Building Your Home Cinema

The world of consumer electronics has always been bewildering and constantly changing, so it’s no surprise that most people have trouble when trying to set up their home cinema. Thankfully, though, putting it all together isn’t actually as complicated as many would lead you to believe. Inside your living room or converted garage or loft, you could have the perfect home cinema up and running with ease.

And if you haven't converted your garage, you could get started today by getting a free quote from garageconversionquoter.co.uk. Garage and loft conversions are one of the most cost-effective home improvements you can go for in the current housing market, because not only do you get the benefit of more space now without having to move, but also when the market picks up again and the time comes to sell, your house’s value will have drastically improved thanks to the extra space you’ve created.

The Visual

A good cinema starts with the screen. You’ve got a few paths you can go down here, and the end result is going to be determined by three things: your space, your taste and your budget. The first big decision to make is whether to have a television set or a projector. There are significant advantages and disadvantages to both – in particular, projectors are more troublesome to fit and set up and can be noisy, but you’ll be able to get a larger screen size, and they don’t suffer from narrow viewing angles which some larger flat-screen televisions are plagued by.

The Audio

Some Home Cinema magazines will tell you that you need an ever-expanding array of speakers – remember when it used to be just the two? Now you need a centre speaker, two rears speakers, and a ‘subwoofer’ for the bass sounds. This is known as ‘5.1 surround sound’, but surround sound systems have begun appearing in the consumer market with 7.1, 9.1 or even 11.1 configurations. What the hi-fi manufacturers don’t like to tell you is that even cinemas only actually use 5 distinct speaker channels, so you can save yourself some money and plump for the standard 5.1 system without losing anything.

Another thing a lot of people don’t realise when placing speakers in their home cinema setup is that rear speakers, counter-intuitively, are designed to be placed at the sides of the room. Ideally, the five main speakers should form a circle around your sofa, with the two rear speakers at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions.

The Room

Experts in video will tell you that bright colours in your home cinema will affect your perception of the colours on your television, so you should decorate in dark colours. Experts in audio will soberly inform you that, whilst thick curtains and a good solid sofa will help, there is only one device that can help you ‘fix’ problematic acoustics in your room: a sledgehammer. Both of these viewpoints are worth taking on board.

Here at Home Improvement Quotes, however, we think that there’s only two things you really need to get the maximum enjoyment out of watching a movie with your family, all together in a warm room after coming in from the winter cold: a really good, comfortable sofa, and a nice hot cup of tea.

Come on in - the Online Home Improvement Quote water's lovely

Come on in - the Online Home Improvement Quote water's lovely or what happens after I've got my online quote from Home Improvement Quotes?

Our FREE service to home owners, like yourself, lets you enter your own measurements, select the styles and options you want and then gives you an instant online quote there and then. No questions asked.

You can come back and try it as often as you like or take advantage of our other 'Quoter websites to get an instant online price guide for your next home improvement project. They're all completely free, and you can use our websites 24/7, 365 days a year.

But what happens after you've got your online quote? How do you go about getting someone to come round and actually get the work done. And how can you be sure they're reputable tradesmen and won't try to rip you off with an over-inflated price?

Well luckily, if you've used one of our 'Quoter family of websites, that isn't a problem.

You see, after you've got your online price guide, our very own team of customer advisors will call you back and discuss your home improvement project in a little more detail.

Then, and only if YOU want us to, we'll arrange to try and match your location and the work you want doing with our database of approved and registered home improvement companies.

We never pass your details to more than 3 companies - guaranteed! And because our companies know they'll be in competition with up to 2 others, you'll get their best price every time with out the need to haggle.

More recently, we introduced a home owner feedback system for our website visitors. If you make use of our local tradesman service, we'll email you a link to your own private login area where you can check the details of the companies we've recommended you to, you'll find their address, telephone and email addresses in case you want to contact them directly at any time, and you'll also be able to leave your independent feedback and quality rating on your dealings with that company.

We use your feedback as part of our own internal quality monitoring so you'll also be helping other homeowners in the future.

Price Engines Ltd - the company behind the 'Quoter family of websites were the first company in the UK to introduce online quotes for double glazing, way back in 2000. Since then, we've expanded our range of home improvement projects you can get online quotes for as well as developing and expanding our network of approved companies.

Sure there are other online quoting websites about but on top of the recommended network of companies, your own feedback facility etc there's also one other very important feature we offer homeowners - Deposit Protection.

Our approved companies will arrange to call round, confirm your measurements and the work you want doing and give you a written quotation - without any obligation. If you do decide to go ahead with one of our recommended companies, you can then download your own deposit protection certificate from your online feedback area.

We'll cover your 10% deposit (we recommend only paying a 10% deposit) so that in the event of one of our approved companies being unable to complete your work, we'll arrange for another approved company to take over and complete it. If you paid more than 10% deposit, then we'll only cover 10% of the home improvement cost.

Our home owners also benefit in other ways too. For example, we publish a regular monthly newsletter that keeps homeowners up to date with the latest news, features and 'Quoter websites. We also run regular promotions where you could receive vouchers etc just for recommending a friend or neighbour.

Lastly, our recommended companies are able to pass their savings on traditional advertising costs onto you the home owner directly, saving you even more money in the process.

We look forward to helping you find a reputable local company for your home improvement project very soon.

Composite Doors: Fad or Future?

In the days before interwebs and online pricing, if you wanted to keep out draughts coming under the front door you taught a grandchild how to knit, gave them some odd balls of wool, and waited until they’d knitted a length of multi-coloured design Tom Baker would have been proud to wear.

Then you’d sew it up, stuff it and make a ‘sausage dog’ draught excluder.

Depending on the length of knitting time contributed and the amount of wool you had, many such excluders would fall short of the task by quite a few centimeters – I can remember my own creation looking long enough to go around the bed, when in reality, it only stopped up half the door, allowing the freezing winter air to blow straight round.

Of course, nowadays, because its very difficult to get kids into knitting (there’s surely an idea there for Nintendo and their Wii), we have to rely on the double glazing industry to come up with ever-more effective ways of giving us not only a great looking entrance door, but one that also keeps out the weather, and is ultra secure.

uPVC has become the clear favourite of door buyers, particularly because uPVC doors tend to be really secure, and they also give your home great protection from the elements – particularly these ‘pleasant’ snow carrying breezes we’ve enjoyed in the last week or so.

These doors aren’t without flaws, though. In particular, many traditional uPVC door designs incorporate a raised sill that can make it difficult for the elderly or handicapped to step over. If you’ve ever tried to get a baby buggy through such a door design, you’ll know all about it.

There’s a new door in town, though, and it’s called the Composite.

....to read the full story on composite doors - head over to Home Improvement Quotes website - click here

You can find quotes for all kinds of doors from WindowQuoter.co.uk

News from our Sister Company - All Craftsmen Ltd

We'll be blogging and telling you more about our new Sister Company - All Craftsmen Ltd in a few days.

They're helping our network of approved home improvement companies set up their own websites and online profiles... here's just a selection of a few of the home improvement companies they've helped so far:

Simply Alarms - home security and alarm installations

Independent Driveways - Driveway company

Bridlington Double Glazing specialists

Professional Home Improvements - driveways

Professional Home Improvements - kitchens

Professional Home Improvements - windows

Professional Home Improvements - garage conversions

Professional Home Improvements - solar heating

Home Improvement Quotes.

Getting Some Excitement Back Into Your Bedroom

Your bedroom can say more about you than you think. To some people, a bedroom is simply a place in which to sleep at night. To others, it is a safe haven from the world, a place they can go to relax, read a good book and get to really enjoying life. If your bedroom isn’t complementing your lifestyle, you need to start making changes.

Once again Home Improvement Quotes are on your side, helping you get quotes and find local companies to provide you with top quality bedrooms through our site BedroomQuoter.co.uk

So, let’s investigate how you can add the personal touch to your bedroom’s furnishings. The place to start is the colour scheme. While it might be tempting to fill the room up with colour, it’s often more effective to concentrate on a single colour – or even a ‘splash’ of a strong colour amid neutral surrounds – to give the room a consistent theme. Light and neutral colours give your room space and air, but darker tones can give a sense of intimacy and warmth. In the end, the decision will be yours to make.

Lighting has a huge effect on the atmosphere of a room. Overly bright, harsh or brash lighting can create unwanted tension, but you don’t want a room that’s so dark that applying makeup or locating a dropped contact lens becomes an issue. Whilst ensuring your bedroom is well-lit, you don’t want to be rendered half blind by a strong direct light source in front of you while you’re reading or enjoying a warming breakfast in bed. It’s worth considering a diffuse light fitting for your main light, complimented by wall lighting behind the bed for those relaxing evenings and lazy mornings. You might also want to consider having a light switch (or pull cord) fitted near the bed, for the sake of convenience!

Decor is where you can add your personal touch to the room. You don’t have to be an expert in feng shui to know that a carefully selected picture and a well placed vase can make the difference between a bedroom feeling lifeless and beginning to feel homely.

You can get help with all these decisions and more from a professional fitted bedroom fitter, and we can help you find one through BedroomQuoter.co.uk. If you’re being kept up all night by your bedroom, it’s time to think about getting a new one.

Reasons to replace your uPVC double glazing

Believe it or not, a sizeable chunk of the double glazing market is for replacement replacement windows and doors. Although PVC windows have a considerably longer lifespan than the softwood windows they may have replaced, their life isn’t infinite and do need replacement eventually.

But it’s not all about wearing out. There are quite a few other reasons why people replace replacement windows and doors – and quite often well before their sell-by date has arrived:

Looks:

If your uPVC windows have been in place for 3,4,5 years or more , it’s almost certain that the frame manufacturer has updated its profile to add more curves and more stylish joins. Woodgrain effect windows are now virtually indistinguishable from real wood from only a few paces.

Although it’s usually possible to find and replace loose and wobbly or tarnished and scratched handles, it isn’t alway possible – and the latest window furniture is also available with virtually indestructible finishes. uPVC frames become scratched over the years and as they do – they become even harder to clean and pick up dirt easier.

It’s even possible that your old windows have developed an interesting shade of pink or yellow over the years? This isn’t uncommon and it’s something that can only be cured by tearing them out and starting again.

Security:

Once upon a time the majority of window systems were designed with the glass sealed units installed and removed from the outside – what the industry calls ‘externally glazed’. In the early days of uPVC these systems weren’t as secure as they are nowadays, and there are more and more systems being sold with internal glazing.

Locks and bolts are a completely different proposition now to those fitted 10 years ago also. Ask your supplier about the “Secured by Design” standards and special locks that will withstand the most common forcing techniques.

Economy:

New and ever-changing energy efficiency targets being placed upon window manufacturers mean that modern uPVC windows are likely to be much more energy efficient than older designs. Fuel isn’t cheap and replacing windows might seem like an expensive option, but it could be one that would pay for itself sooner than you think. Triple glazing and ‘designer-gas’ filled units are now available that weren’t a few years back.

As you can see there are numerous reasons to replace your old double glazing - and you can get a free, instant online quote for all your double glazing needs from WindowQuoter.co.uk

Paving in the Rain

It’s understandable that home owners planning on having a new driveway laid might be caught in a bit of a quandary this time of year.

On the one hand, there are those incredible deals as the home improvement industry looks to pick up some early work with ‘New Year sales’. On the other, there’s the worry that any paving job, whether it’s block paving or impressed concrete, will suffer delays due to the British weather we all know and love at this time of year.

Fear no more, though, because we’re here to answer a few of those worries and give you the added confidence to go ahead with that new driveway anyway. Besides, waiting till Summer is no guarantee of better weather. I’m sure we’ve been on plenty of summer holidays spent mostly in wellington boots, crouched under a soggy canvas or listening to the rain hitting the roof of a caravan as if you were sheltering inside a biscuit tin. So, to get a quote for paving, rain or shine, you can visit PavingQuoter.co.uk

In fact, for the vast majority of driveways they can be installed whatever the weather. The first job in any driveway installation is to dig out the’footings’ and compact the correct mix of larger and finer rubble and hardcore. Unless an absolute cloud burst happens, this can usually continue without hinderance.

Next for block paving, comes one or two layers of traditionally grit sand, which is compacted to form the base for laying the blocks onto. This is the stage most affected by excess water as the sand when extremely wet tends to retain the water, making it less easy to work with, which can lead to dense areas forming that will need tapping out later.

Once the blocks are laid, and the finished surface has been swept with sand to work into the gaps between blocks, a little rain can be very beneficial in helping the sand ‘soak’ down into the gaps and settle.

With Impressed concrete finishes, the base is laid as above. Instead of the two layers of sand, a finer mix of aggregate will be used to bring the surface up to the required level prior to pouring the cement. The pouring stage is critical as its this that will provide the final surface. If too much water falls as the concrete is being poured, it can weaken the mixture or make it a shade to pliable to work with. This can effect drying times.

Usually, contractors are able to cover over recently poured surfaces so if it starts raining once they’ve already started there’s no need to worry.

Although its no detriment to the surface and it shouldn’t make you favour block over impressed in any way, when laying an impressed concrete driveway, there’s one finishing touch that needs a little dry spell… the colouring.

When an impressed driveway is laid, after the base preparation and the concrete pouring, the next stage is to apply the final colour – usually through using a pigmented powder that reacts with the still wet concrete and stains the colour down to about an 8th of an inch below the surface. Once the colour has been applied, then the installers will move quickly to apply the patterned mats and ‘imprint’ your chosen design onto the surface.

If there is an excess of surface water collecting when the powdered colouring is being applied, obviously, some of the powder is going to float off rather than stick to the surface area it was applied to. This could lead to uneven colour surface, so it’s one of those jobs best done when its dry. Alternatively, the contractor may be forced to apply makeshift covers with tapulines etc to keep the worst off until the powder has had time to do its job.

So with a little luck, you can go ahead and get that driveway sorted and make use of the paving companies less busier times of the year. Remember, once the summer months approach, many paving companies will be booked solid so if you decide later to go ahead with a driveway quotation, you may have a very long wait indeed.

If you’d like find out how much it would cost you to have your driveway re-laid or extended or you’d like a new driveway installing, then just visit PavingQuoter.co.uk. Just type in a few basic dimensions of the size you’d like your drive to be and select either block or impressed (there’s even a tarmac option) and our clever online software will work out an approximate cost of the job there and then. No need for a paving contractor to call round – our online quotes are completely free, absolutely no obligation but we do promise to give you an instant online price guide and save you money.

Keep Good Company: Five tips for finding the best home improvement provider

We often talk here about finding good home improvement providers and getting great building work done, but how can you tell if the company you’re getting a quote from is one of the good guys before you hire them? Here’s the Home Improvement Quotes tips on selecting the best company for your requirements:

Listen to recommendations from others

One very effective way of finding out if the company you’re thinking of hiring is worthwhile is to ask friends and relatives if they’ve used the company in the past. Friends will give you an honest opinion and help you set your expectations at the correct level. Friends are a great source of help and advice, and if one of your friends has had recent experience with a home improvement, you could ask them for help selecting a company

Have a look at the company’s website

Home Improvement companies often have pictures and examples of the work they’ve done in the past on their website. Have a look through the picture gallery, but also look at how the company describes itself and its services. If they’re proud of their products they’ll say so, and they’ll include industry accreditations, awards and other indicators of the quality of their business.

Look for local examples of their work

Ask the salesmen if they’ve done any work locally recently that you can look at. If you see work by the company locally, assess its quality and decide for yourself if they’re worth the price.

Don’t just go with the first people you find

Reputable companies aren’t afraid of competition. Get quotes from several companies who provide the product you need, and make sure they know they aren’t the only company you’re asking. This is where Home Improvement Quotes can really help you – as well as giving you a rough guide price to use in your discussions with salesmen, we’ll help you find three local companies you can talk to. Head over to the Home Improvement Quotes website now to get free quotes on anything from Double Glazing to Garage Conversions to Bathrooms.

‘Good’ is not the same as ‘Cheap’

Some tradesmen are out to fleece you. Some, however, want to help their customers and give them the best product possible. You’ll often get what you pay for, and if you force the salesmen onto a very low price you may find you don’t get such a good deal after all. Companies are less inclined to work well with customers who cause them significant problems over price, and even some good companies will use cheaper, lower quality materials to cut prices for homeowners who kick up a fuss.

Remember, really good companies would rather walk away from a job than compromise on quality for the sake of a providing a dirt cheap job for a difficult customer. You want to get the best deal possible, but still the best work that you can afford.