It’s the question on every homeowner’s mind as the days get longer and the temperatures start to rise. Should you add a porch or deck to your home? Well why not? A porch or deck can bring all kinds of benefits to any home. You have a whole variety of options and styles from which to choose, your living space can be expanded rather exponentially considering the size and location of the porch or deck, and you may see a considerable increase in your resale price.

So let’s review all of the reasons you absolutely should add a porch or attached deck to your home this year.

Increased Resale Value

As we mentioned already, a porch or deck can increase the value of your home. Even better, you don’t need to put in something particularly large to enjoy that additional value when you decide to sell. Buyers want to know they’re getting a home that allows them to enjoy the outdoors on beautiful days and mild summer evenings. Having this additional space for entertaining and relaxing could inspire a buyer to put in a higher offer.

More Space to Enjoy

That additional living space is especially appealing for large families. More people living in under one roof affords more space for everyone to relax and hang out. Entertaining friends or members of the extended family is easy with a porch or deck.

Depending on your personal preferences for having that extra space, you might even want to consult with a Custom Deck Building company who can design something unique that fits in with you and your family’s exact specifications. Sure, having a porch or deck installed from one of those home centers is also a great option, but customizing your home’s exterior space can give your home that remarkable and exclusive aesthetic that every homeowner craves.

Adding a deck won’t just increase the value of your home but it can do the same for the square footage of the property. This is particularly beneficial for those homes with larger families who want the extra room but may not have the available space at their disposal. A deck offers both comfort and functionality in a home that might feel just a little cramped at the moment.

“Weather” Or Not

While a porch or deck may be somewhat more popular for homes that are located in those parts of the country that get a lot of sun and little rain, the truth is you don’t really need to worry about the weather when you think about installing a porch or deck.

Of course, milder weather is preferable, but you can still enjoy a porch or deck that has a roof overhead and screen on all sides. That’s right, a screened porch will provide the same benefits as one that is exposed to the elements all year round.

Total Convenience

Best of all, the addition of a deck or porch is among the easiest and least invasive home improvement projects that you can mount for beautifying your home and increasing the functionality of the outdoors. All of the work is happening outside, so there is little to no upheaval of you or your family’s daily routine.

Want to get more from your sex life? A few small changes can take your enjoyment to the next level or rekindle the spark! Try some of these ideas to upgrade your sex life.

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Communicate More

Good communication lies at the heart of every healthy sex life. Talk to your partner about what you like. Discuss what you don’t like. Suggest new things or explore the topic together. The more frequently you can talk about sex, the more natural it will become. A good tip is to have these conversations away from the bedroom so that your partner doesn’t feel pressure about their performance.

Try Something New

There is a huge world of sex toys, sex games, erotica, porn and aids designed to appeal to all kinds of sexually active people. Whether you are heterosexual, same-sex, able-bodied or disabled, into fetish, prefer ‘the basics’ or interested in learning a new sexual skill, you’ll find something to suit. Go online for inspiration or into a sex shop, or treat yourself to a discreet mail order catalogue so that you can explore new options together.

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Take Care Of Your Sexual Health

Some STIs come with no symptoms, so it’s important to have regular checks if you are sexually active. The good news is that you can do home STI kits Bexley wide and across the UK – without needing to go to a clinic. Find out more at home STI kits Bexley.

Take Sex off the Menu

Sometimes sex can become pressured, so why not take it off the menu and reconnect with your partner? Try couples massage with massage oil and spend time exploring each other’s bodies. Communicate, take it slow, enjoy the time together and commit to not actually having sex! This will allow you to rediscover what turns each other – and yourself – on and to build anticipation.

Try Something New

Go to a hotel with a lavish bed. Try a different position. Experiment with a little role play. Treat yourself to new underwear so that you feel sexy and desirable. Whatever you do to freshen up your sex life, enjoying something new will really benefit you both. It doesn’t have to be big, and it doesn’t have to be expensive – just have fun trying new things with your partner and see what happens!

A life without music would be a very boring one indeed. We take it for granted, hearing it every day and most of us think of it purely in terms of a recreational activity. When it comes to marketing and branding, most professionals spend a lot of time and effort focusing on the visuals, but why not focus on music? Music has the ability to help people bond and evoke positive emotions. In this case, businesses should definitely not ignore music when thinking about branding.

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Identity

Music can be used effectively to strengthen a business identity. Music by a particular artist or genre can help to define who you are, what you do and what you stand for. By selecting the music to play in the store, this can help to evoke the image of your brand, connecting with customers at a rate that is much deeper and more emotional. Music has its own power, beyond what language or visuals alone can achieve. You can reach the target audience by connecting with the right emotional nerve and the customer won’t even realising you are doing it.

Engaging

Having a strong brand identity, helped through the clever use of music will strengthen and enrich your customer engagement. Music can create a buzz, foster excitement and evoke emotional connections and associations that work together consistently with your visual marketing strategy. As you must have a visual brand consistency, so too should your music.

Currency

Marketing aims to engage customers on an emotional level so that they make an investment into your brand. Playing the right music helps that emotional connection, it turns customers into advocators and allows you to stand out from your competitors. An added bonus is that music is a universal language, it gives you the opportunity to further expand your reach and target audience. For help choosing the right Music for Business branding, visit a site like Mood Media, a leading supplier of Music for Business.

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How to get started?

Let your imagination run wild as the things you can do with music are wide and varied. You may not get it right the first time, but that’s ok, sticking to it and doing it often is the key to developing improved content for your customers.

Just remember that it’s not about pushing the music you love, it should be about your audience. It’s important to pair the right music with the right target audience. You may need to do some research to find out exactly what genre or artist will best suit your target audience demographics.

Going on a first date with someone you like can be pretty daunting; the butterflies in your tummy and the dryness of your throat can make you seem even more anxious – here are the best ways to deal with first date anxiety. When you ask someone on a date, it’s great to consider restaurants that are romantic or activities that are fun and a bit different – at the end of the day, you will want to make your date feel special. If a romantic restaurant setting is something you fancy, you might want to consider an Italian Restaurant Dublin based eatery, or an Italian restaurant near you for your first date – first impressions are important. Cinemas are popular first date settings for many, but this is a place you might want to reconsider, as there is no opportunity to chat and get to know one another. 

Visit A Zoo 

If you are both animal lovers, a zoo could be a great place to go to on your first date; it gives you a common topic to talk about and is a great way to get to know each other. This won’t be too extravagant, but it is a sure way to start making memories together.

Picnic at The Park 

What is more romantic than a picnic at your local park? If you are both ‘foodies’ this will be a great way for you to bond over a common interest. It’s also the perfect opportunity to just chat and laugh together. Once you are done with your picnic, you can even take a romantic stroll around the park grounds.

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Have Fun at A Trampoline Park

Trampoline Parks have certainly grown in popularity over the last decade, they are a hit with kids – but that doesn’t mean that they can just have all the fun. Some Trampoline Park venues do adult nights, so why not bring out your childish side, and have a bounce around. This would be the perfect first date setting for couples who are more active.

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Ice Skating/ Roller Skating 

Ice Skating or Roller Skating can be the perfect way to bond with someone, as this typically involves hand-holding for security. You don’t have to be a professional skater to take part in this activity, as falling over just adds to the laughs and giggles. Some skating venues even hold roller discos – a great way to have fun, and really get to know each other.

Theme Parks 

If you both love fast roller coasters, then visiting a theme park will make for the perfect first date. Scary roller coasters can certainly bring out the fear in people, so hand-holding for a bit of security on a ride could bring you closer together. Theme parks are great for thrill-seekers, who love to have a bit of fun.

There are many different options available when it comes to coating products to provide a protective or decorative finish. Paint, powder coating or electroplating processes are all in common use.

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An increasingly popular technique is the use of thermal plasma spray. As the name implies, this involves the use of heat to soften particles so that they form an even coating when they hit the surface to be treated. The technique is used on products for use in a wide range of industries from the automotive sector to aerospace, agriculture and even medical and food production equipment.

How does it work?

The application of the coating involves the use of a hot plasma gun. The coating material is fed into this in the form of a powder. This is melted in the gun using a plasma flame and then sprayed onto the surface to be treated.

A number of materials with high melting points can be applied using a thermal plasma spray, and the process can be used to protect a whole range of materials including glass, metal, ceramics and even plastics. The thickness of the coating applied can be very accurately controlled down to a few microns. This controllability plus the choice of coatings and substrates available means this is a supremely versatile process.

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Where is it used?

Because of its versatility, plasma coating can be found on many different products across a wide range of industry sectors. Depending on the material being applied, the coating can provide not only protection, wear resistance and an easy-to-clean surface, but it may also offer insulation properties as well as heat resistance.

Thermal coatings can be found on industrial machinery and hospital equipment, but also on domestic items such as household appliances and kitchen utensils. The non-stick coating on your frying pan was quite probably applied using a hot plasma spraying technique. In healthcare environments, coatings can be used to provide an antibacterial protection.

It is no surprise that plasma coatings can be found employed in some pretty harsh environments. These include gas turbine blades and other turbine components, mining equipment and drilling tools for the oil and gas industries. It can also be found coating the impellers and other components of pumps to ensure a long life and a smooth flow.

With exciting developments in technology, the construction industry is ever-evolving. Let’s take a look at some of the trends to watch out for in the construction sector in 2020.

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Robotics

Construction has traditionally been a sector that has relied on manual labour and has seen little automation; however, in addition to being used to demolish buildings, robots are now being used in the construction field to do things such as lay bricks and even lay roads. By increasing automation in the industry, construction companies have been able to achieve improvements in both build times and build quality.

Virtual reality, mixed reality and augmented reality

Virtual reality (VR) is playing an important role in helping architects and construction companies with designing structures and detecting errors in the designs. Augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality can assist with 3D modelling of structures and buildings and provide a permanent record of a structure that clients can use to explore the designs prior to construction.

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BIM

Building information modelling (BIM) involves generating and managing digital representations of construction projects. BIM involves combining information with technology, as digital representations are constructed from various data sources. The reason BIM is one of the leading trends in construction is that it can lead to higher efficiency due to enhanced communication and the easy exchange of data; what’s more, it provides a higher quality of information. Many forward-thinking companies have embraced BIM technology; for example, https://www.piggottandwhitfield.co.uk/building-services/ is one of the technologically advanced construction companies Manchester has to offer using BIM technology.

Sustainability

Sustainability has become a focus across every industry as the world acknowledges a climate crisis. Although it has been an aim for decades, the construction industry has never been under more pressure to optimise energy efficiency and strive for zero emissions in the field. Construction students will now learn about renewable energy and efficient technology as part of the drive towards sustainability. Current trends in the area of sustainability include developing insulating materials to offer improved thermal efficiency, materials to generate and store energy, and materials made from recycled construction waste.

Exoskeletons

An exoskeleton comprises a metal framework fitted with motorised muscles that can increase the strength of the wearer. These can reduce the risk of injury and increase efficiency on construction sites.

Customers are the lifeblood of any business. The first part of attracting customers is letting them know about your business – where it is and what it does. Making sure you get noticed and keep your staff and customers safe relies on your signage.

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External signage

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Usually the first element of your signage that potential customers will see, external signage is often the most important element of your outside messaging because it encourages people to your door and determines their first impression of your business. This signage must let people know where you are and why they should take note. It covers not only doors and windows but also signs on perimeters and pavements. Place this signage so that it is visible to the largest audience.

Signage for information

As a rule of thumb, share more information and more detail the closer people get to your product. Start big and simple with just your business name for your external signage. Add some more detail on the door, such as your opening hours or some information about what you do. Once inside, include more information, including product-specific information. Informational signage could also be directional or departmental; for example, think of the hanging signs above the aisles in supermarkets. The aim is to make things as easy as possible for customers. As well as product signs there are some signs that you need to be displaying legally and these include clearly marking fire exits and routes through your building. If you are unsure of what your responsibilities are in this area you should consult with a Gloucestershire Fire Risk Assessment company such as http://keloscape.co.uk/fire-risk-assessment/

Persuasive signs

The detail comes in at the persuasion stage, which is where you make the sale. Persuasive signage might use words, imagery or a combination of the two with the aim of influencing behaviour towards the sale. It might highlight a new product, an offer, or some product benefit. Make sure there is a clear call to action and a perceived benefit to the consumer. Persuasive signs should be eye-catching and inspire consumers to want more. They must also integrate with the rest of your marketing and be consistent with your branding and corporate visual identity.

The Small Business Chronicle has more information on why retail signage is so important for your business.

The right signage will drive footfall to your store; however, beware overdoing the signage, as too many messages and too much information can be confusing.

Are you kidding? Are you really planning on not hiring a caterer? Is this even something you’re considering? You have so many things to plan for your wedding day, do you actually want to take on the task of catering the event yourself? Even if you have a good friend who wants to help out and chip in by supplying the food and beverage for the big day, is that individual truly prepared to meet the needs of providing it all?

Let’s say this person, or even you perhaps, wants to prep, cook, and pack up all the appetizers, meals, side dishes, and so on (if you have the time do all that, then you are truly superhuman), who do you expect will get it all set up at the site of the event and lay it out for all the guests?

Food prep and service are the two main jobs of a caterer in huntington ny. But after those two tasks are accomplished, who do you expect will clean up and pack any leftovers? I can’t imagine you are envisioning a scenario where you and your spouse, in wedding dress and black tie, are busing tables and taking large bags of trash to the Dumpster.

Think about everything you need to consider when you’re planning the culinary portion of any big event, much less your own wedding! Are these things that you plan on doing? I highly doubt it!

Less Stress

So, this is your wedding day, you’re already nervous and more than a little stressed out. But now you have to take on the high expectations of putting out a luxurious spread of food and beverage for your wedding. When you hire a caterer, you are taking this stressful aspect of the event and putting it in the hands of a professional who knows how to handle every single facet of the job.

Of course, you will need to decide on what the menu will contain, how it will be served, and the number of people who plan to attend. But the rest is left to the experts. They will prep and cook everything, plate it or pass it out on trays, if you want a buffet-style service then the food will be laid out accordingly.

These aren’t tasks you are going to undertake on your own between wedding vows, nor do you wish to place this big responsibility on a friend or acquaintance with little to no experience in doing this job. What about drinks? You may need to hire a bartender or, at the very least, someone to pick up the alcohol and put it out for guests to serve themselves.

Time and Money

You can save on both when you hire a caterer for your wedding. Time saved in having someone else gather ingredients, prep them, cook them, bake them, and transport them to the venue where your wedding is being held. Money saved in having a caterer get you a break on the price of fifty salmon fillets through deals with wholesalers that most caterers enjoy.

And remember, the caterer does the cleaning up. Not you. That’s more time spent with friends, loved ones, and your new spouse as you head off on your honeymoon.