Can you imagine a life without plumbing? No hot water, no drainage and no clean water to drink. I can’t imagine a life like that. Of course there was a time in our history where plumbing was not yet invented, but that was a long long time ago. Plumbing was here as early as 2700 B.C or even earlier than that. It was developed because of the need for potable water and drainage of waste water. Nowadays, more sophisticated plumbing is being practiced and plumbing companies are here to offer plumbing service for our convenient. At local Rotorooter, for example, they offer not just emergency plumbing service but as well as full service plumbing and drain cleaning.

Last year, I had a problem with our drainage. Our drainage was not functioning properly. At first we thought it was the sink that’s causing the problem but when the drainage in our laundry area started giving us trouble, we know it was a bigger problem. Imagine, whenever I need to do the laundry, I had to take out the washing machine outside to prevent flooding the laundry area. That is quite tasking and time consuming. We called a plumber in our area and I was surprised with how much it will cost to repair our drainage system. The plumber said, he needs to drill our system and re install a new drainage. The whole procedure will take 2-3 days. Our land lord suggested other wise. She asked the plumber to check the drainage outside first and good thing she mentioned that. We found out what seems to be the problem. Our pipe was below the street drainage, so that’s why the water is not flowing out. He just cut a few inches from our pipe and the drainage is functioning again. It saved me a lot, the cost was reduced to half and it only took a few hours to finish the job. Thank goodness my landlord knows a lot about drainage.

Plumbing, specially the drainage system is a lot of hassle when it is not functioning properly. A few things I have learned, specially with sink is not to put waste on the drainage. I have the tendency to drain our food waste directly to the sink instead of placing it in the trashcan (ah yeah talk about laziness). Now I know what how to take care of our drainage system.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post however, all the points and views are my own.

Any housewife dreams of having a place of her own, her own house, her own kingdom. And yes, I do dream of living in our own house. Hopefully sooner and not later. When it comes to dreaming my own house, there is one thing that I want. OK not one thing but I can say that this is the priority on my list aside from having a big kitchen is having windows everywhere.

You know windows has a very big influence on the environment of the house. It affects the temperature of the house, the ventilation as well as lighting. It can even influence the amount of electricity you consume. I am quite lucky with the house we are renting now, though it does not have big windows, it does have a good ventilation. There are times that we don’t need to turn on the fans. And that is what I want for my future house, windows, windows and more windows.

Aside from the environmental influence it has on a house, windows also influence the aesthetic value of a house. That is why other people opt for new replacement windows to give their house a better look. Windows give the house its identity, specially when it comes to architecture. Of course when choosing what kind of window I will get for my future house, I’d go for something that is pretty to look at and gives me the ventilation I need.

Small, pokey bedrooms can be a problem – it’s hard to relax properly when you feel cramped, and your storage options can feel restricted in a small room. However, by following a few tips you can make what little space you have go a lot further – you’ll be surprised at the difference you can make!

1.       Maximise floor space

This means de-cluttering the room as much as possible – get rid of any unnecessary furniture and area rugs, as unbroken floor space makes the room appear bigger. If you’re redesigning the room, consider using wood or laminate flooring instead of carpet, which reflects light and makes the room appear bigger.

2.       Make use of storage

Wall shelving helps to move items away from the floor area and makes good use of the vertical space you have in the room. A laundry basket stops clothes piling up on the floor. One off the best and most efficient solutions is to get a storage bed – these have space underneath the mattress where you can keep all sorts of things, from foldable clothes to suitcases and even books!

3.       Scale furniture to the room’s size

A sure-fire way to make a room feel cramped is to fill it with bulky furniture. You can still have a writing desk, bedside tables and chests of drawers, but make sure they’re slimline and compact if they’re destined for a small room. This goes for your bed too – consider dropping down from a king to a double if your bed is hogging all the floorspace.

4.       Redecorate!

Patterns may look pretty, but they also make a room look smaller. Repaint the walls in a simple white, cream or icy blues and do the same with your bedroom furniture – or leave it as plain wood which gives a similar light and airy effect. Try to favour light colours when redecorating, or at least brighten the place up with light bed linen.

5.       Use natural lighting

If you have large windows in a small room, make the most of them to make the room feel bigger – by letting more sunlight flow into the room, you will really open up the interior. Use sheer window coverings and avoid bulky curtains: simple roller blinds are better for controlling light without compromising on space. Wall mirrors can also make the room appear larger.