May 2020

All posts from May 2020

Tips on Keeping Your Sanity While at Home

by Bevony on 28 May 2020 Comments Off on Tips on Keeping Your Sanity While at Home

The past two months of 2020 has had the entire world settling into a new norm. We are all now mostly homebound and have accepted that staying in means staying alive. Some of us are all about ready to lose our minds from all this “staying in” and as such we here at Silverbeam Home just want to remind you it is crucial to find things around the house to do. 

So you have cleaned behind the stove, eaten all the food and watched all the Netflix, what do you do now? How about doing some redecorating? If you don’t have the means to actually do this in your home you can have some fun doing it virtually. As as we touch on virtually, think of all the virtual things you can get done – try traveling the globe, visiting art galleries and enjoying tours of a variety of places from the comfort of your living room. 

Paint Your Room Virtually

Check out a variety of color schemes and try them out in your home. You will find that many websites now allow you to upload a picture of your room that allows you to see what color would like on your wall. Check out the Benjamin Moore Color Portfolio in the AppStore to see how different color palettes will look. When you upload your picture, with just the spin of a wheel and you will see your room in the color of your choice. 

Take a Trip to the Most Celebrated Paris Gallery 

You can virtually explore the Louvre. Just visit www.louvre.fr where you can take a look at beautiful works of art. While you are there, check out the Egyptian wing and view the Galerie d’Apollon. You can also take a look at the “Mona Lisa” thanks to the Mona Lisa App. 

Get some Design Inspiration

If you go to www.virtualmuseum.ca to see the Partners in Design exhibit. You will find a number of objects that you can explore that connect with daily life from both the present as well as from the past. You will find all kinds of things from kettles, clocks, toaster sand Inuit paintings. It could really add up to be a fascinating day exploring from your bed. 

Visit an Aquarium 

You can take a virtual visit to the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and imagine swimming with the sharks. Explore the waters of the deep via their live “Shark Cam.” For an even life-like experience stream it to your TV screen and transform your entire living room into an undersea lair. 

Cook Up Some Fun

home sanity tips

Instead of eating the same things every week, why not try some new recipes. Follow the Instagram pages and youtube channels of celebrity chefs or other aspiring chefs receiving motivation from the lockdown. You are sure to find fun and quick recipes that utilize ingredients you already have in your kitchen. 

Become Your Home’s Personal Bartender

Check out again, Instagram pages, Pinterest, and more to find great mixes to get yourself a tasty cocktail. Try your hand at creating your own and share this with the world, why not become a trendsetter yourself after all? 

Travel and Immerse 

There are so many places you could travel to virtually, get comfortable with your favorite beverage, maybe one you made above and immerse yourself into the culture of another nation. Go see the Northern Lights, Glide through the waterways of Venice. Whatever you’ve been dreaming of doing, do it virtually. 

View Available Properties

Visit realtor.ca and view the “open house” tab. Here you will find a number of properties providing virtual tours and visits. They also have a “living room” blog where you can find out more. Even if you are not planning on buying or moving this can give you inspiration on things you can change in your own space. Best of all, there are no costs involved. 

Don’t let the lockdowns all over the glove have you feeling down. Yes, these are serious times, but if you are staying safe, we want to help you stay safe mentally and emotionally as well. Live your biggest dreams at home thanks to the many virtual options you have available at your fingertips. How have you kept your sanity while in lockdown? We’d love to hear it in the comments below. 

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BevonyTips on Keeping Your Sanity While at Home

How the COVID Pandemic is Affecting Home Design

by Bevony on 21 May 2020 Comments Off on How the COVID Pandemic is Affecting Home Design

The home design industry experts have always had to be at the forefront of innovation. It is necessary for the nature of their work. They have to be innovative to find ways around roadblocks such as clients’ budgets, regulation restrictions as well as size restrictions. They have to be creative and quick with their thinking in order to find alternative ways to do things. The current COVID pandemic has made it necessary for those in the home design industry to start thinking of ways for us to move forward with the changes in lifestyle that must be brought about due to the COVID 19 outbreak. 

Home Builders and designers are now having to strategize innovations into new home designs. With many people now needing to work from home there is the need for home offices more than ever. We also find many couples sharing whatever office space was already present in the home. This has created the need for additional space. With many people not having the financial or time capital to expand their homes, now we have to be looking into designing flex rooms. 

A flex room can be used in an office during working hours and can double as a guest room at other times as well as a game or playroom for kids as well. Bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms are ideal for cross use as an office as they allow for working individuals the type of environment they need to work in especially if there are kids at home. These bedrooms are also ideal for persons that may need to self-isolate if showing symptoms of the COVID-19 virus. 

Equipping your Home with a Decontamination Room 

We can kick things up a notch by investing in ultraviolet light incorporations for foyers or mudrooms. Ultraviolet light is currently being used in hospital settings as a means of decontaminating items. There are of course safety implications so these rooms would have to be entirely lockable if ultraviolet light will be used within. 

Equipping Your Home for Deliveries

The option is being explored to have a lockable box built into an exterior envelope on your home. This will allow delivery people to securely leave your deliveries without having to come into contact with you, your home, or vice versa. 

Considering New Materials to Use

Surfaces, paints, and other materials that can handle a lot of cleaning will now be essential. This may mean more synthetic materials than natural products. We would have to be moving away from porous surfaces such as natural stones. The move would be towards surfaces such as standard quartz which may prove more durable to repetitive chemical cleaning.  

When it comes to color, white may be better for kitchens and bathrooms which must be cleaned often. 

New technology comes at a cost. There are now door handles that self sanitize but it is still very early for residential projects. The cost of these times and implementing these new designs could add up and many people are already low on income. We see where people have had to cut costs. We now see more people planting vegetable gardens even when working with limited outdoor space. Those who don’t have space are looking towards growing vertical gardens, garden walls, and garden windowsills.

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BevonyHow the COVID Pandemic is Affecting Home Design

Gardening; the Outdoor Version of Baking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Bevony on 13 May 2020 Comments Off on Gardening; the Outdoor Version of Baking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Owner of Bloomsbury Designer Gardens, Kathy Friesen considers gardening the outdoor version of baking. With many people safe at home during the current COVID-19 Pandemic, we have quite a lot of time on our hands. As a result, many people are keeping themselves busy performing a variety of home-based activities. 

The truth is, that as you are going about your regular day to day lives it is hard to find time to do things at home. Between work, kids, and extracurricular activities it can all be a bit much. Now people are staying home, learning new skills and trying out new things to occupy their time. We now find many turning to gardening regardless of the space with which they have to work with. 

Turning Your Small Urban Spaces into Gardens 

If you don’t have a backyard space you can still engage in some gardening. Use your rooftop, patio, balcony, or an outdoor room that you may have. Most people who create a garden want a space that is calm and tranquil, something they have control over while they are living in this scary time that 2020 is proving to be.  

When you look at home ins many parts of Vancouver for example in Kitsilano you will find that most house lots are narrow and small with the houses spaced closely together. This doesn’t mean you can’t get out and get some gardening done. Don’t let the size of your yard or your limited outdoor space deter you from creating your garden. 

You just need a small space to plant vertical vegetables such a cherry tomatoes, kale, peas and beans. Small spaces are ideal for planting blueberries and a variety of strawberries as well. 

Increase Backyard Privacy 

If you have backyard space but find that going outside means being a part of your neighbor’s outdoor socializing, gardening can help provide you with some privacy. You can add privacy screens with evergreen vines on trellises. 

With no traveling for us in the near future, summer will be spent staying home, or should we say with “staycations”. This gives us even more time to spend on our outdoor spaces, tending to plants, and forging quality bonds with our immediate family members. 

What People Want 

Most people want items that are easy to grow. They want colors, many want to try their hands with vegetables since they have experience pay cuts and job losses making it hard for ends to meet. People want plans that will grow easily and with little maintenance. They also want plants that can be easily cleaned out when the winter season comes around. 

You want your home to comfortable and pleasant for you and your entire family. With us all spending more time together it can get a bit much. participating in hobbies can help to take the edge off and gardening is just one avenue you can use. No matter what amount of outdoor space you have, you can plant something. If it is even just a window box with some herbs. 

Tell us, What would you love to plant at home? What are you already planting?

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BevonyGardening; the Outdoor Version of Baking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Different Types of Roofing and their Advantages

by Bevony on 6 May 2020 Comments Off on Different Types of Roofing and their Advantages

If you find yourself needing a roof replacement there are a couple of options. You will find a number of different roofing materials that you will be able to choose from. You will want to educate yourself on the different types so that you can have a meaningful and well education conversation with your contractor when the time comes for that. 

Varying roofing materials will have their own lifespans and costs as well as a number of other characteristics that will cause them to provide both pros and cons. With an investment as big and as important as a roof you want to make the best decision. Here we will look at the most popular roofing types and all their advantages so you can make the best choice for your needs.

Asphalt 3-Tab Shingles

Asphalt 3-Tab Shingles

This roofing type is possible the most popular when it comes to roofing material. It has been a popular choice for many decades thanks to its durability. This roofing option features shingles made from fiberglass and asphalt as the base. The base is then covered with protective granules that bolster its durability. This type of roofing is also very affordable and is among the easiest type when it comes to installation. These tiles can be installed over your existing shingles as long as the roof deck on your building is in good condition. 

This roofing type is safe as it is considered to be Class A fire-resistant with the ability to withstand fire fora approximately two hours. If you live in an area that is fire-prone there may be better options out there when it comes to fire resistance. If you choose this type of roofing you can expect them to last for 20 to 50 years and you will be able to find them at your local home improvement store quite easily. 

Asphalt Architectural Shingles

Asphalt Architectural shingles are similar to the 3-Tab asphalt shingles discussed above. They are made from the same type of materials and are recyclable. The only difference is that with these architectural tiles, an extra layer is added to provide a better aesthetic appeal as well as to increase durability. The added layer gives this roofing type an added 10 years minimum so you can look for these lasting at least 30 years and up to 50 years. 

Wood Shingles 

Wooden Shingles are often called Shakes and are a type of roofing that has been around for centuries but are still quite common in use today. This option is quite durable as it is made most often from hardwoods. There are also options made from composite wood materials. Their lifespan is longer than asphalt roofing as they can last a minimum of 25 years. In warmer climates, you can find these roofs lasting a minimum of 30 years. Note that the life expectancy is based on the type of wood that is used to make these shingles as well as the thickness of the shingles and the climate of your local area. 

One of the best attributes of wooden shingles apart from their lifespan is their aesthetic appeal. These will provide a natural look and also weigh less than your other roofing types. They still offer the appropriate strength and moisture protection necessary for a fully functioning roof. These roofing options are environmentally friendly as they are made from wood and have that biodegradable nature. 

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs are the option that offers the longest lifespan. You can expect these roofs to last anywhere between 40 and 80 years. Bear in mind that the climate conditions in your region will affect their lifespan. Modern metal roofing options are quite versatile. You can find metal roofing that can match pretty much any architectural style and in a variety of colors. 

Today’s roofing options are attractive and can be made fro metals such as aluminum, copper, or steel. 

Aluminum panels are naturally corrosion and rust-resistant. 

Most steel panels are coated with a metallic coating and then completed with a painted finish. This is to prevent rust while also improving the aesthetic appeal of the roof. 

Metal roofing options offer fire resistance and in most areas having metal roofing can lead to the lowering of your insurance rates. Metal roofs also have the ability to increase the resale value of your home. 

Slate Shingles, Concrete Tile, and Clay Tiles

These options are among the most durable roofing types you can find as their lifespans are approximated at a minimum of 100 years. These types of roofing materials are non-combustible and tend to be extremely fire resistant. They will not rot and are resistant to insects 

When you invest in a tiled roof, you can reduce your energy bill significantly. The inherent qualities contained in tile shingles allow for energy reduction. 

Which roofing type sounds like the best choice for your needs? What roofing type do you currently have on your home and what kinds of problems are you facing? We’d love to hear from you, drop a comment down below. 

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BevonyDifferent Types of Roofing and their Advantages