Torque Wrench Basics And Selection Checklist

Torque Wrench Basics And Selection Checklist

Although a torque wrench is a tool that you would most commonly find being used in industries such as power generation, water and gas supplies, manufacturing and construction, some scenarios come under the umbrella of home DIY that torque wrenches can be used too. Examples include car maintenance and some repairs to home heating, plumbing and air conditioning systems.

Whilst many people may have heard of torque wrenches, far fewer have seen one close up, and even fewer have used them. For this reason, when the need for a torque wrench arises, they are unsure what they need, and how they should be used correctly. That is why in this post we are going to outline some of the basics regarding torque wrenches, plus provide you with a simple checklist for selecting the most appropriate torque wrench.

What Is A Torque Wrench?

Most people will be aware that a wrench is a tool that is used to tighten nuts and bolts, and you will not be too surprised to learn that is exactly what a torque wrench does too. However, the crucial word in its name is “torque” and it is this that sets it apart from ordinary wrenches.

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Who Needs a Home Lift?

Who Needs a Home Lift?

Most people who think of lifts, envisage them being in high-rise apartments or places like hospitals. However, these days it is becoming more usual to see home lifts in private homes. You may think that is only the frail elderly that would need to have a lift in their home, but in fact this is not so. When you think of the energy expended going up stairs and the difficulty of taking goods up and down you will soon realise that having a lift in the home is a necessity rather than a luxury.

Middle Aged

Very often, the ground floor of the home is used for the garage and outdoor living accessories. That means you need to carry all your groceries and every single thing you need in the home up the stairs. Hauling all your groceries out of the boot of your car is bad enough; carting them up steps and stairs is worse still, especially when you are already tired from a day at work. So you don’t have to be elderly to make good use of home lifts.

The Elderly

Of course, the elderly will certainly benefit from a lift in their home. They are the ones who are most likely to stumble and fall on stairs. Such a fall could easily break multiple bones and they may never recover. It is a shame to see their life ended prematurely all for want of a simple lift to help them up and down the stairs. Older people will be able to stay independently in their homes for much longer when they have the aids they need to make life easier for them. And if they need to use a walker, it is much easier and safer for them to use a lift than to try and get that walker up the stairs or down.

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Concrete Pool Remodelling Versus Replacement

Concrete Pool Remodelling Versus Replacement

If you have a concrete pool within your property, and it is looking less than 100%, with possibly even some damage, or if you are unhappy with the design, then the decision has to be made as to whether you are going to remodel the pool, or completely replace it with a new one.

This throws up a number of questions in addition to the primary one of whether to remodel or renew. There is the question of what size of budget you are to need for either option, what design ideas are going to work in either case, and whether you and your family are prepared for the upheaval that the likes of the pool being removed and replaced are going to create.

Often the first option that most people consider is the remodelling one for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is related to budget with the fact that having a concrete swimming pool remodelled is going to cost a whole lot less than having one removed, and a completely new one installed by an expert.

That is not to say that remodelling a concrete pool is a cheap exercise, as it will still require a five-figure dollar amount, but it can often work out to be around 50% of the cost of the removal and replacement of a concrete pool.

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Benefits of Landscaping

The Benefits of Good Landscaping

Many people are purchasing fix-me-up properties to not only make their mark but make a profit. They will take a home that no one put a lot of time into, add their stamp, improve it, then sell it off to someone who wants a home already finished. Others will buy a standard property then enhance its overall look and landscaping so that they can live in it comfortably.

In many cases, people who buy property don’t put as much passion or love into the landscaping as they do the interior of the house. If you ask Intreeg Landscapes, they say the landscape is more valuable than you think, and here’s why.

It Adds Value
If you spend time and money on good landscape design, you are more than likely going to see it back in your hand when the time comes to sell. The average percentage increase of value that landscaping brings can be between 5-12 percent and depends on whether you’ve had an expert’s touch – which is recommended – and the overall value of the property as well.

If you are looking for a quick flick on a property, then dedicate a few extra days to your yard. You’d be surprised at the difference a little bit of weeding, gardening, and landscaping can make.

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Financial Planner

How A Financial Planner Can Help With Home Renovation

If you are thinking about doing any type of home and garden renovation your list of experts to help you might include an electrician, an architect or a landscape gardener. However, have you thought to include a financial planner on your list? It is likely not, as most people think financial planners are only for sorting out investments and pensions. On the contrary, they can assist with any project which requires financing and home renovation is one of them.

There are countless examples of homeowners embarking on a home renovation project, and seeing the whole thing grind to a halt because the project was not planned properly with regards to financing it. The costs might have spiralled out of control, or an expected bill which caused them to reach their credit card limit are just two of the dramas that may have befallen them.

Assuming you don’t want the same to happen to you, the sensible option is to employ the services of a financial planner so that any concerns you may have for your home renovation project are allayed with regards to money and financing.

In practical terms, there are several ways a financial planner can assist you when planning any kind of home or garden renovation. Firstly, they can look at your overall financial health, and suggest ways you might be able to improve your financial situation to make the project more affordable.

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Outdoor Living

The Health Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors

As a resident of Perth, Australia, you can appreciate the weather as for most of the year it is more than pleasant. The city has heat, and heat waves, but apart from the excessively hot days, people aren’t caged inside like you would be if it was bitterly cold. There are more than 260 sunny days in Perth annually and that makes activities outdoors common for most people. Spending time in your garden that has had the benefit of a nice landscape design can be surprisingly good for you.

What is probably not known is that there are benefits to being outdoors that have been scientifically proven.

FACTS

Being outside improves short term memory.

A study by a US university found that test subjects got 20% better scores on tests they were given after a short walk through trees and outside in sunshine. Similar studies found that depressed individuals increased their working memory after a short walk outside.

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Sustainable Kitchen Renovations

12 Ways to Be Sustainable in Kitchen Renovations

When you plan a kitchen renovation, you may not be thinking along the lines of a sustainable lifestyle, but there are plenty of ways to be eco-friendly and save the earth’s resources while renovating. For example, ordering your materials carefully so you are not wasting anything. Here are some more tips to improve the sustainability of your kitchen renovation from the experts in the field, Kitchen Professionals.

Bamboo Interior

  • Choose building supplies such as bamboo that are easily renewable or plentiful. It can be used for cabinets and floors as well.
  • Use paints and other things such as glue and lacquer that do not contain harmful toxic gases that waft up into the air – and into your lungs.
  • Choose eco-friendly fabrics – natural cotton or at least cotton blends, bamboo fabrics or even fabric made from wool, all of which is renewable in its raw state each year.
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Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen Renovation Timeline

Choosing your builder or cabinet maker to renovate your kitchen is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming as there are so many decisions to make. There are many different kinds of kitchens and the style you choose will dictate to a certain extent how many other decisions must be made. A modern kitchen design requires fewer materials, so not as many decisions will be needed.

That said, there are still choices to be made about what you want in materials, appliances, colours, textures and so on, so here is a kitchen renovation timeline to help know which to consider first.

Step 1: Choose the appliances, lighting and sink/s. This will help when it comes to planning the design and development of the layout as your professional kitchen designer will need to know what space is left over for cupboards, how big the bench space is and where these things will fit.

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Right Excavator

How to Hire the Right Excavator for Your Project

Once you start to plan a full property renovation it won’t be long before you see the need for plant hire or equipment hire. Most renovators find such equipment far too expensive to buy outright, especially when it won’t be in use all the time. It would never pay for itself by sitting in a shed waiting for the next project to pop up.

If your block of ground is on a slope, it is highly likely that you will need to level off at least some of the ground before you can complete the renovation, especially if you intend to add another room or deck. You might even want to have a veranda going right around the house.

If you are also going to do some landscaping to go with your new renovations, get that work done at the same time you hire the machinery for the other work. It just takes a bit of planning ahead to save money. Hire rates are usually by the hour or the day, so if your building project only takes a couple of hours with the machinery, you may as well use it while it’s there to level off the driveway, fill up a hole, dig a hole for the swimming pool or do whatever else you have planned for the future.

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Glass Showerscreens

12 Advantages of Glass Showerscreens

Just because a home is affordable doesn’t mean it has to be cheap and nasty. Glass shower screens add a touch of elegance to any bathroom, no matter if the home is in the billion dollar range or much less. In fact, there is more to them than their good looks.

Here are some advantages of installing a shower screen made of glass.

  • It is less likely to develop mould on the surface, so is easy to clean.
  • Glass in the bathroom makes it look larger as it is transparent so the draws the eye beyond it to the far walls.
  • It makes the bathroom look lighter as glass does not throw shadows, but lets the light through.
  • It allows you to have a decorative wall or wall feature beyond it that can still be seen from the doorway even if the showerscreen is there.
  • They are light to use as any light from outside, such as natural light from a window will shine through the glass instead of casting the area into shadow.
  • Glass is very durable. Shower screens are made from toughened glass that can withstand hard knocks and bumps.
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