Design & Construction Lifestyle

Tree Stumps

Giving Tree Stumps a New Lease on Life 

Not every tree in your yard will be precisely where you need it to be in your landscaping plans that you carefully constructed with your landscapers. And it’s not like you can uproot it and move it all that easily. Sometimes, the only plan of action is cutting it down. But then what are you supposed to do with the stump?

Before you think of ripping it out, killing it, or speeding up the rotting process, consider the following options.

Turn it Into a Planter

Why buy new pots and planters when you can use what nature gave you? Believe it or not, with a bit of preparation, your old tree stump can do the job. By digging out a small hollow in the centre and preparing it as you would a new plant pot, it can act as a natural planter.  

You can then plant succulents, perennials, or whatever you please. All of a sudden, it goes from being an eyesore to your landscaping’s main attraction.

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By New Urban Homes, ago
Alarm Monitoring

What Is Alarm Monitoring and Do I Need It?

In the modern world, a huge percentage of properties are protected by some sort of security system. In some cases, these are just simple intruder alarms designed to alert you to the presence of unwanted visitors. But in more advanced systems, CCTV and alarm monitoring are designed to protect your property in real-time, even if you’re not there.

The beauty of alarm monitoring services is that they protect and monitor your property 24 hours per day, seven days per week. If something goes wrong, your security company will take action immediately to ensure your property remains protected. In the rest of this article, we’ve looked at some of the alarm monitoring systems available, how they work and whether or not you need to think about installing one.

What Is Alarm Monitoring?

In short, alarm monitoring systems are designed to protect your property in real-time, notifying you and/or your security company anytime there’s an intruder or something else wrong. They are usually composed of a mixture of motion sensors, CCTV cameras and, in many cases, door and window sensors securing your property.

When you’re using an alarm monitoring system, you need to ensure you have a steady, consistent internet connection at all times. Otherwise, you may not be aware of an issue until well after the fact.

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By New Urban Homes, ago
Landscaping for Dummies

Landscaping for Dummies – Everything You Need to Know

Although many people choose to use a professional landscape designer in landscaping, it’s more than possible to do things independently. This is especially true if you’re a handy person, not afraid to get out there and do some hard work.

However, there are plenty of things you should be aware of before you attempt to do your own landscaping. Because of this, we’ve put together this short guide to landscaping for dummies. Note that if you do decide to go ahead on your own and run into problems, we highly recommend contacting a professional for more advice!

What Is Landscaping?

Let’s start with the simplest of questions, “What is landscaping?”. Landscaping involves redeveloping your outdoor spaces, often transforming them into something much more attractive and useful than they currently are.

Because of this, landscaping does require some skills, mainly if you’re doing something complex like installing water features. Sometimes, your best option could be to do the easy things yourself and then to employ someone to take care of the more skilled jobs.

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By New Urban Homes, ago

5 Ways to Ensure Your Plumbing Remains in Top Condition

When issues arise with your plumbing, they can cause a lot of problems. Plumbing issues can be expensive to fix, and the damage they can cause to the rest of your property can be extensive. The last thing you want is your carpeted rooms getting flooded, and you need to pay for professional cleaning experts to fix that issue.

Because of this, regular maintenance on your home’s pipes and other parts of your plumbing system is essential. We always recommend speaking with a professional plumber to ensure you’re doing things correctly, but you can do plenty on your own.

Below are five simple things you can do to keep your plumbing in top condition.

  1. Use Drain Strainers

One of the leading causes of ongoing plumbing problems is blocked drains and pipes. If your sinks and other drains don’t have some filter, it’s almost sure that you will eventually run into problems.

Because of this, it’s extremely important to use drain strainers and avoid putting foreign material down the sink. Strainers will catch debris, such as food waste and hair, which would otherwise contribute to blocked drain pipes. Check your filters regularly to ensure they are clear.

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By New Urban Homes, ago

5 Reasons Why You Should Use A Glass Pool Fence

The popularity of glass pool fencing is increasing as more and more people are realising just how stylish and modern it can make their backyard appear. Although it is one of the most expensive pool fencing styles, glass fences are worth every dollar that you will spend on them.

They are simple to install, they are very minimalistic – great for people who are trying to simplify their lives – and they are easy to clean and maintain. If you’re thinking about installing a glass pool fence, then you need to do your research first. Make sure that you’re aware of the pros and cons of glass pool fences, and make sure that you’re comfortable with your choice.

Below you will find our top five reasons why you should use a glass fence to enclose your swimming pools. They include:

  1. A Glass Fence Is Durable

One of the most attractive properties of glass is its durability. Glass fences are extremely hard wearing and resistant to damage in even the harshest environments, which gives them a particularly long lifespan when compared to other pool fencing styles. If you want a pool fence that will look good for years, then go for glass!

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By New Urban Homes, ago

Pipeline Deal And Gitxsan Occupy

Many Gitxsan First Nation people and their supporters spent their Christmas holidays at the blockade outside of the Gitxsan Treaty Office (GTO) in New Hazelton, BC. On December 5, 2011, after consultation with their clan members, Chiefs and members converged on the Gitxsan Chief’s Office in response against a deal signed on December 2nd with Enbridge in support of the controversial Northern Gateway Project by hereditary Chief Elmer Derrick, a negotiator with the GTO. The deal provides the Gitxsan with an equity stake in the pipeline project that could be worth $7 million (€5.3 million) over the life of the project.

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By New Urban Homes, ago

General Electric’s Privatization of Water

Investment banker Goldman Sachs has famously been described by the Rolling Stone’s business writer Matt Taibbi (July 2009) as “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.” So it’s a good idea to take notice whenever that Vampire Squid moves its blood funnel towards something. Having profited handsomely from the Wall Street bailouts, the Squid has smelled money in a new direction: water privatization.

In January 2010, Goldman Sachs, General Electric, and the World Resources Institute (WRI), a Washington-based think tank, together launched a water “initiative” to develop an index measuring water-related risks facing companies and their investors. As their news release put it, “In many regions around the world, water scarcity from climate change and pollution is starting to impact a company’s performance, yet few analysts account for water-related risks.”

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By New Urban Homes, ago
Professional Plumber

Why Should I Use a Professional Plumber?

Although a lot of people attempt DIY plumbing in an attempt to save a little money, this isn’t always a good idea. Sure, DIY plumbing projects can work just fine, to begin with, but there’s always the risk of major problems in the future if the work isn’t done by a professional.

Because of this, we always recommend that people use a professional plumber rather than attempting to do things themselves. Below you will find a short list of our top reasons to use a licenced plumber in Australia. They include:

  1. They Will Do the Work Properly

One of the major benefits of using a professional plumber is that they will always do the work properly. If you choose a reputable contractor who has been working in your area for some time, you can be confident that their work will be completed in accordance with the highest industry standards.

Although you might not realise it, there are numerous plumbing actions which require significant training and experience to get right. Training and experience that you just won’t have.

  1. They Are Licenced and Insured

On top of this, Australian plumbers have to be licenced and insured before they can work in the industry. This fact should allow you to be confident in their services, especially when performing complex jobs such as bathroom renovations or drain inspections.

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By New Urban Homes, ago