The Home Improvement Blog

Some other improvements are currently in the works. These include a personal gym, and a complete overhaul of the dining and kitchen, area.

Currently the kitchen area and dining room are walled off, and it doesn’t utilize the space given to it well. We aim to overcome this by knocking down the wall in between them and making it one larger room.

Then, the lifelong ambition of converting our garage into a home gym will be on the cards. We’ve got quite a large driveway that will fit our vehicles, and I often feel like the garage goes to waste. So why not use it?

We will be re plastering the walls, painting them and hanging mirrors on two out of the four. The door will remain to allow cooling air to enter in those hot summer months.

Equipment wise, we shall be looking at getting a rowing machine and an elliptical trainer for sure.

More to come on this shortly. It’s a work in progress.

For some time now, we’ve been putting off purchasing a new shower head. Don’t ask why, it’s just one of those small things that you keep forgetting about when things like work schedule catch up to you.

With our current set up, we have to put up with terrible power coming from the jets, with a single function spray that doesn’t offer much in the form of versatility.

What’s more, the design feels ancient, and whilst we have renovated the whole of the bathroom around it, it’s one of the small finishing touches that we never got round to doing. With so much currently available, including different technologies, this is something I am going to be sorting this weekend.

From what I’ve gathered to date, the top shower heads listed on the Shower HQ website include a good selection of spray functions, and give users a choice in how powerful the water jets are.

There are several well known types on the market. These include

Rain fall -which is something that offers a larger than average head with more nozzles. The idea behind it is to increase the surface area the droplets hit, giving a much fuller, washing experience.

Handheld – These are quite common in smaller households, or for people who need a versatile option to adapt to a variety of different scenarios. They usually detach from a fixed arm, and are often used by people with limited space in the bathroom.

Fixed – Standard fixed models are pretty much as described. They are fixed in one position, although they do quite often come with the ability to adjust the spray settings to match you preferences.

LED – These shower heads are more for decorative purposes, as they include water powered LED lights that shines down the jets and can actually indicate when the water is scalding hot.

Because we’ve got quite a bit of floor space available, we will probably end up going for a rainfall shower head, simply because water coverage is something we feel is important. No one wants to move around too much whilst washing, and this handles that by rinsing your whole body.

With the various other upgrades we’ve put in, like the sink, bath, and flooring, we feel that it’s really getting there. It’s far more presentable than when we first moved in, and very soon everything will be functional and up and running too.

With the other upgrades being made, I’m falling in love with our home, and feel a little proud of my work, I must say.

Ever since I was a youngster, my father has encouraged me to get into the building trade. I struggled to enjoy most tasks he set me at home, among which was putting up our garden shed, and didn’t find it particularly enjoyable. Mind you, I was only about fourteen at the time, so I would of been preoccupied with other things.

As I got older though, and having taken woodworking classes in school, I discovered I had a natural talent that I didn’t seem to have elsewhere, be it sports or something requiring plenty of brain power like maths.

So by the time I left school, I decided that that was my best chance of earning a decent living from, and I’m thankful to my father and professor for guiding me down that path. It helped me forge the career I enjoy today.

This blog, although related to all thing DIY, is more of a diary of what I’ve been upgrading in my house. I will be using it as a way to keep track of things I did wrong, and how I found a solution to correct my mistakes. With any luck, this will help prevent me from doing the same in the future.

The diary can be found on my home page, with the latest entries talking about the most recent projects I am undertaking and how they turned out.

After countless years of laboring, carrying bricks, and general menial jobs, I’m starting to feel it. I’m not as young as I once was, and I don’t want to spend my retirement years with recurring back problems.

Now I’ve dabbled with the idea of managing my own contractors company before, but it never came to pass, nor did I fully immerse myself in the role. But given that my body is starting to feel the pain of all those years of lifting, it may be a sensible route to take.

That would free up time, and profits may be eaten into to pay staff, but I can’t really put it in front of my well being.

Recently I’ve looked into getting one of the best rated massage chairs on the market, which according to the massage throne website, have terrific functionality and settings built in designed to help your muscles relax and soothe pain.

Many of them come with heat therapy built in, plus roller and air bags at strategic locations for lumbar support.

What I was worried about, was how it would fit in with my current furnishings. But to be honest, the chairs I’ve been looking into do tend to have the appearance of a standard armchair. Externally anyway.

So that’s something I will be looking to purchase over the coming weeks, as a last ditch attempt to see if it can ease up the pain and make a difference in my day to day life. I enjoy doing what I do, so I have my fingers crossed.

If the massaging chairs didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, I will probably see about hiring a masseuse for a few weeks. And if all else fails, It looks as though I will need to hire help around the construction sites.

It’s not a complete loss though, I can focus more on the business side of things and securing clients and deals that I may otherwise be overlooked for.

One things for sure, I don’t have plans to leave the trade anytime soon, and I will do my utmost to stay as healthy as possible, and keeping back pains to a minimum is the first step in being able to do that.

You will find out more about this as I go along, but for the time being, our projects will be put on hold until I sort it all out.