There are 3 general types of boilers

Regular boiler

Regular boilers heat your central heating system directly and produce heated water for your cylinder.

An usual regular boiler system incorporates a boiler, extended controls, a hot water cylinder which is often fed by a cold water storage tank located in the loft and a feed and expansion tank – also located in the loft.

Combi boiler

A combi boiler provides heating and hot water directly from the boiler.

A combi (or combination) boiler is a smart space-saving idea, and a popular choice in UK homes.

A combi boiler is a high-efficiency water heater and even a central heating boiler, combined within one compact unit. So, no separate hot water cylinder is needed, offering space saving within the property.

System boiler

A system boiler heats your central heating system directly and produces heated water for your cylinder.

A system boiler, just like a regular boiler works on the principle of stored heated water. However, a system boiler is different from a regular boiler in some important respects.

Firs of all, many of the major individual components of the heating and hot water system are built into a system boiler, which means that installation is quicker, easier and more efficient.

In second place, the hot water is pumped from the system boiler through the heating system to the radiators and hot water cylinder, resulting in a fast response and more economical running costs. The system boiler removes the need for a feed and expansion cistern.

Different energies

Every boiler need an energy supply to work, there are a lot of different energies you can choose from:

Gas

A heating system that uses a gas condensing technology that provides a good energy utilisation and the lowest emission levels thanks to a good combustion control. When gas burns it produces very few residue, which means that doesn’t need a lot of cleaning and maintenance.

Oil

Use oil for your heating system is an efficient solution for your new building project or for the modernisation of your existing system.

LPG

LPG stand for Liquefied petroleum gas and is a low-carbon alternative to traditional heating fuels. LPG is an ideal power source for a rural population, either as a primary source or, increasingly, in combination with renewable fuels. More recently LPG is being used with combined heat and power technologies

Electricity

If you have a distant tap connection, like a guest bathroom, and you need a water heating system without the problem created by a long piping system an electronically-controlled tank heating units guarantee cheap heating in the house, apartment or single rooms. Electricity is not good for the house boiler.

Solar energy

Introducing the correct solar energy system in your heating system can save you up to 35 percent of your entire heating costs, and up to 50 percent of your water heating costs. This in addition to gas or oil.

Wood

If you are looking for a “green” alternative to oil and gas for your home a wood pellet boiler could be good for you. Wood residues, the raw material for pellets, are available in virtually unlimited amounts and are cheap. Wood can be an interesting alternative to the ever-increasing cost of fossil fuels.

Boiler supplier

There are 3 main suppliers in UK for boilers. Let’s take look at them:

VIESSMANN – www.viessmann.com

The Viessmann Group of Companies is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating systems. Founded in 1917, the family company is run by a Managing Board under the chairmanship of Managing Partner Dr. Martin Viessmann.

Viessmann products:

Gas fired boilers	Oil fired boilers	Solid fuel-fired boilers
Gas fired condensing boilers	Oil fired condensing boilers	Wood combustion boiler

WORCESTER, BOSCH GROUP – www.worcester-bosch.co.uk

Since 1962, when Worcester pioneered domestic oil-fired boilers, the company’s commitment to excellence hasn’t changed. That commitment has only strengthened since Worcester became part of the Bosch Group – one of the world’s leading names in high-end technology. Today, many years and thousands of boilers later, Worcester is the market leader in domestic heating and hot water systems. It’s a name that stands for reliability, quality, efficiency and value for money.

Worcester products:

Gas fired boilers	Gas fired condensing boilers	Oil fired condensing boilers
Oil fired condensing boilers	LPG Boilers

VAILLANT – www.vaillant.com

The Vaillant Group is an international family-owned company with a tradition of more than 135 years. In its core business of heating technology the company is the second-largest European manufacturer in this branch. In addition, the Vaillant Group is active in the branches of ventilation and air-conditioning technology.

Vaillant products:

Gas fired boilers	Gas fired condensing boilers	Oil fired boiler
Wood pellet boiler

Creating house plans that incorporate a variety of different factors including the actual land restrictions, the homeowners living considerations and individual style, the cost of the construction materials and work needed, can be a nightmare.

There are a number of different steps a person can take to make home building a much smoother and more enjoyable process.

How many entertaining rooms will you need?

Households often place extra emphasis on the number of family rooms required as a lot of time is spent in these areas. A separate entertaining room can be handy for both young children and teenagers or as a formal lounge for adults. The location and style of these rooms in relation to the rest of the house is important for families, couples and individuals alike.

How many bedrooms will you need?

Regarding the purpose of your new house planning, additional bedrooms may be useful for family members or guests. Depending on the style of home you plan on building, consideration will also need to be given to where the bedrooms will be placed, for instance you may design a two story home with all the bedrooms upstairs or perhaps just the master bedroom.

Do you need an office room?

A common feature in many new house plans includes an office room. This is a great inclusion for those people who work from home, or whom prefer a separate room for their computer, desk and filing cabinets etc.

How many bathrooms do you need?

Have you considered how many bathrooms your new house plans will need to allow for? Do you want to have a separate toilet and basin for guests to access? If you have a big family or guests that stay often, having an en-suite off the master bedroom or guestroom can be useful in freeing up another bathroom for the rest of the household to use.

How many garage compartments will you need?

If your household has many vehicles then a two plus garage may be necessary. Do you have other vehicles such as boats and bikes that will benefit from garage storage? Is it important for you to have internal access from the garage?

Having answers to these questions will help you find or create an online house plan yourself or with an architectural design firm who can accommodate all your requirements.

Online Resources for House planning:

House Extension Inspiration

If you are planning on extending your home to make more space. Read our article House Extension Inspiration and Planning Guides for exact guidlines on how to go about your house extension planning. See also, a wide range of inspirational galleries and posts on house extensions.

floorplanner.com

With a free registration you can start to create a 3D and a 2D plan for your house.

http://www.homeplanner3d.com/

Free web based 3D house creator. You create the image in 2D and then send the 3D image to your email address

sweethome3d.eu

Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview. Has to be download but work either in Windows and Mac OS.

Housetohome.co.uk

Over 4500 rooms to inspire you full of decorating ideas.

Freshome.com

Our main mission here on Freshome is to inspire you, to give you ideas and make your home a better place to live. On Freshome you can see : beautiful pieces of furniture, pictures that will inspire and provide you new and fresh ideas for your home, latest home architecture news, home gadgets, tips and tricks for improving your home, etc.

Home.ivillage.com

Very nice gallery including bedroom, living room, outdoor room.

Getdecorating.com

This is the best place on earth to find interior design and decorating ideas. Getdecorating features thousands of photos of actual homes designed, decorated and landscaped by Interior Designers.

Decoratinginspiration.com

It’s your ultimate decorating toolbox with thousands of gorgeous color photos. Imagine it… plan it… then do it with Decorating Inspiration.

Hgtv.com

At HGTV.com, you’ll find even more of what you love about HGTV: instructions for thousands of home and garden projects, video tips, an interactive Program Guide and episode finder, Message Boards and more. Just click on your favorite topic — Decorating, Home Improvement, Landscaping, Organizing, Holidays and Entertaining, Real Estate or Crafts
— to learn the latest on enhancing your nest.

7. Home-designing.com

We provide ideas & inspiration for making your dream home.

Channel4.com

A one-stop shop for everything you need to know about homes. Links to the best property programme sites – including Grand Designs, The Home Show and Property Ladder – and expert advice from your favourite 4Homes presenters. Plus great quizzes and competitions.

Dutchboy.com

Dutch Boy Paint is an United States brand of paint founded on 1907. Its icon, the “Dutch Boy”, was originally created to symbolize the Dutch Process. Its early marketing slogan, used until 1932, was “If it ain’t our paint, it’s got the taint!” Dutch Boy is currently a subsidiary of Sherwin-Williams and is owned exclusively by Menards.

Very good inspiration gallery.

DULUX SECTION

Color Inspiration:

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Violet

Neutral

Color wall: Suggested color scheme based on your preferences.

MyColor:

See what thousands of different colour combinations look like in your home without lifting a paintbrush. Simply upload a picture of your room, and then paint it with the colours of your choice.

Dulux room ideas:

Bathrooms

Bedrooms

Halls

Kitchens

Dulux How To: Video demostrations and guides to painting.

Single Function: Colour Scheme Generators

If you need help in choosing the best color scheme you can read this article: 15 Hand Picked Color Palette and Color Scheme Generators Extract: “Color is the most significant factor that affects our mood and perception of any visual element, and making the right choice of a color combination is considered a priority, regardless where it will be used. This roundup is about the online tools that will help you accomplish that, 15 to be exact, packed with features to make the process of generating color palettes, schemes, and themes a smooth, pleasant, and creative experience.”

HOME GALLERIES FOR INSPIRATION

Kitchen Galleries for Inspiration

Kitchen at hgtv.com

Kitchen at housetohome.co.uk

Kitchens, Cabinets, Countertops at getdecorating.com

Kitchen at freshome.com

Kitchens at decoratinginspiration.com

Kitchens at pro-decorating.co.uk

Bathroom Galleries for Inspiration

Bathroom at housetohome.co.uk

Bathrooms, Powder, Pool at getdecorating.com

Bathroom at freshome.com

Bathroom at getdecorating.com

Bathrooms at decoratinginspiration.com

Bathrooms at pro-decorating.co.uk

Living Room Galleries for Inspiration

Living Rooms at channel4.com

Living Room at housetohome.co.uk

Living Room at freshome.com

Living Room at getdecorating.com

Living Rooms at decoratinginspiration.com

Dining Room Galleries for Inspiration

Dining Rooms at goodhousekeeping.com

Dining Room at housetohome.co.uk

Dining Room at getdecorating.com

Dining Rooms at decoratinginspiration.com

Dining Rooms at home-designing.com

Bedroom Galleries for Inspiration

Bedrooms at theinspiredroom.net

Bedroom at housetohome.co.uk

Bedroom at freshome.com

Bedroom at getdecorating.com

Bedrooms at decoratinginspiration.com

Bedrooms at pro-decorating.co.uk

Children’s Bedroom Galleries for Inspiration

Children’s Rooms at projectnursery.com

Children’s Room at housetohome.co.uk

Children’s Rooms at dutchboy.com

Children’s Rooms at getdecorating.com

Children’s Rooms at pro-decorating.co.uk

Kids Rooms at decoratinginspiration.com

Hallway and Home Entry Gallery Inspirations

Hallways at mydeco.com

Foyers and Hallways at dutchboy.com

Hallways at housetohome.co.uk

Entries and Hallways at decoratinginspiration.com

Entries and Hallways at getdecorating.com

Home Office Galleries for Inspiration

Home Offices at thisoldhouse.com

Home Office at housetohome.co.uk

Home Offic and Library at getdecorating.com

Home Offices at decoratinginspiration.com

Home Offices at hgtv.com

Home Theatre Galleries for Inspiration

Home Theater at home-designing.com

Home Theater & Entertainment at decoratinginspiration.com

Home Theater at getdecorating.com

Home Theater at hometheaterinspiration.com

Home Theater at freshome.com

LG electronics announced  the debut of the first eco-friendly solar hybrid air conditioner in Korea. This new product provides up to 70 watts of power per hour via  solar cell modules attached to the top of this outdoor unit.

According to the korean manufacturer, this new hybrid system is capable of reducing around 212kg of CO2 over 10 years, equivalent to 780 pine trees (over the same period).

Source | freshome.com

They are involved in projects from beginning to end, from site selection and design through to completion, working closely with clients, with a range of professionals including surveyors, engineers, builders and interior designers, and with officials from local planning and building control departments. Many architects specialise in a particular field, such as conservation or urban design.

Day-to-day activities in an architecture career

During the early design phase of a project, an architect’s work involves developing ideas and concepts with the client, taking into account the available funds, the needs of users and other interested groups, and the impact the project may have on the environment and the local community. They then produce detailed working drawings using computer-aided design, showing how the finished building or space will look.

Once the designs have been accepted by the client and approved by the appropriate authorities, the architect produces detailed drawings for the construction team, which specify everything from the precise dimensions of the building and the nature and quantity of materials required, through to the type of fixtures and fittings to be used. The architect then makes regular site visits to inspect the work and monitor progress, working closely with contractors to ensure that the project is completed on schedule and to the specific standards set and solving any problems that may arise along the way.
Skills and personal profile required in architect careers

Successful architects need to combine a wide range of skills and talents. Employers will look for the following attributes in particular:

* excellent communication skills – both written and verbal
* good presentation skills
* strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage a number of projects simultaneously
* well developed problem-solving ability
* an imaginative and creative mind
* strong computer skills, with experience of AutoCAD
* excellent drawing skills, with the ability to work in three dimensions
* sound mathematical ability, with a keen financial awareness
* the ability to manage and motivate others
* the ability to work as part of a team
* a passion for buildings and the ability to convey that passion to others.

Training required for a career in architecture

A minimum of seven years is required to train as an architect. Architects complete a five-year full-time degree course, usually divided into two parts: a three-year course (RIBA Part 1), followed by a further two-year course (RIBA Part 2). At least two years must also be spent working in an architect’s office, with one year normally taken after Part 1 and the second year after Part 2. Students then take the Professional Practice Examination, known as Part 3, in order to become qualified architects.
Architecture career outlook

More than 30,000 architects are employed in the UK, with around 80% working in private practice, mostly in small or medium-sized firms. Most of the remainder are employed either by commercial or industrial organisations (such as retail, finance or manufacturing companies) or by central or local government. Other opportunities are increasingly arising with house-building companies, housing associations and private developers.

Architects joining a private practice typically start as salaried employees, before progressing, on merit, to associate and, ultimately, partner. The public sector career path leads to principal or senior architect and eventually on to a management role. Many architects set up their own practices. Career moves are also possible into a number of other specialist areas, such as interior design, landscape architecture, project management or planning.

A newly registered architect can expect to start on around £25,000 a year (somewhat less in Scotland). After ten to fifteen years’ experience in private practice, architects’ earnings range between £30,000 and £60,000 a year, depending on the individual practice and the level of seniority reached.

If you need help in writing your CV as an architect these links will be helpful: The CV Writers UK and CV Inside.

Chairs and ottomans

Choose the best style for your chairs and ottomans, there are a lot of different version and colors, here are some ideas:

Sofas

Another good ideas is to put a very beautiful sofa so that people can confortably sit.

TV stands

Chairs and sofas in this modern tims are usually used to relax in front of the TV and of course you need a good stand that fit with your style, take a look of this ones.

Small Table

The last idea for decorating your home extension is to put a beautiful small table.

Product credits to ashleyfurniture.com

The answer to this question is “go with what you like”, doesn’t matter how much is going to cost the refurbishment of your home, because at the end you are going to like it or not, off course if this is going to cost you more than what you paid your house, it’s not worth it, buy a new house.

There are certain steps that has to be done in order to achieve the result you want, these are the main ones:

- First thing find for yourself, the style or idea you want to follow in refurbishing your home, look to other houses photos and house magazines or on the internet to find a good idea.

- Then contact a company and ask them how much they will charge you for the job, what you want to know is, price per square meter, estimated time need to do the job and remember to ask them if they deliver the service in your area.

- Then you should do the same with other companies, pay attention also to how these companies they seem to care about you, this is important, unless you wanna end up with arguing about job and prices.

- Choose one of them, the one that have a balance between prices and “care”.

- Decide with them exactly what is going to be done.

- Keep in touch with the company, meanwhile the job is being done.

- Check that what is being done is actually what you want, before you end up with a refurbishment that is different then your idea, because is going to cost time and money, to both you and the company.

- Ensure with the company the they did all that was requested, and there is nothing you have to finish.

Enjoy your new home refurbishment.

So “how much exactly this is going to effect my wallet?”

Next thing to consider is the price. I advice to hire a good refurbish company, that as been proven to be professional, do not “try” somebody, only because he is “cheap”, you should not do that, unless the guy has a good reputation. But usually as a general rule you should use a company that is know to be professional, otherwise you will lose a lot of time in arguing about little details, this is not going to happen with somebody that knows completely how to do the job.

Here you can see a good chart of prices, that I found on the net:

http://www.corearchitect.co.uk/building_and_renovation_costs_uk/

The First Thing

So the first thing you should do in deciding how you are going to paint and decorate your house is to choose which idea (or better to say message) your house have to communicate. What do you want your house to “say”? “I’m modern and simple”, “I’m young and full of style” or “I’m a artistic opera”.

Whether your house is in the city center, is old or brand new, you could always give it a general message by painting and decorating it properly.

There are thousands of ways to do this, but the first thing is to choose this main idea that need to be followed homogeneously in the entire living space and this could mean also in the external space of your house, because painting and decorating does not stop only on the “choosing the colours for your walls”, it means also to add accessories that match with the colours and decorations you are giving to your house. The accessories can be posters, pictures, carpets, ornaments, another style for you garden and the right fittings for your bathroom and kitchen.

Why

So why should I have to “re design my home?”, “I spent enough when I bought it”.

Why? Is you house matching your ideas and style? When you see some beautiful house photos are you thinking “I would like to have an house like that one?”, you know what, somebody else is owning that house and you are living in the house you are owning right now. And you are going to live there for a while. So why waiting? just end of with the “thinking” and “wishing” and start to change your environment. Why conform to it? Change it.

You gonna feel a lot better if you have around what you like.

So these are some of the styles that catch most my attention, as I said before you don’t need to follow exactly each style, just keep in mind your message and use something of these styles to express it.

So what are waiting for? Sketch down your idea and start painting and decorating your house.

The main thing in building it is the design. With an optimal design, the construction will go efficiently and you will get the maximal function of it. In this case, the most effective design of a pool is square. This is because this design will support the convenience in using it. In addition, this needs small space to build it with this design. This simple design can be improved with the overflow system. You will have a beautiful pool.

In colder countries such as the UK, many homeowners are opting to building swimming pools inside a house extension. See this case study of a swimming pool Installation in London, England.

Furthermore, the design of the swimming pool must be fitted with the design of the house. This is done to have a balance concept between the pool and the main building that is your house. In addition, make sure that the floor around the it is not slippery. So, you will not be slipped. You have to do the maintenance to it in order to keep it clean so that you will be able to use it every time. For children, make sure that the depth of the pool will not drown them. Thus, you have to make sure everything.

UK PLANNING PERMISSION FOR SWIMMING POOLS

The first thing to know for swimming pool planning permission in the UK is the rules governing swimming pools apply equally to outbuildings, sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as ponds, sauna cabins, kennels and many other structures incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house.

You will need planning permission if;

• The swimming pool is located beyond the side elevation of the property and faces the highway.
• Is within 2m of a boundary, the maximum height of any structure is greater than 2.5m.
• The structure has a veranda, balcony or raised platform.
• No more than 50% of the land around the “original house”* is covered by additions or other buildings.

* The term “original house” means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so. In national parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites, the maximum area covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20m from the house is limited to 10 square metres.

Where to get more information on UK swimming pool planning laws:

UK Planning Portal – Out Buildings

US PLANNING PERMISSION FOR SWIMMING POOLS

In the US, planning for a swimming pool is much easier than in the UK. As the US is generally hotter most US homeowners will tend to place their swimming pool in their garden. This requires much less complexity than building an internal pool or a pool with a structure around it. Local planning authorities, however, do expect to be notified on any additions such as a swimming pool in your home’s garden.

General Pool Security requirements where children are near

5′ high fence measures from the outside of the yard and is non climbable. I.e. we want to prevent children climbing into your yard, not climbing out of the yard. All gates leading to the pool area must have the following characteristics:

1. 5′ high
2. Self closing. That means there must be a spring that returns the gate to the closed position once the gate has been opened more than about 12″.
3. Self latching. That means the gate must latch automatically when it returns to the closed position.
4. The gate must open “away” from the pool area. The thinking is that a toddler is more likely to push on the gate before he/she pulls on the gate.
5. All wrought iron gates and fences must not let a 4″ diameter ball pass through between the vertical pickets.
6. The man door on the garage that leads to the pool area must be self-closing and self-latching the same as the gates.

State of California Pools Safety Code

10 Reasons to Buy a Pool

One of problems in building a swimming pool is the breaking of the floor tiles that cover the wall of the pool. In a big size pool, after it is filled with water, it is not recommended to deflate the pool. This is done to keep the pressure of the pool. Thus, the structure of the pool will be always in good condition. The breaking floor tile will be hard to be fixed. But if it is not fixed, it can danger the users of it. Therefore, you have to take care of the pool that you have built.

Anyone interested in buying a pool is often caught between the benefits and the expense. If they were to sit down, however, and write a list of pros and cons, they would find the advantages of having their own are many. The following are ten reasons that one should buy one:

Cooling Off In the heat of a hot, summer day, nothing can feel as good as knowing that a dip in the backyard is waiting. Many people find this to be the main benefit of owning one and discover that it helps them to stay cool, even in the worst heat of the day.

Vacation at Home Others find the main advantage is that instead of spending hundreds of dollars to vacation at a resort, they can spend their vacation at home and enjoy it just as much. Anyone can make their own paradise right in their own backyard.

Making Memories A pool can also help build great memories for any family. All one has to do is imagine their weekends at home with their family in the pool and they have found a great reason to have one installed.

More Relaxation Relaxing by it is often just what the doctor ordered. In today’s world, where so many people are working more than 40 hours a week, coming home to relax with a swim is what allows them to forget about their troubles.

Value of Home The installation of a pool can actually increase property value. With the market of today, it is important that homeowners have that something extra that buyers want.

Exercising Those who have a pool on their property will be able to get the daily exercise they need to stay in shape. Children of all ages will also find more time playing than watching television, which can help them to stay in shape, as well.

Great Entertainment Homeowners will also find there are a wide variety of water toys available to them that will provide some great entertainment. From slides to floats, both adults and children can enjoy their own theme park they helped to create.

Family Gatherings Families that make the decision to buy a pool will always have a great place to hold a social gathering. In fact, they may even find that their home is now the preferred place.

Romantic Evenings The single individual will find that along with entertainment, the pool allows for more romantic evenings. A nice patio table beside it is often the best location for a candlelit dinner.

Life of Luxury Anyone who buys one will find themselves with the life they always wanted. Regardless of someone’s current financial status, pools allow one to lead a more luxurious lifestyle.

Choosing the Best Place For Your New Swimming Pool

A swimming pool at home will be a good idea, health-wise, pleasure-wise, and appearance-wise. It is good to be able to do a few laps whenever you feel like, instead of having to walk or drive to a pool carrying swimming gear, and having to submit to their timings. You will be able to entertain your guests also well by having a swimming pool at home.

An outdoor swimming pool can be made pretty grand, with a diving board, water features, and slide. And if there is good landscaping around it as well, it will be perfect. Or you can opt for an indoor heated pool, which can provide its own cozy comfort of a different type.
Your choice will have to depend on various considerations like the climate of the place, the budget you have set, and your lifestyle in general.

Climate considerations

A pool in the backyard will be an ideal choice for those who live in places that are not too cold. If severe winter is restricted to just about four months, the remainder is enough to use the outdoor swimming pool well.

Plus you will be free of the expenses and problems associated with maintaining an indoor one. But the option will not work for people living in colder climes with longer winter months. For them it will be best to have a heated pool inside where they can take their laps even if there is a feet of snow outside.
Then there will be privacy concerns for some who may not like to swim in places visible to others. There will be security concerns or health concerns for others who may prefer to swim within their home in warm waters, rather than lock the home and go outside to swim.

Bathrooms are no longer the small washroom squeezed into a back corner of the house on the cold side of the home, where you can pivot on one foot and reach everything!

The modern bathroom has evolved into a place of design serenity. A place to linger and enjoy the surroundings, a bathroom now accommodates our every need and pampers us with pulsating shower heads and jets,heated towel rails for snuggly warm, dry towels, under floor heating, demister mirrors and probably soon espresso machines! No really, but they are now a place of indulgence.
In today’s busy world we need to time to recharge and what better way to do this than soaking in a hot bubble bath, or having a steaming hot shower to clear your head.
Lets face it, there are a lot of do’s and dont’s in design your bathroom installation and it is important to get as much knowledge possible to design the most ergonomic and user friendly bathroom possible. We have a pedestal basin, and it is very high, my children can’t wash their hands in it and I either have to have a stool in front of it which is great for them, but a hazard for the taller of us! No stool equals mum lifting them to wash their hands……very tedious.

Know What You Need

When creating your bathroom floor plans you must consider what you and your household needs. Consider the daily habits and the people who will use it. After the needs are taken care of, you can concentrate on things, you will want like a Jacuzzi tub!

Consider the Size of the Room

Your bathroom size is going to come into play when you are trying to create a layout in your bathroom as well. Take the time to measure the length and the width of the room before you begin. Larger bathrooms are a bit easier but you will want to be sure they are balanced in appearance; small bathrooms need a careful hand to make use of the space well.

Budgeting

Your budget must come into play before you are too deep in designing a bathroom floor plan. This way you don’t go over the amount you have to spend. Having a firm figure in mind will guide you to get what you need at a price you can afford. No sense looking at that expensive garden tub if it is simply not in the budget.

Floor Plans with a Function

As you create your bathroom floor plans keep the overall function of the room at the forefront. The bathroom of course must function to be useful. Your bathroom can rival the Taj Mahal but if the function is not there what good is it?

Could it happen? Might the wondrous Euston Arch, so wrongfully demolished in 1962, return to front the new “super-terminus” planned to send a future generation of 250mph trains scything from London to Birmingham in 49 minutes – and beyond to Merseyside, Manchester and Glasgow? It is just possible.

A magnificent Greek Revival propylaeum, or monumental gateway, the Euston Arch was designed by Philip Hardwick, architect of Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station, Euston’s twin, and erected in 1838. Its wilful demolition was probably the greatest single act of civic and cultural barbarism in Britain between the end of the second world war and the Beatles’ first LP.

The Conservative government had decided that Britain should be seen as a country finally emerging from the eras of steam, smokestack industry, Victorian values and austerity. In came the M1, high-rise council flats, fin-tailed family Morrises, pop groups and Midland Red express coaches from Birmingham to London. Out went the Euston Arch.

The 72-ft-high Doric gateway had been a brilliant conceit. It fronted the equally impressive Great Hall of the London terminus, built originally for Britain’s first long-distance – or trunk – railway, the London and Birmingham. Such early railways saw themselves as the industrial-age inheritors of ancient Greek and Roman values, although they were determined to outstrip these lauded cultures in sheer daring, grandeur and engineering prowess. The London and Birmingham would be the successor to the famous Roman roads; and what better way to nod respectfully to the ancients than to have trains running from a neo-classical terminus?

By a quirk of history, permission to demolish the Euston Arch was given by Harold Macmillan, the Tory prime minister who had been quite the classical scholar in his youth. While wounded and waiting for a stretcher to rescue him from a trench during the first world war, he passed the time reading Aeschylus in the original Greek. Neo-Greek architecture, however, clearly meant nothing to him, except in representing the age of steam that had to go as Britain tried its comic worst to become a modern nation.

How attitudes have changed. Today, Dan Cruickshank, founder of the Euston Arch Trust, says: “What better way to mark High Speed 2 [the proposed London to Birmingham line] than restoring this spectacular monument as a landmark gateway to the new Euston. The architectural drama of the arch would be the perfect match for the excitement of the 250mph trains.”

“The perfect match”: the very latest in 21st-century railway technology married to the classical poetry of 19th-century Greek revival architecture. This match would have seemed illogical and wrong to Macmillan’s generation of out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new modernisers. Today, though, the successful and hugely popular renovation of St Pancras station, just down the road from Euston, has proved how well the worlds of magnanimous and dreamlike Victorian architecture work with the age of the super-fast train.

With luck, the arch will soon be fronting a brand new Euston station, replacing the dreary, communist Europe-style steel box that weaseled its way here to coincide with the arrival of the latest (and excellent) blue-and-white electric InterCity expresses of the mid-1960s. Few, I feel, will mourn the passing of this glum, air-terminal design, one in which trains themselves are invisible and there is nowhere to sit to wait for them.

Architects have yet to be chosen for the new terminus, although the property developer British Land, hoping for the gig, has been working with Foreign Office Architects (recently disbanded) and Allies and Morrison on the project. Illustrations revealed a couple of years ago showed a station looking like a cross between Heathrow Terminal 5 and London’s Westfield shopping centre. A railway station, however, should be a railway station, and hopefully the architectural ambition of the future terminus will live up to both the drama of the £30bn 250mph High Speed 2 [High Speed 1 runs from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel] and that of the Euston Arch itself.

Meanwhile, the architect Terry Farrell, recently appointed architectural advisor to the mayor of London, has been drawing up a compelling plan to transform London’s seedy and dismal Euston Road into a handsome avenue worthy of the new Euston and the revived St Pancras stations.

As for the arch: this is to be rebuilt, at an estimated cost of £10m, with rooms in its ample attic and basement to be fashioned into bars and galleries. Lifts secreted into the end walls will carry visitors up and down Hardwick’s Doric tour-de-force.

I have no idea where Gordon Brown or David Cameron stand on architecture, ancient or modern, but I hope they will give every encouragement to a project that might just be one of the finest adventures in urban planning, design, engineering and conservation – all working together – that Britain has witnessed since Macmillan and his ruthless fellow modernisers condemned the much-missed arch nearly 50 years ago.

Source | guardian.co.uk

Question: What Is an Architect?

Answer: An architect is a licensed professional who organizes space. Architects design houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, and even entire cities.

Architects are trained in many areas, from historic preservation to structural engineering. Like doctors and lawyers, architects have completed university programs and lengthy internships. In most parts of the world, architects must pass a series of rigorous exams in order be licensed.

An information architect is a person who plans the flow of information on Web pages. This use of the word architect is not related to building design.

The services of a licensed architect depend on the type of project; fees may range from 10% to 15% of the total construction costs.

Answer: Architecture is more than designing buildings. Students who study architecture in college may choose to go into many different careers. Here’s just a sampling:

• Architectural Journalist
• Architectural Historian
• Corporate Architect
• Draftsperson
• Building Researcher
• Building Inspector
• Building Contractor
• Carpenter
• Cartographer
• Architectural Engineer
• Civil Engineer
• Industrial Engineer
• Marine Architect
• Mechanical Engineer
• Surveyor
• Technical Illustrator
• Urban Planner
• Art Director
• Fashion Designer
• Furniture Designer
• Graphic Designer Illustrator
• Industrial Designer
• Interior Designer
• Landscape Architect
• Set Designer
• Real Estate Broker

Answer: While still in high school, you should plan a strong college preparatory program with courses in English, humanities subjects, mathematics, including geometry, trigonometry, algebra, and pre-calculus, and physics.

Art courses – drawing, painting, sculpture, or photography – will be helpful in developing your ability to visualize and conceptualize, both important skills to an architect.

Elective courses in computers and business will be extremely helpful in preparing for a career in architecture.

Answer: As an architecture student, you will study a broad range of subjects, including writing, design, graphics, computer applications, art history, mathematics, physics, structural systems, and building and materials construction.

Answer: Ideally, attempt to find a career-related position while in school; this will make gaining your first full-time position easier. You may work for an architect, desiger, or builder doing a variety of tasks.

Otherwise, network your way into a firm with the help of your interviewing skills and portfolio.

Most architects work for several years as interns before they become licensed.

Source | About.com

In the article, “Can I build a swimming pool in my house?” I covered many points to consider in installing a swimming pool in your home including how to get planning permission for a swimming pool, pool safety & inspiration.

The fitting of a swimming pool into a home is a the dream of many homeowners. In the US and other hotter continents a swimming pool in the garden is a common sight for middle classed homes in the suburbs. But what about the colder continents? Don’t they get the fruits of such luxury?

The main problems to be considered for a swimming pool inside your home are:

• Humidity, the condensation of a pool inside your home will be vast. Without proper precaution and foresight in your pool planning you will find paint peeling and your windows blurred with condensation.
• Damp throughout your floors with tiles popping up and water creeping towards your walls, causing expensive damage
• With a pool in your home you are basically allotting for a good portion of your home room space to be taken up which can make the rest of the house feel small (even a 4-5 bed home)

Sterling Home Improvements, a building company in London worked out a great solution for the installation of inside swimming pools.

The House Extension / Pool Project:

What you are seeing here is a the construction of a new single story horseshoe shaped rear extension (approx 90m sq), creating two new bedrooms, new bathroom with sunken bath, dining area and large pool/spa room.

In the image below you will see the design provided by Sterling Home Improvements London.This is the finished render of the pool and home extension

Swimming Pool Cover Down

Swimming Pool cover up

The pool cover is mechanically operated and doubles as a floor when lowered, new wet sauna and central patio area with wet/dry tiled pond.

This patented design by Sterling Home Improvements has become the all new craze in London and other large cities in the UK. The pool cover, weighing almost a ton, has a laminate design by tile photography. The room tiles were photographed and this was then printed in high resolution on a non-slip laminate which is also soft under the feet, thus creating the apparency of a seamless floor.

Powered by custom-built German winch motors hidden in the ceiling – the operator has only to flick a switch and down come 4 magnetized hooks which connect themselves to the rings, secretly placed under 4 flaps in the cover.

The winch motor is weight sensitive and will not move even if there is 5 ounces of extra weight on the pool cover. Additionally, once the cover has reached the ceiling, it slots in to a illuminated area, creating a soft ambiance of light – perfect for a nice swim.

Fitting the swimming pool:

Here you can see the pool coming in. It required a 100 ft crane to lift it over the building, due to restricted access from the rear.

Once the pool went in, so did the remainder of the extension around it. heavy duty, automatic ventilation systems were fitted into the pool room which detect when the condensation in the room becomes too high for internal sustainability. This allows for a fresh, swimming area, without damage to the home.

Contact Sterling Home Improvements London for further information.

Archipod attempts to reinvent the concept of a traditional home office by bringing modern workspace and a peaceful working environment straight to your backyard. Each garden office comes with an ergonomic semicircular computer desk, concealed background mood lighting, electric heater, smoke alarm, data ports and electrical outlets. The design is trendy, eco-compliant and would be a major point of discussion at barbecues and garden parties.

The Regulations consider 5 aspects of fire safety in the construction of buildings. Other aspects such as the management of a premises may be dealt with under different legislation. The 5 aspects are:

(1) that sufficient provisions are made in design of the building that in the event of fire the occupants can escape to a place of safety by their own efforts;

(2) that the internal linings of a building do not support a rapid spread of fire;

(3) that the structure of the building should not collapse prematurely and should slow the spread of fire through the building and in unseen cavities and voids by providing fire resisting walls and partitions where necessary;

(4) that the spread of fire between buildings be discouraged by spacing them apart sufficiently and controlling the number and size of openings on boundaries;

(5) that the building is designed in such a way to aid the fire brigade fight fire and effect rescue of persons caught in a fire.