Custom Builds Allow You To Go Green

Energy efficiency is still a bit of a buzzword, being thrown around left right and centre in the building industry. Despite this, the fact remains that this feature is perhaps the most important part of a modern custom home builders’ job in Adelaide.

Most people appreciate that choosing the most environmentally friendly options for household appliances and designs makes sense for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is of course going to help out the greater planet. The environmentally conscious among us realise that there is no longer really a debate about whether the climate is changing or not. The debate swings instead to how much it is changing, and what we can do to curb this change. If we are to make a significant difference, then we each have to do our part to contribute, and making informed choices during the planning stages of your build is a fantastic start.

The other big reason for choosing the most Eco-friendly options is that it can save you the big bucks, both in upfront purchase costs as well as ongoing operation and maintenance. The most energy efficient refrigerator on the market for example will reduce your running costs by about 20%. In terms of upfront cost, it will depend on which features you prioritise. Elements such as double doors and a thermostat will help you to keep your fridge at the right temperature and not waste energy unnecessarily. An energy rating of at least 2.5 is recommended, and the higher the star rating, the better the deal.

Retrofitting later is certainly possible, but will mean you have to fork out a small fortune. For those who are motivated to go green for financial reasons, this kind of misses the point. Besides, building an energy efficient home is about far more than just the appliances. The orientation plays a key role in making the most of the natural arc of the sun, and will determine many other things such as passive cooling and whether your home is suitable for solar panels. These are major building factors that cannot be simply added later, and must be considered in the early design stages. You may like to consider aspects such as recycled or reclaimed building materials too.

As well as choosing what you do and do not want, building a custom home means access to the absolute latest in energy efficient devices. Even in the last two years, huge strides have been taken in developing advanced appliances that put older ones to shame. The huge demand for these products drives prices down and so you can expect to pay less for a washing machine that performs 5 times as well and uses less water. It really makes no sense to for anything other than the latest available whitegoods at the time.

With a custom build, all of the choices are up to you. By going with a developer rather than an individual builder, you will be able to gain access to the current plans that have enjoyed great environmental success, and tweak the parts you want to change. Building from scratch can be the way for big mistakes to happen if you are not properly experienced in what works and what doesn’t. There is no point in choosing the most environmental aspect and shape of a blueprint if in reality if does not properly serve the needs of your family. Strike a balance between functionality and environmental design.

 Please get in touch with the respected custom home builders team in Adelaide at Beechwood Homes.

Ensure Your Balcony is Child Friendly

A balcony is classified as any platform on the side of a building more than one metre above ground level. By law, this platform must be surrounding by some sort of safety balustrades in Adelaide, also known as railing. As you can imagine, there can be all sorts of hazards for young children on and around your balcony.

Perhaps the biggest factor that parents worry about is the drop to the ground. As mentioned, a balcony is at least one metre from the ground, but more often it is more like two or three metres. A fall from this height could easily cause severe injury, if not death. Unfortunately, the incidence of balcony falls is rather high considering Australian Building Standards insist on a reliable balustrade. Around 140 deaths in children under fifteen years are recorded as a direct result of balcony falling.

The worrying part is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a significant fall height in order to cause death. According to a recent study, approximately 40% of fatal falls for children under the age of fifteen were from a height of less than three feet, which is about three times the length of a standard ruler. In order to prevent falls, the balustrading must be high enough as well as unclimbable. According to Australian Building Standards, any balcony not surrounded by a wall needs to have a balustrade that is at least one metre in height.

The next hazard is little limbs or other body parts becoming stuck in any gaps in the balustrading. The often arises from attempts to climb the structure. Building standards state that any gaps must be no wider than a 12.5cm circle. However, this restriction would still allow other smaller body parts to become stuck. For this reason, various children’s hospitals recommend a maximum of a 10cm gap. They have seen the many cases of injury that arrive on their doorstep, complaining of large balustrading gaps.

Finally, the last major danger when it comes to balconies is the staircase that is often attached. Stairs are dangerous for even the most coordinated people when they are in a hurry or simply have their mind on other things. For children whose motor and hand-eye coordination skills are not fully developed, will struggle even more. Balustrading is a must for outdoor and indoor staircases, for many of the same reasons as it is required or balconies. As well as a balustrade, it is a good idea to include a hand rail that can guide people up and down safely. Families with young children may wish to look at a second rail which is the right height for their children. Correct landings should also be used after a maximum of 18 steps.

Flooring can be a danger on balconies and outdoor stairs, as this can affect the incidence of slipping. While most balconies are under cover, rain and debris can still blow in and become a hazard. Grooved timber or non-slip tiling are popular choices which effectively drain excess water and prevent slipping in wet and dry conditions. You will want to conduct some research on durable and cost effective solutions that will not disintegrate under extreme weather conditions.

Any questions about the legality and best safety tips for your balcony can be answered by either the Australian Building Code website, or by talking to your local balustrading supplier. Of course, balustrades are not solely about safety, and can look extremely attractive if done correctly. Choose from a range of glass, aluminium or Steel Balustrades Options in Adelaide from Fencing World.

Smoke Alarm Checks Are Essential

A confident electrician team in Newport can quickly and efficiently perform the job of installing and checking smoke alarms. Checking that the smoke alarms are still working is one of those jobs that we know is really important, but it just completely slips our mind. Perhaps this is because the detectors are located on the ceiling, and so you never really catch yourself looking directly at them which would remind you. Perhaps it is because they are a bit awkward to get to, and you can’t be bothered getting the step ladder out, or are worried that you might trip and fall. Whatever your reason, it is no excuse when one quick could save the lives of your family, as well as your family home from fire.

Checking your smoke alarms when you move into a new property involves more than simply checking the batteries. You will also want to double check that there is an alarm on each floor, and especially outside every bedroom or other area where one might take a nap.  You should also familiarise yourself with what to do if the smoke alarm goes off in a new place. Do you know how to disable it if it is a kitchen false alarm? Is there an automatic signal that is sent out to the emergency services if the alarm is sounding for a certain period of time? Which is the best or most efficient way to exit the building if it isn’t a false alarm?

There is some confusion as to when smoke alarms should be checked. As a general consensus, they should be checked monthly. This may seem like an inconvenience, but checking them is simply a matter of seeing if a little red light is flashing, for example. Every now and then it is also a good idea to test them by waving smoke beneath them and checking that they do go off. Of course, remember to warn all family members and neighbours before doing this! Changing the batteries only needs to be done yearly, and in fact there is a national day which seeks to remind homeowners to check their alarms and change the batteries. In Australia, this is April 1. If you are a landlord, then it is your responsibility to perform the required checks across all of your properties.

Finally, smoke alarms are not only for homes, but equally as important for businesses too. In fact, for industries which regularly work with flames and smoke, such as restaurants, the installation and regular maintenance of smoke alarms is absolutely imperative. As well as being motivated by a sense of safety, there are some serious fines that threaten businesses and landlords which fail to properly position, install or monitor the performance of smoke alarms. This is so strict because it is widely recognised just how effective these tiny devices can be in preventing serious injury and death.

Smoke alarms that are any older than a decade need to be replaced entirely, not just the batteries. If you are moving into a new place, it can be difficult to know just how old or how reliable your detector is. Ask your landlord about when it was installed or if it has been maintained over the years. If in doubt, then it is worth the peace of mind and enhanced safety for your family and treasured possessions to simply replace it. Then, at least you will know for sure and will be able to chat toy our electrician with confidence. Please have a chat to Electricians On Call, our Exceptional Electrician Business in Newport.

Attaching a Carport To Your Existing Roof

There are some serious factors to consider when attaching an attached carports roof in Adelaide. Because you are building onto your own home, you need to consider not only the structural integrity of the new build, but also how this impacts your home roof.

Decades ago, any additions of this sort were much smaller in size and so therefore did not impact the existing structure as much. However, as people demand more and more space, carports are becoming bigger. It is now common for a family to have two or three or even more cars, all of which they are looking to house under their new carport. They might even want a brand new outdoor living or entertaining area that would be even larger than this.

These growths are compounded by the fact that roof frames tend to be made from either prefabricated timber or steel. This frame using this material is carefully designed to manage the weight of the house roof, but not any additional weight. It is possible to successfully add a carport to your home without doing damage, but there first needs to be some reinforcement procedures performed. For example, the fascia is often made if thin and flimsy metal, and cannot really act as a distributing beam. The fascias clearly need to be firmly attached and reinforced to ensure that this border is not a point of weakness.

When you are certain that they are firmly secured, then the next problem involves counteracting the immense weight of the carport that will drag down the edge of the house roof. Depending on the depth of the eaves, you may find that the downward pull of the carport could force the house roofing material to bow. The roof section between the edge and the first truss node are particularly at risk of this. The simple solution is to add a strengthening support which reinforces this section and ensures it stays rigid.

Adding additional weights onto a corner of a roof is particularly dangerous, as these are the weakest points of the structure. This is because of shallow roof space, large cantilever and discontinuous rafters. A carport addition here can be done, but it does need some very special and expert attention. As well as pulling down, the huge roof area of your carport has the potential to cause a massive uplift as it catches the breeze. Tie downs are required of the roof to the supporting walls, and these can be retrofitted rather easily by a qualified roofing technician.

These are the main structural considerations when adding a carport to your home. There will also be other minor changes to be done, such as moving gutters and drainage pipes from the edge of the house roof to the edge of the carport roof. Homeowners with solar panels, or perhaps those who have thought they would never have enough space for them, may like to consider the possibility of using their carport roof for this purpose.

An attached carport offers endless flexibility and opportunities for entertaining, from work dinners to kids’ birthday parties. This valuable space will no doubt get used, and can be dressed up or down to suit the circumstances, as well as of course housing a car or two at other times. It is highly recommended to use reliable steel brands when creating a carport, as timber is known for rotting and warping in different weather conditions.

If you are looking for an experienced and Capable Adelaide Carports Team, then you can get in touch with the exceptional team at Pergolarific.

Spot Spraying Large And Small Areas

Spraying is an important part of growing at any level, from gardening enthusiast to agricultural farmer. The scale of the area in question will determine whether an agile backpack sprayer or industrial sensor sprayer is required.

Large areas are best attacked with weed sensing machinery that allows a thorough elimination of weeds without wasting product or putting crops in danger. This highly advanced technology only sprays chemical when the nozzle senses that it is about to travel over the top of a weed. Depending on the weed density, you may be able to cover a huge area without using much product at all, and ensuring your crops are safe. The costs involved are proportionate to the area and weed density, which makes a lot of sense for a farmer. This low wastage means that more expense can be spared on investing in the best quality chemical and novel spraying mixtures.

Particularly important is this method for tackling weeds that have developed a resistance to traditional weed killers. These resilient specimens can pose a serious threat to farmers, as they often go under the radar, and the damage is not known until it is too late. For example, Western Australia is currently experiencing difficulty with Wild Radish and Annual Ryegrass exhibiting frustrating resistance to a range of classes of chemicals. Walking around and manually spraying these plants, depending again on the density, could be painstaking.

The ease and low-waste nature of this weed sensing machinery allows for cost effective and efficient experimentation with a wider range of chemical alternatives. Better yet, the weed sensor technology eliminates the risk of resistance developing in the first place. Plants only become resistant once they have been exposed to some of the chemical, though not enough to kill them. This comes from inefficient large scale spraying.

This technology is invaluable for the modern farmer, with some estimates predicting that this could cut herbicide costs by up to 75%. With popular herbicides costing around $20 per hectare, this proportionate model uses only what is needed and offers a dramatic saving. While this large machinery is needed for professional farmers, it is hardly fathomable for hobby farmers and gardeners to justify such an investment. Smaller areas are still best serviced manually, however even manual spraying techniques have developed significantly over the years.

Several years ago, hand held sprayers were so bulky and heavy that they needed to be awkwardly dragged around as the user walked between crops or around the garden. These days, the design has been well refined. They are lightweight and shaped so that they can rest on your back without discomfort. Pumping is a simply lever at the waist, and so there is no need for constant bending over and pumping when the tank is on the ground. The tank is auto pressurised, meaning that you will have the perfect stream so long as the tank is properly calibrated first. The range of attachments is far bigger now, so that it is simpler to get the best droplet size for your intended use. This eliminates pollution of chemicals and better targets your weeds or crops.

Just because you are not a professional or large scale farmer does not mean that you should have access to less sophisticated equipment. Anything from thick, dense weed spread to a very sparse population can be actively and effectively targeted by both of these techniques in their relative context. Talk to your supplier about correct calibration, nozzle fittings and walking pace for your particular project. Please do not hesitate to visit Green Gorilla at Latest Backpack Sprayer Equipment. 

Choosing the most thermally efficient roofing product

When it comes to reroofing, Australian customers have access to the two main steel brands including durable Colorbond roofing and Zincalume. As well as deciding between these two brands, there are a number of other important decisions which will help to achieve the most environmentally friendly roof possible.

Choosing a roofing material that is good at reflecting the heat and rays of the sun is highly advisable. Your home will remain cooler in the height of summer, and you will really appreciate it when we no doubt experience a 40˚C+ heatwave next summer. However, roofing is also a very important aesthetic choice, and the wrong decision can bring down the value and first impressions of a home. Striking this balance between appearance and function is one of the difficulties that homeowners undergo when redoing their roof.

Colorbond is characterised by a distinctly matte finish. This comes about from the pre-painting process, where the paint is baked on so that it never chips, cracks or fades. By contrast, Zincalume is a bare, non-painted metal. It is naturally shinier and more reflective in finish, which is considered a natural advantage in reflecting the sun. It appears that Zincalume may be better and reflecting heat. However, while this shiny silver may reflect the heat, many people hate its appearance. It can look appropriate on some modern houses, but will be totally out of place on older style properties.

It is the colour range of Colorbond that makes it so popular, both for aesthetic and functional reasons. Everybody knows that black absorbs a lot of heat. Animals have adapted in the wild to take advantage of this fact. Polar bears have black skin under their white furry camouflage for example. And we have learnt to adapt human homes in a similar fashion based on this one universal concept. In Australia, we don’t want to absorb heat, and so we tend to go for lighter coloured roofs.

In fact, The Building Code of Australia has created a basic measuring system which categorises Colorbond colours into light, medium and dark. Paler colours have a light absorbance whereas darker colours obviously have a ‘darker’ absorbance. Light colours are considered anything which absorbs less than 40% of incoming heat, whereas dark is over 60%. Mediums are in between. Classic Cream and Surf Mist are two examples of Colorbond roofing colours that are classified as light by the BCA. Building which use these attractive colours are sometimes eligible for concessions due to the increase insulative benefits.

While most people think of Colorbond’s distinctive matte finish, there are also other, more reflective options. There is a metallic roofing range from Colorbond which is far more reflective, and two of these colours receive the BCA light rating, as well as one from the Colorbond Coolmax range.  The Thermatech feature unique to Colorbond goes further in ensuring that this steel is well suited to cooling the home in harsh Australian heat. This technology has in particular been incorporated into some of the darker materials, so that even these can be considered impressively energy efficient. This means that there is nothing stopping you from choosing your favourite tone that goes with the rest of your property, without the restraints of choosing only a light tone.

However you look at it, Colorbond is the clear winner in both appearance and energy efficiency. Ensure you put this job to a trusted and experienced roofing team backed by a strong reputation. If you would like to learn more about the popular Colorbond Roofing Range available.

What’s The Catch With Free Vending Machines?

In this day and age, we are very sceptical when we see a deal that seems too good to be true. Nothing comes for free these days, which is why many business owners that are offered free vending machines packages in Melbourne immediately assume a scam. While it is certainly a great deal for business owners, the reason that it is free is because the company is getting something out of it.

Now, this isn’t a bad thing. Essentially, the company just wants to make their products accessible to a larger number of people. Supermarkets are becoming increasingly competitive such that it is near impossible for local or lesser known brands and products to be stocked. Even if they are in demand from supermarket buyers, the rates for this service are still incredibly high. From the candy or beverage seller’s point of view, they are looking for a cheap (or free) place to locate their stock and sell it.

Unusually, this space would be rented in a high traffic area. However, small to medium sized businesses are hardly high traffic areas. The vending company is only going to make money from what employees buy, which may be a couple of items per day. So, this is why they don’t in fact pay you to house their vending machine. Keep in mind that the vending company will also pay for service, maintenance and restocking, as well as of course the original product costs.  The price margins are rather minimal, so you and your employees are still getting a good deal.

In fact, it is a great deal. With no large mark up of product prices like in some monopoly vending machine locations, you will pay close to supermarket prices.  You will enjoy the increased convenience of not having to duck out of the office in heavy traffic and waste valuable time every time you need a sugar hit or a drink. There are also vending options which stock healthy choices for bars and drinks if you are conscious about your brand image or hyperactive staff. Consistent peer reviewed consumer research studies have found that employees who indulge in the occasional vending machine treat are more productive at work. One such study suggests that consuming items we consider to be vices or naughty, increases a measure called vitality, which is essentially an energy boost. Of course, the sugar doesn’t hurt either.

If productivity if your main concern, then perhaps you might consider a coffee vending machine. This one would no doubt get a work out several times over the course of the day. Recent research conducted on a digital media company found that the installation of a coffee machine, and subsequent increase in employee coffee consumption, lead directly to a massive 19% increase in productivity over the course of three months. Clearly this is not simply a short term fad result, and these results are quite staggering. As well as increased productivity, coffee also correlated with decreased anxiety, higher mood, motivation, concentration and performance. This level of improvement is something that is dreamt about by any company. 

So, in all, there is no catch. Yes, someone else is making money off of you, but it is money your employees would be spending elsewhere anyway and you receive the benefit of the extra convenience and hassle free operation. If you cannot decide between drinks and snacks, or sweet or savoury, then talk to your local supplier about combination machines or a package deal. To begin discussing with a Registered Vending Machines Supplier in Melbourne about how you could take advantage of this excellent package.