Most of the time people don’t give much thoughts about how to air their house or apartment. During the cold and frosty months of winter at least you mind to keep the doors and windows closed to keep the valuable and costly heating energy inside the house, don’t you? But as soon as the temperature rises again no one really cares anymore… Because if it is warm outside I can open up all windows and doors to let fresh air into my apartment, so there is no problem anymore with damp basements or moist walls, right? Read More
Category: Home Sweet Home
Tips and tricks for do-it-yourself’ers and hobbyists.
My Home Is My Castle – How To Soundproof Your Existing Home – Part 2
Your next-door-neighbours are having another one of their long, heated, high-pitched and highly emotional arguments; an intercity train thunders past at the end of the garden leaving a flurry of leaves and a trail of noise in its wake; a young child, all too evidently lacking any of the talent that the rest of Britain has allegedly got, forces a violin to make noises it wasn’t built to make and the banging and slamming and drilling and clanging that has been going on for months in the house next door shows no signs of abating.
Are these familiar scenes or do you know of any even more upsetting, maddening or horrific ones? What can you do if you find out that the walls of the flat that you have moved into seem to be made of rice paper, and what do you need to know, and do, to soundproof your inadequately insulated home and keep the noise and din from blighting your mornings, days and nights?
My Home Is My Castle – How To Soundproof your Home – Part 1
The expression “My Home is My Castle” captures like no other the importance of having a home and what this means to the people who own such a home as well as the people who live in it. A home is a source of comfort, of cherished memories, and of accomplishment and pride – and it is a source of strength. You can rest and recuperate at home and you can enjoy the peace that surrounds you in your own four walls.
If it weren’t for the noise, that is.
Noise is all around us. Sometimes it seems there is no escaping it. Noise can cause countless complaints and illnesses – ranging from sleep disorders, to high blood pressure and a variety of other stress related conditions.
And it’s something that is set to keep the courts busy – nocturnal rows with rowdy neighbours, clashes with local establishments, local businesses and local authorities are keeping millions of people awake at night and stopping them from getting a good night’s rest. It’s no small wonder then that many people who are thinking of building a house show a keen interest in ways of making sure that their home is insulated against the hustle and bustle around us and that they are eager to stop their newbuild from turning into a home from hell.
You don’t need a dehumidifier – or do you?
Dehumidifiers don’t necessarily come top of many people’s shopping lists. Why should they? There are probably dozens of more desirable things that you would sooner spend your money on and there are scores of far more urgent purchases which you or your family think you should make.
Or are there?
Perhaps you first need to know what a dehumidifier can do and what affect it can have on your indoor climate in order to understand why you and every home or office should have one.
A dehumidifier is more than just an electrical appliance. It can transform the climate of your home, workplace or office – almost instantly. This may seem like a mild exaggeration, but you would be surprised to see just how much moisture a dehumidifier like the TTK 30 S can extract from the air in your room, bathroom, cellar, walk-in wardrobe, basement or holiday home in the short space of only 24 hours. A bucketful. That’s right – up to 10 litres of water in only one day. It is this excess moisture that lingers in the air which can not only damage your possessions and property, it can seriously affect your feeling of well-being and even your health. Read More
How to Create the Right Climate for Your Prized Orchids
Orchids are among the most popular and widespread flowering plants in the world. Their often tall, slender stalks, their exotic and extravagant form and their delicate petals and magnificent colours inspire and fascinate orchid lovers and growers around the world and fill the hearts of those who share their passion and pleasure with wonder and awe.
Orchids are most commonly found in the tropics of South and Central America and also in Asia. For the Aztecs they were holy, which is why they grew them in their splendid antique gardens, and for Confucius, the wise Chinese thinker and philosopher, they embodied grace, purity, beauty and elegance.
But there are several hardened species which can flourish as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Antarctica. Of the 30,000 or so different species of orchid known to man there is a small number which are deemed especially collectable. Rothschild’s Slipper, an orchid that takes as long as 15 years to grow, can fetch prices upwards of 5000 US dollars per stem.
Most hobby gardeners would not be willing to pay such a considerable price for a single example, but they are prepared to invest quite substantial sums in order to be able to nurture their passion. Read More
Time to say goodbye to a heating myth or two – and save £££s on your next energy bill !
Finding the best way to heat your house has become somewhat of a science nowadays – of course you want it to be nice and warm, but isn’t that easier said than done when you consider how prices for natural gas and heating oil have gone through the roof in recent months? And what about the moisture content of the air? If the relative humidity is too high then there’s a real risk of mould forming – mould that can seriously affect your health and damage your possessions. Too low and you can quickly end up with dry, itchy skin, chapped lips and a sore throat and a barking cough to go with it.
What many people do not realise, however, is that you can actually save yourself a tidy sum and more importantly perhaps protect yourself, your family and your property if you are prepared to say goodbye to one or two popular myths which are commonly associated with heating and ventilation: Read More
There’s just no way to overcome a deep-rooted prejudice – is there?
The craftsmen among our readers will know what I mean when I say that some of their customers still have some pretty outdated preconceptions with regard to their craft. But who on earth was this one particular craftsman – so unreliable, so clumsy and so inconsiderate – that even today craftsmen of all trades are still having to suffer the consequences?
When people call a carpenter, a painter or a tiler, they already have an image in their mind’s eye of utter chaos, noise and dirt and a total invasion of their privacy. Good service, respectful behaviour and up-to-date equipment are often not among the first things that cross the customers’ minds when they think about a craftsman’s pending visit … But this is exactly where you can benefit from this mess! Living up to high expectations is a hard thing to achieve – today’s customers are becoming harder and harder to please. But to exceed all expectations can be so easy when you amaze the sceptics among your customers with involvement, professional behaviour and friendly and accessible manners. And what is best of all: a satisfied customer is much more likely to recommend you to neighbours and friends!
Apart from such obvious things as punctuality, reliability or outward appearance, there is nothing that can make a deeper impression than professional equipment. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, because even a small investment can make a really big difference. Fumbling around with a folding rule, for example, can be make people look quite inept and it can be time-consuming, too – especially with a customer breathing down your neck while their trying to protect their valued possessions from potential harm. Yet it could all be so much easier: The BD15 laser distance meter can save you a lot of trouble and your customer from becoming a of bundle nerves. And one there’s another thing you can be certain of: whenever you use a state-of-the-art folding rule 2.0 you are showing your customers that you are keeping up with the times!
So no matter when or where the myth of the unreliable craftsman evolved – it’s about time to do away with it for good. But who am I telling … your customers will know that already!
Don’t let the cowboys take you to the cleaners
Contracting a company to carry out a thermographic survey makes good financial sense. And as far as saving the planet goes, it shows that you do care about the amount of energy that is being wasted while you are heating your home and that you would like to do something about improving your eco-credentials – as well as just saving some whales.
A thermographic report can tell home owners and tenants alike just where the weak spots in the insulation of their homes or flats are and what measures need to be taken to stop the precious energy from simply seeping out through walls, doors, roofs or windows into the atmosphere and beyond.
Which is where the cowboys come in…
Just like in any other branch, there are countless companies or small firms operating in the energy-saving business that do not have your best interests at heart. In fact they have next to no interest at all in assessing just how much energy you are losing through poor or inadequate insulation or building or structural flaws and what steps need to be taken to right what has gone awfully wrong. This is because rogue assessors – just like rogue builders or rogue traders – have one thing which they lack apart from experience in the field and proper conduct – and that’s a conscience. These crooks, and we really must call them by their real names in order to safeguard those who need to be protected, are not interested in saving you money or providing you with a fair service. They are only interested in lining their own pockets and maximising their profit. Often at a staggering cost to you.
According to the VPB, an organisation comprising private home builders and house owners, there are, unfortunately, more than just a few rotten apples in the barrel. The black sheep they identified have much in common. The most popular tricks of the trade include performing thermographic surveys in conditions which render the results worthless and carrying out measurements without the necessary expertise that enables the user to correctly interpret the findings and propose the required recommendations. Strong sunlight, fog or persistent rain, for example, can distort the readings acquired using an infrared camera no matter how sophisticated the technology. And by saving on software which supports or substantiates otherwise conclusive findings, many a fraudulent contractor is robbing himself – and you – of the means that would allow them to provide an uncontroversial report which shows the true situation – and the steps that need to be taken.
So if you are planning on contacting a contractor, look out for the telltale signs that distinguish the respectable ones from the rogues and make sure that you do not fall prey to false promises or fraudulent offers. A cowboy assessor – just like a cowboy builder – can cost you much more than you had ever banked on.
Which is why you may decide to hire an infrared camera yourself. For as little as €39.00 a day. Complete with operating instructions and the advice you need to make sure that you are choosing the correct camera for your own individual application.
Or call us on +49 (0) 2452 962 120 if you would like us to send one of our specialists round. They are all certified according to DIN EN 473!
Don’t get caught out by a cowboy. Go with the good guys. Go with Trotec.
What is an Energy Pass?
As of January 1 2009, any house that is sold or let in Germany must under new legislation have an Energy Pass. These same regulations apply to any extensions or major changes that are carried out on the property concerned. What some people don’t know: the EnEV 2009 energy conservation guidelines have actually been in place for new houses since 2002.
So if you are planning on selling your house or letting out your property in the near future, then you have to count on being asked to provide legitimate proof that your house, flat or apartment conforms to EnEV 2009 guidelines in the form of the new Energy Pass.
The pass shows buyers and tenants how energy efficient a building is, thus giving them a clear idea of the energy costs they can expect and the type and the extent of modernisation which would have to be carried out.
This information includes:
- Exact details on the energy costs you can expect
- How this particular object compares to similar objects
- Which modernisation measures are recommended
And here’s something else that you as a tenant or house buyer should be watching out for: the recommendations regarding the type and extent of the modernisations to be carried out on the object in question are just that – mere recommendations. It is therefore crucial that you as a potential tenant find out when these recommendations are going to be put into practice and when you can count on paying lower energy costs. And as a buyer it is equally important to know which costs for carrying out the recommended modernisations could be coming your way.
There are two Energy Passes:
The Energy Requirement Pass: How energy efficient is a building? This pass includes an analysis of the building substance as well as the central heating system and shows which energy requirements the house has. This Energy Pass is for new houses.
The Energy Consumption Pass: This pass is for all other buildings. It tells you just how much energy in the form of heating and warm water was consumed during the previous three years. This pass is also particularly useful for house owners and property developers who can highlight the object’s strong points if the energy consumption is low and inform their clients of the prospective costs which additional modernisation measures would entail.
So it would seem that the Energy Pass will not only help you to save energy – it will help save you unnecessary trouble too.
Prices for chimney sweep services soar
Chimney sweeps probably perform one of the oldest occupations in the world. The profession can be dated back to the 12th century when the first chimneys were built to draw the smoke from roaring fires out of ancient castle fireplaces. The growing number of towering chimney stacks and clay chimney pots which popped up across the country in the 18th and 19th centuries during the time of the Industrial Revolution turned chimney sweeping into a very popular profession. But only when the chimneys were built to be big enough for a man to pass through did the profession lose the disreputable image which it had acquired during Victorian times due to the abhorrent practice chimney sweeps had of sending small boys up dangerously narrow chimneys in which they frequently got hopelessly stuck and sometimes even suffocated.
Nowadays a chimney sweep is often considered a symbol of luck: in parts of Great Britain they are extremely popular at weddings where they are thought to bring the bride luck. And in Germany small pipe cleaner chimney sweeps in pretty little plant pots are often given as a gift on New Year’s Day.
But not everybody can count themselves quite so lucky: the “Gebührenverordnung für Schornsteinfeger”, the new act regulating the fees which chimney sweeps can charge for their services, has resulted in a price increase of up to 60% for a third of all households in Germany. And although according to the media portal “Der Westen”, the changes, which have been in place since January 2010, will not affect the other two thirds of all families, this will come as small consolation to those who will have to dig considerably deeper into their pockets when the chimney sweep comes knocking at their door.
For those affected the new legislation will prove to be a bitter pill to swallow. These additional costs come on top of the costs which members of health funds are already having to pay for an ailing health care system, and with an imminent rise in VAT looming on the horizon some families will be looking for other ways to cut their household budgets and save money on other essentials.
For example electricity. But here’s where we can help. You can literally knock £100s off your electricity bill by switching off certain appliances like set-top boxes, hi-fi systems and DVD recorders at night instead of just switching them to stand-by, and also by identifying – and eliminating – the true electricity gobblers in your home.
An energy meter from Trotec will provide you with just the information you need to unearth these nasty little culprits. Information including the exact amount of energy each of your appliances is consuming and just how much that relates to in hard currency.
And with a bit of luck you will end up saving more than you had hoped for.
