Author: Lux Living

Choose the Right Security Company
Design

How Do I Choose the Right Security Company for My House?

Home security is a major consideration in the modern world, especially in major urban areas where crime rates are increasing. For many people, installing security cameras and CCTV is a logical choice when it comes to protecting their property.

However, it’s important to spend a little time choosing the right security company, or else you risk running into problems in the future. Unfortunately, this is a lot easier said than done. Not all companies are equal, and not all offer the high level of service you deserve.

Because of this, we’ve put together the following guide to help you choose the right security company to look after your home. Consider the following:

Check Online Reviews and Ask for Recommendations

One of the best ways to choose a reliable security company with your best interests at heart is to check online reviews. A quick internet search will usually bring up numerous reviews from past clients, and you’ll be able to use these to make an informed decision about your choices.

At the same time, it’s always worth asking friends or family if they have any recommendations. Speak with people who are currently using some sort of security system and find out if their provider is a good option.

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By Lux Living
Maintenance

Most Useful Cleaning Technologies That Could Change Your Life

If you were to ask someone whether they preferred cleaning or holidaying, you would be unlikely to find anyone who would prefer to be scrubbing toilets than sunbathing.

Cleaning is most people’s least favourite thing to do because it’s hard. Fortunately, new technology exists to make it a whole lot easier. You still won’t choose it over a holiday, but at least you won’t be breaking your back for a sparkling clean home. Read on to learn what you should be welcoming into your home with open arms.

Robot Vacuum Cleaners

There used to be a time where we thought robots would take over the world. To a degree, they have, but at least they’re starting with cleaning our homes. Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming more advanced by the day and can undertake regular home cleaning whether or not you are home.

They have a base port they travel to and from, and they can often sense and move away from obstacles. As a rule, the more you spend on a robot vacuum cleaner, the more advanced and helpful it can be.

Robot Lawn Mowers

If it’s not enough that you can leave all your floor cleaning up to a robot, you can also leave your lawn care in its capable hands, too. Robot lawnmowers work with GPS to mow your lawns as you need. They have been so popular and cost-efficient that some councils have even installed them at local parks to save money. Spend more time doing the things you love and less time worrying about lawn care.

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By Lux Living
Clean Your Shower Door
Design, Interior Design

How to Clean Your Shower Door Perfectly

No one would openly admit to liking all household chores. In fact, most people would go as far as to say they would prefer someone else did them for them. However, there comes a time when you have to bite the bullet and combat those messy floors, dirty shower screens, and piles of dishes yourself.

However, some tasks are easier than others, and shower screens are something with which many people can struggle. How do you make sure the glass looks as good as the day you bought it?

The problem is, cleaning your shower screen is not something you should do when it looks dirty, but as part of your daily routine. Unfortunately, a combination of soap scum and hard water can not only make your shower screen look dirty, but damage it as well. Over time, etching can occur, which is permanent. The more you clean your shower screen, the better it can look.

The best way to clean your shower screen so that it looks as good as new is to wipe it down after each use with a microfibre cloth or squeegee. While it might seem like a tedious chore, it’s all in the name of saving time on a deep clean and protecting your shower screen.

Follow up the wiping process with a quick spray of shower cleaner. Get in the habit of doing this after each daily shower you take. If you hang your squeegee in the shower on a hook, it’s a gentle reminder to complete this task before you get out.

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By Lux Living
Landscape for Entertaining
Landscaping

How to Landscape for Entertaining

If you love nothing more than spending time with family and friends, then your home setup and landscaping are essential. You wouldn’t, for example, invite your entire family over for dinner if you only had enough chairs for two people.

That’s why landscape design is essential when you’re catering to specific requirements. If it’s not right, you’re not able to do everything you had planned. Here’s how to incorporate your need for entertaining into your landscape design.

Plenty of Seating

When Australia puts on a show in the warm summer months, you can often be in the mood to invite all your friends and family around. You can share a cold beverage outside and enjoy the sun beating down in your lovely surroundings. If that sounds like your idea of fun, then ensure you incorporate plenty of seating and seating areas into your landscape design. Consider brick, wood, or concrete benches to encompass the outer edges of your deck, or invest in outdoor tables and chairs.

Al Fresco Dining

Not everyone has a home that’s suitable for dining. A lack of space can drive you outside, which is not necessarily a bad thing when the weather’s beautiful. Make sure your outdoor entertaining area is equipped for al fresco dining. Invest in a barbecue and even look at chillers and bar leaners to make it a full dining experience. You can elevate your al fresco dining area with the use of nice building materials such as stone cladding or timber floors.

Provide Shelter

It can reach over 30 degrees-Celsius in Australia during the summer with no trouble at all. If you pride yourself on being the best host, then don’t let your guests cook in the heat. Provide shade options – be it permanent or temporary. Buy sun umbrellas and shade clothes that form a vital part of your overall landscape design.

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By Lux Living
Landscape Design
Landscaping

Low Maintenance Landscape Design

The modern world is a bustling place. People have more things to do and less time to do them than ever before. This has led to a rise in the popularity of things like low-maintenance landscape design.

In simple terms, low-maintenance landscape design refers to the construction of outdoor spaces that look great, can be enjoyed in whatever ways appeal to you and don’t require much time or effort to keep them looking great.

I know how hard it can be to create a low-maintenance outdoor space, so I’ve put together a list of my top tips to help you along the way:

Plant Things That Don’t Need A Lot Of Attention

According to landscape designers, one of the best ways to create a garden or outdoor space that doesn’t need a lot of care is to plant things that look after themselves.

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By Lux Living
Backyard Entertainment Area
Landscaping

Your Pool and your Backyard Entertainment Area

It’s taken a while but you finally have the pool in your yard that you have been dreaming about. But it’s not over. It’s time to add accessories. Some unique landscaping and decorating will enable you to personalise your backyard. There are so many ways to do it as well.

According to landscape designers in Perth, Principal Landscapes, landscape design that includes outdoor pool furniture, rock gardens, water features, trees, and flowers will look great. Here are a few ways you can give it that wow factor look

Plants
According to The Landscape Association, landscaping is not just about plants. Proper landscape design goes way beyond that concept. Your pool needs to be in an environment that will be appealing and comfortable and more importantly, accessible. Once you have constructed the deck and your patio, the plants you choose to dress up the area should be ones that will flourish in our Australian weather. If in doubt, check with your landscape designer. Things to look at in your plan will be coordinating your landscape design to mesh with that of your house and in a sensible proportion. You do not want plants and flowers that shed leaves all year round and causing debris to fall into your pool or onto your deck. Don’t forget that trees and plants are great for privacy, but never let them overtake your backyard as they create problems with root systems and hence the drainage.

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By Lux Living
Timber Fencing
Design

Fencing Types To Consider & Their Uses

Fencing is available in many different types, and each type has its pros and cons, and are designed to meet various standards.

Timber Fencing: The versatility of wood is unquestionable when utilised for fencing. It can be cut into different shapes and sizes to fit any project to help the look. There are many types of wood available such as pine and hardwoods if budget is not a constraint. You can improve the longevity of timber fencing by staining or painting it.

Timber Fencing

Aluminium Fencing: This metal is easy to use and can last a long time with very little maintenance required to keep it looking good. You can colour treat it as well to make it look less like aluminium and to match the building. When compared to steel it is a little cheaper.

Aluminium Fencing

Chain Link Fencing: This is one of the most common types of fencing and can be used for boundary marking, keeping kids and pets safely inside as well as for many commercial uses on securing buildings and areas. Chain link is easy to install and probably the most inexpensive to use.

Chain Link Fencing

Vinyl Fencing: It lasts forever (almost), and requires very little maintenance and cleaning. You can have it a colour that matches your house. It can be used as a decorative fence or privacy and boundary marking. Its ability to weather all conditions makes it a popular and sensible choice.

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By Lux Living
Timber Fence
Maintenance

How to Get the Look of a Timber Fence Without the Maintenance

Timber is a beautiful and traditional fencing material that comes in many wonderful styles and can be painted in many different colours, making it a popular choice for fencing. But many fencing contractors would be able to point to other options that will give you the same look and advantages of timber without the high cost of maintenance.

For instance, there is aluminium available in wood-grained slats the colour of timber. By using such a material you can mimic a timber fence without worrying about using up the earth’s resources. Although truthfully, timber is a renewable resource with many plantations of pine and other species grown especially for the building trade.

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By Lux Living
Experienced Removalist
Renovations

When You Have To Move

Everybody has their own take and ideas on what a removalist service really means. Individuals are just that – individuals, and not every customer will want the same things done as every single household removal job will be unique.

Having said that, an experienced removalist knows that customers typically want specific services that are common to all jobs. And if they are not common then the removal company should initiate them.

  • Quick turnaround on quotations. If you have to chase a service provider because they are too busy or they have neglected to get back to you, it should be a warning sign that their future performance might be lacking as well.
  • Good Advice and a bit of Direction. There are not a lot of customers who might call themselves seasoned veterans when it comes to moving their home or office. Clients will want some proactive advice and guidance rather than thinking further down the track when a problem hits: “Nobody told me that.”

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By Lux Living
Instant Lawn
Outdoor Living

Instant Lawn

There’s no doubt about it that laying down instant turf, is the best way to get that lush green front or back yard as quick as a DIY project. And there’s a lot of satisfaction in sitting back after a weekend of digging, raking, levelling and swearing with a cold beer and looking at a beautiful green lawn right in front of you. But you now know that there is a lot of careful preparation required before installing roll on lawn, and that is to be followed up with proper maintenance.

Timing

This is not a job you would have planned for autumn or winter. You need to pick the right time of year. In Spring, a young man’s fancy turns to outdoor BBQ’s and backyard entertainment. In Australia, we have four seasons – even Melbourne boasts four seasons, it’s just that they have it in one day! The best time to be planning this project is very late Winter or early Spring. But any time in Spring is okay if you want to have your lawn for most of summer. Just be aware of water restrictions.

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By Lux Living
Hire Professional Removalist
Maintenance

Why Hire Professional Removalist and Packing Services?

Hiring a team of professional removalists is the best way to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety when moving to your new home. While borrowing a van from your friends and packing your things in boxes yourselves might seem cheaper, doing so might not only cost you more but also needlessly eat up time and effort that may be better expended elsewhere. Ultimately, professional removalists are the best people who can expertly handle different types of moving tasks from homes, apartments, to offices.

To make the best of the expert assistance from removalists such as Business Movers, the first thing you need to do is research on companies offering removal services in your area. Apart from checking out the price, it is advisable to inquire about the scope of their services. Sometimes, a lower price is given for carrying more items. At times, packages and packaging are also offered. By making thorough inquiries as to the amount of work that the removalists will actually do and extra services they offer will help you find the best deal.

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By Lux Living
Hotel Interior Design
Interior Design

8 Great Trends in Hotel Interior Design

Interior designers like Sam Sorgiovanni who know their business are never slack in embracing the latest trends in designing the interiors of hotels. Unless they keep up with what is seen as trendy and even necessary to give guests a great experience so they’ll want to come back, they won’t end up at the pinnacle of their career. Rather, their work will soon be seen as passé and no one will want to employ them.

A hotel is no longer just a place to sleep while on holiday. Instead, it should become the highlight of the holiday because it gives the guests such a wow! experience.

So what are some of the latest trends of hotel design?

  • Making each room distinctive in design. For instance, one whole wall from floor to ceiling could be an enormous fish tank set up to mimic an authentic reef.

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By Lux Living
Choosing Scaffolding
Renovations

5 Tips for Choosing Scaffolding

Scaffolding is an essential part of most buildings, allowing workers to access higher parts safely and take their equipment and building materials up with them. Without a scaffold, it would be impossible to complete most building projects. Scaffold is needed to build boats, houses, high-rise buildings and plant. It can be used for structures such as piers and docks, bridges and many similar projects.

ScaffoldingSince building companies must use this supporting structure for most, if not all of their projects, how can they choose the best scaffold hire company? Here are some tips.

  • Most building companies get to know who can be trusted in the trades arena. If you sublet or hire a company and find them difficult to work with or that they don’t do a good job, you won’t hire them again next time. Word quickly gets around about companies with a bad reputation, so the first thing to do is ask another company who they used and if they were satisfied with them.

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By Lux Living
Home Repairs Planning
Renovations

Financial Planning for a Home Extension

Most financial advisors would tell you that financial planning is really the first step in achieving your goals for a home extension. Many people buy a home that is on the small side because it is cheaper.

They plan to add an extension as they need it and can afford it. But sometimes that time never comes because they don’t plan their finances to include it.

With help from a financial planner you can rearrange your finances to get that extension you so desperately need, rather than staying squashed up in a home that is too small.

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By Lux Living
Does Your Renovation Company Need Digital Marketing?
Marketing

Does Your Renovation Company Need Digital Marketing?

The fact that fees for renovation projects can make them highly profitable for renovation companies should mean that acquiring clients who have renovation work is a top priority for those companies. This is why when their advice is sought, digital marketing specialists invariably advise renovation companies to make digital marketing a significant part of their client-acquiring activities.

Digital marketing provides several benefits to businesses, including renovation companies. If your renovation company is not using digital marketing, you are missing out on acquiring many clients, and those clients are using your competition.

Here are some reasons why digital marketing is essential for renovation companies and why having an online presence is vital to increasing your clients’ numbers and revenue.

It Is Where Your Clients Are

Whilst offline sources should never be abandoned, the vast majority of the population is online, and with that being the case, it follows that your potential clients are likely to be online, too.

Apart from those who were already regular internet users, recent world events, where many people found themselves stuck at home, meant that individuals who previously did not give the internet a second thought found themselves relying on it for their work and to communicate with friends and family.

This means that millions of people who did not before are now using the internet, and they, and everyone else, are now seeing the internet as part of their everyday lives, even if they are no longer at home all day.

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By Lux Living
Best-Use-of-Patio
Design, Renovations

How to Make the Best Use of Your Patio

Having a patio added to your home is a great idea because there are so many ways it can be used to enhance your lifestyle. Don’t just stick a few potted plants in and leave it at that. Here are some ways you can make the best use of this additional area to your home and enhance your lifestyle while doing it.

  • Start with choosing a convenient spot to have it installed. Attaching it to the home will ensure that it is convenient to use. This will actually extend the floor space of the home so you get more room without the cost of a home extension. You can use the area as an outdoor living room by adding comfortable seating, a table and even heating and lighting.
  • A patio makes an ideal games room for things such as a pool table that tends to take up too much room in the house unless you have a special room to put it in. Add a bar for drinks, a dart board on the wall and you are all set for fun evenings with friends or family.

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By Lux Living
swimming-pool-cleaning
Maintenance

How to Take Care of Your Automatic Pool Cleaner

Anyone with a pool should also invest in an automatic pool cleaner to do most of the hard work of pool cleaning. If the water is not kept clean you can easily get an ear infection or worse, algae could come to visit and it will very likely make itself at home.  Pool cleaners can work away while you sit and relax by the side of the pool. But like many other machines they require a little maintenance to keep on rolling around, sucking up that debris from the pool.

Sometimes a pool needs to be cleaned with what is known as ‘shock treatment’. This is necessary when you notices any opacity in the water, green or red slime or even black spots that herald that dreaded black algae. It should be done regularly such as once a week, especially if you get a lot of leaves and other debris in the pool and don’t always remove it quickly.

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By Lux Living