and veggies. Most don’t have the temperate climate to grow year round so its attractive to come indoors and go for the year-round perpetual growth in their own grow box. Everyone can enjoy the fun hobby of indoor hydroponic growing but its best to ask yourself a few questions before you purchase an indoor growing system.

1. How much space do I have for my grow room or grow box?
Really important because the type of plant, numbers and expected yield are all correlated to the amount of grow space or grow room. Do you have a garage you can put a grow box cabinet system in? Will it reside in your bedroom? Can you bring it down to your basement? Do you want it on display in the kitchen? [Read the rest of this entry...]

Updating your brick fireplace to a slate-faced fireplace can give new life to the room. Whether you use a multi-colored Brazilian slate or a solid gray Vermont slate, the natural veining and characteristics of the stone can enhance any area.

Since both the bricks and slate tiles are naturally uneven, a minimum of three coats of mortar will be required to complete the job. This will make the fireplace wall thicker, so account for this when adding mantels or additional wooden surrounds.

Instructions

1. Cover the bricks and the mortar lines between the bricks with a skim coat of mortar. Apply a thin layer of Portland cement-based mortar over the fireplace. Use the flat edge of the trowel to scrape the mortar until it fills any pits or indentations and creates a smooth, even surface. Let this mortar dry for at least 24 hours. [Read the rest of this entry...]

LOAD REQUIREMENTS

The International building code requires that a guardrail withstands a minimum of 200 lb, applied tangentially to the top rail. This means that a person or a few persons leaning against the rail could eventually apply a tangential force equal to 200 lb and the railing should be able to resist. There are several factors involved on this. However, the only factor that virtually does not count is the type of railing, because, for the most parts railings are build following common practices, and they are usually just OK. The main factor for code compliance is the quality of the installation. If one does not attach the railing properly, even if the railing is made of thick solid steel, it will not pass the 200 lb test. It does not make sense to build an iron railing that will probably need a force equal to 1000 lb just to slightly bend it and then leave it lose against the wall! But this is what happens most of the cases when a railing has failed. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Unwanted and nasty weeds can be a nuisance in any garden if they get out of hands. Most of the people use chemicals and other toxic substances to control weeds in their garden. However, there are many other home remedies that can be used for getting rid of unwanted weeds. These home remedies are non-toxic and they are also inexpensive weed killers.

Homemade weed killers are far better than the harmful toxins as they do not contaminate the soil. Excessive usage of chemical based weedicides can harm your plants and turf as well. So, it is advisable to use alternatives for weed control. One of the basic weed control method is to pull them by hand as soon as they appear. But this method is generally not very effective if the weed growth is excessive. [Read the rest of this entry...]