Category: Fireplaces

The common garden snail, Cornu aspersum, has been attracted to the country from France in the 1850s for use. It escaped into the wild and became a garden pest and leaving unsightly slime trails. There are several ways of snails. You will get a better chance should you use multiple strategies, of eliminating them. Handpicking Handpicking snails is an effective control method when performed regularly. Look after dark with a flashlight for snails. When you find them, dip them into a jar of soapy water crush them, or just to kill them. Begin with snail searches. If they become difficult to find, it is possible to cut back to once per week. Watering the garden makes them easier to find and late in the afternoon draws on them out. Hiding Places and Traps Snails conceal in warm, moist, shady places during the day. Hiding places that are eliminating encourages them…

While mice may appear little and cute, they can produce major issues in your yard as they build tunnels and chew your flowers, vegetables and shrubs. They can also act as pest and disease carriers, transporting extra problems such as fleas or ringworm. Thankfully, if you find mice digging holes in your yard, you have several solutions — physical, chemical and ethnic — to remedy the problem. Traps Mice populations in gardens and lawns can readily be controlled using the easy snap-style mouse trap sold in most home and hardware stores. To attract the mice, bait it with peanut butter. For your best results, identify where the mice prefer to go in your garden. They frequently use “runs” to scurry about the landscape, that are generally direct routes in the grass strips bordering the garden or flower beds. Put the traps along the runs, spacing them 10 feet apart. Sheet…

Barberries (Berberis spp.) Have a host of excellent qualities. Many feature attractive autumn foliage or berries, and some have thorns that deter hungry wildlife, which means they create excellent hedge crops. In addition, many barberry species and cultivars are hardy and require little maintenance. This does not mean the plants are free of diseases, nevertheless. Barberries may suffer with a number of different kinds of fungi. Symptoms Barberries experiencing fungal diseases may exhibit a broad array of symptoms. The fungus may look like a thin, white powder that spots or covers the leaves or as dark, brownish or tan spots. Fungi may also soften the wood of barberry bushes. If a fungus encircles a twig, it might cut off nutrients to that component of the plant. Consequently, the tip of the twig may turn black, shrivel up or stop growing. Forms Anthracnose and powdery mildew are the two most common…

Your home is supposed to function as an area of comfort and refuge in the busy, noisy outside world. When you sit down in your living space, you want to be free from unwanted sound, whether it comes from out of your home or inside. Flat dwellers and people who reside in old homes, especially, can’t always have the advantage of ideal sound insulation. However, there are easy actions you can take to soundproof without significant renovations. Floor Hardwood or laminate floors have many advantages, but one major disadvantage is that the sound or echo you create if you walk them across. Carpeted rooms are quieter, but if you would like to decrease the noise your floor produces without sacrificing the hardwood, invest in a few large, plush area rugs. The more of the floor that’s covered in soft material, the more substantial your space is. In case you have…

Buffets are a handy and effective way to feed a crowd when you haven’t got a palace-sized dining table. Serving food buffet-style also helps you move one of your guests. When there aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for setting a buffet table, then it’s important to set your utensils correctly to ensure your guests are as effortlessly and easily served as you can. Planning Before you are able to find out what utensils need to be set out, you have to decide what foods you are likely to serve. A sandwich or taco buffet only needs serving pieces for components and condiments where an old-fashioned Southern groaning table needs forks, spoons and knives. Make a list of everything you intend to serve and then decide what utensils are appropriate. Arrangements Establish the utensils in the conclusion of the buffet farthest in the plates so that your guests can catch them last…

A home’s duct work, though sometimes overlooked, is part of a critical system responsible for distributing air throughout the structure so that all rooms stay at a comfortable temperature. Properly sealing and insulating the ducts in your house, particularly where they pass through potentially unconditioned spaces like the attic or basement, is important for avoiding unnecessary energy loss and ensuring that the duct system serves its intended purpose well. Wipe down the ducts so they are dust free, clean and dry. Inspect the ducts carefully for any hole or sections which should be joined together but have split. Fit the joints back together, if necessary, then cover the joints along with any holes with foil tape, butyl tape or a different heat-approved tape. Measure the circumference of the duct and also the length of each part of duct if you’ll have to cut the insulation into smaller lengths to match…

A fitted bedspread is just like sewing a part of a box with an open end; it is not hard to sew, as long as you take accurate measurements and keep your seams to 1/2 inch. You can sew a fabric-covered welting cord to the very top seams of the bed to protect it from wear and also add a neat finish. This touch also provides the bedspread a finished, tailored look. Assess the width across the top of the bed from edge to edge, and also write down the measurement. Repeat this step for the amount of the bed, edge to edge. Have a measurement from the top edge down the side of the bed to where you want the bedspread to hang. Insert 1/2 inch to every sewed edge. On the very top, add a total of 1 inch to your bed span, and also add a 1/2…

The outer ends of a roof’s rafters — the sloped members that give the roof its toss — supply shade, divert rain and make soffit space for attic ventilation. If your roof’s overhang is substandard, you can stretch the rafters to your level, depending on the pitch of the roof. Extending the rafters with the existing roof sheathing in place is doable, but you’ll get better results if you add extensions during a complete reroofing project. Selecting Rafter Length To get a visual idea of what the newest overhang will look like, take a picture of the house from the side, then make a photocopy, and sketch the desired extension in precisely the same angle as the roof pitch. A steep roof extensions will likely angle downward more than the usual low-sloped roof. The more the extensions, the lower the outer ends of the rafters will function, creating mind clearance…

We have all been there: wake up late, scarf down breakfast and quickly head for the door, only to find that those damn auto keys are nowhere in sight. Nothing like a frantic search to ruin! Instead of spending your precious minutes dumping out your handbag or scouring a messy kitchen counter tops, eliminate the guesswork with a go-to key spot close to your front door. Whether you use a tray, a hook or an integrated cubby, these great solutions show you how it’s done. Rakuten Duo Sparrow Key Ring – $24 Your storage may be pretty and functional at the exact same moment. This cute, practical birdhouse will give your keys a suitable home (and looks good next to a front doorway). M.J. Whelan Construction For people who have space for built-ins, your storage options are infinite (lucky you). Although you can install hooks — since the programmer did…

Homes aren’t always equipped with office area. Sometimes we find ourselves retrofitting a corner in the kitchen or a spot in the hallway for a workspace. This remedy is smart, but it might not offer you the solitude or quiet you want to keep productive. Whether this scenario feels comfortable to you, consider looking north to get a new workplace: The loft might be just the spot. Tucked away in the chaos of the regular, the loft can be transformed to a quaint and tranquil area, perfect for attaining a day’s job. Does just the thought get you motivated? These skilled tips can get your loft transformation. Diederich & Kim Architects Consider obtaining an expert’s opinion. If you are about to change a currently unused area, get the room correctly assessed before taking action. The last thing you want to do is begin a new job before ensuring that everything…