California Shutter Company launches sensational spring sale

With the bank holidays on the way, thousands of people up and down the country will be getting their hands dirty, having a go at some long-awaited DIY.

And for those looking to give their windows a stylish makeover, there’s never been a better time to invest in shutters from the web’s leading shutter retailer, www.californiashuttercompany.co.uk. Today (Friday 1st April) they launch their sensational spring sale, offering customers 15% off on all DIY plantation shutters meaning that DIYers can now buy quality wooden shutters from just £168 per square metre.

The sale, offering reductions across the California Shutter Company’s full range of shutters, will run until Tuesday 3rd May – giving shoppers over a month to get online and choose the shutters they like. And to make it as easy as possible, www.californiashuttercompany.co.uk have a range of videos giving step-by-step advice on how to choose, design and install your shutters.

With a range of more than 18 beautiful stains and paints to choose from, all California Shutter Company shutters are completely bespoke, helping you to create a room that is truly unique and will stand out from the crowd.

To see what’s on offer, including quick price guides and easy to follow advice, simply log onto www.californiashuttercompany.co.uk.

Web Tradespeople Provider Launches Free 24-Hour Service

A web company has launched a 24-hour on-line match-making system directing householders to quality tradespeople nationwide.

With the majority of homeowners and businesses turning to the internet for their DIY and maintenance needs, tradespeople can tap into the WeDoTrades site to develop their on-line presence and profile.

The site provides a directory of over 100,000 plumbers, electricians and builders, with premier customers receiving a package that includes their own web page, video blogs, customer testimonials and telephone number with call recording services.

Property owners can access help by either logging onto the 24-hour service or calling locally operated telephone numbers which, unlike other directories that can cost up to 60p a minute on landline numbers – and even more on mobile phones – are free of charge. In an emergency, the service commits to finding a tradesperson for the job within an hour.

Becky Hyland, co-founder at WeDoTrades said, “Over 70 per cent of households in the UK now have internet access. To really build your business, especially in the current climate, it’s vital for tradespeople to harness the benefits of an online presence.

“Consumers need to feel reassured about who they let into their homes and WeDoTrades’ premier package enables businesses to really sell themselves. Don’t lose out to your more web-savvy competitors – we can get you into customers’ homes before you even price up a quote!”

WeDoTrades, now 40-strong, was founded in a bedroom three years ago by Becky Hyland, a frustrated former student, who had set up a business renovating homes and was unable to quickly source quality plumbers and electricians to carry out the work.

Ms Hyland linked up with WeDoTrades co-founders, husband and wife team Paul and Diane Lynch, who encountered the same challenges in the property management sector.

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Eco-Tips For Homeowners That Don’t Cost The World

Michael Holmes, National Home Improvement Show spokesperson says: “New research conducted by the Energy Saving Trust reveals that making UK homes energy efficient would cost less than £3000 per house.

“There are a number of ways in which a house can be bought up to average green standards for under £3000 including insulation (whether attic or cavity wall) and installing a new boiler, specifically, a condensing boiler.”

Michael gives five ways budget friendly to make your home greener on a budget:

1. Insulation
Effective roof insulation could make savings of up to 15-20 per cent on your heating bill each year and so pay-back can be achieved in as little as two to three years. Additional savings can also be made quite easily by using left over insulation materials to wrap around piping and water tanks to prevent further heat loss.

2. Boilers
Installing a new boiler will also make significant savings; The Energy Savings Trust estimates this to be up to £200 per year for the equivalent of 1.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Prices start from around £400 for a condensing boiler (not including installation) and home-owners can choose from gas, electric or oil fired.

3. Secondary glazing
The installation of a secondary glazing system can be fitted easily to the window frame. A whole house can be done for as little as £700 with savings of around 40 per cent to your energy bill each year. These are easily installed and perfect for older or listed properties where you can’t change the windows.

4. Water consumption
30 per cent of our water consumption comes from the toilet. Either flush less or install a displacement device which will reduce the amount of water used per flush, saving as much as 40 per cent of water annually.

Fix any dripping tap – it will save as much as 5000 litres of water a year! If you are looking for an excuse not do the dishes then use your dishwasher – it uses less water and saves approximately £15 per year.

5. Keeping it simple
Install under-door insulation by stuffing an old woolen stocking with unwanted clothes. The old fashioned ‘snake’ can cut down on a huge amount of wasted heat.

Don’t forget that the energy saving light bulbs cost as little as £3 and can save you up to £40 per year.

The National Home Improvement Show will be held at London’s Earls Court from the 1-3 October 2010.  For more information about exhibitors, seminar schedules and tickets visit www.improveyourhomeshow.co.uk or call the ticket hotline on 0844 581 0802. Tickets are £8 if booked before 3pm on Friday 30 September and £12 on door.

Keep Time in Style with Oregon Scientific’s New Rainbow Clock

Oregon Scientific, specialists in luxury lifestyle accessories, have now added the stunning Rainbow Clock to their iconic portfolio of contemporary clocks.

Adding colour and style to any modern interior, the Rainbow Clock, with 4 soothing sounds, is innovatively designed to enhance your lifestyle and physical wellbeing. The elegant, crystal clear display reflects a rainbow of relaxing colours, whilst the functional line-in allows you to play all your favourite music from your ipod or MP3 player.

The Rainbow Clock can create a relaxing mood for a good night’s sleep or wake you up with energising colours. Ideal for Christmas gifting or simply a treat for the home, the Rainbow Clock is the stylish way to keep time this season.

To view Oregon Scientific’s extensive range of luxury lifestyle gadgets, from smart outdoor devices and sophisticated travel accessories, to the newly launched Wellness Collection and an iconic selection of weather stations, please visit www.oregonscientific.co.uk.

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Jamie’s Autumn Winter Kitchen Essentials

Good and practical tools are fundamental for any first-rate kitchen, for professional chefs and amateur cooks alike. Available through Jamie at Home, the Jme Essentials range is designed to take cooking back to its simplest form, and comprises everything from bakeware, to kitchen gadgets and utensils; everything you could possibly need to create the very best home cooked food.

For Autumn/Winter 2010, this collection of back to basics crucial equipment has been added to, giving you even more practical and durable kitchen must-haves that have a simple and understated designs.

Further utensils have been added to the collection, these include a Slotted Spoon (£8.50), Flipper (£8.50), Ladle (£11) and Whisk (£8.50), and to store them all, Morph has designed a stoneware Utensils Pot (£15), a little larger than normal and available in a sage colour to match the Cooks Bowls.

In addition to the fabulous pieces already mentioned, the Essentials range includes many other kitchen classics that you surely cannot cook without! To complete the new additions, there are the Dozen Baking Tray (£13), Square Cake Tin (£9), and Chopping Block (£20).

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Traders Can Celebrate As The 100th TradePoint Store Opens

Traders can celebrate as the 100th TradePoint store opened in Gillingham store in the UK.

Tradesmen will now be able to find all the materials they need under one roof as TradePoint has opened its latest store inside B&Q on Will Adams Industrial Estate in Gillingham in Kent. Aiming for 118 store openings by the end of the year, the 100th store marks a landmark in the £26 million investment, giving tradesmen over 12,000 products from bricks and blocks, to paint, bathroom and kitchens, plumbing, electrical, tools and fixings all in one place.

TradePoint is open seven days a week, up to 14 hours a day with guaranteed stock availability, fast service and open and honest pricing from trusted trade brands. Each customer must supply evidence of their trade status, and then will be issued with their own membership card and catalogue listing all the products available. Customers will also find separate parking with extra wide bays for vans at the new store. Heavy goods can be picked from the building yard, and over the counter products will be picked and ready for collection.

TradePoint is available for trade only and offers a huge range of goods from hundreds of quality brands including Dulux, Ronseal, Mira, Biasi, Bosch, De Walt, Makita, Fisher, Rothenburger, Lafarge, Wylex, Vent-Axia and many more. TradePoint also offers kitchens and bathrooms and appliances to order or to take away. All at highly competitive and discounted trade only prices.

Pete Bell Gillingham’s TradePoint store manager says; “We’re proud to be the 100th TradePoint store and our team is in place to meet our new TradePoint customers. We’ve got a huge range of products and the team is eager to show how quickly and efficiently we can deliver these for our local tradesmen.”

Celebrity builder Craig Phillips who opened the 100th TradePoint says; “I’m excited to be in Gillingham opening the 100th TradePoint store today. It’s great that traders in the area now have one destination for all of their trading needs and I’m looking forward to meeting some of them today.”

All prices at TradePoint are shown exclusive of VAT unlike many builders’ merchants. Proof of working in the trade is required in order to collect your new TradePoint membership card, which should be shown when placing any orders and paying for goods.

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Find local tradesmen

Are you looking for a tradesman? Why not use the free service that allows you to get a quote from local tradesmen and you choose the one that is best for you. You don’t have to pay to use this service.

It does not matter if you are looking for local builders, local plumbers, local electricians, you will be able to find plenty of tradespeople who can give you a quote.

Look After Your Boiler During The Summer Months To Avoid Nasty Bills

1st Action advises consumers not to abandon their boiler until the winter

With the summer months upon us, it may not seem like a priority to think about getting your boiler ready for the cold winter, but this is what Richard Clarke, chairman of 1st Action is calling for homeowners to do.

Every central heating boiler should be checked and serviced each year to avoid problems such as pump failure, heating circulation problems, a noisy boiler, leaking radiator valves or cold spots on the radiator. If these problems are regularly experienced then the heating system could benefit from power flushing. A regularly checked gas boiler could improve its efficiency and lead to smaller gas bills. It could also reduce fuel waste and highlight any safety problems.

Clarke comments, “It is not only less expensive but you are likely to get a better service if you have your central heating system sorted out in the summer. During the winter, when the demands on boiler engineers is at its greatest, they tend to spend most of their time carrying out emergency boiler repairs and solving urgent heating boiler problems. During the summer they are under less pressure as heating systems are switched off. This is the best time to service your boiler and heating system.”

Clarke continues, “We know that after months of cold wet weather when the sun finally appears, the last thing you want to prepare for is a winter that is several months away. However every year for the last twenty winters as we get the first few days of colder weather our phone lines are crammed with callers whose heating is not working properly. You are not likely to be one of those customers if you have taken the appropriate steps during the summer.”

Many gas safe registered plumbing and heating specialists have special offers during the summer months to encourage homeowners to take care of the heating boiler and be prepared for next winter.

For more information, please visit www.1staction.com and the ‘Boiler Offers’ page

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Small In Size – Maximum Performance

Everything in our world is getting smaller; laptops, phones, MP3s and the trend hasn’t escaped the bathroom. Mira has launched a range of showers which, while small in size, still deliver maximum performance.

As well as being ideal for smaller bathrooms and en-suites, the Mini range from Mira is environmentally friendly. By introducing the Mini range, Mira has to date, saved the brass equivalent weight of ten African elephants!

Minibelle with 360 showerhead
The new Minibelle is the world’s best performing upright valve with dual control and powerful thermostatic performance. Teamed with the Mira 360 showerhead it creates a blissful shower experience.
• Thermostatic temperature stability keeps showering safe
• Mira 360m showerhead with Flipstream™ technology: one flip action, four unique sprays
• Cool touch valve technology – valve does not get hot during use therefore safe for use by all the family.
From £351.33 inc VAT RRP

Mira Minilite (also available with Eco showerhead)
Available as a built-in valve (pictured) or external valve, the Minilite showers are beautifully compact, but with a powerful punch. The Minilite’s thermostatic technology and simple to use single control make it ideal for all the family.
• One single control for flow and temperature
• Works on all pressures and on all plumbing systems, making it an easy choice.
The Minilite Eco comes with Mira’s Eco showerhead so you reduce your water consumption even further when showering.
From £211.50 inc VAT RRP

Mira MiniDuo (also available with Eco showerhead)
Sleek and functional in design, the MiniDuo range is available either with a built-in valve, an external valve (pictured), or with a fixed showerhead (built-in valve only).
• Separate flow and temperature controls
• Works at all pressures and on all plumbing systems, so an ideal selection for all bathrooms.

The MiniDuo comes with a four spray showerhead with partial rub clean rubber nozzles, whilst the Eco showerhead reduces water consumption by 75%.
From £253.80 inc VAT RRP

Mira Miniluxe
Iconic design and powerful first class thermostatic performance. Fully integrated rigid riser and an 8″ deluge showerhead creates maximum impact in every way, it features:
• Separate flow and temperature controls
• Highest performing vertical valve on the market
• Single spray 8″ deluge fixed showerhead with rub clean rubber nozzles for easy cleaning
• Cool touch valve technology – valve does not get hot during use
• Complete with contemporary rigid riser.
From £368.95 inc VAT RRP

Mira Miniluxe with Diverter
Mira Miniluxe and Diverter provides all the features of the Mira Miniluxe, with the addition of a diverter. Both the overhead shower and separate showerhead can be used individually and simultaneously for an invigorating shower.
From £421.83 inc VAT RRP

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Limestone Gallery’s Warehouse Sale – With Up To 70% Discount – Starts Soon!

Limestone Gallery’s warehouse sale starts on Weds 30th June-17th July with up to 70% discount. In its first sale for 5 years, the supplier to exclusive residences and superyachts around the world, is clearing old stock to make way for a new showroom space with superb stonework on offer at bargain prices.

There is something to suit all budgets with batches of limestone flooring starting at just £20.00 per metre plus VAT, fabulous carved basins in white limestone reduced from £1400.00 to £300.00 plus VAT, elegant limestone firesurrounds reduced from £1400.00 to £700.00 and solid carved bathtubs starting at £3000.00 plus VAT ( reduced from (£11,000 plus vat).

“Our clients love what they see but the vast majority seek something made to measure and in a stone of their choosing. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone seeking to create a luxury look on a budget”. says Carlos Zanarotti, MD.

The limestone and marble bathtubs are in both contemporary clean lines and classical roll top styles and all have the wow factor for a stunning bathroom or even a mediterranean style terrace. The company’s iconic Ellipse style bathtub in Ivory Stone featured in the Bridget Jones film ‘Edge of Reason’.One of these is available in the sale with a reduced price tag from £14,500.00 to £11,000.00 plus VAT.(Solid carved bathtubs start from £3000.00 plus vat in the sale).

The sale will be held in the warehouse adjoining the company’s showroom in Vauxhall.

Starts Wed 30th June – Sat 17th July 2010
Sale opening times Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm Sun 11th July 9am-5pm

Limestone Gallery , Arch 47 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SS
020 7735 8555 WWW.LIMESTONEGALLERY.COM info@limestonegallery.com

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