Category Archives: Home Care

There are a lot of ways you can improve your HDB flat in Singapore, whether it’s adding a section of drywall or making your own tables and chairs to fit your living room or dining area. You don’t need to be a carpenter to do it yourself, but it does help to know the basics before diving into any woodworking project.

Here are the basic carpentry skills you can easily learn in less than an hour:

1. Measuring
The real secret to any woodworking or carpentry project is this: not misplacing any of your tools and equipment.
While it seems like a no-brainer at first, it turns out that you’re likely to spend more time looking for the right tools instead of actually using them, and this is why a tool belt is invaluable.

You’ll also be surprised to know that most of carpentry is taking careful measurements, and this is where you should always learn to keep a pencil with you. If you don’t have a pencil, you can’t mark your measurements, and you can’t build.

Before doing anything else, keep the woodworker’s axiom in mind: “measure twice, cut once.”

2. Cutting
Handsaws may be more tiring to use, but they do the work just as well as a circular saw – they’re also cheaper to get and easier to maintain.

If you’re having trouble using a handsaw, be sure to keep it straight and hold it at a forty-five degree angle. Push and pull using an even motion and let the saw do the work. If cutting through the wood is difficult with it, sharpen it to make cutting easier.

Circular saws are easier to use, but they also come with their own risks, so be careful when handling one. As much as possible, cut only on the supported side of the board and unplug it whenever you want to adjust it to cut at another angle or area.

3. Nailing
Nailing is easily both the “soul” and the frustration of carpentry, and while you can easily hammer one into place with just two or three hits, it’s a kind of skill that takes a lot of time and practice to really master.

The trick to making this easy on yourself is by choosing a hammer that’s neither too heavy nor light. The next thing is choosing the right nail to suit the wood you’re working with: common flathead nails for ordinary outdoor jobs, spiral nails for more holding power, and finishing nails for inside jobs.

As much as possible, avoid leaving nails in loose pieces of wood especially if the points are sticking out, as this could cause serious injury.

(Disclaimer: this list is compiled in no particular order.)

The look of the home should always adhere to what the owners want. For the application of the ideas of home owners like you, there is the local building company to provide the assistance. What are the things that this business can do for you? Here are just some:

Maximise the extra space of your house

As you are walking through all parts of your house, you noticed how beautiful each of them were designed. However, upon reaching one room, it doesn’t look as attractive as the others are since it is plain and dull. You are probably wondering as to how you will transform this space and into what room will you change it. If you have already decided as to what room will it be converted but don’t know where to begin, have no worries at all.

The local building company will be there to help you in changing your plain room into something brand new. You may choose to have it as your home cinema, playroom, family room, home office, dining room, study, bedroom and others as well. Having a garage conversion for your extra space at home can really be that simple and engaging with the help of their company.

Have a cool installed garden room

Oftentimes, the garden area is the place to tender the plants and for outdoor activities. There are the tasks and games done in the garden which requires tools or equipment. It is recommended that these items are properly placed somewhere near in order for the home owners to have an easier access to those. It’s quite a hassle when they still need to go back inside or get upstairs and carry the things to the garden.

The best solution for this is to have a garden room. This is also another installation that a local building company offers to anyone who wants to see an upgrade in their garden. Not only will the items be placed properly in the garden room but it can also be utilised to store other items which are rarely used. The company will help the home owners like you to get the specifications for the garden room.

Place an extension for your home

At any given point in time, it is typical to think of having significant modifications in the home. One of these modifications is by means of placing an extension. It adds up space for the dwellers of the house into which they are freer to move. If you are thinking of having an extension too in your home, then you can trust any local building company.

The company recognises the type of the structure and begins conceptualising the design by incorporating your preference from that point. They also understand that each extension project is distinct and should be given a careful supervision. It is for this reason that only professional architects and adept craftsmen are the ones who will work for you from their team of experts. They make it a point to be elaborate even up to the littlest of detail to fit in the customised requirement that the customers like you will give.

Saving Mother Earth can start in your backyard, when you know how to landscape with eco-friendly design that’s effortlessly beautiful with minimal maintenance. From reducing lawn space to combining decor and live plants, discover five eco-friendly tips to make your home a better and greener place.

1. Use Native Plants

Fill your backyard with plants that grow naturally in your place. In Singapore, you may want to consider planting an orchid or crape jasmine, if you have enough space to grow a tree. You would also want to include plants that serve additional benefits, such as plants that attract butterflies and birds to your garden.

2. Plants Trees to Reduce Energy Use

Planting trees is a wonderful way to cool your home and reduce the use of your air conditioner, especially during summer. To maximize the benefits of trees, plant one on the east and another on the west side of your house. This will shade your house as the sun rises and sets. Make sure to prune the trees regularly so it won’t completely block the natural sunlight from streaming into your home.

3. Reduce the Size of Your Lawn

In most cases, a full-grass lawn isn’t useful, unless it’s a golf course. Keep in mind that grass is greedy; it eats up great amount of water and nutrients. Also, it’s annoying—who enjoys mowing the lawn all the time? However, this doesn’t mean you have to bear with brown dirt lawn—have moss lawn instead. Moss doesn’t grow their roots deeply into the soil, so it doesn’t fight with your other plants for nutrients. You also never have to mow it and it feels cooling to the feet.

4. Make a Compost Pit

Composting happens in the nature and is a process that enriches the soil with nutrients for the plants to absorb in order to grow healthily. Use biodegradable wastes from your home to make your own compost pit. Things like dried leaves, fruit peels, grass clipping, and other organic wastes are great materials to mix into your garden soil. By composting, you’re getting many benefits, such as reducing municipal waste, retention of soil moisture, boosting plant’s immune system, and reducing the need to chemical fertilizers.

With a few considerations when landscaping your outdoor space, you can make your place eco-friendly and make Mother Nature proud. Plus, you can save great amount of energy, time, and resources, and have more time to enjoy your beautiful backyard.