If you should be surveying the market - place for a great offer on fridges and freezers browsing online will probably be an awesome practice to not waste precious time & money. Don’t choose to blow your precious time looking round scores of outlets in a search for the greatest bargains - all you have to do is simply sit down at your pc and log on and a whole world of fridges is waiting for you on-line.

Nonetheless, with countless online stores how do you conceivably know which one may not waste your hard earned money on fridges whilst even so ensuring you happen upon a good quality item. As standard best practice should you buy your appliance from a shop on your high street then you certainly shouldn’t really have many qualms at all about securing your goods from their website, and as we all realise you might traditionally find significantly better prices on the internet

Briefly looking at a comprehensive shoppers guide is consistently the best place to begin when looking for fridges - they are commonly packed with a wealth of info and furthermore effectively raise issues you conceivably might often not have thought through independently. These important issues can include; power usage, extra features and total capacity amongst additional things. Don’t waste time looking for fridges on inferior websites.

Don’t regularly go with the cheapest offer - astonishingly ofttimes the first cost you note on a web site might not include value added tax or home delivery fees furthermore, once you reach the payment point in the process you conceivably can be charged a lot more than you initially imagined.

When do you require it by? Not all on-line options guarantee double-quick delivery and if your original fridge has recently broken you conceivably might not wish to wait five weeks for your new one. So be sure to consistently check what the estimated delivery day will be.

Be sure to find out the return policy - fridges are a tricky thing to purchase; sometimes they look great in the showroom or on a website but when you get it to your house you come to the realisation it does not complement your kitchen at all. Therefore, you should always be careful.

The John Lewis site (www.johnlewis.com) is a magnificent online place where you can shop for brilliant deals on a multitude of top quality electrical equipment and appliances, as well as a range of other fantastic goods. You will certainly find an enormous choice of top brand electricals, like; washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges and microwaves, to list but a handful. All products featured online on the website are from leading brands like Bosch and Miele.

If you’re looking for a brand spanking new tumble dryer you shall not likely happen upon a more thorough website for finding information on your next major piece of equipment than the John Lewis shoppers guide. This immensely valuable web guide supplies you with a horde of interesting, exceptionally useful, down to earth, unprejudiced and practical suggestions on selecting the right product to most accurately suit you and your families requirements. Attributes that you may decide to actively ponder when shopping for you and your families brand new washing machine could be: which name you think is the best value, e.g. Bosch, Miele, Hotpoint, Zanussi etc. Can it slot into the free space you have set aside; what kinds of functions do you and your family need; how water and electricity efficient would you like it to be and how painless is the appliance to install.

When you have finished consulting the sound suggestions of the buyers guide, you can then extensively explore an expansive list of top quality products which are for sale online on the John Lewis web site. The site couldn’t be simpler to find your way around - the navigation bar at the top gives you with very speedy access to each of the top level product categories, e.g. technology, electrical appliances, fashion etc. Below each and every one of these sections you will undoubtedly come across a link straight to specific item categories for example: washing machines; when you access the correct section you can then find your way around by factors for example, price, brand and type, for example, Miele. it is just that simple.

As a long established and trusted retailer you can buy online from John Lewis with confidence. They offers free nationwide delivery service on all orders; so the price you see is the price you will pay. No ugly surprises when you are directed to the delivery service options web page. Quite obviously if you’ve had a major breakdown and urgently need that brand spanking new Zanussi washing machine very speedy you may then opt to lay out a surprisingly small premium for faster delivery. And for further piece of mind, John Lewis offers free returns should you be unsatisfied with your items. If this was not already enough, as standard you will of course get a free two or 3 year guarantee for you and your families shiney new washing machine. Often searching for a tumble dryer online can be a chore; not with John Lewis.

Fall is here and in most of the country that involves a change in temperature, outdoor activities and the beginnings of the holiday season. Most of us don’t have time for a total home transformation. However, with just a few items added to your home, you can bring the fall outdoor spirit into your living space.

You don’t have to decorate your home with pumpkins or flying bats to bring the fall season indoors. Any natural thing from chrysanthemums and asters to gourds, leaves or bowls of nuts can give your home a lift. Since the fall flowers come in every shade imaginable you can chose between the bright yellows and oranges or the softer plums, lavenders and burgundies. There’s nothing better for prolonging the summer. If you don’t want to care for flowers, try dried grasses or hydrangeas or even the humble straw flowers. They all add a temporary lift to your decor.

For those with allergies, bringing live or dried plants into the home can be a problem. Take a trip to your local garden center and look at the colors and then go off to your favorite accessory stores and buy pillows and throws that will bring those colors inside. You’ll appreciate their warmth and color as the days darken and the temperatures drop.

Content for this article provided by ON THE GO 4 U design consultant, Suzanne Copenhaver.

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles, is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company’s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

© 2005 Indra A Books for ON THE GO 4 U

In the present day busy lifestyles, everyone craves for some time to unwind and relax amidst the greens. Not everyone is lucky enough to migrate to the lush green mountain ranges each time one experiences the urge to unwind. There are many people who are left with their gardens as the only option for relaxation and rejuvenation. Therefore, you need to create an environment that is very inviting, cozy enough and which provides you with the ultimate relaxation that you are craving for. It is here that garden furniture DIY comes into play.

Through garden furniture DIY, you can easily design and construct the kind of furniture you want the most. It includes garden chairs, garden benches, sun beds, hardwood patio sets, relaxing arm chairs, etc. With bamboo, split cane, willow and reed screens, thatched shelters, bamboo fencing, timber decking, and subtle rustic lamps for lighting transform your garden into a heaven. It is not difficult to create these kinds of settings on your own. Just use your creativity and a good set of powerful tools together with an instruction book on how to go about with the DIY furniture making. You can either modify your old furniture or create an entirely new piece of garden furniture for your whole family to use and enjoy.

More about upgrading a garden looks and feel.

It’s now well into the new year and the residential development scene has got off to a good start again. All this talk about ’slow down’ certainly hasn’t affected peoples desire to improve rather than move. Building Design Agents are often the first barometer within the building trade of any ups or downs in trends and I certainly haven’t noticed any lessening of work.

Conservatories - lets get it straight once & for all - If you were to ask 10 home owners about the Planning requirements for a conservatory I guarantee 8 out of the 10 would say ‘Conservatories don’t need formal Planning consent’. When you ask them to justify that statement all weird & wonderful terms are stated such as ‘its light weight’ ‘its not made of brick’ ‘you can see through it’ ‘its not a solid structure’ etc.

For the record - MOST CONSERVATORY EXTENSIONS DO REQUIRE FORMAL PLANNING CONSENT in exactly the same criteria as if the extension was a kitchen or dining room extension for example. This urban myth that conservatories are exempt from Planning arose from the original Permitted development rights that were/are attached to some dwellings. Given the relatively modest size of most conservatories it was easy for them to fall under the strict dimensional & volume constraints applied to the 70 or 50 cubic meter Permitted Development rule.

However, what people forget is the fact that most new properties have had their Permitted Development rights removed by the Planners when the estate or dwelling was originally approved which has been the case now for at least 20 years & more and more properties have already been extended in the past ensuring that any permitted Development rights that they may have enjoyed has now been used up. There is also a whole raft of other ‘catch 22′ requirements that can prevent a conservatory being built under Permitted Development that I will not go into here but suffice to say play safe & always assume that your conservatory will require formal Planning and it is just a bonus if it does not require it.

Regretfully this myth that all conservatories are exempt from Planning is often perpetuated by some unscrupulous conservatory suppliers/manufacturers that simply side step the issue or place the onus back onto the client. Any reputable conservatory supplier will assess your particular site circumstances and have the situation resolved at the Council first. Prior to accepting any quote you should first see a sight of the Councils ‘informal pre-application enquiry letter’ from a Case Planning Officer that confirms the Conservatory suppliers opinion. WARNING - If it transpires after the conservatory was built & paid for that formal Planning Permission was required then it is the HOME OWNER THAT IS RESPONSIBLE for rectifying the breach of Planning Control - not your builder. If Planning Consent is denied and then again at appeal then you must remove it at your own cost.

More house sales collapse because of illegally built conservatories than you would ever imagine - the house purchaser simply pulls out of the deal running shy of this problem or not wanting to wait the 2 to 3 months it will take to try and rectify the problem with a retrospective application. The only slight chink of of hope in all this if you do have an illegally built conservatory is the 4 year rule - if you can get away with it for 4 year or more & can prove its age then normally the Planners are unable to insist on its removal or for you to apply for retrospective Planning approval.

Conservatories are normally fully exempt from the Building Regulations provided the glass is to a certain type and standard , it does not exceed 30 square metres & you have dividing doors between the main house & the conservatory. However, even this has a number of other criteria to comply with in order for it to be exempt but it is normally much more straight forward than the Planning issues.

The conclusion to a new conservatory is this - Always request an informal confirmation letter from the Planning Dept. if it your view or your suppliers view that the conservatory will fall under the sites permitted development allowance. Obtaining this confirmation letter can be troublesome at times if you are unable to supply the Case Planning Officer with some drawing details and a copy of the O/S map. Most good conservatory suppliers will have their in house or externally supplied agent to prepare these details for you. Most Planning Departments will not respond with an opinion unless you can lay it out on a plate for them so don’t waste time trying by calling in on them and trying to verbally explain your situation - Always write in with sketch schemes & a marked up O/S plan.

Our ‘Maximum Build Planning Guide’ explains further the tactics involved when developing land or a site for residential use and how to give yourself the best chance of being granted planning permission.

http://www.planning-approval.co.uk

The interior lighting of any home space contributes hugely to the atmosphere within that space and therefore to your mood whilst you inhabit that space. Every area of your living space needs a mixture of lighting styles, different ones for task lighting, background lighting and ambient lighting. Every room that has a theme applied to it or a particular task performed in it will need as much thought put into the lighting of the room as goes into the d©cor, furniture and appliances within that room.

The traditional lighting of a room, a pendant and bulb from the ceiling and a wall switch is fast becoming a thing of the past. Whilst wall switches still remain in the majority of rooms many have been replaced by a dimmer switch, automatic movement sensing switch, or daylight detection systems that turn lights on automatically as dusk approaches.

Thought for the environment has also influenced many people to replace their old tungsten light bulb for a modern mini fluorescent that consumes approximately 15% of the energy for the same light output.

Halogen lighting is on the increase. Popular in kitchens and offices where more directional light is required it can also be used to highlight a painting or sculpture. It gives a brighter, crisper light than the traditional tungsten light bulb and highlights features far more clearly.

When completing the design for a room it may be beneficial to include some form of lighting display. Not complex pyrotechnics but a simple fibre optic lamp or a tried and trusted favourite such as a lava lamp, now found far more commonly as they make a come back into fashion after their hey-day in the 1960’s. Not to everyone’s taste but the lighting of an aquarium can make an interesting talking point within a room where social gatherings are held. It provides for the practical needs of the inhabitants of the aquarium whilst also providing a focal point for the room. It is also a starting point for conversation and provides ambient light within the room. There is the proven relational benefit of unwinding in front of a suitably lit aquarium.

Never forget that natural light is the most precious form of light that comes into your house. It can be enhanced using glass ornaments and reflected around using mirrors. The coverings that you use at your windows can affect the amount of natural light that is available. Blinds can help protect from direct sunlight but still reflect light into a room whilst curtains should be tied back away from windows to allow as much light as possible to enter the room.

A more traditional form of lighting is the candle. It can be used on special occasions over a romantic meal to complete the atmosphere in a room or a scented candle can be used to disguise unwelcome odours from pets, smokers and other sources. Some older antique lighting fixtures can be given a new lease of life by having them converted to use candle effect bulbs that appear to flicker in the same way that the original candles would have but do not bring with them the problem of lighting many candles and replacing them on a regular basis.

However you decide to light your home ensure that you plan it out properly before you do it and always use a competent person when carrying out alterations to lighting and electricity supply.

Karen Hughes is an interior decor consultant, get further lighting ideas at Lighting Capital this is your first stop for information about lighting.