Few of us enjoy cleaning: it often feels like a thankless, repetitive task which we force ourselves to do. Linda Thomas is an expert, professional cleaner who ran her own ecological cleaning company for over twenty years. In this unique book, she explores her passion for cleaning, and argues that cleaning can have a profound effect not just on the spaces we care for, but on our own wellbeing and personal development. This lively and readable book is full of anecdotes, practical examples and ecological cleaning tips from Linda's decades of cleaning experience. Ultimately she argues that if we raise our understanding of cleaning, we might even begin to enjoy it!

Home should be a retreat, a place for our minds to slow down and unwind, a place that feels safe and free of the stresses and insecurities of the outside world. Many people fear pattern and strong colour, thinking it can take this sense of calmness away. But pattern, when chosen carefully, can ground a space and create an atmosphere that improves one's sense of self or wellbeing. In this book Abigail showcases her own patterns and interviews artisanal designers in New York, Scandinavia, Germany and the UK. Both hers and their inspirations are showcased, with the final chapter of the book demonstrating how to use them in a practical way at home.

This well-illustrated guide offers a range of building options, with complete instructions and plans for five different styles of shed, including a small timber-frame garden storage shed, a traditionally framed shed and a post-and-beam barn. From designing a shed to match your storage needs to selecting framing materials for economy and durability, constructing shed foundations, installing windows and doors and building stairways and ramps, this is a complete, no-nonsense guide to building a shed.

Now preppers can be ready for any possible emergency as James C. Jones shares his fifty years of experience as an advocate for survival, preparedness, and self-reliance. In Total Survival, veteran survivalist James C. Jones delivers tips that cover the most likely needs of readers and for which there is useful and practical instruction. His goal is to share a variety of practical survival skills, principles, and ideas in an easy-to read format that will aid the reader in becoming stronger, safer, and more self-reliant. The ten principles of survival that Jones sets out are derived from analysis of true survival accounts. Studies of why some people survived fires, plane crashes, assaults, and other deadly situations while others in the same situations perished confirm that these principles made the difference. His table of contents includes: 1: Ten Principles of Survival (including Anticipate and Stay Calm) 2: Ten Disasters to Prepare For (including Home Fire While Asleep and Home Invasion by Intruder). 3: Ten Items for the Prepared Home (including Emergency Plans and Packs) 4: Ten Items You Should Always Carry (including a Miniature LED flashlight and a Whistle) 5: Ten Things You Should Have in Your Survival Pack(s) (including Water and Weapons) 6: Ten Ways to Avoid and Survive Street Crime (including Carjacking and Active Shooter) 7: Ten Self-Defense Moves You Should Know (including Front Choke Counter and Handgun Defenses) 8: Ten Medical Skills You Should Know (including Cardiac Arrest and Shock) 9: Ten Ways to Gather and Purify Water (including Boiling Water and Distillation) 10: Ten Ways to Gather and Store Food (including Foraging and Trapping) 11: Ten Ways to Start and Maintain a Fire (including Fire by Flit and Steel and Fire by Solar Heat 12: Ten Shelters You Should Know How to Build (including Fallout Shelters and Snow Shelters) 13: Terrorism Although the data and concepts in Total Survival are derived from accounts of acute disasters-such as tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and epidemics-they apply equally well to chronic disasters, such as economic decline, shortages, unemployment, climate change, and personal family or health issues. In reality, all of life is a survival challenge, and a survival emergency is just a high-intensity life test. These ten survival principles are the key to success in everyday life, especially during an emergency.

The perfect gift for new homeowners or busy parents, this card deck proves that a beautiful, functional, and organized home is just one-task-per-week away. Anyone who's ever tried to organize their home knows one of the hardest things to do is figure out where to begin. Thankfully, this beautiful deck of organization tips and tricks makes the process easy. Created by home organization YouTube star Nikki Boyd, author of Beautifully Organized (more than 170,000 copies sold), this deck gives you one small thing to organize in your home each week of the year. Examples of weekly tasks include: * Collecting and sorting the piles of paper clutter * Decluttering those crazy kitchen drawers * Organizing your toolbox * Categorizing your pantry and removing expired food * Simplifying your medicine cabinet * And many more fast weekly tasks! Rather than trying to declutter and organize your house all at once, carve out an hour each week to follow Nikki's simple-but effective-organization advice. Whether you complete one card per week or feel motivated to knock out several at once, you'll find yourself living in a beautiful and functional home by the end of the next 52 weeks.

Turn your kitchen into a waste-free zone with these crafty solutions for everything from 'unpaper' towels to reusable kitchen wipes and clever storage solutions. The zero waste movement is huge and this collection will help you to craft your own zero waste solutions - with just a few craft skills you will be able to turn your unwanted waste into storage and cleaning items for your kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of our homes and finding ways to make it feel healthy and wholesome are really important. From leftover food scraps to the endless packaging that our food comes in, there's so much that goes on in a kitchen and it's the place in our homes where we generate the mosts waste. Make your kitchen more sustainable with some clever craft ideas for reusing, upcycling and transforming waste. Whether you're a committed crafter or new to making, there is something for everyone no matter what your skill level is. Choose from projects and tutorials for the kitchen including sewing, crochet, patchwork, upcycling and reuse ideas. There are also some projects that require cutting, sticking and even drilling thrown in for good measure: learning how to do little bits of everything will give you a 'toolkit' to think creatively about how to reuse everyday things as you progress on your journey to zero waste living. Learn how to use up fabric scraps and old linen to create beeswax wraps for storing food; make your own paper caddy liners for food waste and create pots for growing kitchen herbs from empty bottles. Create a unique and practical apron from an old pair of thrifted curtains and sew some handy storage ideas for the family using pockets rescued from unwanted clothes. Upcycling and reuse gurus Emma Friedlander-Collins and Christine Leech show you how to turn your kitchen into a zero-waste zone with step-by-step instructions and some clever crafting. Packed full of original ideas, Zero Waste: Kitchen will help you to live the zero-waste way and improve your efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle while at the same time having fun.

Distinguished by their aesthetic of understated luxury and attention to fine detail, design firm Hare + Klein is synonymous with uncompromisingly comfortable, liveable interiors made exceptional by pitch-perfect styling. Whether it's a cold inner-city warehouse brought to life by contemporary furniture and finishes or a rural idyll seamlessly linked to a gorgeous garden, Hare + Klein's style is unmistakeable.

Hare + Klein Interior showcases the signature use of texture, colour and scale in responsive interior designs that has defined their practice to date. Featuring alluring photography, architectural sketches, fabric swatches and mood boards for fourteen properties, this, their second book, offers further insight into their design decisions and the stunning, timeless homes that they produce.

Forget the aesthetics of mainstream minimalism and discover a life of authenticity and intention with this practical guide to living with less...your way. When Christine Platt set out on her journey to live with less, she never intended to become The Afrominimalist. She just wanted to tame the chaos in her closet! But after struggling with the austerity and whiteness of mainstream minimalism, Christine realized why minimalism often seems unattainable for so many: the emphasis on all-white, barren aesthetics distracts from the practice of living with intention. And so, she decided to do things her way by curating a life of less influenced by the African diaspora. In The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less, Christine gets right to the heart of how childhood experiences and expectations manifest in adulthood, the delicate dance between needs and wants, and the complicated weight of familial and societal pressures. A far cry from Konmaried closets, capsule wardrobes, and conspicuous consumption, Christine's brand of "living with less" is more than a decluttering regimen. Inspired by her personal journey, Christine presents a radical revisioning of minimalism, one that celebrates the importance of history and heritage, and gives you permission to make space for what really matters...your way. Beautifully illustrated with original black-and-white prints and line drawings, The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less is a testament to the idea that anyone can be a minimalist and a warm invitation to a life curated with intention, perfect for readers of Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (The Minimalists), Marie Kondo, Joshua Becker, and Courtney Carver.

You can have the home of your dreams

This comprehensive guide walks you through every decision and addresses all the details that most homeowners don't even know to consider.

In this step-by-step, room-by-room handbook, Susan Lang considers every aspect of your homebuilding or remodeling project, such as how to " Hire the right architect, interior designer, and builder" "Design each room to perfectly fit your family's lifestyle" "Plan ahead so all your storage needs are met" "Determine the perfect placement for light fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets" "Save money by avoiding costly design revisions or building change orders"

You'll find helpful forms and checklists that will keep you organized and assist you in clarifying your needs. And if you're worried that building your dream home might turn into a nightmare, "Designing Your Dream Home "covers the most common mistakes that homeowners make and shows "you "how to avoid them. Susan Lang has thought of "everything," so you won't have to.

From the highly successful 150 Best series, the ultimate resource for single home buyers and owners, architects, developers, and designers, filled with contemporary, fresh ideas for sustainable construction and gorgeous interiors, vividly captured in hundreds of stunning four-color photographs. 150 Best All New House Ideas is a visually stunning look at the latest in innovative home construction and interior design. It brings together an extensive collection of single-family houses from all over the world, created by distinguished international architects and designers who have worked to achieve practical and functional solutions adapted to the specific needs and particular tastes of their clients. Each of the 150 houses profiled showcases the latest trends and up-to-date influences from around the world. The houses displayed come in all sizes, from mini cottages to multi-room manors. Taking advantage of technological advances in building and materials, all of these homes are beautiful and inviting as well as energy efficient and environmentally friendly. This beautiful compilation brings together the diversity of current trends in house design and is an inspirational source of ideas for homeowners and those considering buying, interior designers, builders, architects, lighting, textile, and furniture makers, and students.

For many new homeowners, the euphoria that comes with buying the perfect new house can soon turn into total panic. First-time buyers often feel overwhelmed by the amount of maintenance their new home requires -- not to mention the nasty problems and surprises that seem to be lurking around every corner (and in every wall). Finally, author and real estate guru Sid Davis provides the antidote for the common worries that plague every new owner. From easy repairs to seemingly insurmountable projects, readers will discover sanity-saving advice on: Improving roofing, siding, walkways, and driveways Fixing or replacing appliances and fixtures Refinancing tips and traps Reducing the costs of home ownership and maintenance Lowering property taxes Working with contractors and not getting taken Insurance tips Budgeting for the unexpected. Owning a home should be exciting, not terrifying. Now with this reassuring guide, novice homeowners can experience all of the joy, and none of the trepidation, that comes with having a place of their own.

Practical tips for organizing the spaces in your home help meet the needs for order in life.

Would you like to clear out some of the clutter in your home? Do you ever wonder where all this stuff has come from feeling like things have maybe gotten a bit out of control? Join Marcia Ramsland, the organizing pro, as she leads you in a room-by-room approach to simplifying your home and office.

Simplifying your space is the process of organizing your belongings and letting go of the excess until your surroundings are peaceful and in order. Using the CALM approach; C=Create a Plan, A=Approach it by Sections, L=Lighten up and Let Go, and M=Manage it Simply; Marcia guides readers in creating a more stress-free life. Includes 52 space saving tips, checklists, helpful diagrams, and even decorating ideas

Home accents made with beautiful natural wood are hugely popular and add impact to any room of the house. But the simple elegance of a birch table lamp or a driftwood sculpture can carry an eye-watering price tag. Simply Wood shows you how to make beautiful and practical objects using found wood that doesn't cost the earth. All you need are basic skills such as measuring, sawing, drilling and gluing to achieve each of the 20 projects. Choose from lighting and shelving to wreaths and wall hangings, and simply follow the clear, step-by-step instructions to make your chosen item. Whether you are drawn to delicate twigs, graceful branches, sturdy logs, silvered driftwood or weathered boards, there is a project for you - be inspired, get creative and bring the beauty of nature into your home.

What's so unique about the houses of London? With row upon row of brick terraces, how do the capital's most stylish people make their homes stand out? And how do those living in conversions amplify their craft to design interiors that are truly distinctive? House London showcases 50 of the most inspiring contemporary interiors in the city today. Created by some of the best designers, architects and creatives around, this book celebrates the amazing variety and vision that lies behind sometimes quite ordinary facades. Writer Ellie Stathaki (of Wallpaper*) and photographer Anna Stathaki explore different interior styles and show the very best of London homes - from the surprising interiors of humble terraces, to extraordinary conversions showcasing the height of luxury. Some homes will provide worthy inspiration, and others a level of drama most of us can only dream of. With beautiful photography throughout, each home draws on something uniquely 'London' and supporting text profiles home owners, architects and designers and highlights the architectural bones that make up the home. This book will be a must have for anyone who loves snooping around beautiful homes, or looking for design inspiration.

When first published in 1987, "The Art of Turned Bowls" was a work ahead of its time. Now, considering the resurgence in popularity of this woodworking genre, the book is perfectly poised for rediscovery. Retooled with fresh full-color photographs of contemporary bowls featuring the work of award-winning turners from around the world, Richard Raffan's classic has been totally updated to meet the demands of today's turner. With a unique talent for making even the most abstract ideas accessible, the world's most admired turning teacher offers an invaluable wealth of design advice. Practical, informative, and undeniably inspiring, this new edition also expands its exploration of form and developing profiles. Along with a good lathe and a reliable set of tools, "The Art of Turned Bowls "belongs in the shop of every serious bowl turner.

Through expert Doug Stowe's decades of experience, you'll learn the basic techniques to get started, as well as more advanced ways to approach and create finely crafted boxes. Throughout the book, Stowe offers this advice: Repeat yourself. Repetition leads to refinement and refinement leads to success. The projects are arranged by the level of difficulty and as you grow in confidence, use your imagination and ask a few questions: What if this box were made in that wood? What if that joint were used on this box? What if I made it larger, or smaller? Asking "What if?" will challenge and engage you as a box maker for years of adventure.

The updated and highly illustrated guide to understanding how just about everything in your house works! The revised and updated third edition of How Your House Works is a hands-on guide that gives you the low-down on why your faucet is leaking, your dishwasher is overflowing, or your furnace is on the fritz. This comprehensive book is your reference to virtually everything in your house with richly illustrated explanations of electrical systems, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, major household appliances, foundation, framing, doors, and windows. This must-have book answers most questions homeowners face when repairs are needed or when a new house or addition is in your future. How Your House Works is filled with easy-to-understand illustrations that show how things should be put together and how they function. The book also highlights issues outside the house as well as clock thermostats, ventless gas heaters, moisture and mold, and passive solar heating. Using the illustrations and the author's clear explanations might save you the expense of calling a professional. This invaluable guide: Offers a colorful resource to home electrical systems, HVAC, plumbing, major household appliances, foundation, framing, doors and windows, sustainability, and much more Includes easy-to-follow information for troubleshooting problems Contains dozens of new full-color illustrations Presents new chapters on solar power and smart home technologies Helps homeowners save money on many common household repairs Written for homeowners with little or no knowledge of home maintenance or repair, How Your House Works is your illustrated and updated guide to understanding how appliances, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and more work!

In the late nineteenth century, general housework in the British home was so labour intensive that it required an army of servants to undertake it. Since then, the ways in which we look after our homes may have changed dramatically but the best and simplest of methods from that time still work for us today. From floor to ceiling, and leaving no awkward corner untouched, here are the tricks and techniques that generations once took for granted, distilled for modern use: how to get rid of water marks or heat rings on polished wood; the antibacterial qualities of simple vinegar; the damp cloth versus the dry duster; and using lemon juice to clear limescale. Combining fascinating 'below-stairs' social history with startling facts and useful tips, Lucy Lethbridge restores fast-disappearing skills to keep at bay dust, rust, mildew, stains and pests. Here, beautifully illustrated and entertainingly presented, are a bygone era's keys to a clean house.

"If you've been thinking about buying a co-op, condo, or townhouse, you probably know that you can't get much useful information from the books about buying houses. The obstacles you face are different--and often a lot more complicated. If you're not fully prepared and properly informed, the buying process and even ownership itself could turn into a nightmare.

Price and financial situation are only part of the equation, and it's important to understand all the factors before deciding what sort of home to pursue. Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Co-op, Condo, or Townhouse is a one-stop guide to the particular challenges of buying, owning, living in and ultimately selling these homes. Inside the book, you'll find complete and indispensable information on:

finding the right type of home for you - negotiating and making a sensible and strong offer - the financial and tax considerations unique to each type of home - dealing with homeowners' associations and co-op boards - rules, rights, and responsibilities of ownership - repair responsibilities and renovation isses - maintenance and common charges - flip taxes, restrictions, and other selling issues

There's valuable information about buying both new construction and resales, dealing with developers and real estate agents, and deciphering the mountains of paperwork involved in even the simplest transaction, from contract to closing documents.

You'll also learn secrets for increasing the value of your investment and preparing your home for sale--even if that day is a long way down the road.

There's more than one kind of dream home, and each kind has its own unique issues. Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Co-op, Condo, or Townhouse will help you make sure your dream comes true "

From the creator of This Girl Can Organise, the ultimate guide to decluttering your home in a fun, sustainable and meaningful way. Are you drowning in clutter? Do you dread opening your cupboards because of the mess that awaits inside? Are you ready to sort out your house for good and discover a happier, calmer you? If you've tried and struggled with Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or Dana K. White's Decluttering at the Speed of Life, Nicola Lewis can help you finally achieve the tidy, clean and healthy home you've always wanted. In this book, Nicola will arm you with the tools you need to clean and clear your home. With a step-by-step, room-by-room plan to get rid of clutter, recipes for natural, eco-friendly cleaning products and tips on upcycling your household items, housework and organising have never been this easy! From your makeup bag to your 'hoarders' garage, your home will be spick, span and sparkling. Sections of the book include: Nicola's Journey Tidy Home, Tidy Mind How to Declutter: Room by Room Eco-cleaning Your Home Upcycling and Donating Decluttering to Go Nicola sprinkles magic wherever she goes and she has seen first-hand how decluttering and tidying your home can help transform your mind, bringing you new-found confidence and happiness. Filled with helpful tips and tricks, actionable insights and positive affirmations, this is the perfect book to refer to whenever you need help to tidy your life.

This authentic manual quickly trained personnel in building and maintaining furniture for use on military bases. The instructions remain very relevant today, including timeless information on using woodworking machinery and tools, joinery and basic furniture construction and maintenance. Published right after World War II ended, this historical time capsule has stood the test of time. What You'll Find Inside * 28 project plans and material lists for classic furniture in distinct styles * Timeless techniques for working with power tools and hand tools * Thorough advice and illustrations for repairing upholstered furniture * A dedicated section on turning furniture parts with a lathe * Tips for building and maintaining solid wood, metal and upholstered furniture