Burglar-Proofing Your Home from the Outside

Home security can often be an element that is overlooked and mainly considered for the inside of the home. Whilst ensuring your home is safe and secure on the inside is really important, it’s just as important to ensure the safety is carried through to the garden, as this can often be a starting point for any burglars targeting your home. Making sure both your interiors and exteriors are safe and secure will enable you to rest assured that your home is as burglar-proof as possible.

Install Sensor Lighting

One of the most obvious yet surprisingly forgotten features to any garden security is motion lighting. Motion or sensor lighting is ideal for adding extra security to your garden, especially through those wintery months. The lighting will help a great deal when used in areas that may have extra foliage or built up hedges. If you look into your garden and cannot see a certain area, this is an indicator to you that you may need to add some motion lighting to ensure that if needed, you can see exactly what is going on in your garden at all times. When the lights are detected, you can set them to stay on for 2 to 30 seconds, dependant on where they are and how practical that is for you. If the motion is no longer picked up then the light will automatically switch off, however, if there is something there and it does not leave the area, the lights will stay on and you’ll be able to see exactly what has set the sensor off. As a result of this, motion lighting works as a very, very good deterrent, as potential burglars will become spooked and leave the area immediately.

Add Fences or a Wall

Whilst fences are ideal for privacy within your garden, they also work very well as keeping unwanted people or animals out of your garden. By surrounding your garden with strong fencing or a built up wall, you can create a difficult obstacle for the potential burglars which will hopefully prevent them from being able to enter your garden. The fencing needs to be strong, however, as that will prevent anyone from being able to break it down in order to gain access to your garden. When it comes to the top of your fencing, you’re best to go with a design that causes problems for anyone who tries to climb it. Picket fencing or fencing with a pointy or sharp top is ideal, as this is really difficult to climb and would be even more of an issue when trying to climb in the dark!

If you choose to put a gate in your garden leading from the front to the back, you should invest in a locking mechanism. Ensuring you can lock your gate is important as otherwise the burglar won’t need to worry about climbing the fence as they’ll have instant access through your garden gate. You can find all kinds of really effective locking mechanisms, from the traditional padlock to a simple latch that cannot be opened unless you’re inside the garden. You can then invest in locks with a key, which may cost a little extra but will really ensure nobody can enter your garden when you don’t want them too!

Protect Your Belongings

The garden can be a great place for social gatherings and get-togethers, and often you find yourself purchasing some stylish outdoor seating, tables and even features such as fire pits or fancy umbrellas. These belongings are all great and so beneficial to have, however they can also be seen as an invitation to the garden by a burglar, as they may see enough money in your garden furnishings to not even need to enter your house! The last thing you want is to attract the attention of any burglars by having fancy items left outdoors overnight, so making sure expensive items are stored away in the garage or storage areas overnight or when not in use is essential. Another key thing to consider is where you position your outdoor items. Items such as ladders, seats, steps or even bins should never be stored next to your fencing. This can, without noticing, create a step or easy access point for burglars as they climb your fence, so don’t make things easier for them!

Make them Aware

Burglars often assess somewhere before they choose to target. This is because they’ll need to know they’re not walking into a garden or home that is going to illuminate and alarm, exposing who they are. Investing in an alarm system is really important, as not only will it let you know when something isn’t quite right, but it will also show any potential burglars that you have the system fitted and they have no chance of getting into your home without sounding the alarm!

Don’t Forget to Check

It’s usually the same routine for each homeowner, checking all doors and windows to ensure that they are locked or closed. It can often be an easy thing to overlook however, especially if your home has a few residents and each are coming and going at different times. Making sure your door locks, sliding door locks, window locks and even back door locks are in full working order and locked will really help make sure nobody can enter your home without permission. Closing curtains is another helpful thing to do, as you’re preventing anyone from the outside looking in!

Important Services Every Homeowner Should Be Aware Of

There are certain phone numbers every homeowner should have close at hand in case of an emergency. Preparing in this way gives you a better opportunity to react to any problem or potential problem that could occur in your home. Below are the main service providers every home homeowner needs to be aware of and be able to contact quickly when things go wrong.

Plumber

Water has the potential to cause serious damage in a home. This is why it’s vital to call out a plumber as quickly as possible. The faster a burst pipe is fixed or a flood is cleaned up, the less damage it will cause. However, not all plumbers are the same, so you want to ensure that the plumber you contact is able to provide a range of plumbing-related services including a leak detection service, pipe fixing service and flood cleanup service. 

Electrician

Electricity plays an important role in a modern home. Over time, faults can occur and home appliances fail. Safety should be your main concern and having a reliable, experienced electrician on standby will ensure that any electrical problems are dealt with in a safe and professional manner.

Fire Fighters

Reacting quickly to a fire can prevent injuries and reduce the amount of damage that occurs in a home. Fire has the potential to spread quickly, but it is often smoke that causes the most problems when a fire breaks out. Isolating the fire and putting it out fast prevents this kind of damage from spreading to other areas of your home.

Local Doctor

It goes without saying that your doctor is one of the most important people in your locality. However, when an accident or other health-related incident occurs in a home, your local doctor’s phone number may not be close at hand. Finding this information can take time, which could be the difference between saving someone’s life or leading to a much more serious situation.

Local Hospital

When someone suffers from a serious health problem, every second counts. You should always place the number of your local hospital in a prominent place in your home and add it to your list of phone contacts. This is particularly true if there is a family member who has a health condition you already know about.

Pest Control

A wide range of pests will make your home their home if you let them. Rodents, wasps, ants and other creatures can quickly invade a home and have to be dealt with by professionals who are equipped to control these kinds of pests in a humane and effective way.

Emergency Dentist

Any work carried out on your teeth usually comes at a high cost. An emergency dentist can save a tooth or reduce the need for more expensive treatment later, if you contact them in time with any dental problems you or your family members have.

As you can see, being prepared for any emergencies or unusual events in the home can make a huge difference. This is why it’s vital to be able to instantly contact each of the service providers above and reduce the impact of these events.

Burglar-Proofing Your Home from the Outside

Home security can often be an element that is overlooked and mainly considered for the inside of the home. Whilst ensuring your home is safe and secure on the inside is really important, it’s just as important to ensure the safety is carried through to the garden, as this can often be a starting point for any burglars targeting your home. Making sure both your interiors and exteriors are safe and secure will enable you to rest assured that your home is as burglar-proof as possible.

Install Sensor Lighting

One of the most obvious yet surprisingly forgotten features to any garden security is motion lighting. Motion or sensor lighting is ideal for adding extra security to your garden, especially through those wintery months. The lighting will help a great deal when used in areas that may have extra foliage or built up hedges. If you look into your garden and cannot see a certain area, this is an indicator to you that you may need to add some motion lighting to ensure that if needed, you can see exactly what is going on in your garden at all times. When the lights are detected, you can set them to stay on for 2 to 30 seconds, dependant on where they are and how practical that is for you. If the motion is no longer picked up then the light will automatically switch off, however, if there is something there and it does not leave the area, the lights will stay on and you’ll be able to see exactly what has set the sensor off. As a result of this, motion lighting works as a very, very good deterrent, as potential burglars will become spooked and leave the area immediately.

Add Fences or a Wall

Whilst fences are ideal for privacy within your garden, they also work very well as keeping unwanted people or animals out of your garden. By surrounding your garden with strong fencing or a built up wall, you can create a difficult obstacle for the potential burglars which will hopefully prevent them from being able to enter your garden. The fencing needs to be strong, however, as that will prevent anyone from being able to break it down in order to gain access to your garden. When it comes to the top of your fencing, you’re best to go with a design that causes problems for anyone who tries to climb it. Picket fencing or fencing with a pointy or sharp top is ideal, as this is really difficult to climb and would be even more of an issue when trying to climb in the dark!

If you choose to put a gate in your garden leading from the front to the back, you should invest in a locking mechanism. Ensuring you can lock your gate is important as otherwise the burglar won’t need to worry about climbing the fence as they’ll have instant access through your garden gate. You can find all kinds of really effective locking mechanisms, from the traditional padlock to a simple latch that cannot be opened unless you’re inside the garden. You can then invest in locks with a key, which may cost a little extra but will really ensure nobody can enter your garden when you don’t want them too!

Protect Your Belongings

The garden can be a great place for social gatherings and get-togethers, and often you find yourself purchasing some stylish outdoor seating, tables and even features such as fire pits or fancy umbrellas. These belongings are all great and so beneficial to have, however they can also be seen as an invitation to the garden by a burglar, as they may see enough money in your garden furnishings to not even need to enter your house! The last thing you want is to attract the attention of any burglars by having fancy items left outdoors overnight, so making sure expensive items are stored away in the garage or storage areas overnight or when not in use is essential. Another key thing to consider is where you position your outdoor items. Items such as ladders, seats, steps or even bins should never be stored next to your fencing. This can, without noticing, create a step or easy access point for burglars as they climb your fence, so don’t make things easier for them!

Make them Aware

Burglars often assess somewhere before they choose to target. This is because they’ll need to know they’re not walking into a garden or home that is going to illuminate and alarm, exposing who they are. Investing in an alarm system is really important, as not only will it let you know when something isn’t quite right, but it will also show any potential burglars that you have the system fitted and they have no chance of getting into your home without sounding the alarm!

Don’t Forget to Check

It’s usually the same routine for each homeowner, checking all doors and windows to ensure that they are locked or closed. It can often be an easy thing to overlook however, especially if your home has a few residents and each are coming and going at different times. Making sure your door locks, sliding door locks, window locks and even back door locks are in full working order and locked will really help make sure nobody can enter your home without permission. Closing curtains is another helpful thing to do, as you’re preventing anyone from the outside looking in!

Add Value to Your Home with Beneficial Updates

In order to work your way up the property ladder and add value to your home there’s a few things to know for maximising the final cost. You may think that huge changes like refitting your whole kitchen or converting your garage into a games room may make large differences to the price, but you’d be surprised at the smaller changes that will have just as much of an impact on your home’s value.

Central Heating

Possibly a very obvious feature to have in the home, but surprisingly many homes today still do not have central heating throughout. Central heating systems always add more value to a property, and even though they may be a slightly expensive feature to add, they are very beneficial. You can rest assured that central heating systems add more value to a home than they cost to install, so this is a benefit in itself.

If you’re going to update your central heating in your property, then it’s essential to check other elements to your homes energy efficiency. Sealing any potential drafts, especially in doorways or windows, is a great place to start. This will ensure the home contains the heat and doesn’t have a cold draft blowing through and wasting the energy being used to warm it. Double glazing is another element to consider. If your windows aren’t double glazed then you may eventually find they don’t insulate the home as much as you’d like and you start to waste heat warming the home. Double glazing will also add value to your home as it’s am modern feature that many homebuyers are looking for in their new home.

Introduce Sliding or Bi-folding Doors

One of the biggest interior trends today is the sliding door. Sliding doors have become a huge desire in many homeowner’s eyes, as they come with a whole host of benefits. Whilst the sliding doors may be pricey, you can invest in some cost-effective ones that add so much more value to your home than you’d have ever thought. Sliding doors are ideal for opening up spaces, for example opening up the living room to the dining room and so on. You can create an open-plan look and close the rooms up whenever you feel it necessary. With an easy installation process and simple features such as their sliding door track and sliding door locks, they are a great addition to any home.

Bi-Folding doors are another hugely popular feature in interiors today. Seen mainly on the exterior of the home, leading from rooms such as the kitchen to the garden, you can create a beautiful look around your home whilst still keeping it practical and secure. Whilst bi-folding doors are often glass panes, you can invest in some stylish blinds that are situated inside the door panels to ensure your home is secure and private whenever you wish it to be.

Revive Your Garden

As easy as it is to pay little attention to your garden, it is a huge factor in the overall value of your home. Many homebuyers are looking for a beautiful garden that they are able to enjoy and make the most of. Viewing a home with a messy, overgrown garden sets an instant sour taste in the mouth and instantly gives people a negative impression of the home they’re viewing. Your garden is a part of the home you should show off and be proud of, as to many people having a garden is a huge benefit in a home.

Give your garden some TLC by making sure the lawn is cut and fresh. Remove any overgrown or dead plants or bushes, and trim down any weeds. The changes you make can be simple and quick, but they will make a really big difference to the value of your home.

If you have any garden furniture that is rusty of broken, now is the time to throw it away and replace it with some stunning garden furniture that creates a vision in your viewers mind as to how they can enjoy the garden themselves.

4 Ways to Save Money with Electrical Upgrades

Even though it appears as though the economy around the globe is getting back on an even keel, there is always a need to save money. No one knows what tomorrow may bring and if you have any hope of tucking some money aside for that rainy day that just might come again in the future, one of the best ways to save a tidy sum is with a few electrical upgrades that can greatly reduce what you spend month after month. Here are a few of the best ways to save money.

1. Automate Wherever Possible

How many times have you yelled at the kids for leaving the outside lights on when they come in after meeting with friends in the evening? Or what about all those times you forgot to turn off the basement lights off when coming up from the root cellar? Some families like to turn off the hot water heater at night to save money and others still want to set climate control to switch off at certain times of the day or night when heat or air conditioning just aren’t needed. An electrician can actually hard wire automatic controls into circuits so that all the guess work is taken out and with a simple smartphone app you can even remotely control all your automated settings from wherever you happen to be.

2. Energy Efficient Appliances

This one should go without saying. There have been tons of commercials over the past few years on the way in which energy efficient appliances can save the average household a good sum of money each and every month, but it does bear mentioning again because this really is one of the ways to save money over the long term. It is suggested that you simply change to an appliance that is more energy efficient as each one reaches the end of its lifespan. In this way, you don’t have a huge layout of money all at one time but will be chipping away at what you pay to power those appliances one machine at a time.

3. Solar Power Systems

Solar Power Systems are becoming more affordable with each passing year and with advances in technology, it doesn’t make sense not to have a solar system on your rooftop. Not only can you power your home but you can feed power into the grid for others to use and within a very short time those solar panels can pay for themselves.

4. Rewiring Old Circuits

Here is one that few people actually stop to think about. Did you know that older wiring in a house can become faulty, causing energy loss day in and day out? A little trickle here and a little trickle there and before you know it, you’re spending a lot more money on electric than you’re using! Get faulty old wiring replaced as soon as possible.

The average household spends altogether too much money on waste each and every year. Why not take care of those problem areas one by one so that within just a few short years your energy bill will be reduced to just a fraction of what you are paying now. By upgrading today you are saving for your future and with uncertain times ahead, that may be one of the wisest moves you’ll ever make.

Tips and planning to preserve garden in winter

Winter is coming with all its comfort and cosiness of home and yet, it brings a great challenge with it. The moment blizzards and snowflakes touch garden, the beauty of summer comes to a halt. In order to preserve the beauty of garden, it requires little care and up keep. OECO Garden Rooms provide some nifty and helpful tips in order to maintain your garden.

Preservation of lawn

Winter is an ultimate time of the year for any new garden to be prepared. Cultivate the required area leaving some tuft of soil on the surface which will be broken by rime frost, making it a great base.

For existing gardens, grass cutting is required by one third. Summer is the time of growth and if the the size of grass is kept at medium by feeding it less then it will not become fragile and will outlive winter. Weeds and moss are also required to be kept under control and fallen leaves need to be scraped up regularly for a good access to sunlight.

Preservation of plants

Plants become inactive, with drop of temperature, which are not annihilated by frost. Dead stalk and leafage must be removed in order to prevent any disease to be spread to rest of the garden. Spread around fertilizer to insulate plants and soil so that they will be accustomed to new climate and keep the temperature even. Fallen leaves are also a good source of fertilizer.

Equipment maintenance

Gardening equipments which are seldom used during winter must be cleaned and lubricated with WD40 to avoid corrosion before storing, for instance, lawn edgers, shears etc. Lawnmower also needs to be serviced. Concerned practice includes emptying fuel tank, proper working of electricity lead, draining of all hoses to avoid freezing, wrapping and piping Hessian fabric, sharpen the blades and service engine.

Planning the future

Planning in good time is always fruitful. Therefore working needs to be done before the weather warms up. Following are some of our predictions:

Countryside view

The trend has been changing from traditional gardening to easy-going approach means less effort leading to lower level of maintenance. Producing abundance of colors and textures by planting low care shrubs, grass and perennials to have a beautiful natural landscapes.

Fruits in containers

Berry lovers can grow berries, such as strawberries. Blueberries and raspberries, in containers. It is easy to maintain and hassle free than maintaining large bushes. It can be placed anywhere in the garden as it is movable and it is an attractive way of involving whole family in gardening.

Growing herbs

Growing herbs at home give fresh flavor free from pesticides. It is the easiest plant to grow in pots either small or big and requires little tending. It can be grown in pots on window ledge or outside.

GARDEN ROOMS

A new concept which is becoming popular is of Garden rooms. It is a cost saving approach by extending the living space without spending on constructing new or on converting a space. Garden Rooms have become multipurpose and can either be used for home offices, studio rooms, hobby rooms. They can be used all year round because they are protected from unpleasant influences.

GARDEN TECHNOLOGY

Technology has become an important gadget in every field of life. Integration of technology into gardening has developed many different applications which are helping in maintaining a perfect garden. They provide great tips, a reminder to water the plants, a notification related to garden health, smart lights which turn on to create ambient environment etc. In a nut shell, advancement in technology leads to the advancement in health of gardens.