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Archive for May, 2010

You have many choices when it comes to providing your property with a makeover. One set of choices relates to the beauty treatment you give to your yard. What is possible depends on many factors: your neighbourhood, your climate zone, your budget. There is also the question of your personality and your approach to such a makeover - you might be an 'all or nothing' type, or you might like to go at things in manageable bites, one bit at a time.On this page we'll discuss an idea that costs you nothing, provides a possible overarching frame for your design ideas, and introduces a whole catalogue of questions to start off your thinking about where you want to go. The idea, borrowed from a style of sustainable living known as 'permaculture', is zonation.In brief, it advocates that you divide your property into activity areas known as 'zones'. On a suburban lot you might have as many as five zones; but you can have fewer if that suits your circumstances better. Each zone harbours a main style of activity and a main kind of useful crop.Zone 1 is the area you most often visit: the area near the entrances and exits .. more »

When renovations spring to mind, immediately thoughts of major costs come into play. But this is not the case if you are looking to refresh your cafe. Here are some cost effective ways to spruce up your cafe without breaking the bank.1. Paint - Quite possibly the cheapest way to give your cafe a facelift with maximum effect. Reassess your colour palettes based on your furniture, lighting and space you have to work with. Sometimes, you don't even need to paint all the walls - a feature wall can offer quite a dramatic effect and can be done in a matter of hours. If you do choose to repaint the entire cafe, make sure that you allow time for multiple coats and drying time. You don't want your customers to be knocked out with paint fumes!2. Hardware - Another great way to change things up is to replace old door knobs and handles with new more modern styles. You can pick these up for minimal cost and can have a great impact of the aesthetic of the cafe. If you do your research online you can often get them heavily discounted if bulk amounts are purchased.3. Occasional pieces - Vases , bowls, wall .. more »