My House My Home

Spruce Up Your Home And Keep Cool This Summer

October 6, 2016 By editor

With summer just around the corner it is now time to start thinking about keeping your house cool for summer and looking to give your house a small facelift internally. Keeping cool is just so important over the many hot dry months of summer that we have in our local area, and there is no better way than to have one of the coolest, quietest and most energy efficient evaporative air conditioners installed and ready to go. Breezair, which can be installed for
you by Shead and Nicholson in Forbes can cool your whole house for the cost of running a single light globe. It is important to remember that evaporative cooling is the best choice for longevity, energy efficiency and comfort. It is also up to 90% cheaper to run than reverse cycle cooling, and has very low maintenance costs. Call now to ensure
that you stay cool this summer.

When looking for ways to smarten up the interior of your house, why not drop down to the newly located Painted Daisies, which is now at 1 Templar Street, next door to Little Extras Lifestyle – easy and convenient for the girls to go on a real shopping spree. The new shop, whilst slightly smaller brings light and warmth in an intimate atmosphere.

Owner, Janet Callaghan, is looking forward to bringing exciting and beautiful homewares to Forbes. With her assistant, Julie, she will make you feel welcome as you browse the wonderful array of items, including many different types of candles, home furnishings, bed linens, vases and urns, beds, small items of furniture and some stunning lamps. With Christmas coming up soon, now is the time to layby and there are many items to choose from – books are a speciality, as well as a large range of leather bags, wallets, and travel bags. Go in for a browse and explore what
they have to offer.

What Windows Should I Choose?

September 1, 2016 By editor

Building or renovating a house involves many decisions. One of which is choosing the right windows for your house. Here are some pointers to help decide on the ideal windows for all your needs.
1) Which room is the window for? It is a simple question, but necessary to ask before making a decision. Different rooms require different types of windows. Some windows are more suited to particular applications than others. Room design, style and purpose should be considered prior to any final decision.
2) How will the room be used? The way in which the room will be used also impacts the decision making process. Function and practicality are equally as important as style. Think about how you will use the space and what you want out of it.
3) What is your design style? Once you have considered the practical
components, you can have fun choosing the design elements. Window design can compliment the overall design of the home. Colour is also an important element.
4) What type of material? There are two main options for windows and doors: aluminium and timber. Material choice often relates to design style.
5) How important is sustainability? Smart window and glass choices can fill rooms with light all year round, and assist with sustainable design and living that can even save you money in the long run.
6) What is the budget? Glassplace can cater to budgets of all sizes. This allows both the budget mindful and those with a bit extra to customize window and door combination for their project.

Hopefully these points will help you decide. For more information on the options available visit the Glassplace showroom at 4 Clarke Street, or visit our website at www.glassplace.com.au.

Spring Clean Your Garden

September 1, 2016 By editor

As the warmer months approach it is time to get into the garden. A few early preparations now will benefit in the long run. Over winter, lawns can be a bit neglected so spring is the perfect time to get them looking great again. It is recommended to rake through your lawn to get rid of any dead growth or debris. This will allow you to see any bare patches that can be fixed. To fill in these spots rake well, sprinkle with grass seeds that have already been mixed up with soil in a bucket, and water well until seed germinates.

Pruning is an important part of looking after your plants so get those secateurs out and start cutting. Prune away any dead or damaged branches to allow for new growth to come through. It is important to prune roses and fruit trees before they start to bud to ensure you still have your spring flowers and crops.

Planting in spring is a great chance to have a vegetable patch to have pickings for the warmer months. Seeds that are ideal to plant this time of the year are: peas, spinach, lettuce, leeks, tomatoes, carrots, zucchinis and beetroot. A herb patch would also be a great addition to your garden to provide you with those fresh ingredients to toss through any meal. Seeds to plant in your herb patch for this time of the year would be basil, coriander, dill, mint and parsley as they all thrive as we approach summer. Fruits to plant now would be
strawberries and raspberries to allow you to have a good crop in time for Christmas.

Flowers to consider planting for those summer colours would be Alyssums, Begonias, Californian Poppy, Celosias, Gerberas and Perennials. With frosts still looming be sure to cover any new plants with a bucket or box to help protect them.

Weeding is always a tedious task but it is important to get on top of so that they don’t take over your garden. With all of the rain we have had over the winter months weeds should be relatively easy to pull out now. Once weeding is done lay down mulch as this will help with water conservation, reducing weeds, maintaining soil temperature and adds organic matter to the soil.

Mulch should be laid at approximately 3-4 inches and plastic sheeting can be added to the beds to help minimise the emergence of weeds. When adding mulch around fruit trees be sure to keep the mulch a few inches from the trunk to prevent rotting.

Gardening not only reconnects you with the earth but has loads of health benefits too, so be sure to get out into the garden this spring.

By Taneil Thornberry

Spring Into The New Season

August 25, 2016 By editor

At Little Extras Lifestyle their final winter clearance is on while they make room for new spring arrivals. They have all our regular arrivals leading up to the spring racing season. The look this year is fresh with lots of whites and blush colours, lace, florals, flounces and off the shoulder styles coming through for some very sophisticated race wear. There will be fascinators to match and a stunning range of Olga Berg clutches.

The summer look this year is casual and stylish with lots of denim, t-shirts, comfy sneakers and flats. Add a little leather cross body handbag and some handmade clay jewellery for the complete look. Metallic is huge in accessories this summer featuring on shoes, handbags and jewellery, which you will find plenty of in store.

Pop into Little Extras Lifestyle to see the new arrivals of all your favourite brands. And if you need assistance in putting that special outfit together, one of the girls will only be too happy to help.

Introduction to Shead & Nicholson

June 30, 2016 By editor

Shead & Nicholson in Forester Street are the local experts for all
things electrical in Forbes. Not only do they conduct contract electrical
and air conditioning work, they are also retailers of a wide range
of electrical equipment and accessories.
There is no job too big or too small for the team at Shead & Nicholson.
From major industrial construction projects through to the
smallest electrical repair, the team at Shead & Nicholson are only
too happy to help.
As the oldest electrical contracting business in town, with over 45
years experience, Shead & Nicholson have built a reputation for
excellence in workmanship and excellence in service.
The business started as a partnership between long-time friends,
Des Shead and Kerry Nicholson in 1967. In the early days business
mainly consisted of domestic wiring but as time went by the
pair expanded their operation to include small appliance repair, air
conditioning maintenance, and installation and major construction
projects.
Des and Kerry both retired in March 2009 and have left the business
in the capable hands of the new General Manager, Phill Gale
and 23 staff members. The premises consists of a retail showroom,
office complex with a workshop, store and yard area.
Past major projects include electrical and mechanical work done
at Red Bend Catholic College, Parkes Shire Council, Parkes Library,
Henry Parkes Museum, Station Hotel, Parkes, Victoria Inn,
Forbes, Jemalong Residential Village, Forbes, Forbes Car Wash,
Woolworth Fuel, Forbes Services Club refurbishment, Parkes Services
Club refurbishment, Austasia Animal Nutrition, Forbes, Niola
Nursing Home, Parkes, Southern Cross Village, Parkes, DOC’s
Building, and Forbes Business Centre – Bunnings and Spotlight.
They have ongoing electrical and air conditioning maintenance
and repairs with many businesses in Forbes, Parkes, Condobolin,
Canowindra and Sydney. The retail, showroom and sales include
wall split refrigerated air conditioning units and spare parts, split
ducted refrigerated air conditioning units and spare parts, evaporative
air conditioning and spare parts, gas ducted heaters, power
tools, specialized lamps, lighting, electrical supplies and accessories,
hot water systems and spare parts, ceiling, personal and exhaust
fans, door chimes, electric heating and electric motors.
Contact Shead & Nicholson on 6851 144.

What Makes a Splashback?

June 30, 2016 By editor

Glass splashbacks are a sure way to enhance the appearance of your new kitchen layout. And not only do they look great, splashbacks also make the job of cleaning in the kitchen heaps easier and much faster.

When the staff at Glassplace measure a kitchen for a new splashback, we check the size of cupboards, benches, work areas and windows. Most splashbacks are made from low iron toughened 6mm glass or from special mirrored glass. It’s toughened to handle the heat from the cooktop. And we use low iron glass because ordinary glass has a very slight green tint, which is not noticeable until it is painted, but it can slightly change the appearance of the splashback when installed, especially if using light or white colours.

The colour choice is totally yours. Some customers want a very plain colour to blend in with walls and cupboards, while others like to have a bold colour to enhance the look of their new kitchen.

So after we have the size and shape of the splashback pieces confirmed, it’s up to our glass supplier to cut the pieces to size and shape, polish the edges, do cut outs for power points and then toughen each piece in a furnace. When the glass has cooled it goes through a chemical wash, gets dried and has three coats of paint applied on the back surface.

When the glass comes to our workshop we unwrap it, check it for size and imperfections. Then we take it to your place and carefully fit each piece and seal it all to the wall with a sanitary grade silicone. That’s it – finished!

That’s when you get to see what you have planned and dreamed of for a few weeks and show your friends and neighbours and enjoy what is often the focal point of your new kitchen. Call Glassplace on 6862 2346 and we can advise, measure and quote a glass splashback for you.

By Col Lamrock

Winter Gardening at Outback Soils

May 5, 2016 By editor

Outback Soils, located on Orange Road, have everything you need to design a new garden or transform your existing one. In fact, with winter approaching, it’s the ideal time to be preparing your garden for winter planting. A good veggie mix is just what you need now, as the soil needs time to settle before your winter planting. This ensures the best possible outcome for a healthy winter crop. To help boost your winter garden, Outback soils are offering Forbes Phoenix readers an exclusive deal of $10 per metre off their Veggie Mix!

This is a great offer, and is yours only when you mention the Forbes Phoenix. Outback Soils stocks a large range of garden products, but also compost, sand and gravel mixes, metals, granites, firewood and woodchips. They can supply ready mix concrete, in mini-mix or maxi trucks for domestic, farm and commercial purposes. They have a huge range of excavation equipment, which is perfect for those big jobs. Outback Soils have something to offer regardless of whether you are simply pottering around in your garden, or planning a much larger enterprise. Outback Soils have a professional team to assist you, and offer same day delivery.

Call Tim Wood on 6852 4058, or drop in to find out more.

Parkes Décor Shoppe Your Customer Service Specialist

March 31, 2016 By editor

Parkes Decor Shoppe has been a cornerstone of design in Parkes
that has spanned four decades after it was established at the southern
end of Clarinda Street in 1975. Originally a wallpaper and lighting
centre, the business moved with the times, beginning to sell curtains,
blinds and awnings after wallpaper began to go out of fashion. Nowadays,
window furnishings consist of a major part of the shops operations.
Parkes Décor Shoppe is the brainchild of Barry and Margaret
Robinson and although Barry sadly passed away ten years ago the
business is still going strong with Margaret at the helm of an excellent
team of four casual staff.
For 20 years she has regularly covered areas like Peak Hill, Cudal,
Orange, Grenfell, Young, Eugowra, Forbes, Condobolin and smaller
outlying areas. “We pride ourselves on our solid customer service
and attention to detail,” says Margaret. “It’s what we are best at, we
follow up on everything and I have great staff.”
“The service we offer is great as we’ve been here for 40 years, and
over many years we’ve completed a large number of commercial and
domestic jobs.”
Big changes are coming in July, as the business rebrands itself. It
has already been repainted, and has a new website. The inside of
the store will be re-fitted as well. Parkes Décor is a member of Lighting
Network, and supply lots of local electricians. They have a deal
with ceiling fans at present, with a good warranty for them.
For more information head over and have a chat with Margaret and
her team at 202-204 Clarinda Street Parkes.

Through The Looking Glassplace…

March 31, 2016 By editor

For windows you won’t want to stop gazing out of, Glassplace have
a custom made range of aluminium and timber windows in sliding,
double hung, awning and casement configurations. Doors are
available in sliding, French, stacker or corner entry designs to suit
all home styles. The professional team have installed three door
units to demonstrate the expanse of product for entrance doors, alfresco access doors and commercial doors which can be viewed in
store.
Their new shower screen display is also on show and comes complete
with five new products which include framed, semi-frameless and frameless
showers in attractive designs. Glassplace mirrors are made to order,
ensuring you get the perfect one for you and can be framed, square or
bevelled edged. Glassplace also build and supply insect screen doors
with standard fibreglass or paw proof gauze along with decorative, security
and privacy screen doors.
The team offer complete shopfront supply and maintenance service for
the business community and are the only local member of the Australian
Window Association (AWA) which guarantees that they meet quality
requirements and provides assurance for all customers through their
compliance to an annual audit on products Glassplace make and sell.

The Right Paint for the Right Job

March 23, 2016 By editor

While most of us focus on colour for our home’s exterior, in many ways it is more important to choose the right paint for the job. Basically you can choose between water based acrylic paints and oil based paints, with each being appropriate in different applications. Oil based paints can be used to give a high gloss finish to exterior trim work and they are a good choice when repainting over many layers of oil based paint on weather boards.

Otherwise most people use water based acrylic paints on exteriors. Here’s some tips on achieving the best painting job:
• Ideal painting conditions are between 15- 30 degrees celcius, low to moderate
humidity and little or no wind.
• Avoid painting in hot, direct sun light because the surface temperature can be higher than air temperature.
• Never paint below 10 degrees celcius because it’s too cold for the paint film
to form properly, and don’t take short cuts on surface preparation. Remove
all flakey, loose and peeling paint with a scraper and sand surface.
• Repair cracks, gaps and fill holes, and clean the surface down with soapy water.
• After all surfaces have been cleaned, sanded and repaired, you can now start
painting.
Happy Easter!