home improvement Archives

Not everyone can enjoy DIY and some people call in the professionals in order to support any home improvements they are looking to complete. This can be a costly activity depending on what it is you are looking to completed. Nowadays on the internet there are many different types of DIY activities that can be completed at very little or no cost to you if you have the correct material and tools. Some of these sites have step by step guides as to how to complete the task and you can even refer to sites like YouTube that will have videos on this. You can go from one extreme to another – build a shelf or even a garage! Here are some example to assist.

Large Projects

If you want to embark on a large project like building a garage, this can be completed with the help of people like Armstrong Steel who are one of the leading steel building providers in the US. Their website alone allows you to enter the dimensions of what is required and the different accessories and it will then be delivered to you in a complete package. You can choose online the type of garage you are looking to build and it send all the material and instructions. Although this is quite a large undertaking and may sound like an impossible task, companies such as Armstrong make it as simple as possible to minimise the need for you to go and get any professional help. They give you enough guidance to try and make this as smooth as possible and have enough online support to aid you if you have difficulty.

Appliances

It is always a good idea to have some basic DIY items in the home to aid you for any simple tasks. This includes things such as hammers, screwdriver etc. Rather than buy these individual items it is sometimes a lot more cost effective for you to purchase something like a small toolbox that will have all the basics included in it. These are not expensive but have the essentials. If, however, you need to get specialist equipment like a drill then you will need to buy separately. A word of caution on this would be for you to not go for the cheap options when it comes to DIY equipment as this can be shabby and then reflect in the workmanship you complete.

Health and Safety

It goes without saying but doing some DIY jobs can endanger your health and safety therefore it is important you understand the risks associated with the task you are going to complete. You should work to ensure that these are reduced which may include things like buying additional items such as safety glasses or helmets. If you are working with electricity then it is specifically important that you fully comprehend what you are doing and have had training. There are a significant amount of deaths each year associated to people tampering with electricity.

As a dad I have to say that I am always looking to find ways to save money. While some may say that I am cheap, I would say that I am thrifty and looking for ways to stretch my dollar as far as I can. Lately technology has continued to get better allowing for people like me to save even more money with my utilities.

I recently heard about a brand new brand that was offering smart lighting that is responsive to you and to your home. Stack Lighting is a two-year old startup that makes light bulbs packed with sensors that respond to sunlight, occupancy, and motion. This sounded like an amazing bit of technology that I was very interested in trying for myself. Luckily I was able to try out three of the bulbs to take over the three bulbs that I have in my kitchen. The starter pack actually comes with two bulbs, but you can purchase individual bulbs to finish off a number of other sockets too.

When these bulbs arrived I found them to well packaged. They look VERY sleek and modern, and they were very easy to install into the sockets that I had. Once installed I found that I simply needed to install the application that was available for IOS or Android devices. The installation was simple and once installed I easily was able to connect this to my WIFI network and to the bulbs themselves.

The application itself was very easy to use and it allows you to set your lights to work on a schedule if you choose or to provide a certain type of light too. You can warm up the room, cool down the room and more. What was even better though was the fact that the bulbs were responsive to motion and to the occupancy within the room. Thus, when you walk into the room while the light may be muted when you enter, if you stay within the room, the lights become brighter until you leave and then they will decrease again.

And the best part? A Stack light bulb starter kit is only $99 so it won’t break the bank. On top of that, Stack bulbs can lead to energy savings of up to 40-60% over standard LED bulbs.

As I said, I love to save some money and this will definitely allow us to do this in our own home and it will allow you to do so too!