Archive for May, 2010

The Icelandic Ash Cloud and Us

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

How might the Icelandic ash cloud affect the everyday homeowner in this country? In Iceland, people have been out shoveling ash like snow, and in some places been forced to stay in their homes. But if the ash were to get that bad over us and start falling like rain how might it affect people’s homes across the country? Let’s look at a number of scenarios and how your home could be affected.

Best case scenario

So the ash has been falling gently on the UK for a few days and it is like a beautiful Christmas morning, but in June, and the snow is dirty grey and black ash. While this would be annoying and slightly dangerous from a visibility point of view, the most you would have to worry about as a homeowner would be the mess. Having cleared your rosebushes and dusted down your driveway, doors and windows bought through Ideal would be pristine in no time thanks to their easy clean and scratch resistant surfaces, and after a quick soap and water session they would be good as new.

Medium case scenario

Having made it through the best case scenario, the winds suddenly change and torrential ash falls for several weeks. Winds whip the ash around and up under your roofline and into the house. The ash fills your gutters and gets heavy enough to stop the flow of water and causes blockages and pulls your gutters down. With Ideal, rooflines are a crucial part of a healthy functioning roof. As part of this eaves guards, gutter guards and insect guards work to both protect your roof and keep it healthy in spite of the volcano.

Worst Case Scenario

Ash falls in blizzards of unending darkness, while rocks and boulders the size of Transit vans tumble from the sky and one crashes through your garage. After several months living in a church hall and after the skies have cleared, you can call Ideal or go on their website and get an instant quote for garage conversions or even for that brand new Conservatory you always wanted. We provide an extensive range of conservatory designs after all.

While the ash cloud may not cause this level of carnage, it may just delay your holiday. But knowing how much faith you can have in Ideal Windows and conservatories can offer some piece of mind in these temporarily darkened times. Whether you are an existing customer or just out there looking for someone to trust, know this – with Ideal you can’t go wrong.

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Conservative Conservatories

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Now that the country has voted in the historic 2010 General Election, what can we look forward to from our new government? As the MP’s decide who will do what and with whom and for how long and why, we can only speculate at this moment in time as to what will the effect be on us as individuals. What can a homeowner expect to see affected?

The Conservatives promised to: “Help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder, by increasing the stamp duty threshold for them to £250,000, so that nine out of ten first-time buyers will pay no stamp duty.”

This will mean more new homeowners with the opportunity to improve and enhance their homes with new garage conversions and conservatories. They also promise to reintroduce their Right-to-Buy scheme, as seen in the 1980’s, which offers the opportunity for families to get on the housing ladder.

Labour has done well in many areas where housing was a major issue, and held seats threatened by those standing on a single issue of housing. They also intended to suspend stamp duty on properties bought by first time buyers on sales up to £250,000.  Similar to the Conservatives, they both seem to agree that giving better opportunities to first time buyers is an important thing, which should leave some extra cash to improve things such as insulation and roofline products. These will be important what with scorching summers, freezing winters and looming ash clouds with which to contend.

The Lib-Dems interestingly backed a proposal by the Energy Saving Trust for the government to underwrite what they are calling ‘green loans,’ in which householders would apply for commercial loans to revamp their homes, with the cost being repaid through energy bills which should fall because of improved energy efficiency of the renovated house. With this policy in place, many people who would otherwise be unable to make home improvements could now make these alterations to their windows or conservatories.

Be it a helping hand to get on the first rung of the ladder or a little push towards improving what you have already, it seems that whatever your political allegiance, all the parties have something in their back pocket which will help homeowners to make a difference to the value of their home and their quality of lives.

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Conservatories Open a World Of Possibility

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

The desire to improve your home is as understandable as it is popular, people often want to ‘make their mark’ on a building or simply get the most out of their location. It is at this point that home owners try and decide from the bewildering array of options which one will help them realise the home of their dreams. It is as this point that many decide that a Conservatory offers the features they are looking for.

Conservatories, by their very construction represent a terrific way to let in light when compared to traditional ‘brick and mortar’ building extensions. It is easy to underestimate quite the effect that living day-to-day in a bright sunny room can have on the overall feel of a house. Personally I enjoy a conservatory almost as much at night as during the day, it can almost deliver that ‘campfire’ feeling where with some subtle lighting it becomes a perfect place to wind down after a hectic day.

The light and airy nature of a conservatory can also help you make the very most out of your garden, even on days when the weather seems to conspire to keep you inside! The garden space seems to transition better when you have a conservatory installed, the old adage of bringing the garden into the home can really start to make sense.

Modern technologies mean that conservatories don’t have to suffer in the winter or summer. Special window fabrication techniques mean that they can be specially designed to retain heat and are more energy efficient than glazing of old. PVCU Conservatories also feature little or no maintenance requirements.

One other benefit of deciding to upgrade your house with a conservatory is finding new uses for the space that previously you may not have even considered. One traditional use may be to simply use it as a reception room, but what if you also used it as a dining room? If your house has a spectacular view or beautiful garden it could give your dining room an incredibly special ambience.

Conservatories can change the way you live and transform your house, if you are looking for your dream home then just imagine what a conservatory could do for you today!

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Opening Your Door to Different Styles

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Everybody’s home needs a door. That goes without saying. Your front door is a major focal point of your house so you want to be sure that it’s sturdy but also looks good. You also have to ensure that it’s right for your home and with an abundance of styles and designs available you can be sure that the right door for you is out there. All you have to do is decide on the style of the door and what features you want it to come with.

Door Style

The first thing that you should consider if investing in a new door is the style. There are various different kinds of doors to suit different homes so there is a lot to consider. Do you want for example, a glass inlay in your door or perhaps you’re interested in a stable door for the back of your house? Now a stable door isn’t quite what you might picture from the name. It’s actually a door design that allows you to open the top half of the door separately. This is great to let some air and light in without letting kids and pets out. Of course you might want to consider a good old fashioned sturdy one piece door.

Door Structure

Different from style the structure of your door plays a big part in how strong and protected against attack it is. Furthermore it can also affect the heat your door keeps in and even how environmentally friendly it is. So it’s worth considering some of the advanced features that many modern doors now offer. Unlike older traditional doors made from solid wood, many are made with specially developed interior materials. Doors built with PVC-U interiors are extremely strong and also are more thermally efficient than other doors, keeping your home warmer and cutting down on your carbon footprint. There are companies, like ours, which specialize in PVC-U designs such as doors, UPVC windows and PVCU conservatories.

Security Features

Vitally important for any home owner is the knowledge that their door is secure against attack. There are many security features which should definitely be considered before making a purchase and since many can be added for minimal costs it’s worth asking about. You should ensure that your door is secured against the most common forms of break-in, lock drilling, lock bumping and lock snapping. These can be guarded against with the addition of a few simple features such as cylinder guard protectors to prevent snapping, locking cylinders to prevent bumping and secure steel drill plates to prevent locks being drilled out. Knowing which common techniques are used will arm you with information to use when buying a door.

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