Talk About Home Improvement
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Government non-committal on VAT cut for home improvements
Aug 27th
The government has given a non-committal response to a new petition calling for it to cut VAT on home improvement work.
Garvis Snook, chief executive of builder Rok, had submitted the appeal to Whitehall, arguing that reducing the rate from its current level of 17.5 per cent to five per cent would help to keep the country’s residential property in good condition while providing much-needed work for the construction industry, Inside Housing reports.
He said it would also encourage home owners to carry out more work to improve the energy efficiency of their dwelling, which would contribute to the UK’s targets for More >
Heated Dining Room Table Warms Legs, Makes Dining Cool
Aug 26th
Tired of cooling your heels waiting for a hot meal to be served? The Stealth dining room table’s built-in heat lamp keeps your legs warm even if dinner is served cold.
The “Stealth” dining room table by Hidakagu may look rather ordinary but it has a hidden feature that will warm the cockles of your heart… well, maybe a few inches below the cockles at least.
Built in to the underside of the table is a 360-watt Metro
electric infrared heater, complete with timer. On chilly autumn or winter days when the air in typical thin-walled Japanese homes is cool enough to raise More >
Scientists Develop Fabrics Made from Tea Vats
Aug 25th
A fabric cultivated in tea vats is now being used to manufacture a new kind of fabric for the fashion industry. Fashion designers and scientists have innovated a new fabric which is grown in tea vats. The fabric with a leather like feel but which is pretty lightweight, has already been used to prepare merchandise like shirts, jackets, dresses and even shoes.
Scientists from London’s Imperial College along with fashion designers from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London laboured to develop this fabric which can be used by the fashion industry.
According to them, such novel and sustainable fabrics More >
Nursing to Herb Garden Brings Lifelong Pleasure
Aug 23rd
It was 25 years ago, and I was getting into it. No longer did I exclaim, “What do you mean you can grow lettuce here in January?” I was growing it and a host of other edibles with a large emphasis on herbs. There were hits and misses.
It was then that Jim Wilson, “Garden Geezer” as he called himself, came into my life. Wilson was a TV celebrity, co-host of the popular PBS program “The Victory Garden,” and was visiting Hilton Head Island to speak to gardeners and farmers on growing vegetables and herbs all year long. He arrived at More >
Monterey Bay Aquarium Gets Ready To Close
Aug 19th
One of the most popular exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium will soon be off-limits to visitors. The outer bay exhibit — home to the aquarium’s sharks — will be closed for nearly a year when repairs start Aug. 30.
“Part of this repair to the exhibit is to make it more habitable and also expand opportunities to add different animals in the future,” said Jon Hoech of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
While a new set of fiberglass tiles are installed in the tank, sea creatures such as sharks, tuna and sardines will be relocated to temporary homes.
Many of the animals will More >