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In this article we provide a series of tips to help you purchase a cheap and reliable toilet.  We’re assuming your budget is less than $500 and that you’d prefer to find a toilet in the $150-$200 range. The good news is that they are a wide range of toilets available in this price bracket, many of which offer a great flush performance.  You’ll also want a toilet that conserves water and that won’t require much maintenance. The last thing you want is to have to pay for expensive plumber call out fees.

How to find a cheap toilet that works well:

• Stick to white toilets. Most models will be available in a number of different colors, but you’ll find that colored toilets tend to be more expensive.
• Choose a model with a standard height of around 14 inches. As the population ages there is a growing trend towards higher toilets as these are easier to stand up from, but they are also more expensive.
• Ideally the “rough in” distance between your bathroom wall and the center of the floor toilet drain will be around 12 inches. This is the standard distance and you’ll find that most cheap toilets will be designed to accommodate this.
• Focus on two-piece toilets rather than the more expensive one-piece integrated designs. Two-piece toilets, where the toilet bowl is separate from the toilet tank, will work just as effectively as one-piece designs.
• If you are interested in corner toilets, then it’s far more cost effective to purchase a standard toilet bowl separately from the corner toilet tank.  Corner toilets are a great space saving option for small bathrooms and guest cloakrooms.
• If you are purchasing in the US look for the EPA’s WaterSense label as this ensures that the toilet will be using less water per flush. Generally this will be around 1.6 gallons which is less than half of the amount of water used in conventional toilet designs. That’s great news for all your water bills.  If you want to take the question of water conservation one step further, there is always the option of purchasing a dual flush toilet. These are generally a little bit more expensive but provide you with the option of choosing between two different flush options; a smaller volume for liquid waste and a larger volume for solid waste.
• The cheapest toilets use gravity flush mechanisms. But despite being the cheapest flush mechanism it’s also one of the most effective. It’s a tried and tested technology that doesn’t rely on any complicated or expensive toilet parts. This type of flushing mechanism also works fine if you have weak water pressure at your house.
• Remember that most two-piece toilets are sold without the toilet seat. The seat may set you back an additional $30-$60. But before you buy, check to see if your old seat is compatible with the new toilet.

Solar panels have been installed on home rooftops for decades, but it’s only recently that they’ve become truly affordable. The change comes from the size of the companies that are producing solar panels. Previously, these panels were produced by small companies that could only manufacture a limited number, and had to sell them to businesses that could afford them. Now that giants like BP and Kyocera are turning how panels at economies of scale, they have the means to make versions specifically for homeowners at competitive prices.

Pricing Home Solar Panels

Most solar panels designed for residential use range between $500 and $1500 each. Under normal circumstances, the ability to quickly comparison shop online is a unilateral advantage for the buyer. However, looking up prices for mini solar panels on the Internet can be a double-edged sword. Many of the prices should will seem too good to be true, in which case it’s critical to look at the fine print. These ultra-low prices frequently indicate a wholesale price that’s only available for quantity orders. That’s not necessarily a deterrent if the house needs several panels that meet the minimum order.

It’s unlikely that one panel will ever be enough for an entire house. Home solar panels are designed to be modular, connected together in series. The power output for each panel will depend on the model, but a common range is 170 to 180 watts at 24 volts to power batteries that store electricity for evening and low-light power supply. Panels are not enough. You’ll need buy an inverter—a device that converts the DC electricity that comes from the panels to AC electricity that can be used by the house wiring.

Grid Tie Systems

One of the advantages of solar energy is that it can be used withing or outside of public utilities. So if you have a farm in a remote location that would otherwise have no access to power, solar systems are the perfect solution. But for most residents, who live on a power grid, they can take advantage of grid tie systems that integrate with the grid. This allows any surplus power generated by the panels to be fed back into the grid and sold to the utility for energy credit. This system of net-metering is one of the key economic benefits of installing solar panels. The Interstate Renewable Energy council maintains a database of federal, state and municipal net-metering programs, as well as any financial incentive programs (like tax credits) for which you might qualify.

With so many of us living in small spaces, the room that housing designers allocate to the kitchen is often less than we would like. And not all of us can afford a complete redesign or a move to a larger home! However, there are ways of optimizing the space available without such drastic measures. If you have a small kitchen ideas such as the following can really help; act on as many of them as you can to maximize the usefulness of the kitchen space you have.

It may sound an obvious suggestion but de-cluttering is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your kitchen space seem larger. To begin with, try to use up any food you’ve had in your cupboard or pantry for a while, and don’t replace any items you don’t use on a regular basis. Think about moving any kitchen utensils that you don’t use frequently to other rooms, or buy some lightweight plastic crates for the space above your kitchen cupboards, and store the less often used items in these. If you find that your kitchen is being used as a home for non-kitchen-related items, such as stationery, craft tools, or other hobby bits and pieces, make sure you allocate these to another room too, and ban the use of the kitchen for anything other than traditional kitchen uses!

Not all designs for small kitchens are ideal, but you can help to get the most out of what is already there by organizing the contents around the space. Keep ingredients and your favorite utensils close to the food preparation area and serving dishes and glassware in spaces away from the working space. That way, anyone cooking or serving in the kitchen will not need to be disturbed if anyone pops in for a glass of cordial or cup of tea. Try and move the kettle to a place where it can be accessed by tea-makers and cooks alike!

If you often serve meals on a kitchen table, you may find that stopping this habit and having, for example, breakfast on the dining table instead gives you a whole new space which you could use more practically. Consider purchasing a mobile island with a work surface and storage space underneath, for example, or simply a freestanding cupboard if storage space is more at a premium than preparation areas.

The insides of cupboard doors can be a great place to add storage; often the shelves inside the cupboard are a good deal shorter than the depth of the space, and spice racks or other shallow items can be easily relocated inside a door.

The space under the sink is often home to more than just essential cleaning materials, but even these can be moved to a cupboard elsewhere, and just dishwashing products kept in the kitchen. Then you could attach a waste bin to the door, and clear another bit of kitchen floor space.

Finally, be rigorous in keeping your reorganised kitchen the way you want it, and you’ll be amazed at how much space you suddenly have!

If you have been shopping for a new fridge you have probably spent considerable time trying to decide from what manufacturer you wish to purchase.   While having plenty of choices is a good thing, sometimes you just need to make a decision.  If you choose a high quality manufacture like Sub-zero they you cannot go wrong.

No matter whether you are seeking a traditional stand-alone fridge, a built-in refrigerator, or even a fancy built-in unit; Sub-zero manufactures a fine selection of all these different types from which you can choose.

Pro 48 Sub Zero Units

If you are in the market for a truly fine refrigerator you should really take the time to check out the Sub-zero Pro 48.  While you may hesitate when you find out how expensive one of these units is (comparable in price to many new cars) it truly is a magnificent appliance.  The attractive styling and high-end features of this Sub zero refrigerator make it a great device.

Under Counter Sub Zero Units

If you are looking for undercounter refrigerators then you should consider the appealing units on offer from Sub Zero.  These small units have a maximum width of 27 inches, and installed discretely in almost any kitchen. You will surely appreciate the additional refrigerated space you gain without giving up counter area.

Built-In Sub Zero Units

You are probably already familiar with the appeal of built-in refrigerators.  What you may not know is that Sub Zero is one of the premiere manufacturers of this type of fridge freezer.

Offered in widths ranging from a not insignificant three feet all the way up to a full four feet wide, their selection is very good. If you are seriously considering this style of appliance then you should really check out their model line and see if it matches your tastes.

Integrated Sub Zero Units

If you like built in fridges then you may fall head over heels with Sub Zero integrated refrigerator freezers.  These appliances offer all the benefits of a built-in refrigerator along with the extra benefit of camouflage. The clever addition of custom wood paneling causes the seeming disappearance of your fridge into your kitchens woodwork.

Beverage Center Sub Zero Units

You may or may not be a wine connoisseur, but even if you are not you surely know some.  As you may be aware, storage of wine is a very big deal for some people.  Sub-zero is eager to serve that pool of customers. Therefore, if you are in the market for a good wine refrigerator, this manufacturer has plenty of models for you to explore.

If you have a large collection of wine then probably the best choice for you is one of Sub-Zeros large 30 inch wide wine coolers, which have a very bottle capacity.  For smaller collections, one of their smaller 15-inch wide units would probably be more than sufficient.  Both options are very attractive, high quality units so you should be happy either way.

Whatever type of fridge you choose, you will surely enjoy owning a Sub-zero refrigerator for your home.

There are two ways in which you can install your replacement kitchen doors: by doing it yourself, or by using a trained professional. We are going to take a look at why the professional gives you an advantage over you doing it by yourself.

For one, there is a risk of making mistakes and accidents occurring in the installation. Unlike you, the professional is highly trained in this kind of work and is licensed and insured against this kind of occurrences. If you do it yourself, due to your lack of training and professionalism, you are more likely to cause accidents and make mistakes.

A trained professional will take away the stress you will be going through if you are doing installing the replacement kitchen doors yourself. Even though the cost of doing it yourself is considerably lower, you may have to go through sleepless nights while mulling over the job at hand. The professional on the other hand is trained and experienced in this kind of thing. As you are paying him for the job, the stress about how the job will be done is taken away from you.

Most home decorating professionals work for established companies that will give you guarantees and warranties on the job that has been done. No matter how good a job looks to have been done, you cannot discount the possibility that something might go wrong in the future. Using professionals to do your replacement kitchen doors ensures that they will repair the broken down doors within a given time frame thereby saving you some money.

When you decide to do things yourself like the installation of replacement kitchen windows, be ready to invest a lot of time, money and effort in it. You will probably go through many trial and error episodes because you do not really have the professionalism that is needed. A trained professional on the other hand brings with him experience for this kind of work and an efficiency that comes from having done this kind of work before they got to yours. This will not only help you save on cost and effort but on the time you will need before you can use your kitchen again.

You will probably need to borrow tools that you will use to install your replacement kitchen doors or go out and buy some for yourself. The issue is what will you do with the tools, if you actually end up buying them, after you are done? Professional workers will bring their own tools and thus the headache of disposing off or storing tools will be not be yours to have.

Some people only want to drink the nicest quality coffee they can buy, and others are just looking for that morning caffeine fix. Pretty much the only general rule you can draw around coffee drinkers is that everybody wants their coffee to fit into their schedule. Whether you drink a single cup of coffee a day or an entire pot, you wants to brew it in as efficient a manner as possible. So when shopping for a coffee maker, here are a couple of the things that’s all coffee drinkers need to consider.

One of the bigger decisions you need to make is deciding how much coffee you need to brew at once. The traditional coffee maker is very good at brewing anywhere from 2 cups to 12 cups of coffee at once. Sure, this will probably work more or less for everybody. It is especially convenient if you work at home or have the coffee maker somewhere that you can consistently fill your cup throughout the day.

But before you go out and get that Viking coffee maker that you have had your eyes on, what if you only drink one cup of coffee a day? Or what if you like the idea of brewing the coffee as you need it? There are a number of coffee makers on the market today that brew coffee a cup at a time. There are machines where you just pour a little bit of water and coffee into them, put your cup underneath it, and hit start. There are also Keurig machines that use k cups, which are small plastic cups full of coffee. You just put the sealed cup into the machine and press start. These machines are great if you do not know how much coffee you plan on drinking, if you only need one cup, or if you are particularly forgetful about cleaning the machine. Not having a coffee pot makes cleanup easier.

Quality of coffee is a factor as well, but actually, it is more important to buy quality coffee than it is to worry about the machine itself. Fantastic coffee brewed in a regular drip coffee maker is going to be delicious. Poor coffee brewed inexpensive machine is still going to taste poor. The efficiency and quantity of the coffee is a more important factor.

So whether you intend to buy big containers of coffee at once or just buy cheap k cups to put in your Keurig machine, once you make the decision on the coffee maker, it should fit into your daily schedule much better.

Life could be so much simpler if things were less complicated. For example if carpets did not need pads, these floor coverings could be laid directly on the floor. Carpets can be installed directly on the floor without pads. Consumers are not happy with these results. Extensive wall-to-wall carpets wear out faster without the protection offered by adequate padding. This flooring lacks comfort and warmth and the room is nosier. It is well worth the money to install this new foundation under expensive carpeting.

Choosing the right carpet padding adds years to life to the carpet and enjoyment to the space. The floors are soft to walk on, sit on or play on. Pads provide an insulating layer making the rooms warmer in the cold weather and cooler during hot weather. Footsteps, items dropped and noise from electronics, appliances and people are absorbed reducing decibel levels in this area. Finding the best choice to support the new wall-to-wall carpeting is easy. All carpet manufacturers make recommendations. The shopper needs to learn the difference between the top five options and choose the one that works best for them and their situation.

Manufactures are very concerned with consumer satisfaction. These companies do extensive tests on different carpet pads to see which ones maximize the performance of each particular carpet.  Pads are like foundations and provide added durability and support to the carpet. The padding allows carpet fibers to be crushed and spring bring back into their original shape without matting or creating smashed trails through dense, plush carpeting. The giving base provides softer walking and more comfort to people using the area. Added padding reduces noise. However, pads that are too soft stretch the carpet with every step and break the backing down or cause the carpet to ripple and not lay flat on the floor.

The same carpet may have different recommendations for high traffic areas and low traffic areas to increase the life of the investment and consumer satisfaction. High traffic areas perform better with a thinner support. Areas used less like living rooms and bedrooms enjoy the ambience of the softer, warmer flooring; these are provided by a thicker pad and luxurious suppleness. The carpet may be rated by height and or density; purchasers need to pay close attention to the density rating as this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some use pounds per cubic feet while other give statistics in pounds per cubic yard.

Common materials for carpet pads include rubber, foam, rebound, fiber and Frothed foam. Slab rubber pads last well and are great for high traffic areas. Waffle rubber has a design like waffles and offers a very soft base. This does not work well with plastic backed carpets. Urethane foam is inexpensive, comes in a variety of densities and thicknesses. Rebound recycles high-density foam pieces that are glued together; this recyclable product comes in different densities and thicknesses also. Fiber holds carpets in place and is made from jute, recyclable textile fiber, synthetic fiber or hair. Frosted foam is an ultra dense pad manufactured from urethane, does not expel fumes and resists furniture indentations. Specialty carpets like sea grass, Berger and frieze carpet benefit from thinner, denser underlayments. Most manufacturers of Berber carpet tell buyers of a high loop carpet to purchase very firm carpeting pads.

There are additional to consider before making this wonderful purchase. Choosing the right carpet pad helps to thicken a cheap carpet and adds feelings of luxury to the room. Most times it is not worth the effort to save money by reusing old padding as these are worn by traffic patterns and indented by furniture. Buying a new pad makes the best of a carpet, giving it a spongy, luxurious feeling. A thick new pad adds insulation to even cold concrete flooring and brings heat into the room.  People usually choose the softest, thickest padding that will work with the carpet being installed. However people with mobility problems benefit from a firmer foundation; individual lifestyles need to be considered before making this choice. Adding a carpet runner in high traffic areas extends this life even longer and brings brightness to the area; this is a trick used by frugal homeowners.

Consumers know choosing the right carpet padding reduces the need for carpet repair as their investment and satisfaction in wall-to-wall carpeting will be extended. Finding the perfect padding to create a warm foundation is easy with a little knowledge and research. The right pad makes even inexpensive carpeting glamorous and welcoming.

The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house, so it needs to look and feel nice and relaxed. It needs to be practically set out and designed around your needs and designed with the correct products. It is advisable to use hard wearing materials for use in a kitchen, as they do tend to get a bit of a knock with heavy pots and pans and also it is

also advisable to get wipe clean surfaces too. Kitchens usually have tiles or a kitchen tile backsplash on the walls to accommodate for these issues. When you are cooking, sauces can spit out of pans onto the walls and if there are no tiles, it causes a constant mess for you to keep cleaning up. Bearing this in mind, choosing the right kitchen tiles is imperative in a modern kitchen. Something to also bear in mind is whether your choice of tile can be used as kitchen floor tiles or that they are purely for use on the walls.

Here at LiveIn|LiveOut we have put together a non exhaustive list of some of the different options of kitchen tiles you may want to consider before you purchase yours.

Design and style of kitchen tile

Kitchen wall tiles come in a variety of materials, styles and finishes. Dependant on your style and kitchen unit doors you may opt for a natural feel or a more contemporary one.

• Natural slate as a natural material is simply stunning. It’s effect is a wall of purple, green, brown and rust – It does require a little more work and forethought before you set them in place on the wall, but when installed correctly look rustic and homely. If you decide to go for natural slate, you will have to bear in mind that they will all vary in colour, shape and texture. This is the beauty of the natural product, so if you are looking for clean lines this will not be the option for you. The tiles will come in batches and before you commit to fixing them to the wall it is advisable to lay a few sections of the tiles out onto a flat surface so that you can choose the most similar depths to ensure a rough consistent level. They will vary in height and by doing this simple pre-test it will make the job of grouting far easier. Natural slate will also need impregnating so that when fat spits on to the wall it will not soak into the natural product and taint the look of them.
• Terracota tiles can also give you a rustic feel, dependant on whether they have been cut or left as the natural material. Terracota tiles are rich in colour and really hard wearing and this type of natural material only improves with age. Terracotta tends to come in many cuts, some of which are; hexagonal, brick shaped or square.
• Travertine is yet another different natural material which will give you a rustic look. The colours are pale and look similar to that of pumice and look stunning in a simply designed kitchen with rich walnut worktops.
• Marble tiles are also very stunning, but will be a little more costly. Marble is very hardwearing and will give you that glossy sleek finish and beautiful clean lines. Marble is taken from the Greek word for shining stone and this is exactly what it is. It is a simply glamorous material and looks very regal in any home.
• There are cheaper alternatives from the natural products and they are usually based around the look and feel of these natural products themselves. They have just been manmade to resemble the real thing. There are some really excellent examples on the market which both look good and look really convincing, these are a great option if you are looking to saving a few pennies and are on a budget.

Custom made tiles and murals

If you are looking to inject a bit of individuality into your home and didn’t want to opt for anything that is available on the market today, then you may want to consider investing in a custom wall mural. You may have your own ideas as to what you may want on the mural – perhaps it is of a beautiful photograph that you would like to make into wall art or it could be a series of designs that you may want to get printed onto tiles and use them as sit alone squares on an Arga back splash mixed in with plain tiles. There are some companies out there that cater for this type of requirement and you can get creative too! Hand painted delft tiles always give a complete package to a country home or if you did want a custom photograph commissioned onto a series of tiles then it can be either screen printed or digitally printed.

Changing the look of your kitchen can be an arduous task and not to mention expensive. If you do not have the funds to totally overhaul your kitchen and replace you kitchen tiles then you should opt for the next best thing. If your kitchen is starting to look a bit tired and unloved, then you may want to give it a little boost and bring it into the 21st century, and really, the easiest and simplest way of achieving this is to change things that take up the majority of visual space in the room. If you do not have a huge budget but want to achieve a dramatic change then you should look at replacing your kitchen unit door fronts.

Replacing all of your kitchen unit door frontages is a really cheap and clever way of re-vamping your space without all the cost and mess of major building work that usually goes with it. Replacement kitchen unit doors are available in most good furniture stores and also come in an array of different finishes, styles and prices. The bonus of replacing just the kitchen unit doors, is that you can leave the shell of the cupboard in situ and simply attach the fresh new look onto the existing cupboard! It really couldn’t be simpler as long as you check the original fittings and make sure that the new ones will fit.

If you have made the decision to re-vamp your kitchen with the use of some new kitchen unit doors, then you need to look at the options there are available on the market and what would suit your style and needs. We have put together a few ideas for you to consider in your kitchen to give it that much needed boost.

Gloss finish

A gloss finish is the quickest way of bringing your units ‘bang’ up to date. Gloss exudes style, elegance and brings with it the best light reflecting surface available. Gloss finishes come in a variety of colors and all of them give that instant ‘wow’ factor.

A red gloss finish will add personality and style immediately into your room. Choosing red for example, will inject life and vibrancy, which in turn introduces a younger more individual design to your home. Opting for a red finish will make your space look more fun and

A black gloss finish mixed with a wooden worktop and some simply designed tiling will give you a retro feel. This is a really sleek way of creating impact and transforming your kitchen into that show room you always wanted.

A white gloss finish lends itself to a more subtle and clean look. White can look cheap when you think back to the old styled MFI units that you may remember but by using a gloss finish this will give a more sleek, reflective look. Light bounces around the room especially with white gloss and white looks great with any type of wood. If you really want to go for that show room style, we would recommend a white gloss frontage with the use of a dark wood worktop and splash back with a simple grey – blue or even white on the walls. Teamed with a set of really well placed down lights, you will achieve the look you are after with relatively little effort and cost.

Traditional country finishes

Dependant on your period of house or style, you may want to steer away from a contemporary feel and go for something more in keeping with your surroundings. A house in the country for instance, will be crying out for a solid pine frontage whether it has been painted in a shabby chic method or just a solid untouched piece of wood. Detailing will make the difference and turned details on the front of units will help it to look more in keeping with your home. Pine teamed with a floral 50s style pattern will create a 50s house wife chic that is really high up on the style charts at the moment.

Changing your handles

Another way of altering the look of your kitchen is to simply change the handles. Kitchen unit door handles also come in a vast array of styles and fittings so be sure to choose something that is suitable for your needs. The kitchen units doors can instantly be ‘jazzed’ up with some fresh sleek – looking handles. A choice of chrome, plastic or glass handles are some of the options that are available to you on the market. To achieve a retro look there are some really funky designs out there – Just look at the Smeg designs and take your inspiration from those. A simple chrome curve will add a beautiful accent to a gloss kitchen unit frontage. The key to achieving a retro look with anything is to ultimately keep it simple and also maybe take a look at all the pastel colours that are available too.