Home-and-family

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18
Aug 10

A Christmas Story – The First Christmas Lights

One would think that Christmas lights have been around for as long as Christmas itself. Can any of you imagine Christmas without lights? How would the children find their way in the dark, so early on Christmas morning without them? The history of Christmas lights is intricately tied to the dawn of the modern era, when houses began to be supplied with electricity.

As you are likely aware, Thomas Edison invented the first functioning light bulb back in 1879. A few years later, in 1882, an associate of his first employed the use of lights on his Christmas tree. Edward Johnson was the first to electrically light his family Christmas tree in his New York home. His home was located in one of the first sections of the city to be wired for electricity.

A visiting reporter from Detroit reported the following in “The Detroit Post and Tribune”: “Last evening I walked over beyond Fifth Avenue and called at the residence of Edward H. Johnson, vice-president of Edison’s electric company. There, at the rear of the beautiful parlors, was a large Christmas tree presenting a most picturesque and uncanny aspect. It was brilliantly lighted with many colored globes about as large as an English walnut and was turning some six times a minute on a little pine box. There were eighty lights in all encased in these dainty glass eggs, and about equally divided between white, red and blue. As the tree turned, the colors alternated, all the lamps going out and being relit at every revolution. The result was a continuous twinkling of dancing colors, red, white, blue, white, red, blue—all evening.”

In 1890, Edison published a promotional brochure which may have been the first mention of commercially available electrically powered Christmas lights. It stated that “There are few forms of decoration more beautiful and pleasing than miniature incandescent lamps placed among flowers, or interwoven in garlands or festoons; for decorating Christmas trees or conservatories…”

From there, the popularity of Christmas lights exploded. Before long, every family had them and they became synonymous with the Christmas tree. It’s hard to imagine Christmas without Christmas lights. I tip my fuzzy red cap to you, Mr. Edison. You have given us all a gift we will always cherish!

Catherine Spelling absolutely loves spending Christmas with family and friends. When she is not counting down the days until Christmas, she writes for christmaslightsanddecorations.com – an online resources for all things relating to Christmas and decorations, with information about Christmas trees, artificial Christmas trees, fiberoptic Christmas trees and more.

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6
Aug 10

Increase The Value Of Your Home With A DIY Conservatory

An appropriate DIY conservatory increase the value of you house; all the styles and all the sizes are available in specialized firms or on the Internet. Sun lounge, Edwardian, Victoria, Pavilion and custom designs DIY conservatories are ready to make your life more comfortable. There are also self build DIY conservatories, as well as and self assembly DIY conservatories.

The Sun lounge is the most cost effective conservatory style. It is also easy to install and you can find Sun lounge self build conservatory that offers living space for any area; Sun lounge conservatory is high insulating, polycarbonate roofing system and multi walled. The Victorian self build conservatory is a classical English stylish design; it offers a very elegant look and with awesome appearances. It is completely adaptable and it is appropriate for almost any house style. Victorian style DIY conservatory is available in 3 or 5 facet design, it is high insulated and multi walled too. The roofing is polycarbonate and up to 35mm thick.

There are many color options, such as white frames with bronze roof glazing, white frames with opal roof glazing, and white frames with clear roof glazing or mahogany with bronze roof glazing. Other attractive combinations are mahogany frames with opal roof glazing, mahogany frames with clear roof glazing, golden oak frames with bronze roof glazing or golden oak frames with opal roof glazing.

The Edwardian self build conservatory is really elegant and has strong lines, giving maximum living space; it is easily adaptable to any house style and bungalows. This DIY conservatory type must be high insulated, multi walled and have a polycarbonate roofing system. Color options are usually similar to Victorian DIY conservatory style.

The shape DIY conservatory is a stylish combination of Sun lounge and Victorian style. The combination can be designed also with Edwardian and Gable front style. The style can be diversified; a T-shape conservatory has the both sides and is recommended for larger conservatories. There are also B-shape conservatories; it is also appropriate fir any style, such as Sun Lounge, Victorian, or Edwardian. The roof can have glass or polycarbonate fitted between the rafters. The roof ventilation is the most important part of the roof because here is the place which will start to warm with the sun.

You must avoid transforming your conservatory into a hot house; at least 25% of the floor area must be door opening and windows to create cross ventilation. As the providers are very flexible when you design your future conservatory, ask to position vents and doors where you want to obtain the necessary ventilation and illumination. You can choose French doors to handle your master door.

Sun blinds are almost obligatory for your conservatory, if your conservatory is too bright or too hot. There are many types of conservatory blinds, some are necessary to reduce the heat, other to reduce the suns bright. There are conservatory blinds able to reduce 86% of the energy coming from the sun. The range of fabrics and designs is really large and you mst choose the conservatory blinds that fit your conservatory design.

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8
Jun 10

How To Improve Your Living With A Conservatory

Conservatories are hot, sunny and cozy and suitable during the summer months, as well as during the winter months where you can relax inside. If you take a standard sunroom and just add a replacement glass ceiling, you develop a conservatory. But it is better to have a custom-manufactured conservatory to get exactly what you are looking for.

Enhanced living conservatories are built from quality materials-the highest quality of vinyl in North America in short. Although ceilings are glass, mostly they have entire glass panels. The kind of glass is called grade which is proven capable of holding up the heavy snowfall in winter. Apart from it, very little maintenance is needed to keep the place much beautiful looking in and outside.

The vinyl will not require painting. You just need make sure that you should clean your window with warm water and a cloth. You even select materials to reduce noise inside the home and you should build a small sanctuary of calm no matter whatever amount of traffic and noise you have which is always around you. Superior way of living takes care of everything-from the plan itself to the details like a window furnishing and fashionable look. They will always work along with you to develop a conservatory design which has plan that matches with your existing homes and dreams.

If you get fascinated by outdoors and fresh air, but are not in the marketplace for a sunroom or attached patio room, then you still have some other option which is always there. Superior living does patio covers, which offers a stationary sunshade which is built with the help of one the strongest material. You should quickly cover you current porch or can also develop a carport. With purely adding screen panels, than youve a screened-in porch or breezeway to take an advantage at a lowest cost. You can also consider a good living awning cover which is retractable.

These goods create a convertible scene, you can either depart the awning in place as defense against the weather or sun, or you should have retracted it whenever you are inside or if the shade is not at all required. There are lot options of cloth materials for your awning and you will be able to get a producers warranty which long last till five years. In-addition, these awnings can be manufactured to fit in any size as per the requirement, and you can also have and expansion and retraction system which can be operated through remote control or manually.

The split-level roof looks much more unique, and also allows for extra light and reception. The solarium is comparable to the conservatory in which it has a glass walls as well as glass roof, but the solarium has a typical curved-eave roof, just the right way to look at the stars. The conservatory is one of the smallest of the sunrooms, which is designed with classic Victorian or Edwardian feel.

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26
Apr 10

The Buyers Guide to Diy Conservatories

The Victorian Conservatory is the most popular style of conservatory, with a versatility that makes its distinguishing architectural features such as a bay front give a curved shape and steeply pitched roof and ornate ridge details give this style a more classical appearance.

The Victorian style is available in, three facets, a bay front that has three main windows that give a curved appearance, widely angled for maximum space. Five facets a bay front with five main windows creating a more rounded appearance.

The Georgian is a flat fronted style that offers excellent use of floor space due to the square or rectangular internal shape. Each side of the roof slopes back to the centre and the resulting contemporary style is suited to the majority of properties. The Georgian is available in the classic system for a more traditional look or the uzone which is a more contemporary style.

A gable fronted conservatory adds a sense of grandeur to any home. With a high roof slope and the same floor space as a Georgian, a gable offers excellent use of internal space. The front panel of the roof remains upright rather than sloping back to the centre as on a Georgian, creating a feeling of great height within the conservatory. The gable fronted style of conservatory is available in the classic system.

The lean to style is for those who prefer the clean understated lines of a Mediterranean sunroom. Traditional or contemporary, this style is ideal for properties with limited space under eaves or an awkward area in which to fit a conservatory. The lean to style is available in the classic and the uzone elevation and uzone elevation plus systems from diy conservatories.

The ideal style for a larger conservatory, a P Shape can combine for example a lea to and a Victorian, to create a versatile style that can be used as two different living areas. Due to the proportions needed to achieve the P shape, this style is better suited to larger properties, giving an impressive result. The larger shape is perfect as a room with a dual purpose such as lounge / dining areas through to a fun family room. The P shape style can be specified as either a three facet or five facet Victorian or Georgian design. It is available in the classic system.

Combining usually both the Victorian style of conservatory and the lean to style of conservatory the b shaped conservatory is in a class of its own, with the huge increase of space that you will receive from having the b shape conservatory you are able to have 3 separate areas in one conservatory, perhaps you have children who want to do activities and you want to watch the television then in the evening joining together at the dining table, This conservatory gives you this great capability and more.

The T shape conservatory style is better suited to larger properties due to the proportions that are needed. It is a combination style that is distinguished by a central projection that can be either a Victorian, gable or Georgian.

The t shape offers a large and versatile floor space and is an impressive addition to any home, this is available in the classic system.

The lantern is the original conservatory style, now brought up to date with modern technology. Choosing the lantern style of conservatory ensures drama and style, representing the grandeur of times gone by. The two tiered effect adds a new dimension to your conservatory and the extra ceiling space adds the feeling of light and space.

Lanterns are typically suited to older style properties, available in the classic system.

Conservatories that are extremely large and require additional support to take the weight of the roof are known as large span conservatories or portals. The uses for them are endless from magnificent swimming pool enclosures to large commercial extensions; anything is possible due to the flexibility and advanced engineering of the large span system.

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10
Apr 10

Kitchen Cabinets Make The Room

Ask almost any homeowner what room they’d most like to change in their house and the kitchen is likely to be the No. 1 complaint. They’re either too small, too poorly organized, too outdated or just downright too ugly. Whatever the reason a homeowner cites for hating the kitchen, there are a number of routes that can be taken to make the room more workable.

Before jumping into a full redesign, it’s important to examine the kitchen and decide what needs to be done to make it more suitable for personal needs. If it’s too small, perhaps an extension would be in order or maybe some careful rearranging? Do you need more counter space? Cabinet space? Is it necessary to complete gut the room and start over or can the items in it be salvaged?

Once you answer the above questions, you’ll be in a better position to decide what needs to be done. If you hate your cabinets, you have a few options. They include, of course, total replacement. Then there’s refacing. Before you can decide between the two, you need to determine if your cabinet structures are still sturdy. If they are, they might be good candidates for refacing. This basically gives them a new look with new doors and hardware without having to pay for total replacements. A solid way to redo a kitchen, refacing can really make a great different in a kitchen at a fraction of a total replacement job’s costs.

If a total redo is in order, here are some things to consider:
* Configuration. Do you want the kitchen arranged exactly like it is now? Or, would you prefer a different cabinet configuration? Before you can get a decent quote or quotes, you need to know the square footage the cabinets will cover, what size cabinets you’d like and so on. Draw out ideas for the way the room should look.
* Cabinet types. Do you want high to the ceiling European cabinets, or more modernized, back lighted cabinets with plate racks? The style will be a big consideration when it comes to pricing.
* Countertops. Generally these will need to be replaced along with the cabinets. There are a number of choices here in colors, materials and prices. Shop around for what you like and explain this to the kitchen store, contractor or whoever you’re working with to get the remodel done.
* Use. If you hate your kitchen solely because it’s not big enough to eat in, consider knocking down a wall, reshaping the kitchen or even using a countertop as a bar for eating breakfast with the family.

The kitchen used to be considered the heart of any good home. It was here people gathered to eat, chat and just share the events of the day. Many of today’s modern homes minimize the importance of the kitchen in favor of enlarging other rooms. For homeowners with fond memories of pancake breakfasts with family, cookie baking marathons and so on, tiny, ugly kitchens just won’t do. New cabinets or at least those with a new look can give the room a new feel and can help compensate for other shortcomings.

Whether you want to reface or replace, better looking and more serviceable cabinets can go a long way to making a kitchen a home’s heart.

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17
Feb 10

The Benefits of using Solaris Polycarbonate for your Conservatory

For instance, did you know that up to 80% of the sun’s solar energy can pass directly through a standard polycarbonate conservatory roof creating an uncomfortable ‘greenhouse effect’ inside? As a result of this your conservatory could become unbearably hot, furniture and fabrics will fade, you will have to put up with the sun’s glare as well as contend with harmful UV rays!

By using Solaris Polycarbonate, with its integral solar protection, we can prevent up to 80% of the sun’s solar energy from entering your conservatory through the roof helping to maintain a comfortable internal temperature. Solaris Polycarbonate will also reduce the suns glare by up to 80%, further increasing comfort levels in your conservatory and cut out over 99% of UV rays.

In addition, as standard polycarbonate has a very poor U Value, much of the heat that you generate through the colder, winter months will be lost through the roof. However, with our Solaris Polycarbonate roof, a large proportion of rising heat is radiated back into your conservatory, helping to maintain comfortable temperatures and thus reducing your heating costs.

No maintenance

As Solaris Polycarbonate is an integral part of the conservatory it requires no additional cleaning or maintenance. It will continue provide effective solar protection for the lifetime of the polycarbonate. Also, it should prevent the need to fit costly internal roof blinds which are associated with problems such as dust and dead flies, and are very hard to clean.

Strength and durability

Solaris polycarbonate is a very strong and durable product. It will give you excellent thermal insulation along with offering high impact resistance for years to come. Its integral ultraviolet light filter prevents the polycarbonate from yellowing with age thus maintaining optical clarity. In addition, the micro-thin polyester solar inserts allow natural light to penetrate so your conservatory remains bright and airy.

Create a new look

Available in either Silver or Gold, Solaris Polycarbonate gives you the ability to create the look and feel you choose within your conservatory. The silver option offers you the best light transmission and the gold option is better suited to woodgrain or coloured conservatories.

Product Range

Solaris polycarbonate for various conservatories is available in two ranges; Original and Optimum. Both ranges are a combination of 35mm, seven walled polycarbonate, combined with solar inserts.

Our Original range incorporates silver/silver solar inserts and our Optimum range houses gold/gold solar inserts.

Summary of Benefits

• It prevents up to 80% of the sun’s solar energy entering through the roof

• It will keep your conservatory cool in summer

• Reduces glare through the roof by up to 86%

• Reading and viewing TV is more comfortable

• Allows high levels of light penetration

• Bright airy feel of conservatory retained

• Rejects 99% of harmful UV rays

• Reduces fading of fabrics and furniture

• Reflects radiated heat back into conservatory

• Warmer feel to conservatory in winter

• 10 year guarantee

• Solar protection will last the lifetime of the polycarbonate roof

• Requires no maintenance and no cleaning

• Out performs all other internal blinds

• Outstanding price to performance ratio

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11
Jan 10

Kitchen Designs With Feng Shui

Kitchens are the center of home life. This is where we laugh, celebrate, and nourish our souls with friends and family. Generations of families have taken substance, done homework, and had important conversations around the kitchen table. For these reasons, if for none other, we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to create an atmosphere of warmth and harmonious balance in our kitchens. One of the easiest ways to achieve this harmony is by using Feng Shui and kitchen design to enjoy a space intended for the preparation and eating of food with loved ones.

In the optimum home environment the kitchen is located in an area that is not clearly visible from the front door. If the kitchen is seen from the front door the occupants of the home may develop problems with digestion or even eating disorders. Guests to the home may feel an instinctive need to eat and immediately leave. Fortunately there are remedies for this situation. After all, there is no way a person can predetermine the lay out of a home unless they design and build it themselves. Installing a folding door or curtains in front of the kitchen door is an effective way to fix the situation. The busy activity of the kitchen won’t distract from the positive flow of chi. With Feng Shui and kitchen design, there aren’t any problems that can’t be corrected.

Once any kitchen placement issues have been corrected, it’s time to study the lay out of the kitchen. In Feng Shui and kitchen décor the room must be kept clear of debris and spotlessly clean. Clutter is not useful in generating good energy. Take the time to clear out and arrange the counters, cabinets, and open surfaces of the kitchen. Be sure to keep an eye out for the problem areas, like the top of the fridge and table tops. Enlist the help of the other occupants of the home to help prepare the kitchen for Feng Shui practices.

Appliance placement is particularly imperative in combining Feng Shui and the kitchen. The person cooking absolutely must be in a position of prominence in the room. Ideally the stove will be placed in such a way as to allow the cook to clearly see all of the kitchen. If the stove must be placed facing a wall, there are ways that you can remedy the situation. The simplest and fastest way to do this is to place a mirror or other reflective surface on the wall. In this manner, the cook will be able to see the entire kitchen in the reflection. The larger the reflective object is the more potent the correction will be in the room. The stove is also a symbol of health and wealth. Obviously the health aspect comes into play through the nourishment the appliance provides the family. In terms of wealth, it is related to the fire element. Actually, a good cook who is practiced in the Feng Shui tradition will be sure to use all of the burners equally. This ensures that the occupants of the house will receive money from multiple sources. Die hard Feng Shui practitioners avoid using a microwave oven to prepare their food, as this can lead to an unsettled frame of mind. After all, the work you are putting into your new Feng Shui kitchen is intended to create an environment rich in good chi and balance.

The stove should hold a specific place in relation the other appliances of the kitchen. Like elements should be grouped together. For example, the water elements of the refrigerator, dishwasher, and sink should be situated together in the kitchen space. The fire elements of the stove and microwave oven need to be placed together for optimum spacing. Feng Shui and kitchen design is fortunately one of the most common sense oriented ways of creating a space. You will find with the new look comes better usage of this vital space. Think of it as creating a warm, positive environment for your family and designing a space that is ideal for creative, efficient cooking. Feng Shui is a win-win situation.

When you consider that Feng Shui is such an ancient philosophy, it is clear how long kitchens have served as the center of family life. Imagine how much more memorable and meaningful family celebrations will be when held in a Feng Shui kitchen. The positive flow of health, wealth, and good chi can’t help but add a feeling of unity and well being to all that are fortunate enough to enter your personal space. The Feng Shui and kitchen design are relatively easy to accomplish. It is a matter of choosing the correct kitchen lay out and color designs. Before you know it, your kitchen will be the most restful, welcoming area of your home.

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4
Oct 09

Garage Door Tips For Renovators

If you are a Perth resident renovating your home, it is quite likely that at some point you’ll decide to improve on the garage doors. Those doors do, after all, make up a large share of the visible section of your house, and naturally you want them looking their best. Maybe you’re adding an entire garage to your home, or completely rebuilding one. Maybe you have a garage, but the garage door is totally decrepit and in need of a replacement from scratch. Maybe you have a perfectly serviceable door, but you’d like to investigate improving it, maybe turning it into an automatic garage door with a remote control, so you can park your car in the evening without needing to get out and wrestle with cold aluminum.

If you fit any of those descriptions, you’re reading the right article to find out how garage doors can be fitted in Perth. Below, you’ll find a few tips on how to fix up your garage door so that they are as good as if you were in a brand new house.

#Replacement or upgrade

Suppose you’ve moved into Perth, into a house with a working manual garage door, and you’d rather have an automatic doors. You have three options: live with the existing doors, take out the garage doors and put in a set of new, automatic garage doors, or adapt the existing garage doors by adding an automatic opener.

Adding an external motor to open and close your existing garage doors is unlikely to get you the smooth performance of a custom-installed garage door, although if you find the right vendor and install carefully, it is certainly possible. Perth’s garage door market contains both good and bad companies, but shop carefully and you’ll be OK. You will have something that is perfectly acceptable for normal use. It will also be (often, but not necessarily) substantially cheaper than starting from scratch. Finally, it will be in keeping with the style of the rest of your home, assuming that the previous occupants had at least a little consideration for the appearance of the building.

External motors can be added to almost any form of manual garage door. A skilled workman will be able to automate a garage door in a way that will take up hardly any space, and will not change the motion of your existing garage doors.

#New garage doors for an old garage

What about a second scenario? Your Perth home has a garage, but the garage door is useless. It’s not uncommon to move into a house in Perth where the garage has been used as a storeroom, and find that the garage door hasn’t been opened for years. In such a situation the garage doors’ mechanism is likely to be rusted, the metal or plastic bent out of shape, and the garage door is unusable.

Fortunately, it isn’t hard to replace a garage door on an existing garage. Garage door specialists in Perth will often offer to dispose of your old garage door, and to build a set of custom garage doors that will fit right into the gap. If you can get such an offer, it is usually a good idea to accept it. You will find that this option is preferable to the cost of disposing of your old garage door in Perth yourself.

You also don’t need to worry much about non-standard sizes and shapes of garage. It is now possible to obtain doors for any shape of garage – this may involve custom garage doors, but if you are guided by Perth’s professionals you will not find that to be much of an inconvenience.

#Pretty things

If you’ve bought a house in Perth for renovation, it’s quite likely that you have some strong ideas about how you’d like to make it look. Don’t let your garage doors get in the way of that. In other words, don’t settle for doors which look as though they are just the ‘standard model’. Be adventurous, and dare to demand something that compliments the look you are planning for you home. Many different designs are available today in many different colours including a metal timberlook colour which looks very much like the “real deal”., or actual timber doors can be made in almost any design you can imagine. So dream a little before you invest in your garage door, and you could end up with something unusual and delightful.

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27
Sep 08

Where To Shop For A Garage Door Part

Some garage door repairs must be done by a professional, but some simple things can be done at home, especially replacing or adding garage door parts.

The simplest garage door part to replace is the remote. Whether you would like a smaller remote control to replace an old clunky one or give a supplementary one to kids or guests, the only thing to do is search for replacements made by your door manufacturer. Replacement garage door remotes usually cost between $15 and $35.

When kids or pets are part of the household, many homeowners like to have a safety beam – an invisible beam that will cause the door to freeze if it detects anything in the doorway. This saves squished toys at the very least. If your door opener is equipped to hook up to a beam, this is a simple garage door part for any homeowner to add or replace. Generally, beams do not have to be made by the same manufacturer as the garage door machinery. Expect to pay less than $40 for a whole set.

Shopping Around

Because garage door parts are so specialized, it is unusual to be able to go to a local home store and just pick up parts. Before the internet, the best bet was shopping in a professionals’ catalog, but buying just one part might not have been possible. But the internet has revolutionized shopping for everything, including door parts.

Internet retailers and auction sites offer probably every door part anyone could need, in a way that makes it easy to search and compare prices. An internet search will bring up many retailers and auctioneers.

When shopping for door parts online, use the same good judgment you would buying anything else. Before ordering from a site, check out shipping costs, applicable taxes, and return policies. Look for retailers that have high ratings on independent sites like epinions.com or yahoo shopping. Ask and make sure that the parts you order are brand new with a warranty, not refurbished.

More advanced DIY enthusiasts can fix most parts of a door opener: gears, carriages and circuit boards. However, hiring a licensed, bonded professional is a perfectly good idea too. Working with electricity and machinery can be dangerous, or at least problematic, so plenty of people bring in a professional to do garage door work.

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4
Feb 08

Need A Door Lock Cylinder Replacement? Read This!

There have been a number of reports in the press and on television recently about a weakness in the locks on UPVC doors. In some areas of the UK, notably West Yorkshire, Police are reporting that this weakness is clearly being exploited by thieves.

This is a growing problem throughout the country. No special tools are needed and a burglar can break these Euro Profile Cylinders in a matter of seconds and although we know the methods used, we will not disclose them in any detail, as a precaution against “copy-cat” burglaries.

This type of lock is commonly known as a Euro Profile Cylinder and is used worldwide on uPVC, PVCu, aluminium and some wooden doors. However secure or elaborate the multi-point locking mechanism is, it is the cylinder that is the vulnerable area. The cylinder is the part which allows key operation. If the cylinder is broken, the multi-point lock can be easily opened in no time at all.

All major Lock Manufacturers are working hard to find solutions to the problem.

At the moment, only two of the major lock manufacturers have come up with a viable a solution. Both Squire and Mul-T-Lock have designed a cylinder that still snaps, but it does so at a predetermined position which leaves the door secure. Mul-T-Lock have called their cylinders ‘Break Secure’ and Squire’s range is called ‘Snapsafe’

Although these new cylinders are not guaranteed against all methods of attack on uPVC doors, they act as a deterrent by making it much more difficult for burglars to gain access.

Some lock manufacturers, such as Squire and ERA, are approaching the problem by offering cylinder security devices or cylinder enhancers. These metal surrounds are secured to the existing cylinder underneath the door handle. ERA’s solution is particularly beneficial as it sandwiches the door and the cylinder in place, making it almost impossible to remove the broken cylinder.

Using these cylinder enhancers together with a Break Secure or SnapSafe cylinder probably is the most effective solution currently available.

To further reduce the possibility of forced entry, it is also of the utmost importance to ensure that a cylinder is the correct size and properly fitted.

A Euro Profile Cylinder should only protrude 2-3mm beyond the door furniture. Often, when cylinders have been replaced, the wrong size replacement has been used and this makes the door even more vulnerable.

It is a well known fact that burglars will always choose the easiest option!

To avoid becoming a victim of this type of forced entry, check all door cylinders and, if necessary, upgrade to ‘Break Secure’ or ‘SnapSafe’ ranges.

Always deadlock doors whenever a house is empty, and fit a door chain to the main door to use when you are at home. As an alternative to replacing the cylinders, consider fitting secondary bolts to uPVC doors in other parts of the house.

The most common method of car theft is when burglars break into houses and steal the keys, so make sure that any keys (particularly car keys) are hidden. Other easily removed valuables, such as jewellery, should not be left in exposed areas.

A safe is a useful addition to other methods of security and an ideal place to keep spare keys, passports, jewellery, cameras etc. These items are often not just financially valuable but have a great sentimental value which is irreplaceable.

For advice on all aspects of physical security, contact a reputable locksmith. If a locksmith belongs to the MLA (Master Locksmith Association), he has to have undertaken and passed an independently assessed BLI examination. Every approved Company has to undergo stringent, regular inspections to ensure that these high standards of workmanship and administration are maintained. As well, all MLA members conform to legal requirements and follow a customer charter which means that they are qualified and competent to carry out all aspects of the Locksmith trade.

replacement doors

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