Power With A Twist

Having overcrowded plug-boards around the house can be dangerous, yet there never seem to be enough outlets at times.

If you really need to utilise all the power available to you, the Eubiq System - an electrical power outlet system that allows you to add, remove and reposition power outlets with a simple twist - is a great idea.

Available in a wide and versatile range, it consists of tracks onto which power points can be clipped wherever they are needed around the house. It also has a safety feature which grounds all conductive objects that come in contact with it, making electric shocks virtually impossible. Simon Turner

The Drawer Fridge

The Norcool Drawer Fridge, a sleek metallic refrigerator that is built right under your existing counter top space and consists of easy pull-out drawers, adds a whole new dimension and sophistication to your kitchen.

As with dishwasher drawers, if you are just a one or two person household and/or have a smallish kitchen, then this is the best way to optimize space. You could have your fridge installed into your island so that when you’re chopping, you can just grab below for that egg or shot of milk instead of trekking across to the big beast on the other end of the room.

If your space is big enough, you could even keep your old fridge for bottles but use your drawer device for the things you cook with all the time. The refrigeration drawer module has a total capacity of 170 litres. It includes two outer drawers and an inner drawer. The drawers can be pulled out completely and have an easy-glide self-closing mechanism and shock absorption. For more information visit Norcool's website.

The Transformer Couch

The couch that turns into bunk beds

Whilst this isn't coming to a cinema near you soon, it could be arriving in your spare bedroom.

The tidy couch morphs very quickly and simply into bunk beds!. The DOC sofa bed, from BonBon Trading in the UK, is a practical device that is ideal for small pads where space is limited. In a range of colours, from funky orange to more neutral tones, there’s one for every taste. The sofa has removable covers and integrated/patented mechanism which transforms the sofa into a bunk bed. Doc XL furnishes the day area and with a simple movement transforms into a practical ready made bunk bed with integrated supporting ladder and protection guard. Simon Turner

The Life Expectancy of Your Home's Fixtures and Fittings

Read on to find out just how long, on average, the fixtures and fittings of your home will last.

Concrete and masonry: 100 years plus
Concrete foundations, including chimneys and fireplaces, should last a lifetime and brick walls have a life span of 100 years or more.

Cabinets: 50 years
Good quality cabinets are built to last a long time but styles go in and out of fashion. Many homeowners replace cabinets after a fraction of their useful life.

Floors: 25 to 100 years
Hardwood is good for 100 years or more, as is stone. Expect 50 years out of vinyl and 25 from linoleum, but you'll probably tire of the pattern long before that.

Roofing: 20 to 50 years
Local weather conditions are critical but, on average, slate, copper and clay/concrete tile roofs last the longest, 50 years or more. Figure wood shake roofs for 30 years, fiber cement shingle 25 and asphalt shingle 20.

Siding and accessories: 20 to 50 years
Brick, stone, engineered wood and fiber cement siding should last a lifetime. Wood shutters should give 20 years of use and copper gutters 50 years and aluminum ones 20.

Countertops: 20 years to forever
Granite could outlast you - by a long shot, absent of a destructive child with a five pound hammer. Cultured marble has a life span of about 20 years.

Decks: Up to 20 years
With wooden decks the key is the weather. In moist climes, decks will rot much quicker than in ones that expose decks only to dry conditions. In ideal weather, figure 20 years. In monsoon conditions, you can't count on much more than half that.

Plumbing fixtures: 15 to 50 years
A kitchen sink has a life of 50 years or more but faucets go bad after about 15. Shower heads should last a lifetime but whirlpool baths, which get widely differing amounts of use, can last 20 to 50 years.

Windows: 15 to 30 years
Think wood, which lasts upwards of 30 years while aluminum windows have a life span of 15 to 20 years.

Gas ranges: 15 years or more
With no motor or many moving parts, gas ranges are the most trouble free of appliances.

Fridges: 13 years
The compressor on fridges work hard and run often. Add complications, such as automatic icemakers and there's more to go wrong. That they last as long as they do is a tribute to their generally high quality.

Electrical: 10 years to a lifetime
You shouldn't have to replace good quality copper wiring but switches and other controls may have to be updated every 10 years or so.

Dishwashers: 9 years
This appliance gets widely varying amounts of use, depending on the household. Big families may have them running a few times a day while a bachelor may keep his sitting empty most of the week.

This survey obviously accounts for wear and tear, as there's no accounting for taste over the years! Simon Turner

Original survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders

"Can you give me some useful tips on renovating my small kitchen"

Even though small kitchens are a challenge to decorate, storage and display areas are of prime importance.

Visually increase a small kitchen’s size with glass cabinet doors. Paint the insides of the cabinets the same color as the walls for a fashionable, well-designed update. Solid-door cabinets work well below the counter and to the ceiling above the eye-level glass-door cabinets.

Another home decorating idea and variation on kitchen storage is to use open shelves over the sink, the cabinets and as much of the wall space as desired. This is especially useful when you enjoy collectibles but are limited on space to display them.

Repetition of shapes plus a variety of textures such as found in baskets is a home decorating idea that adds appeal to any kitchen regardless of size. Even a small kitchen can accommodate an island provided the area is at least 12 to 15 feet wide. This will provide additional storage as well as work space and will be convenient from anywhere in the kitchen. A chopping block or moveable carts with open shelving are examples of items that provide extra work areas and storage.

Think creatively of every space in a small kitchen such as adding a pot rack, pegs, hooks, or wall-mounted baskets for additional storage. Also, don’t add a lot of non-kitchen décor to the room. If you choose good quality, stylish cookware, utensils and dishes, they will make perfect kitchen decorative items.

Install new drawer pulls and cabinet door handles for another inexpensive way to update a kitchen.Since the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house, it is important that the design allows for ease and efficiency. By putting the previously mentioned guidelines to work, you will create a beautiful and practical kitchen regardless of size. Simon Turner

Top Five Tips From A Reformed Burglar

How vulnerable is your home? Jon Rainey knows home security, because he knows how to get around it. Listen to what Rainey says about the best ways to protect your home and family. Here are the top five tips from a reformed burglar:

Not Just Any Dog Can Be a "Guard Dog"
In some cases, a barking dog may be all it takes to scare a would-be thief away, because barking draws attention. However, even the loudest, biggest, meanest dog can turn into a whimpering coward when threatened by a stranger, and professional thieves know it. Plus, Rainey keeps his pockets full of dog treats, so he can instantly go from "stranger" to "friend." Don't rely solely on your poor pooch to protect you from criminals.

If You Have an Alarm System, Use It
Homes without an alarm system are three times as likely to be targeted than homes with one. But, if you have an alarm system and you don't use it, you might as well not have one at all. Professional thieves stake out their targets to watch their comings and goings. Over half of all burglaries committed on residences occur between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. If thieves see that you never set your alarm when you leave during the day, they'll make a move.

Don't Hide Your House Keys in Fake Rocks
By now, thieves have seen it all. They know every nook and cranny where you might hide your spare key - those fake rocks don't trick them anymore. To properly secure a spare key, keep it in a lockbox or with a trusted neighbor. Thieves always look under the mat. If you hide a key near the door, you might as well leave the door wide open.

Secure Even the Smallest Windows
When Rainey slipped into a police officer's basement through an unsecured window, the officer's wife angrily glared at the CCTV footage and cried: "'Nobody can fit through that window,' my husband said. Even police officers underestimate the stealth of criminals. In one particular example, Rainey was able to steal not only a hand gun and ammunition, but the police officer's uniforms. Just think of how dangerous those items can be in a real criminal's hands. The moral? Secure every entry to your home, even if you are convinced no person could fit through it.

Change Your Garage Door Opener Code
Many people don't realize that garage door openers come pre-set with codes that are meant to be changed after they are installed. Plenty of folks just keep the same code right out of the box, totally unaware that all a thief has to do is drive around a neighborhood with a garage door opener, aiming it at every door they see until a door opens. Then they can walk right in and steal expensive lawn equipment or even your car. Worse yet, homeowners may not lock the door leading from the garage to the house, providing a thief easy access to everything. Ralph Winn

"Can You Please Suggest Some Simple Ways to Save Money when Cleaning my Home?"

Cleaning Woodwork: Did you know that cold tea will clean woodwork? Give it a try!

Grease stains on your carpet: Shake some cornstarch over the grease stain and let set there overnight or at least 8 hours. Vacuum.

Cleaning Brass: Wash with salt and buttermilk or vinegar and salt. This same treatment is also used for cleaning copper.

Care of Aluminium: Place tarnished pieces in large pan and cover with sour milk. Allow to remain overnight. This will make the ware as bright as new.

Furniture Polish: Mix 2 tablespoons. Lemon oil and 1 pt. mineral oil in a spray bottle.

General Purpose Cleaners: Combine 1/2 cup. Baking soda and 1 tablespoon. water to form a paste.

To Clean Wooden Furniture: Wash with warm water and Ivory soap, dry and rub with equal quantities of spirits of turpentine and sweet oil, wipe dry and rub with soft flannel cloth.

To Wash Windows: Dip a lint less cloth in wood alcohol, go over the glass and follow with a piece of old silk cloth. This is fine for cold weather.

Frosted Windows: Want to make your windows "frosted" for more privacy? Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt to 1 cup beer. Brush on the window! Let dry. To remove the frost, wash off with ammonia! This is really neat. Just remember to cover any wood or furniture nearby, because this drips!

Grease Stains on your wallpaper: Try mixing corn starch and water and make into a paste. Rub on with a soft, clean cloth. Test this in an inconspicuous area first.

Scuff marks on your vinyl luggage: Try rubbing lemon extract over the area

Wallpaper: If you need to make a patch for your wallpaper, never cut out a piece. Always use a piece that you have torn by hand and be sure to tear toward the wrong side of the wallpaper. This will make the patch nearly invisible.

Unclog Drain: Mix 1 cup. Baking soda, 1 cup. Salt and 1 cup. of white vinegar. (It will fizz) Let it sit for 15 minutes then pour down clogged drain. Pour in several cups of boiling water.

"My husband and I are planning on renovating our home. How do we make it as stress free as possible?"

Are you aware of your partner's preferences for colours, designs, styles? You will be after you've been dragged through endless decorating supply shops and they are still searching for "that perfect colour or they will know it when they see it".

"It is incredibly stressful," says Mitchell Hartmann of Marquette Turner Estate Agents. "There's no getting around that. You're taking a leap from the known to the unknown, you're losing control and you don't know what's going to happen next. It's liberating but it's frightening at the same time!"

When you're in a relationship, there are likely to be times when you see the worst of each other. It's a shock, but it's because you're under so much stress, so my first piece of advice is don't be shocked!

Simply be prepared for the many left-field decisions you're going to have to make and it's a real challenge to live in absolute chaos."

Considering that many of us can get away with making about three decisions every day - will I get up?, what will I wear?, what will I have for dinner? - the renovating process is a potential minefield. Not only are you choosing fixtures, fittings, colours and layouts you have to choose tradesmen, check contracts, compare quotes, decide if you're going to oversee the work yourself, find someone to draw plans, decide how much you can spend (and try not to get too upset when you go over which is almost inevitable...) and the list goes on.

Given all these consideration, it is no wonder that we can feel consumed by it, and often to the detriment to all else? Finding time to spend with the one you love can be relegated to very low on your priority list. Quite simply, prior preparedness is the key.

And then there's the question of taste: Even with my own family home renovation there has been troubles with picking colours. I arrived home to find they have painted the bathroom light blue. The colour was selected by a family member and every time I walk past it, I hate it. I think that it’s very important that everything is chosen to fit the style and personality of your home.

To avoid such drama, there are a few rules to follow: talk about ideas (with magazine photos in hand) before you so much as pick up a colour swatch, work out what you can live with and what you definitely can't - and then compromise again. Finally, keep a space that is a renovation-free sanctuary, make sure that there's a small space in the house that's completely renovation-free (no dust, no paint charts, no 'mood boards') so that you have an escape.

Mitchell Hartmann