A kitchen of any house is a special place where the aroma and delicious taste of food is created and wonderful family conversations take place over cooking food. Most food preparations require water and you do not want to pose any risk to your family by using contaminated water in the vital act of food preparation and of consuming plain water. To ensure that pure water goes into your food and tummies, you must employ filter taps. These are fitted with a filter cartridge that removes all contaminants such as debris and chemicals. Out of the many filter taps available in the market, you should choose the ones which have a reputable name in the market. This is because, the filtering capabilities of a non- branded tap cannot really be trusted. It would be a bit like trusting burst pipes in the kitchen to prevent your house from flooding.
One of the most trustworthy companies of kitchenware is Franke. The company has been in the market since 1911 and has been innovating on kitchen products consistently. Moreover, Franke‘s filter taps come with a 5 year warranty on valve mechanisms and a 1 year warranty on their coatings and finishings, generating valuable trust among customers.
Along with trust, the company also offers variety in the form of a diverse range of filter taps that come in different designs, heights and functionalities.While picking a uniquely designed tap is a matter of personal taste, you must know which kind of tap serves which function. Thus, let us see the range of differently functional Franke kitchen taps below:
Single-Flow Spout and Bi-Flow Spout : A Single-flow spout tap implies that the flow of only one channel of water can be adjusted by the use of one available lever while a bi-flow spout tap has two levers, with which flow of two channels of water can be adjusted. You must use the former in places where you can do without water of two different temperatures.
When building a new home, you will do well to consider the inclusions I have mentioned here in this article. Another thing to remember is to make sure you have an adequate building inspector on the job, as a backup to your builder. You need to have the peace of mind that you are being treated fairly and respectfully and the presence of an independent building inspector is going to make your home builder aware that you are on to his corner cutting tricks.
Triflow: If you need water in three different temperature qualities, namely, hot, cold and moderate, then you must make use of a triflow tap. You can use hot water for cooking while cold water can be used for making a drink.
Boiling Water: This kind of tap not only delivers hot and cold water, but also water that is super hot (ie water of 100 degree Celsius). Such hot water can be used in cooking and brewing tea quickly.
Spray Tap: You can either buy a stand alone pull out spray tap or a bi-flow spout tap with a spraying handle as well. This kind of tap can be used for washing vegetables and fruits with speed.
Thus, with a diverse range of variously functional taps, you can enjoy clean water in different ways.
The world’s knowledge was said to have doubled every century of human history before the 19th century. As technology was further developed, it got faster. As of today, it is believed that knowledge doubles once every year or so. What has not changed is the fact that humans die. Death is as natural as life. Although knowledge is doubling at record levels and technology is rapidly advancing, something old is becoming new again. Families are conducting funerals in their homes.
Considering that most of the world still buries their dead through the simple process of a home funeral, it is not surprising that the trend is gaining momentum in America. Families are opting out of the hiring of funeral homes and funeral directors and they are caring for their own dead. Until the time of the Civil War, or around 1860, families always cared for their own dead.
Funerals in the home are a simple, inexpensive, personal and fulfilling way of caring for the dead. Nothing takes the place of “hands on” experience. As a certified grief counselor, it is my opinion that families involved with home funerals experience a more natural and healthier grief process. I have counseled with individuals that worried if the funeral home buried or cremated the right person. There is no concern of this happening in a home funeral setting.
Home Based Funerals – Since The Dawn Of Time
Many families view the process of home funerals as a natural and normal part of family life. Parents care for babies when born. Parents raise, educate, train, develop and love those babies throughout their lives. Babies grow up to be the adult that cares for their parents when they die. The circle of life completes itself and nothing is more natural about life than death. Who is more qualified to care for a person that died than the very family that cared for that person when they lived?
Laws in all states do allow home funerals although particular laws concerning the involvement of funeral directors do vary from state to state. A family does not have to contact a funeral home or funeral director in some states. Unfortunately there still are a few states violating individual rights with unjust laws that force families to hire a funeral director whether they wish to or not. Hopefully those laws will be amended or changed in the near future.
Home Funeral Guides are available in many areas of the country to instruct, educate and encourage families through the home funeral process. A quick search on the internet using your favorite search engine will bring up any that may be in your area. Education seminars, one on one instruction or books are available through your local expert. You can also search on the website of the National Home Funeral Alliance (nhfa) http://homefuneralalliance.org/, which is full of great information concerning home funerals.
It’s a great idea, because you can get a lot closer to what you really want when you build rather than buy. But there are some critical things to be aware of, in order to keep risks and surprises to a minimum, and end up getting the home you want. We’ve compiled this helpful guide from a number of industry sources and our own experience. We hope it gives you a good introduction. This article is bought to by Avenue Building Group – www.avenuebuildinggroup.com.au
1. How important is it to choose the right builder?
Your new Melbourne home is going to be one of the most important investments you will ever make both financially and emotionally. You want to get the design and construction right so that it suits both your present and future needs and lifestyle. There are a lot of builders out there prepared to build you a house but which one is the right one? Which one will turn your dream into reality? Follow the steps in this information pack and you will be several steps closer to fulfilling your dream, especially if that dream is to have a luxury home builder do the job right the first time.
2. Your role in the process
Before beginning the design the following needs to be conveyed to the designer:
Your budget
The size of the house to be designed – including room numbers, their locations and functions
Facade type including exterior finishes for walls (e.g. rendered, face brick) and the roof type and finish (e.g. tiled, metal)
Individual design features that you would like
Specific details like ceiling heights, window sizes, and bathroom and kitchen fittings.
The time frame. Note that plans have to be submitted to various authorities and this may take longer than expected. Build this into the construction time frame.
3. The designer’s role in the process
When using an architect, building designer or engineer the charge for designing the house will be in addition to the construction costs. When using a builder who provides a design service as part of the package the design is factored into the price. This will have some bearing on the amount of time that can be spent in working with you on the design. Consider this as well when selecting who designs your home.
Designers must be up to date with the following:
o Latest legislation
o New building trends
o Environmental and energy considerations like insulation, water saving, building materials and energy saving systems like solar power and solar water heating
They should also be able to advise you on the most appropriate house orientation in relation to the sun and prevailing winds. They should also be able to advise you on how best to make use of a site’s topography.
For example it is often better to build a house on a sloping site that makes use of the shape of the site rather than bringing in a bulldozer to reshape the site. Earthworks can be expensive.
At your first meeting with a designer you need to assess whether they will be able to meet with your expectations in terms of being qualified to do the job.Attached is a checklist (see page 8) of questions that you should consider asking the designer.
4. Builder’s reputations
Once you have a list of builders your next step is to find out about their reputations and the quality of their work. Probably the best way is to visit homes they have built and talk with the owners. A reputable builder with satisfied customers should have no problem in providing the names and addresses of recent customers that are willing to talk to you.
Some questions you can ask:
Are you happy with your home?
Was the house built within the agreed time frame?
What problems did you experience?
Were they attended to promptly and to your satisfaction?
Would you have this builder build another house for you?
Some observations you can make and note down:
Quality of the finishes including cabinetry, paint and trim
Quality of the construction
Style of design
Construction type
Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Your new home is probably going to be the biggest investment you have made to date!
5. Advantages in working with a builder to design your home
There are some definite advantages in individual designs. These include:
Personalised and flexible design process
Design suits your lifestyle and budget requirements
Inclusions not limited
Tailored to your particular site
Reputable builders that specialise in individual designs have examples of their work in display villages. This gives you the opportunity to see examples of their work without confining you to the plans you see displayed.
6. Project homes
Project home builders usually offer a range of standard plans in different price ranges including varying fittings and inclusions. They may specialise in single or double storey homes but are limited in inclusions and colour selection choices, design changes and site falls.
7. Individually designed homes
Building designers, engineers, architects and licensed builders provide design services. Probably the most commonly used design service is that offered by builders who specialise in individual designs. They both design and build the homes and the service is included in the price whereas building designers, engineers and architects will charge for the service. The majority of builders who build custom designs will have a portfolio of plans of homes they have built or standard plans, often based on their display homes. They will quite happily adapt these plans to suit your requirements or design a completely new plan. In addition they may specialise in a certain style of home like colonial or federation or in designing and building homes to suit difficult or sloping sites.
Regardless of whom you select to design your home you should feel comfortable with them. At the outset you should ensure that you both clearly understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. This will reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and disputes.
8. Designing your home
Design services are provided by the following:
Licensed building designers
Architects
Licensed builders
Engineers
Licences can be checked on the BSA website, www.bsa.qld.gov.au. or by phone. Note that architects and engineers do not require a licence but must be registered with their professional associations.
9. Design choices
There are effectively 3 design choices:
Make use of a standard design package supplied by a builder. They will usually have a range of designs from which you can make a choice. Often referred to as project homes.
Review the builder’s standard plans and adapt them.
Have a builder, designer, engineer or architect do a custom design.
10. Colour consultation
Uncertain about your homes finishes? Reputable builders have qualified colour consultants who can guide you through this important process. They usually have sample finishes available to view, either in-house or at their display homes. They ensure that you get the finish that suits you, right down to the smallest detail. Working with the colour consultant to choose your finishes usually occurs after the deposit has been paid and the design agreed (note not all builders provide this service so take this into consideration when selecting your builder).
You will be provided with a pack of information on finishes and invited to meet with the builder’s colour consultant for a several hour appointment to review the various options. This is your opportunity to ensure that all the finer details are not missed or taken for granted.
11. Inclusions
As mentioned earlier, project builders often have houses on view in display villages. Be warned that these houses are quite likely to have inclusions that are not included in the base price.The following items will probably not be included in the base price:
Inside:
o Floor coverings with the exception of wet areas like bathrooms, toilets and laundries.
o Blinds, curtains and light shades
o Items like wallpaper, fixed mirrors (outside of bathrooms) and picture rails
o Tiled and concrete floors under verandas and entry porches
o Landscaping
o Garden sheds, outdoor furniture, pergolas and fences
o Clothes lines and letterboxes
o Spas and pools
o Connections to services
However some builders will offer several levels of fit out as different price packages. Take care to identify exactly what you are being offered and ensure that the builder has an in house colour and fittings consultant to guide you through the process.
12. Additional costs
Do you have a sloping, timbered or difficult site on which to build? Be aware that the type of site on which you want to build can add considerably to the overall cost of the project. Note that builders are required under the Domestic Building Act 2000 to provide customers with foundations data before finalising the contract. Most project homes are quoted for building on flat stable sites with little underground rock. A site that is steeply sloping, unstable or has rock beneath the surface can add considerably to the cost of building a home.
If you have a difficult building site then it may be worthwhile to consider approaching a builder who specialises in building on this type of site. They usually design a house to suit the site minimizing the amount of excavation and making best use of the inherent benefits of a sloping site.
Check whether the builder has included the cost of soil tests, contour surveys and building approval fees in the required deposit.
Note that despite a soil test being done it is usually only from two or three boreholes and may not accurately represent the entire site. The builder may have rock removal as a provisional item in the contract and it may become very expensive.
Ensure that your contract has a fixed price for the footing excavation and footings (excluding rock removal) and that you have copies of the survey reports on which this is based. Also ensure that the contract specifies who is responsible for removing excess earth left after excavations.
13. Designer Question Checklist
1. Licence
Does the designer, whether a builder, engineer, architect or building designer have the appropriate BSA licence or professional registration? This you can check prior to your meeting. Yes No
2. Does the designer provide the following services?
o Site inspections to ensure the characteristics of the site are taken fully into consideration in the design process? Yes No
o Elevation sketches of the house in 3 dimensions to show what the house will look like when built? Yes No
o Preparation of documents and plans and lodgement with the authorities for their approval? Yes No
o Check for easements and utility locations (e.g. sewerage pipes) that could affect the design and siting of the house? Yes No
o Check with Local Government or private certifier to ensure that plans include any special requirements before lodging? Yes No
3. Contract
o Does the designer provide a standard contract? Yes No
o Have you obtained a copy and read it carefully? Yes No
o Will it accurately cover any agreement you have reached with the designer in terms of costs and service? Yes No
4. Deposits and fees
o Have you ascertained what deposit the designer requires up front? Yes No
o Have you ascertained how the designer’s fee is calculated? (e.g. fixed sum or percentage) Yes No
o Are there additional costs involved in varying the plans once they are complete? Yes No
5. Timeframe
o Have you ascertained how long it will take the designer to draw up your plans? Yes No o Does this fit into your timeframe? Yes No
14. Building complaints
The Building Services Authority has a website that keeps a record of disciplinary proceedings against builders. On the BSA site should check the record of each of the builders on your list against the information on this website. No guarantee that you will not experience problems with a builder but past history often determines future behaviour. You can then cull from your list any builders that you doubt.
15. Queensland Master Builders Association
The first step in process is to decide on the type of home you would like to build and to work out how much you can spend. You then need to make a list of local builders that can build your chosen home style within your budget. One way is to go to the Queensland Master Builders Association’s website at www.masterbuilders.asn.au. They have a search function that will provide you with a list of local builders in your region. Contact details and links to websites are included but no detailed information. This means that a lot of searching is required to find key information so you may want to consider other sources.
16. Other sources
If you want another way then advertisements in property supplements, magazines like Homebuild, website searches and display homes will provide more information in easier to use formats. Identify those builders that specialise in the style of house in your price range. Make a list of these builders. You might even want to create a file with information printed off their websites or sourced from property supplements and magazines.
The 10 Steps to Designing and Building your Home
1. The land Maximising the investment you have made in your land, not only as a financial investment but as an emotional investment is important. You’ll want to build a home that will make best use of your land and its aspect to enhance your lifestyle. Our design consultant will visit the site with you to ensure that the design incorporates what you want and makes best use of the attributes of the site.
2. The plan You have decided to build. You may know exactly what you want or you may just have some ideas. The first step is it to turn these ideas into a concept plan. Sit down with one of our design consultants and discuss these ideas. Look at designs and photographs of homes we have built. These will help clarify what you like and what you want in your new home.
3. The investment At this stage you’ll have a draft plan. Go through our inclusions brochure and decide what you’d like. Once you have done that our consultant will be able to give you an estimate of the investment you’ll be making in your new home.
4. Soil test and contour survey The next step is obtaining an engineers survey of the site. This is a legal requirement and it is essential safeguard in ensuring that your home is built with proper foundations and on the correct position on the site. This is also the point where we require a deposit to cover these costs. Once the design consultant has this information he can finalise the design with you and provide a base price with standard inclusions.
5. The final price quotation At this stage we can give you a quote which includes all the details. You’ll need to go through this thoroughly with the consultant to make sure that you are happy that it’s exactly what you want. With this signed off it’s time to turn your dream into a reality and that begins with signing the contract and paying the balance of the deposit. With that paid can get on with preparing the building permit applications and all the paper work that’s involved to get the plans approved.
6. Colour and finish selection Now it is time to meet with our colour consultant who will assist you in colour selection and those final touches which will your turn a house into a home. Our inclusions brochure is a great start here and it’s worth browsing through it before your free appointment with our colour consultant. And in the meeting you’ll see sample finishes too – so much easier when you can see the real thing.
7. Beginning the build This is your dream home – it can’t be thrown up in a few weeks from mass produced elements knocked up offsite and still maintain the quality you want. So we’ll agree with you on a reasonable time to build your home without compromising quality. With all the paperwork done we’ll begin the preplanning and within a few short weeks construction will begin…
8. During the build It’s hard to keep away from the building site while your home is being built! You are encouraged to visit the site on a regular basis however, it is standard practice to be accompanied by your site supervisor due to safety requirements. You’ll meet the building Supervisor at the beginning and he will keep you up to date on the progress and explain each stage.
9. Completion When everything is complete and when we have thoroughly pre inspected the house it will be time to hand over the keys. But before we do that we’ll accompany you on your own inspection to make absolutely sure that the home we have designed for you has been built as promised.
10. Moving in You’ve moved in but we still want to make sure that our promise to you to build the home you want is kept. The six month maintenance period is your opportunity to make sure that we have kept our promise and a further six year structural guarantee.
Beginning the process Give us a ring on 1300 858 177 or visit one of our display homes at Brookwater and in the QMBA village at Daisy Hill. You’ll get the opportunity to meet one our consultants and find out how easy it is to design your own home. We hope this information has been of assistance and wish you well in building your new home!
The most ignored part of your home can become the most beautiful part of your home.
Do you ignore the bathroom space? Are the bathroom walls dull and lifeless? Do you think of it as a simple space for washing and bathing? Homeowners ignore the bathroom space and do not give much thought to how much more they can get out of it. If you do not think of the bathroom, you will end up with a simple room that satisfies your basic needs only. But, if you want to increase the importance of the bathroom in your home, you have to pay attention to it and convert it into a personal spa. Northern Beaches bathroom renovations are qualified to do whatever customizations or design that you want for your new bathroom.
Size does matter!
One problem that homeowners often face while renovating a bathroom is its size. Do not despair if you feel that the bathroom is too small to give you a good spa-like experience. By making a few changes, you will be able to add more value to the bathroom.
Ideas than can make a Small Bathroom Comfortable
It is all in the Mirrors
One trick that works wonders for any small room is the use of mirrors. Using large mirrors in the bathroom will help you to create the feeling of a larger room. It will enable you to make your personal spa look less cramped. Alternatively, you can opt for glass partitions for the shower area. It will ensure that the room appears bigger than usual.
Do something about the Lighting
With the help of lighting, you will able to give the bathroom a brighter look. Also, lighting is the key factor for creating a spa-like ambience in your home. Opt for lighting fixtures that you can dim or adjust to desired levels. It will create a relaxing atmosphere. If the bathroom has access to natural light, make maximum use of it. And, if you do not have access to natural light, use artificial lighting to make the room appear bright. Do not shy away from looking for subtle crystal lighting fixtures because they will add more light and character to the bathroom.
Choose the Right Color
A single change in the color scheme can not only make the room spacious but also create a relaxing atmosphere. Light or neutral colors such as beige, light green or gray can be effective for a successful bathroom renovation project. You can use the same shade of tiles to create an impression of increased space.
In addition, you can choose tiles that add a natural touch to the room. Use textured pebble-tiles that are soothing to the feet. You can opt for faux wood tiles that are not made from natural wood but still give the same feeling of warmth and peace. Heated flooring will also keep you warm during cold days.
Accessorize and Choose Appropriate Fittings
Accessories have a way of enhancing the design of the room. Finding the right accessories for the bathroom can help you to transform it into a personal spa. You can use simple accessories such as candles to fill the bathroom with a relaxing fragrance. You can also add towel holders and other accessories that will give an organized and clean look to the area. Even the towels that you choose for the room should evoke the feeling of being in a spa. Choose fittings that make the room appear big and comfortable. You can opt for a suspended or floating vanity that will allow the floor tiles to extend all the way to the wall. It will create an illusion of space. Alternatively, an open vanity can also add more space to the bathroom.
The idea of transforming a small washing space into a relaxing retreat is a great way of making optimum use of the bathroom. It is important to list your ideas because a well-planned renovation project can ensure a successful transformation. Once you are ready with a clear vision, prepare a budget. Make sure that you use quality products and fittings that guarantee minimum maintenance.
Hire a Professional Bathroom Renovation Contractor
Do not think that renovating a small area doesn’t require the services of a professional. Hiring an experienced bathroom renovation contractor will transform your ideas into a beautiful reality. So, ask your friends and family members to recommend professional contractors who can handle the task of transforming a dingy bathroom into a comfortable personal spa.
Affinity Renovations offers professional assistance for small as well as big renovation projects. The bathroom renovation contractor of Greater Toronto Area is the perfect choice for transforming dark, shabby bathrooms into magnificent masterpieces. Get in touch for all types of home renovation services such as basement renovation, kitchen remodeling, home painting, etc.
Top Design Firms reviews, ranks, lists, and advertises some of the best web design firms, logo design firms, responsive design firms, and mobile app design firms across the U.S. and internationally.
NEW YORK, NY, July 25, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ — Every month the Top Design Firms (TDF) team ranks the most brilliant design firms nationwide. Based on project scope, client rating, originality, and innovation the firms are assessed. As of July 2017, the ranking group is pleased to announce its newest top 10 in the category of best logo design & brand identity firms. Blue Fountain Media, Deluxe, and Lounge Lizard Worldwide secure the top three spots, with Maxburst and Hudson Integrated following close behind. onlinelogomaker can create you a logo based on the story of your brand.
More about July 2017’s Top Rated Logo Design & Brand Identity Firms:
Blue Fountain Media
Bringing your brand into the 21st century begins with a stellar logo and an even better brand identity. Trust the branding firm of Blue Fountain Media to turn your business into an iconic brand.
Deluxe
This team of artists create truly stellar work with the goal of exceeding all client expectations. From intricate design to marketing created to perform, you can rely on the branding firm of Deluxe.
Lounge Lizard Worldwide
Turning your business into a brand is no easy task, but the branding firm at Lounge Lizard brings creative strategy and business-oriented solutions to create the ultimate brand identity.
Maxburst, Inc.
Maxburst gets that your brand is the most important aspect of your business. They work hard to make sure that no detail goes unnoticed, and that your brand’s culture is represented in every detail they create.
Hudson Integrated
Branding takes strategy, creativity, and innovation. One of the most talented branding firms, Hudson Integrated has exactly what it takes, and more to create a brand you can be proud to call your own.
eDesign Interactice
The branding team at eDesign Interactive surpasses all expectations in logo design and branding with incredible skill and creativity. With an expansive portfolio of client work and a true passion for the industry, eDesign Interactive is a true top choice for all your logo design/branding projects.
Dotlogics
Dotlogics is changing the way we see brands. Every tiny detail that goes into creating a brand is thoroughly analyzed and thought out in order to create something truly amazing for your business.
Brockton
From unique logo design, to innovative branding methods, Brockton takes creativity & genius marketing to create branding that inspires and motivates.
LogoWorks
One of the best branding firms, LogoWorks works hard to make sure that each logo they produce is truly outstanding. It’s more than a design, it’s a unique symbol that represents the culture and value of your business.
Makespace
Extraordinary Design & Branding Firms – Makespace is one of those branding firms that transforms branding into a true representation of everything good your business has to offer. From strategy, to logo design, this innovative team works hard to create truly amazing work.
The TDF team is thrilled as more businesses submit their work for review in the competitive marketplace, with the opportunity to see where they fall amongst the top ranked in the nation. The well-established rating group is looking forward to expanding its reach, and continuing to rank the best web design agencies for clients nationwide.
About TDF:
Top Design Firms was founded in 2003 to recognize the best work in the web design industry. Since then, TDF has seen some of the best, most innovative web design work from around the world. While the firm only ranks United States-based firms, its also one of the largest web design directories online, listing international firms as well. TDF’s mission is to push digital design to new heights while providing those seeking design services a curated list of high-quality design firms.
To learn more about Top Design Firms, or see one of this month’s Top 10 Rankings, visit www.TopDesignFirms.com
Media Contacts:
Company Name: Top Design Firms
Full Name: Todd Daley
Email Address: [email protected]
Website: https://www.topdesignfirms.com/
Yes, but…oh, you thought you could just stop there? You should know us better by now. The answer is it’s complicated. Here’s why:
The type of press release that creates SEO benefit is not the one you syndicate, nor the one that you post on your own website about yourself (psst – your blog should not be made up of press releases!), and certainly not the “news” sites that just copy/paste your release onto their site and slap on their own byline. People are searching for you all over the web. Internet searchers today are typing in keywords that apply to the products or services you offer, if you want to at the top of search results look for seo company Sydney.
First, let’s talk a bit about what a press release is supposed to do as a public relations tactic. A press release is a conduit from a company, firm, or an organization to a journalist or news outlet with the intent of gaining coverage for the company, firm, client, or organization. Meaning, if we send off a press release to a news outlet or a reporter, we’d like to net a third party piece written in a journalistic manner regarding the (hopefully) newsworthy item we pitched to them. This would, in turn, create a link on the news outlet’s page with unique content that we could then share anywhere, or it would appear via print somewhere in hardcopy like a magazine or newspaper. The press release is NOT the news article. It’s not written in a storytelling manner, it’s not fit for print as is – it’s meant to entice a reporter with a newsworthy story in order to get them to research, investigate, and then write a story from that release.
Knowing the function of a press release now, the benefit of this is obvious, right? A mention of your company, client, or organization news somewhere else on the web racking up SEO value and linking to your organization in some way online.
However, there is a commoditized form of press netting that PR pros use which is akin to syndication. Using sites like PRweb or pitching through a software like Cision – which then mass-broadcasts the press release to journalists, bloggers, influencers, and key personas that may be interested in it as a potential story – has created an odd side-effect. A link is often created by these pitch companies that is a complete reproduction under a unique URL that essentially appears to be a third party story or use of the press release, but is really just a copy/paste and byline change (and not even this sometimes) in order to attempt to index the site and gain referrals.
You might remember that somewhere in back 2013/2014, commoditized press releases, or “spun” press releases, as they are commonly called (a word that’s the ultimate middle finger to a PR person who values transparency and solid strategy), were penalized by Google and then challenged, with mixed results. Google took on several algorithmic changes to discount the validity and value of these types of publications and URLs, sometimes deeply affecting the source site or originator (company, client, or organization) attempting to “fake” third party links in order to further SEO without PAYING Google for it (via advertising).
In 2014, Authority Labs had a spirited debate among industry leaders regarding the use of press releases, in which about 50% of those surveyed basically commented that they didn’t understand how PR pros USED press releases, so the article left us scratching our heads a little bit, as did some of the commentary in a few online forums. In 2015, Rand from Moz had a Whiteboard Friday posting of a similarly abused tactic for advertising, but didn’t really put to bed whether or not using PRWeb, etc. is a negative tactic for public relations pros to use.
Then in 2016, SEOPressor compiled a great reference guide (minus all the overt selling for a syndication provider) for folks who want to use press releases as the universe intended: to solicit third party news coverage (good for SEO), NOT as the release BEING the news coverage (bad for SEO). That article has strong points about Google’s “philosophy” regarding links and press releases (which is very similar to what we know already…no keyword or link stuffing). Also helpful is the Search Engine Journal discussion of what makes for “good” versus “bad” content creation with the aid of press releases. In general, you have to think about the role of Google as it relates to duplicate (aka verbatim) content, which is a discussion we have had for a few years now regarding platforms like Medium and LinkedIn with syndication or crossover in full reproduction glory.
The skinny is…don’t syndicate it. Press releases in and of themselves AS content are NOT an SEO strategy – we totally agree with Search Engine Watch on this. However, we would like to clarify that the SEO result based on the third party (journalist, blogger, etc.) coverage that a press release can elicit when properly pitched is still pretty great.
So if you work in public relations, work a little harder! If you want to talk about your company, client, or organization through the lens of unique (or even third party) content, don’t be lazy and syndicate. Properly pitch your press release to outlets that will cover it, research the appropriate channel, and use your relationships to create outlets for your newsworthy content. They WILL pick it up if it is newsworthy. If not, re-purpose the idea held within the press release. Create unique and relevant content for Facebook, LinkedIn (remember, don’t just cut and paste), Twitter, your company blog, a white paper or editorial, or guest blog for a popular industry site. No matter what it is, create content worth sharing or covering, and Google will not penalize you. Nor will your audience.
At the end of the day, you should be trying to generate as many unique content pieces about your subject (news) as possible. Keep that at the heart of your strategy. Do the right thing, use the right tools, and work to create content worth sharing or picking up by a news outlet, and you stay above the fray.
Learn why you need to choose a better custom homes builders
Questions on new homes?
Your search will find new homes & communities, floorplans, photos, videos and deals available in your area. Refine results by price, beds, baths, schools & more! When you have a list of potential custom homes builders Sydney, it’s time to start asking lots of questions — of both the potential custom homes builders and the owners of their homes.
Not sure where to start?
One of the first decisions to make in the new home process is rather to go with a production versus custom home builder. Do you know the difference?
As you plan your new home, one of the firstquestionsto consider is whether working with custom home builder or a higher volume home builder (also referred to as a production builder) is the best choice for you. Both types of builders are excellent options and each can deliver a great new home for you. Much of the decision will rest in how many choices you wish to make — as well as how much design input you’d like to have during your home’sconstruction process. At its core, the difference between a production home builder and a custom home builder is simple: A production builder simultaneously builds a community of homes based on a library of floor plans, each with a limited array of personalization options.
A custom builder typically creates a one-of-a-kind home that offers an even greater range of design choices that’s often built on a single lot.
Custom Builders As the name implies, the process of building a custom home is less scripted because there are no pre-defined choices or menus to choose from.
The home can be built on land you own orland that you acquire. You can supply a floor plan or commission a set of floor plans to be drawn from scratch. You can work with a separate architect and builder — or with a design-build company that manages both the architectural design and the construction process. You’ll be more involved in the process and have the opportunity to make many decisions.
You can pick from nearly any product in a category — within your budget, of course – rather than selecting from a defined menu of choices.
The Production Home Process A production builder can usually deliver the same size home for less money than a custom builder. The reasons lie in volume purchasing power when buying building materials and land and a higher volume, often systematized approach to construction. Buying the right type of land is a big part of a production builder’s strategy. Many larger builders construct homes in large, master-planned communities.
A production builder’s scale and access to a large number of lots in such communities also allows the construction process to be fine-tuned for greater efficiency. Higher volume builders can also pass on cost savings by purchasing building materials in bulk. Just as large airlines can lock in low fuel prices by ordering in volume, production builders can use their size to order materials for hundreds of homes at a time, often at lower prices. An advantage of production home communities is that the community developer also works closely with each builder to insure an attractive mix of homes. In addition to mixing models or floor plans from several builders, each floor plan typically offers multiple elevations to vary the look of the front of each home.
By changing the placement of windows, gables, and the size and shape of the front porch, a single floor plan can be built in several different looks. To add further design appeal, each elevation can usually be constructed with a differing type and color of exterior. A given model home can be built with various in brick, siding, stone or stucco and varying shades of color to offer pleasing diversity and individuality. As a buyer working with a production home builder, you’ll typically start by selecting a lot for your home and your favorite floor plan from the builder’s library of plans. The next step is to select an elevation. Many production builders also offer the opportunity to specify the use of a bonus room; based on your needs, a bonus room can be built as an extra bedroom, a study or even a media room.
Next, you and the builder will work together — often in adesign center— to further personalize your new home by selecting design options, home styles, colors, finishes and other key products in your home such as appliances, cabinets, countertops and carpet and flooring. Buyers who select a production builder typically cannot change the basic structure — i.e. the layout of rooms or square footage — but each model has a wide array of attractive options to choose from to personalize your home in many respects. The Custom Home Process Expect to pay more for a custom home than a production model of similar size and floor plan; after all, the typical custom builder doesn’t enjoy the economies of scale and labor efficiencies that a production builder does.
Of course, the actual price will depend on a number of variables — the most obvious being the size of the home, the intricacy of its design, the building products and materials you select, and the land you purchase. While many people associate custom homes with large and expensive homes, a custom home can range from a simple ranch-style home to a more elaborate and multi-story floor plan designed around your lifestyle. Once you select a custom builder, you can supply your own floor plan or work with an architect to design a home from scratch. As a custom-home buyer, you can select most of the details in your home and you can even work closely with your builder to design a floor plan that works around existing trees on your land and that places your windows to take advantage of the best views. When building a custom home, your choices are nearly unlimited. The main restrictions are your budget and any building code or zoning limitations.
If you find that freedom to create a home from a blank sheet of paper to be exciting, then building a custom home is likely for you. The key to working with a custom builder is to establish a realistic budget and to stick to it, even when you’re enticed by a lovely but higher-cost option. While most buyers realize that additional customization will increase the home’s price, unexpected land-related costs can take you by surprise, so it pays to do your homework. At one end of the scale, you may hold the deed to a flat suburban lot with in-ground utilities already available at the curb. Such a finished lot is ready to build on. On the other hand, you may be considering wooded, rural or steep hillside property. While such land is no doubt scenic, the upfront costs of preparing previously undeveloped rural land for construction is typically a significant additional cost in addition to the purchase price of the land. Site prep — building a driveway, bringing in water, electric and sewage lines, and excavating the foundation — can be quite expensive.
Your builder and architect can help you estimate those costs, too. Even if you’re building on already developed land, you and your architect and builder need to carefully research zoning or deed restrictions. To avoid surprises, have an attorney clarify all restrictions and get estimates on site work (either via the builder or on your own) before completing a land purchase. Because the process of building a custom home is, not surprisingly, truly customized, you’ll typically spend a lot more time designing and constructing your new home than you would if you work with a production builder. That said, knowing what to expect at each stage — and especially what choices you’ll make and when — can make your custom home process smooth and result in the home you’ve always dreamed about.
Charlie Wardell has twenty years of experience writing and editing about home building for Architectural Record, BUILDER Magazine, Coastal Living, Fine Homebuilding and The Journal of Light Construction.
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While the process varies somewhat by builder, these 10 steps summarize the process of building a typical new home. These steps will help you understand the major stages of construction, what will occur when, and key decisions you’ll make, in partnership with your builder, to create your new home.
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I’ve admired your columns from afar for years, as a non-commenting TTAC reader. I especially appreciate your tenacious appreciation, possession and maintenance of cars you love. My automotive life is not nearly as exciting or robust. In countries throughout the world detailcentral.com.aubest car wash products are used by millions of devoted customers.
While I love my cars, with two small children, a wife and a full-time job, I only have time and money for two at a time (his and hers). I aim to keep them for at least 10 years each. So, I obsess over the scratches and dents knowing I’ll be stuck with them for that long. Ridiculously, I even worry about scratches from washing them.
Which brings me to my question: What’s the best automatic car wash to use to minimize paint damage?
I’ve heard it’s best to hand-wash cars, but I don’t have time for that. I’ve seen the repeated reuse of “non-abrasive” towels from multiple prior cars by staff at detailing centers that hand wash it for you. Numerous websites demonize both touchless high pressure water spray and traditional brush-type machines, saying how each leads to paint damage.
Can you please help put this obsession to rest?
My thoughts on the matter are similar to this pro-detailer’s blog: the brushless/touchless/laser car wash is the best choice for you. It’s certainly not ideal, as it won’t clean as deeply as the brushed models, but those machines store dirt from previous vehicles and I doubt most car washes clean the brushes regularly enough to please the likes of our Best and Brightest.
Touchless car wash places have two other likely problems. Water is recycled and can become super salty after a wintery week. It is filtered, but to what extent? Then we have high pressure water essentially sandblasting the car’s current grime into the paint.
They can’t match a carefully trained, human touch and a clean garden hose. Provided you have the time, the ideal weather, and your part of the country isn’t rationing water!
So what’s the lowdown? Always keep a regular coat of polymer-based wax on the paint, stick with touchless car washes with high quality filtration practices (check your local or state regulations on this) and you’ll be fine for 10+ years. Not to mention your vehicle’s next owner will gladly pay you extra for your effort!
Editor’s Note: Sajeev mentions paint and other visible surfaces, but there’s a lot of bare metal under your car that is just looking for the first opportunity to rust.
If you live in an area where salt is used on the roads and either 1) the temperature fluctuates around the freezing point, or 2) you keep your vehicle in a garage, it’s just as important to spray the underside of your car during the mild days of winter.
When road salt is “frozen”, it won’t cause corrosion. However, when that salt-filled slush that’s been packed to the underside of your car does finally melt, that’s when salt-triggered corrosion can really take hold.
Send your queries to [email protected] Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
Hand wash, hand wash, hand wash. I just refuse to use a drive through.
Totally agree on rust prevention. Keep your car garaged, and on mild days, use a garden sprinkler under your car. Run for approx 10 minutes per corner. It will do far better than the 2 second undercarraige spray at the car wash.
I’m a fan of the cheap DIY-wand carwash bays over the more expensive drive-through units. As you mentioned with the at home alternative, you can really focus in on getting every nook and cranny on the underside of the vehicle.
My rust prevention strategy includes a coat of Fluid Film before winter hits (wheelwells, backs of steel bumpers, fender lips, entire body underside and frame (including inside of frame), special focus on fuel and brake lines. I typically do this operation right as I swap over to winter wheels. The truck is already on 4 jackstands and wheel wells have excellent access with all of the wheels off. I cover the brake rotors/calipers with plastic bags, and go to town.
Once I commit to driving the vehicle on salted/slushy roads, I will keep it outside and not inside of a warm garage. If the weather starts to warm up I will drive to a DIY carwash and spend a solid 5 minutes spraying off the underside, then park the truck in the garage.
Sounds totally over the top but rust is truly just about the only thing that can cause an old 4Runner problems.
The much newer Civic gets none of the above, to me it is simply a conveyance to get to and from work efficiently, not worth trying to ‘preserve’ it to the same degree, and newer Hondas are quite resilient to rust anyhow.
Given we live in similar climate, do you think I should put a cover on my new DeVille for the winter times when it snows? Likely I will drive it on the nicer days. I hate parking any car outside, but only one garage space – plenty of driveway room.
Has been thoroughly Zeibarted when new, do I need more KROWN or Fluid Film or something each year?
Or should I be worried more about the undersides of my M, which gets parked in semi-warm (maybe 48F) garage during winter?
You need Krown, preferably on both but especially on the one parked outside for extended periods.
How will I EVER know it’s you without your hazard pic!?
After you get Krown, does your car drip sludge and stuff for a week or something?
I’m going to the RX * 3 + GTUs’s viewing where Chris T will be on Sunday. It’s five mins from my house.
I’d argue the vehicle in the garage needs more rust prevention than the one parked outside. If a vehicle is going from warm to cold to warm environments every day, there’s a higher chance of rust versus the car that just stays outside in the cold all the time.
Well after four years I think I needed a change, just get used to Cillian Murphy’s staring. To answer your question, yes it drips a little but was probably fine after 2 days.
I won’t disagree, from what I recall rust occurs the most during the thaw period from cold to warm. If I was Corey I would have been garaging the Cadillac and not the M though. I would been keeping the Caddy longer than my M in the long run and the M prob has heated seats and remote start whereas I believe the Cadillac does not.
Thanks for the input both of you.
Just figured it was you, couldn’t tell it was him, lol. Chris is going to see the RX from the article on Sunday, along with the guys other 3 he owns. And I’ll be attending.
I can’t force myself to put something outside in the elements that’s worth 9X more than the old Caddy, and have it prematurely age.
No heated seats, I don’t believe that was an option until the K-body. No remote start on either actually. I have not checked to see if it has the engine block heater option, because I dunno where the cord is under hood.
Likely on days with snow I will just use the M for the AWD anyway.
You think a cover will make much difference overall?
Oh the 89 Rx-7? I saw the headline but didn’t read the piece. My aunt had an 88 with t-tops growing up, I’m not that into them.
I still push for Krown on both of them, my GP’s rear wheel wells rusted the 2nd and 3rd year I owned it, got it done in the 4th and didn’t need a repair this summer. Going again on the 23rd. Covers help but its still a PITA bc you have to clean off the feet of snow to lift up the cover to run the car. I used to cover the Audi, I can remember clearing two feet of snow off of it for what seemed like several times that winter and I had to pull the cover up just to run it (as opposed to just clean off the door to get in).
“I can’t force myself to put something outside in the elements that’s worth 9X more than the old Caddy”
Which can be replaced more easily than the Deville. I would get a remote start for the M personally, I have it on the GP and its soooo nice (esp if its the snow beater anyway).
I will find somewhere that does Krown, and have them done before the snow starts. Should have a few weeks still, at least.
With the cover issue – if it has snow on it, it’ll sit til the snow melts, then I’ll drive it again!
Bathrooms are not just bathrooms anymore and some principles of modern bathroom need to be incorporated in designing a bathroom space using modern design. Modern bathroom design has lines that are bold and clean, décor to a minimum and the use of white color abundantly. The bathroom in today’s world is not just a place to do what is typically done in a bathroom but also a room that is elegant as well. In designing a modern bathroom, the following are the tips that may be followed. A beautiful bathroom is a personal well-being oasis within your own four walls that is the main reason why I choose a good bathroom designer.
Tips and Tricks for a modern bathroom design
Clean Lines
Lines that are clean play a role that is significant in the décor of the bathroom and it is important to consider the outer shape of the windows, mirror, counter top etc and ensure that they match with each other. Typically, outer lines that are wavy may be ruled out since they are not common in the design of modern bathrooms.
It is important to emphasize or pick ovals or horizontal straight lines and use them for a clean and bold look. A more subtle and harmonious and subtle look is provided by using ovals. To match the lines, one can use a countertop that is rectangular, a sink that is rectangular or square, a horizontal mirror that is large etc and add lines to the bathroom that are horizontal. When going the oval route, a window sill that is oval in shape can be aligned with the bathtub, curved countertop, mirror etc to go with the scheme.
Colors
With color, being a minimalist or going for a look that is minimal is key and when picking a scheme with two colors, for spaces that smaller it is recommended to pick white and a color such as bamboo green, light aqua, soft green, wooden etc to go with the white. For a bathroom that is on the larger scale, shades that are darker as in blacks, purples, reds, grays etc can be selected.
The bathroom may feel closed in when using patterns. However, for a bathroom that is medium or large in size, the ceiling may be painted or one wall may be painted with designs in interior paint or tiles with designs on them may be used. Addition of more patterns can bring about a design that is reflective of mid century modern style.
Lighting
A very important role in the design of small bathrooms in a modern way is lighting since it can be used to create a place that is lit well. The best choices for lighting in bathrooms are lights that are white or off-white in color. For a space that is small, it is recommended to keep the countertop clear of light fixtures and have simply a small lamp. If the bathroom is large, ceiling lights that are small and in any color may be added to the ceiling in addition to light fixtures that are colored to bring ambience to the bathroom. For natural light, a skylight may be used.
Less is More
The principle of modern bathroom design is that less is more and it means that lesser numbers of items are to be used in the decoration of the space. For bathrooms that are smaller in size, it is good to keep the countertop clear of items and if not, have the least number of items on it. The use of a bathroom light that is white in color, bamboo plants that are considered lucky and some wooden mats are good. The use of hanging sinks in the bathroom in place of pedestal sinks is an alternative that works well in creating more room. Compactness, similarly, in the design elements that are used is important.
Space that is uncluttered
Clutter creates a feeling of chaos and it is advised to have a bathroom that is clear of clutter and has shelves under the counter for storage. It is possible to have mirrors on the cabinets in bathrooms and in front of the sink for the sake of keeping brushes, tooth paste and other sorts of accessories. The use of a wooden shelf that is very small just outside a bathroom that is very small works really well and whatever is needed can be picked up while using the bathroom.
The above was a discussion about the design of modern bathrooms and it is possible to have a beautifully designed and decorated bathroom by making use of these tricks and tips.
Tracy is an expert about modern bathroom design [http://www.MODERNBATHROOMDESIGN.NET]. Visit her website for more information.
Driveways are oftentimes one of the most overlooked areas of home construction and maintenance, although one of the first aesthetic components of your home that visitors notice. Use our asphalt concrete driveway calculator Perth.
The material used for your driveway can have a significant impact on not only the way it looks, but it also affects its durability and function. There are many factors to consider when choosing which type of material to use when laying a residential driveway.
This helpful guide will get you on the path to choosing the best driveway for your home and will provide pros and cons for two of the most common driveway surfaces – gravel and asphalt.
Gravel is a common surface material for driveways throughout the United States. The crushed stone used in many applications can be easy to maintain and available in a various array of colors. Installation of a gravel driveway should be conducted by an experienced grade operator to minimize ongoing maintenance.
Pros: Easy on your budget. Gravel is one of the most affordable surface material options available – especially for homes with long driveways. However, top-dressing the gravel material will be required every few years. Many consider a gravel driveway as easy to maintain as a paved surface.
Gravel may sink due to environmental conditions such as rainwater or snow. Filling in sunken areas caused by weather conditions may need to be done a few times a year. Because gravel is permeable, it is an environmentally friendly product that allows replenishment of ground water. Depending on the style of your home, gravel can oftentimes bring out the beauty of your exterior landscape more so than many other materials. Whether you like a rustic or more modern feel, gravel can be obtained in a variety of options. As one of the easiest driveway materials in terms of installation, laying a gravel driveway and allowing it to settle will take less than a week. Once installed, it can be used immediately Cons: Climate and snow removal disturbs rocks. One major con to choosing a gravel driveway surface (especially living in the Midwest) is the challenge faced with snow and ice removal. During winter months, removal of snow can be difficult. Oftentimes, using salt or sand on top of the snow & gravel can be the only solution to make the surface slip-free. Ruts and sinkholes may form. Gravel driveways that have a high level of usage may be prone to developing ruts. Ruts are gaps or holes in the surface that will need to be filled to keep the area smooth and looking good. It can be dirty. Driving down a gravel driveway can cause dust, debris and dirt to fly – especially in the dry summer months. This may cause the exterior of your home to become dirty and require frequent cleaning.
Like gravel, asphalt is an economical driveway surface choice, although price may fluctuate due to the material being an oil-based product. A properly installed asphalt driveway will act similar to a concrete surface, but at a lower cost. Additionally, because asphalt is a petroleum product, it is flexible which makes it less susceptible to fluctuating Midwest temperatures and climate conditions.
Homeowners appreciate the sleek appearance of an asphalt-paved driveway at a lower cost than concrete or paver surfaces. Flexible in extreme climate conditions. Asphalt driveways typically cost $2 – $5 per sq foot to install – more than gravel, but much less than many other options. With proper maintenance, an asphalt driveway will last anywhere from 12 – 35 years depending on installation, climate, usage and other factors.
Like most elements of your home, the better you take care of it, the longer it will last. If style and color are a major consideration for your exterior landscape, an asphalt-paved driveway will present certain limitations. Although it compliments the color and tone of most homes, black is the only option available for asphalt applications. It is recommended that a homeowner clean their driveway with a broom and power washer at least two times a year to remove dirt and debris. Seal coating of the pavement is required every two to five years and cracks and holes should be repaired as soon as possible. Can be damaged during extreme heat. Homes located in warm climates may be susceptible to driveway damage caused by fluctuation in temperature – particularly extreme heat. When asphalt heats, it can become pliable and soft which causes indentations and marks.
Gravel driveways provide a highly affordable surface option while paved driveways provide a strong, flat surface that is simple to shovel in winter and convenient to park on all year round. Think about the pros and cons of each surface option before you make a decision about which material to use. Weigh your options and rely on a trained expert to help you make an informed decision that’s best for your home.
You have made the decision to learn to master SEO. But, since there is so very much to learn, finding a good place to begin can be difficult.The following tips are going to help you a great start.
Coding is an important aspect to consider when you want to bring people to your website. For example, a site that relies heavily upon JavaScript must be coded efficiently, search engine spiders cannot index it. Want a faster way to rank your website in google? Heliumseo.com.auSeo services Sydney will get you at number 1 spot in google.
Additional ads on your pages do not necessarily mean a higher search engine rankings.
Pay-per-click is an effective affiliate marketing tactic. This is the simplest affiliate program to implement, so the pay is modest, but it could eventually build up in time.
Pick a domain name which has your chosen keywords.You need to make your website easy to locate when people are searching for it in the web. Not all of your site traffic will be generated by affiliate advertisements, some find your site by searching for things on your site.
Ask a non-profit to be your content. Search engines look at results from these sites that have been linked to by reputable sources. Provide useful content that will entice reliable websites to want to feature links to your site. Create content that these organizations will benefit from.
A site map which has your keywords. Site maps are excellent navigational tools as well as helpful for search engines and visitors to find their way around your site.
Captions are a tremendous SEO process.For example, if you have pictures on your website, add captions that are relevant to your keyword; you will soon see more traffic.
When you have embraced this fact, you will increase the visitors you get.Don’t ever allow your SEO results.
These alt tags are read and indexed by the search engines, and improve your site ranking in searches.
SEO can get more people to your site. Many new business to not take this really is.
A good thing to remember about optimization is to include current events and topics that have relevance to your offerings. This will help you get visitors that might not even have been looking for your type of services. This also a good way to keep your site more informative and helpful to your readers.
Think like a consumer when you are coming up with tags to include. Find out the typical search engine when looking for a website like yours.
Use specific commands that result in relevant results.
Focus on keyword phrases and not just the keywords with your SEO techniques.Do you typically search using one word often? You need to choose phrases that will bring customers to your website who are looking for the exact thing you offer. ” instead of the more generic This will take away from the quality of your keyword phrases properly.
Make sure that you have a single page about one keyword phrase.By narrowing down on a singular topic, your content is improved and your readers will not only enjoy it, but will return often. Having loyal readers will always be better than being at the top of the search engine optimization.
Leaving posts on blogs with good content can help you to link through to their site. If you deliver a well-written and appropriate piece of writing, most blog owners will allow you to leave your link in the comment. You should make sure you leave links that are on relevant sites and not places where your links don’t apply because you want to add something to a site, and the comments you leave should add something of value to the other site.You can easily leave related comments and links to your site if you have a thorough mastery of your subject matter.
Focusing solely on SEO techniques and strategies can make you to forget what the point is after all. Don’t forget your ultimate goal of attracting new readers and keeping visitors. You want to have fresh content to complement your website on top of having high search engine rankings. Having a site that has great content on your website also happens to be one of the smartest SEO techniques. Make sure that your content it relevant and new.
You want to use keyword phrases for all links coming to your site. This can help search engines that your site based on the relevancy of your keywords. You should make time to go through your site includes internal links that use keyword links.
Make your site is free of errors and proofread it to ensure it is error free. Visitors will not stay on your website long if there are sure to flee a site that is replete with gaffes and poor grammar. You should also watch your links to make sure they are all active and actually take the visitor where s/he wants to go.
If your company has a name, make sure the name of the corporation appears in the title tag of each page. People are not likely to search for your company by name unless it is truly well-known.
This is a good space to be descriptive Meta tag. All meta tags should include detailed descriptions that will click on it.
Since you’ve read this information about search engine optimization, you should now feel better moving forward. You read a lot, but hopefully it will all help you out. And you can return to this post for additional help.
As well as providing some much needed extra space and increasing the value of your property, having a loft conversion can be a relatively pain-free process, but only if you get the right people on board. If you’re thinking of taking on the project yourself, we’d encourage you to think again. Lavishliving.com.au is a new home builders Sydney company who specialise in home design and home constructions. Even the most avid DIY fanatic would benefit from the support of a reputable company. Here are 10 good reasons why:
1. Rules and regulations. Loft conversions are subject to a complex system of regulations and permissions, which could have you running from pillar to post if it’s not something you do regularly. Any reputable company will handle all of the administrative duties for you, saving you time and giving you the peace of mind that your conversion is being carried out within the rules and regulations that apply.
2. Architect. Choosing an architect can be hit or miss if you don’t know the questions you need to be asking. Relying on friends for referrals isn’t ideal and you’ll definitely need an architect on board for your project. A reputable builder will have an architect either as part of his team or in his list of close contacts. A good builder will know exactly what’s required from the architect and may indeed have negotiated lower fees than you could negotiate on your own.
3. Structural engineer. No matter what type of loft conversion you’re planning you’ll need the services of a structural engineer. The structural engineer’s job is to make sure the alterations you’re planning won’t have a detrimental effect on the structure of your home. Like choosing an architect, choosing a structural engineer is not for the faint-hearted and is best left to a reputable company who knows what makes a good structural engineer.
4. Ideas. However clear your ideas seem for your loft conversion, it’s highly likely that there’s something (albeit maybe something minor) that you won’t have thought about. A professional loft conversion company has been there, seen the film, read the book and has the tee shirt. They will be able to come up with ideas to make your project more effective; more likely to add value to your property and very importantly, be more economical. You’ll be surprised at what they’ll bring to the party.
5. Insurance. In the unlikely event that it all goes horribly wrong, if you’ve chosen a reputable company will have their insurance to fall back on. If you DIY your loft conversion, and it all goes belly-up, you’ll have no one to turn to but your bank manager!
6. Cost. In some cases, the DIY option seems, on the face of it, the cheaper option, but what many people don’t take into account is the cost of their time. If time is plentiful in your life, that’s not such a big problem, but most people these days seem to have a shortage rather than a surplus of spare time. In addition to saving you the cost of your time, a reputable builder is likely to save you money on materials and get your job done quicker than normally possible on a DIY basis. All of these add up to meaningful real cost savings and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
7. Hassle. There’s no getting away from the fact that any major house alteration is hassle! If you decide to tackle your loft conversion yourself, you’re likely to encounter your fair share of hassle. A reputable company can remove a good amount of this hassle. Even practical things like hoisting the materials directly into the loft or storing them off-site until they’re required can save lots of disruption in your home. Either way, you can be sure the intrusion in your day to day life will be minimised by getting a good team on board.
8. Support. Any DIY enthusiast knows only too well that there are few places lonelier than the middle of a project that’s just gone horribly wrong, particularly when it impacts on the whole of your household! Working with a reputable firm means that your project is planned and organised to meet realistic timescales and your budget. If that firm comes up against unforeseen problems, they’ll have the experience, the experts and the manpower to sort them out. So even if you want to do some of the work yourself, make sure you have the support of a reputable company behind you if and when you need it.
9. The end result. Apart from the most exceptional DIY experts, DIY is DIY and professional work is professional work. Nowhere is this difference more evident than in the end result. The finish of a job is what gives it its polish; the finish gives it the quality people remember. Top quality finish is really difficult to achieve on a DIY project. A reputable company will make sure your project is finished to their and your exacting standards, which means that your loft conversion will be something you’ll be proud of for years to come.
10. Selling your home. Finally, an important reason to get a reputable company involved in your loft conversion, which is only too often forgotten, is the impact that a DIY loft conversion might have on the future value of your property. If you’ve converted your loft professionally, it’s likely to add significant value to your property, a DIY loft conversion, without all the relevant certificates and guarantees might just make your property impossible to sell!
All in all a simple loft conversion can provide answers to numerous scenarios and can also add value as well as extra space to your existing property. However, if you ever consider having a loft conversion, whether it is a loft conversion in Bridgend, South Wales or anywhere else, remember to choose an established, reliable builder who can provide testimonials of their work. This will help to ensure that the project runs smoothly to help you realise your dreams in a relatively stress free way.
Roy’s blurb
My name is Roy Derrick and I live in South Wales with my wife and four children. I began my working career as a gas engineer but soon realised that I wanted to start my own business and reap any rewards for myself. I opened three retail shops and a food manufacturing company and won several national awards for best retailer including an all expenses trip to New York paid for by Richard Branson. This whet my appetite to want to become an entrepreneur. I sold my retail outlets in 2002 and started up my own construction and development company which has established itself into a successful business. As well as running the construction business I also run a successful internet marketing company and also coach others on how to succeed in business. When I’m not working I enjoy socialising with friends and family and adrenaline filled activities like paint balling and racing fast cars. Find out more on http://www.derwoodhomes.co.uk
Not all designers have the money to kit themselves out with the most expensive design software, particularly when embarking on a new career in graphic design or starting a new business. With millions of newspapers, magazines and trade papers striving for designer’s attention, exclusive graphic design, layout, and content are important to achieve uniqueness, and the ultimate design software should have powerful tools and features that can render the most difficult tasks simple. Fortunately, there are lots of free graphic design software that you can choose to do the job well. Logo maker.com is your tool to represent the brand of your business, you can select from our existing design and we can customize it for you.
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a graphics design format in which XML is used to detail the shapes. Once this is done, an SVG viewer is used to render the XML. Moreover, modern web browsers are just as capable of displaying SVG in much the same way they display GIF, PNG, and JPG. SVG-Edit is totally built into HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3, without the need for any server-side processing.
The software is available over on Github and you can find the download link here, or you can try it live here.
Apart from using SVG-Edit to create documents from scratch and edit them, you can also download and modify the code. The software was designed for 2-dimensional vector graphics, and you would have to look up X3D for 3-dimensional formats. For a brief guide on the capabilities of this software, you can read more here.
While DrawPlus may not initially come across as a design App that professional graphics designers can use, it is actually surprisingly capable, and it is packaged in a free version that has muscled itself into the list of the top free graphics design applications. The software is intuitive to use and features an array of tools that mirror the functionality of Adobe Illustrator.
Moreover, it features a few extra features implemented in a more user-friendly manner than Adobe’s design software, with 3D-rendering being the chief example. For example, you can quickly make a 3D object via extrusion and apply a plethora of 3D styles that will be instantly applied to your created object.
DrawPlus works well in CMYK and allows you to output print-ready artwork easily in addition to being able to work with Pantone color profiles.
Easel.ly is a free graphic design application developed to create infographics. While you may notice a few rough edges when you first begin using this software, it lives to its creators’ promise of being easy to use. Simply select a theme, objects and shape then drop some text in and you will end up with an acceptable infographic within no time.
The software allows you to select from a wide range of color-coordinated themes that are fully developed and can be edited to match your information requirements. In most cases, the result would be a comprehensive and visually pleasing infographic that has a professional look, and at virtually no cost at all.
Daz Studio is a 3D figure animation, customization, and posing tool that allows users to create remarkable illustrations and digital animations. Its is among the best free tools available to design unique artworks and create animations using environments, animals, virtual props, vehicles, accessories and more. You simply have to select your subject and or settings, set up the lighting, and then arrange your accessories to start creating eye-catching images.
With this graphic design freeware it is easy to produce illustrations for books and book covers, create custom 3D characters and avatars and other graphic design elements.
GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and it is an open-source free graphics design software that debuted on Linux and other UNIX-based platforms. Today versions of the software are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
GIMP offers functionality that is almost similar to Photoshop, but its interface differs slightly. However, a version of the program that mimics Adobe’s feel and look is available and this makes migration easier for those ditching Photoshop. It offers the full suite of tools you will find in Photoshop; virtually everything that you are accustomed to, and this includes color correction, painting tools, selection, cloning, and enhancement.
The team that is in charge of GIMP’s development has put in much effort to ensure compatibility, so you don’t have to worry about problems manipulating images in popular file formats without any trouble at all. Moreover, GIMP comes with an inbuilt file manager that functions along the same lines as Adobe Photoshop’s Bridge.
This is one of the most capable web browser-based image editors. It offers most of the standard tools you will find on desktop based graphics design application (you can opt to install a PC-based version of the software if you like, by purchasing the Pro version for just $19).
To use this tool, you will need to have the latest version of Adobe Flash player installed, so this rules out using it on your Android tablet or Apple iPad. With that in mind, it is light and loads quickly. You will find the standard range of adjustments and tools. These include pencils, Brushes, shapes, cloning, gradients, etc that can all be accessed with ease from the Photoshop-esque floating toolbar.
The browser-based tool can also open saved documents from your PC’s hard disk, making it a nifty choice for editing and re-editing.
Which one of these graphic design software would you try? Tell us in the comment section below.
