Save water and have a beautiful garden. Does this seem like a good deal? Luckily, there are so many beautiful plants that don’t need a lot of water to thrive. View the best water-saving plants below:
Did you know
Did you know that 54% of Capetonians are saving water? That is 17 % more people than December last year. Nevertheless, there is less than 20% usable water left in the province’s dams.
In the average home, about 60% of water is used in the bathroom. This means that if you’re looking to modify your home so that your family uses less water, your bathroom is the best room to upgrade.
We’ve provided a list of useful bathroom tips that will help you save water and money in the long run while increasing the resale value of your home.
“Yay, you’re having a baby!” “When’s Your Due Date?” “I cannot wait to see the baby bump – aaaaawwwww!” “I bet he’s going to have your eyes!”…. If you’re preparing for a baby, you’ve probably heard all this and more.
Well, it’s very exciting news so, congratulations! Bringing a new baby into the world is a wonderful adventure.
But, what happens after all the oooooh-s and aaaaah-s?
Having a baby in South Africa is possibly one of the most expensive things you will ever do. According to Parent24, it costs around R 90 000 a year to raise a child. Did that sentence just make you feel dizzy too? Well, you can ease the money flowing out of your pocket with a few money-saving hacks. Here’s how you can save money without compromising the health and safety of your little bundle of joy.
To all the dog lovers out there, there’s nothing wrong with giving your dog a few treats. However, you just need to keep in mind, foods that are perfectly safe for humans can be very poisonous for dogs. Here’s a list of foods you should keep away from your dog, even when they look at you with those big puppy-dog eyes.
Did you know that a bathroom is the second biggest selling feature of a home? Well, regardless of whether or not you want to sell your home, it’s really worth remodeling your bathroom to suit today’s designer trends.
As bathrooms are no longer just a wash and go rooms, designing your bathroom to be more stylish, comfortable, hygienic and aesthetically pleasing should be at the top of your to-do list. Afterall, with all the “hustling and bustling” we do in the day, you deserve a place of absolute beauty and relaxation – you deserve a luxurious bathroom.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to designing your bathroom! You can come up with your very own unique bathroom ideas or get some inspiration from some of our favourite modern bathroom trends:
When it comes to bathroom lighting, most interior designers will harp on and on about natural lighting… And they have reason to. There’s something warming, calming and soothing about natural lighting in a bathroom. But adding luxurious lighting to your bathroom can also bring your bathroom to life.
Modern lighting solutions for bathrooms include dimmable lights, colour lighting, feature lighting and LED strips around mirrors or shelves.
Add a pop of colour and freshness to your bathroom with one or a few plants. The humid environment of a bathroom is ideal for quite a few types of plants, namely:
Organic materials create a sense of coziness mixed with elegance. If you have a creative flair in you, here’s where you can go all out and add a contemporary feel to your bathroom. If you’re considering new flooring for your bathroom, take a look at amazing bamboo flooring.
Dark, moody, natural materials, such as dark woods, tiling and other finishes, can create a dynamic look and feel to the private space. If used effectively, dark colours can enhance the feeling of absolute relaxation and luxury in your bathroom. You can mix your darker colours with pale greens and blues, and even experiment with a few splashes of bold colours to add a little fun to the bathroom.
Big tiles are not only trending because of the beautiful, unique style they bring into bathrooms but also because they are easier to clean and don’t collect as much grout as smaller tiles. Bigger tiles are available in a variety of materials and sizes, like 400×400 cm, 400800 cm, 333×550 cm, etc.
Check out these beautiful, minimalistic tiles from Itatile.
There’s nothing worse than having things you’ve worked so hard for stolen from your home. But besides losing your personal belongings, when someone breaks into your home, your life and your family’s lives are at risk, so you have to make sure your home is protected. During holiday season, which spans from early November right till the end of January, there is a huge spike in crime in South Africa.
According to South Africa’s 2015/16 crime states (source: Africa Check), 98.4 robberies were recorded per 100, 000 people in the country and about 148.2 common robberies were recorded every day in the country. 132, 527 robberies with aggravating circumstances (which occurs when a person uses a weapon to forcefully remove property belonging to another person) were recorded.
These scary figures are unnerving for people living in South Africa. The best way to prevent becoming a victim of a home robbery is to ensure you deter criminals as much as possible. Here’s how you can make your home safer in South Africa:
Often, dogs are more effective than alarm systems. This is because, some thieves have mastered getting around effective alarm systems, but dogs are unpredictable. So, thieves would rather attempt breaking into a house that is dog-free. However, don’t get any dogs if you’re unable to care for them properly.
Physical boundaries, such as electric fencing or high fencing is not as effective as you may think. And, electric fencing around your yard makes your gate a security weak spot, so your gate needs to be effectively secured too.
For added effectiveness, make sure you add motion detectors to your yard to ensure early detection of someone coming into your property.
Don’t become nonchalant about locking your gates, doors and windows properly. For added protection, you can add wireless alarm kits to your first-floor windows, as many break-ins occur through first-floor windows.
It is easier for a robber to break into your home when you’re not around, so advertising the fact that you won’t be home can make your property more vulnerable to burglary.
To seem present at home, you can leave on a light, perhaps install timers for lights if you don’t want to waste electricity, and always hide away your cars, so robbers don’t know whether or not you’re home.
Leaving your keys in typical places can help robbers clean out your house easily as well as take your vehicle in addition to your household items. Rather put your all your keys in a safe place that won’t be found by robbers.
Make sure people cannot see into your home at all times of the day. Besides installing high walls around your home, you can make sure your windows have effective coverings. You can install modern motorised blinds, which can be put on a timer setting, which ensures that your window coverings will close in your absence.
If you can afford to install closed-circuit television (CCTV), do so. CCTV helps deter robbers because they would rather not have their crimes recorded on camera. It also ensures that you can view what’s happening around your house.
Long grass, bushy shrubs and hedges give robbers more places to hide; therefore, you should always trim your grass and other plants. Keep all tools and items, like ladders, crowbars and anything else that can assist robbers with breaking into your home locked away.
You can, however, use your outside landscape to your advantage. For example, plant prickly thorn plants near your windows to deter robbers from climbing entering your home and add gravel to your walkways so that you and/or your dog can hear any unwanted visitors approaching your home.
