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Posts tagged with: legal battle

Tips for Upgrading Your Summer Cottage

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The perfect summer cottage is the right place for you to get respite from the hassle and bustle of your daily life, and this makes it important for you to make sure that yours is in perfect shape. This may call for you to make a number of upgrades which can help you improve not just the comfort of your summer cottage, but its value as well. The various upgrades that you can do may not even cost a lot of money. With proper planning and timing, you can execute these perfectly enough to make your summer cottage a place that you simply can’t wait to visit each time the summer rolls around.

Update the Roof

The roof of your summer cottage should be one of the main areas that you think about when considering the upgrades that you can make. That’s because the roof is a prominent part of your home, and it’s also exposed to the elements all year long. This means that it’s prone to damage, and this damage could impact other parts of the house. A severely damaged roof will also cost more money to repair, and that’s why you need to be one step ahead of any possible damage and issues. If you need to replace the roof, keep in mind that metal roofs can last for anywhere from 40 to 70 years, according to the U.S. News and World Reports, which makes them a great option to consider.

Ensure the Electrical Setup Is Perfect

Next, remember that improper electrical setups can cause a lot of harm and damage to your home due to electrical fires from short circuits. On this note, the best thing that you could do is to check the electrical system to make sure that nothing is out of place. Call a professional electrician to do this so that if there are any issues, they can work on them right away. The right person will let you know details such as that transfer switches, according to Cummins, prevent electricity from traveling in the wrong direction. When you have proper circuits and connections throughout the house, it’s bound to be safer, and it could also be more energy-efficient for you.

Consider Adding a Fireplace

If you’re thinking about additions that you can make to your summer cottage to make it more usable throughout the year, one of them is a fireplace. With a fireplace in the space, you can keep warm if you decide to spend the fall in the cottage. The best thing about a fireplace is the fact that there are a number of options to choose from in terms of fuel. From logs and biofuel to gas, you can choose from a number of additions that will make the fireplace perfect for your needs.

You can look for the best fuel online to the point of identifying the ideal form of fuel to use in the area where your cottage is. Remember to also choose the one that won’t cost you too much money to use, so that it’s an efficient addition. With 32% of clicks going to the first result on Google desktop search, you may want to make sure that you only click through to reputable sources of information to get the best outcome.

Revamp the Bathroom

The bathroom is yet another one of the areas that you may want to revamp in your summer cottage. Because it’s one of the most popular spaces in the average house, you can be sure that this is one project you won’t regret spending money on. Update details like the backsplash, the paint, the fixtures, and even the floor. This way, the bathroom will be safer and also more appealing, making your summer cottage more valuable in the process.

These tips should give you some ideas of what you should do to upgrade your summer cottage. As a result, you can be sure that it will be welcoming and quite comfortable for you and your family. You won’t find it hard to spend a season or two in the cottage in this case, and this makes it well worth the investment.

How to Teach Your Kids About Gardening This Spring

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No matter how you become a parent, whether by natural birth, adoption, or with the help of one of the thousands of women who apply to serve as a surrogate mother each year, you want to parent well. As your children grow, it may seem that every hobby available costs a small fortune, but gardening offers a low-cost hobby that children of preschool age and older can enjoy. Let’s consider how to teach your kids how to garden this spring, enhancing your home’s curb appeal and easing your food budget at the same time, thus saving you money.

Make Shopping for the Right Materials Fun

Most gardening tools last for a few years. For example, purchasing a well-made garden hose costs less than $20 and typically lasts between five and 10 years. A shovel, rake, and hoe set costs between $30 and $50. Buy one adult-sized set and a child-sized one, too. Instead of ordering online, plan a “field trip” to your local Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, or Home Depot store, so you can find all the equipment you need in one spot.

Order print seed catalogs, so you and your children can look through them together. Choose some flowers for the front of your home and fruit and vegetable seeds for the backyard. Some catalogs sell seedlings and plants, so you can purchase a starter garden outright.

Planning Your Garden Together

Plan your garden on paper with your children’s input. Before you start planting, check with your local code enforcement office for rules about gardens, garden fence heights, easement requirements, and much more. Construction of 92% of U.S. homes occurred before 2000, so the rules for older properties may differ from newly constructed homes.

Document Your Garden in a Notebook Diary

Help your child create a notebook of their future garden, clipping out pictures and plant information from the printed catalogs, and then pasting it into the notebook. The notebook, a sturdy pen with non-bleeding ink, and glue cost less than $5 altogether. Purchase a small thermal printer and sticker paper for about $20, so you can print photo stickers of the plants as they grow, documenting them in the notebook. Although websites might seem the modern choice, web hosts go in and out of business, and kids can work on a paper project during electrical and Internet outages.

Sprouting Seedlings

Spring brings rain showers, so use your indoor time wisely by planting seeds in small started cups or trays. This only requires seeds, trays or cups, and some potting soil. Place them on a window sill in a low-traffic area that receives lots of sunlight to help them germinate.

Tilling the Soil

On a sunny day, get your garden spaces ready for planting. Children can help till the soil and build garden beds. Have small children gather rocks to create bed borders. To make the garden more colorful, consider painting the rocks bright colors with waterproof paint, but allowing them to fully dry before placing them as borders.

Preschoolers and kindergartners typically enjoy working the dirt with their hands. Put them to work because their favorite play helps your soil’s health. Have them help water the soil using a hose and a watering can. Explain that some plants need a lot of water, while others require only a little, so getting the soil ready in one bed differs from the soil of another bed.

Planting Time

Once your seeds germinate or your seedlings arrive, plant them on a sunny day. Older kids can help dig the plant holes, while younger kids can help push the dirt into place and pat it down with their hands. Help them water the plantings after placing every seedling.

Gardening with Your Children

Growing a garden with your kids can provide enhanced home beauty and delicious food to eat. Your children learn how to cultivate plants and benefit from responsibilities throughout their youth. Gardening provides them with tangible benefits that hard work pays off because they can help you cook the results of their labor, providing them with some of their favorite meals.