House Archives - The Architect

Why Have Retractable Awning in your Home?

23/03/201823/11/2023 John Jaeger

Retractable awnings are structures which look like roofs, but they extend to the outside of your house to form another protected space. Awnings have become popularly used by most homes because of the various advantages they have. The retractable awnings last longer and therefore can be used at home, in a commercial building or at your office. The retractable awning enhances even the look of your house.

On the other hand, they will protect your property and you from heat, sun, rain and ultraviolet rays. For this reason, as a homeowner and you don’t want to be exposed to the following conditions, you can consider installing the retractable awnings in your home. Discussed in this article are some of the reasons why you need the awnings in your home.

You will enjoy extended living space

In a case where you feel your living room is a bit squeezed and you feel you need more space, then installing retractable awnings will be the best option to suit your need. Similarly, if you happen to buy more furniture and your living room becomes small you can put some in the retractable awnings space you create. The place will be very much ideal because the furniture will be safe from rain and even to much sun. A big living area will be a nice place to relax and play for the case of children.

They are easy to use

Secondly, you should consider having retractable awnings in your home because they are pretty easy to use. You don’t need to be an expert before you know how to effectively use your awning. You can choose an electric awning or just a manual awning. It will all depend on what you desire and what your needs look like. If you need the simplest, then you should consider the electric retractable.

They help in saving energy

Installing retractable awnings in your house will help you save energy and money. This is because in case you have a room that gets hot during summer you only need to unroll your awing and the room will be cool. You will not have to run your air conditioner or fan. This will see you save on electricity usage hence translating to saving money.

Protection from the sun and rain

When you install a retractable awning, you will enjoy protection from the sun. The retractable awning will offer a nice shade which will help your family stay outdoors without having to stay indoors. In addition, the awning will shield you from the rain. There are some cases where you only realize it has started raining and you didn’t see this coming. When you have a retractable awning, you will not worry about any stress of getting rained on.…

Green House Cleaning in Portland

14/02/201820/11/2018 John Jaeger

Greenhouses revolutionize the ways of doing agriculture for both commercial and hobby purposes, yet they can be a pain to deal with due to the extra labor and care needs. When you are planning on finding a good greenhouse cleaning services in Portland, you have to take care of a few things in the process first, and the following tips should help you realize the best outcome in your greenhouse cleaning endeavors. You could start by applying the following considerations to your list of to do steps for getting green house cleaning Portland done right.

Know when to clean

The plants are grown inside the greenhouse matter a lot in the choice of time for cleaning. When you have annuals, you can only clean once a year unless you are trying to forgo any gains made regarding your plants and harvesting time. Cleaning for annuals is also appropriate just before winter sets in. You could also check whether you have perennials and other seasonal plants before scheduling the cleaning service. Make sure you are protecting your plant’s ability to cope with environmental shocks whenever you opt for a temporary relocation.

The availability of paid cleaners

Many people with greenhouses at home may want a simple exercises taking a few hours where they do everything by hand and a few equipment such as a hosepipe. However, in most cases, professional cleaning can do magic to a greenhouse and ensure that it looks sparkling clean both on the naked eye and at a microscopic level. The problem with DIY cleaning is that you may lack the agronomical detail necessary to get rid of pathogens that might be waiting to attack your plants once the conditions are right. The essence of having a greenhouse is to block the external harm from entering and affecting your precious crops. Therefore, you should not be skipping on the professional services.

Procedures for cleaning

You must follow the right procedure irrespective of whether it is a DIY cleaning project or a professional job by consultants and other agencies offering such services in Portland. The structure for growing crops in a controlled environment is the greenhouse, but it has perimeter materials and roofings of different kinds to require unique cleaning approaches. The shape and orientation of plants in the greenhouse, as well as the location of the water sources and doors into and out of the facility, will also affect the posture and planning utilized during the cleanup. You need to evaluate the structural designs and material requirements for the greenhouse before embarking on the cleaning process. The precaution ensures that you do not end up relying on chemicals or tearing down the plastic and other covers when you erroneously place too much effort on scraping or when you use excess acid to clean.

Greenhouse accessories

The cleaning process must include all accessories attached to the facility. They include the gutters and water tanks, which will come with particular cleaning procedures for the best outcomes. The experts called in for the job should be familiar with these procedures. You could also put them to task as a supervisor to make sure the job results are desirable.…

The Basics of Terrarium that You Should Know Before Your Buy or Make One

07/02/201807/02/2018 John Jaeger

A terrarium is a marvelous decorating item we can put anywhere, from our bedroom to the living room. It brings natural nuance to the house, and some designs even allow a terrarium to showcase its otherworldly atmosphere as if the world in it is one separate world.

A terrarium is also very easy to make. Terrarium media can be from used materials, which is good for recycling and green lifestyle, and the plants do not have to be exotic, rare, nor expensive. The art of a terrarium lies in the placing and structuring.

Before you decide to buy a terrarium, you should know this basic knowledge first so that you can improve your taste and end up having a unique terrarium.

Terrarium type based on the organisms

Some terrariums use plants only, and the other the combination of plants and insects, or other animals. Therefore, there are two types of terrarium: fauna and flora.

Terrariums are originally famous for snake and lizard owners, and their size used to be medium to large only. But the size can be smaller depending on what ecosystem the terrarium has.

There is even a self-sustaining terrarium, the microfauna terrarium. It combines mold, fungus, microorganism, and insects to keep the ecosystem efficient. When it is efficient, your interference is not required for the organisms in the terrarium to survive.

Terrarium based on the ecosystem

There are four well-known ecosystem-based terrariums: desert, terrestrial, tropical, and the one that has been hinted on the previous subheading, microfauna terrarium. Each has their features and requirements, which make them unique from one to another.

Desert terrarium uses desert elements: sands, cactus, succulents, rocks, and desert insects. Scorpions, snakes, or beetles suit this terrarium very well.

In a tropical terrarium, you will have moss, bonsai tree, spiderwort, starfish plant, and spider fern. Ants, worms, beetles, and spiders will look good on this terrarium.

Terrestrial terrarium imitates the look of rocky mountains and cliffs. The plant for this environment is from tillandsia genus.

A microfauna terrarium typically takes a tropical look, because it tends to look wet and humid. The fauna for this terrarium is a snail, isopods, nematodes, and protozoans.

Choosing the right one

To choose the right terrarium for you, you should consider the place where you are going to put it. For a living room, where light is most likely to be always on, a tropical terrarium with the wet environment will not be suitable. Microfauna also cannot stand light too much, because to them, even the light from the bulb is scorching enough.

A desert terrarium can be your option to be the living room decorative item. But having a fauna in it will be tricky. We suggest only the plant-based one.…

Habits that Will Make Your Home Dust-free and Appealing

07/02/2018 John Jaeger

House appearance affects the mood of the owner and everyone living in it. When it comes to networking, such as inviting colleagues to have a business dinner, dusty living room, moldy toilet, and sink smell will not leave a good impression, and it also means ruined reputation.

Besides, a dusty sofa is the ideal place for mites to breed. Left for a long time, it can cause skin rash and irritation. Postponing to clean the house will just bring more harm than good.

You should change your habits and start adopting the ones below to make your house dust-free and appealing to the guests.

Getting used to using a vacuum cleaner

Brooming the house is an old way of house cleaning, and you should have more vacuum-cleaners. Buy more than twos when you are living with your partner or family member. Make house cleaning everyone’s duty and schedule it.

Do not hesitate to buy a new vacuum when the old one broken. The outdated vacuum model also cannot function efficiently. Dyson Cinetic ‘Big Ball’, Numatic Henry, and Shark Light Lift-Away are the top three vacuum from 2017 edition. Pick one from those choices because it is going to be your main partner to fight the dust and debris particles in your house.

When you are vacuuming the house, prioritize your sofa, bedroom, and other furniture items with cushions. Eliminates those spider webs in every corner of your rooms, and suck away those filths beneath your carpet. If you have acoustic panels installed, you should also clean them regularly as well. You should at least do the cleaning once for every two days.

Avoiding hoarding thing

Always throw away whatever things you cannot use. If there is any household recycle depot nearby, give the unused items to them.

Check your basement for half-broken refrigerator or TVs, and see if there are any salvageable materials that you can sell to electronic recyclers. Put the rest remainings in the dumpster.

Piled up things invite cockroaches and rodent to mate, breed, and nest. If you find any pest infestation, call an exterminator immediately because it can spread to another place.

Washing the dirty dishes as soon as possible

Not all houses can afford a dishwasher machine, and it is not that necessary either. To keep the kitchen clean, you can just buy a pair of dishwashing rubber gloves, brush, and dish soap.

We mostly avoid washing the dishes directly because the food remnants and the sink waste are just gross to touch. They can also slip and stuck in between our nails, which can be unhealthy and make us prone to get diseases.

With complete equipment, then we can wash the dishes without being afraid of touching the waste directly. Also, change the fixed sink tap with the one that resembles a shower hose. You need to have the tap head to be flexible enough to make cleaning dishes easier and faster.…