Home is where the heart is. Every individual has a dream of having a place to call home, where they can live peacefully knowing that it’s rightfully theirs. As you seek to find a place of your own, one of the common dilemmas is choosing whether to purchase an existing
Now that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer, the weather is beginning to change. The sun is starting to set earlier, and it’s starting to get cosier inside. I know what you’re thinking – that’s no reason to decorate your bedroom! But wait! There are
When looking for a new home, there is a lot of pressure. This is where you will live for the foreseeable future. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the need for it to be perfect. Find a home comes with a long list of desirables. Everything from location to garden
Traditionally, a home would be divided into separate living and dining spaces. Today, however, homeowners’ tastes often call for one large, multifunctional space where all of the property’s required amenities for living and dining are integrated. So, could you build an open-plan area like this for your own home? The
Whether you’re in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, or in the retail sector, there comes a point when you’ll be needing a trucking partner. When your business scales up and need to transport bulky supplies and orders from one point to another, then you might consider working with a trucking company. Below
Despite its unassuming and at times unflattering reputation over the years, the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire was once a northern powerhouse of epic proportions. Not just the most affluent city in West Yorkshire, Bradford was also, at one time, one of the most prosperous cities in the world
A new, national, engagement programme supporting communities across Scotland to recover from the COVID pandemic through heritage, has been launched by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Community Connections is a new unified framework working with community groups and organisations across Scotland todeliver a range of collaborative projects through sharing resources, networks, knowledge, and expertise. The aim is to show how the heritage that matters locally can play a vital role in supporting the post-pandemic recovery – often in surprising and creative ways. The programme’s initial focus is to develop projects around the following key areas: health and
Designing successful interior spaces for commercial environments is arguably both an art and a science. While the space should be cost-effective and work efficiently in terms of layout and traffic flow, it also needs to capture the imagination of the customer, reflecting the ever-changing expectations of your target audience and
Block Out the Sun While sunlight can add picturesque natural lighting to certain areas of your home, it also stands to increase indoors temps, especially during the summer months. Needless to say, the hotter your home gets, the harder your air conditioning has to work – and the harder your
Documentation is one of the staples in virtually all organizations, regardless of what they do. Every day, companies in the manufacturing industry have to deal with processing extensive number of documents, ensuring proper documentation workflows and handle obligations stemming from tax and other legal regulations. This requires the implementation of
Home is where the heart is. Every individual has a dream of having a place to call home, where they can live peacefully knowing that it’s rightfully theirs. As you seek to find a place of your own, one of the common dilemmas is choosing whether to purchase an existing house from a real estate company or have your dream home built from the ground up. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. For that reason, you have to assess both alternatives and choose the one that suits you the most. Below is a detailed discussion on building versus buying your first home, particularly their pros and cons. Building Your Own House Doing this from scratch is a good choice if you already have a piece of land you can use. You get to purchase all the construction materials and hire the contractor you want for the job. If you go with this option, here are the pros and cons you can expect. Pros Of Building Here are just some of the benefits of going for home construction: Customization: When building your house, contractors with vast professional experience, such as those from Jabconst.com, can help you design and erect a home with all the features you’ve been dreaming of. You can decide on things like the house’s theme, color of the walls, fixtures, overall layout, lights, and landscaping. For example, you can construct a basement that doubles up as a wine cellar, or ensure that the living and dining rooms have south-facing windows so you’ll be able to make the most of the light and heat coming from the sun. Latest Building Designs: Building your house from scratch gives you the liberty of making it as modern and energy-efficient as possible. You’re free to paint it in fabulous color combinations that boldly speak of modernity. You can also install the latest security devices to make your home safer and protect it from break-ins. Seldom will you find such features in old or ready-built houses. And if you do find them, they appear more of an afterthought rather than part and parcel of the original design. Reduced Maintenance And Repair Cost: If the builders do an excellent job, it’ll take quite some years before you start worrying about repairs or renovations. You don’t have to worry about an aging hot water system, a blocked drainage system, or a leaking roof as long as the construction was done correctly. You Can Choose The Best Builder: When constructing your house, it’s in your power to choose a company that you believe will do an excellent job. An ideal builder should frequently be available to discuss the progress of the project with you, listen to your concerns, accept corrections, advise you accordingly, and do quality work. Additionally, they should charge a reasonable amount of money and ensure that the construction is completed within the agreed time frame. Uniqueness: Building your own house allows you to pull out a never-seen-before design. Standing out from the crowd this way brings an incredible feeling of satisfaction. People in the neighborhood get to admire your sense of style, and your property might even become a source of inspiration to others who are looking to take the same route you did. Saves You Money: You can decide to use budget-friendly construction materials to save some cash. For example, instead of purchasing new timber for framing and cladding, you can go for reclaimed timber. In the same sense, you can subtly incorporate corrugated metal sheets in your home, a practice usually overlooked by many homeowners. Cons Of Building Despite the several advantages listed above, building a house comes with the following disadvantages: Delayed Occupancy: Building a house to completion may take several months or even years, depending on factors such as its size and the complexity of its design. During this period, you and your family have to stay elsewhere. Paying monthly rental fees and building a house at the same time might be discouraging as juggling between looking after your temporary home and overseeing the construction of your new one can be challenging. Higher Cost: Without a proper plan and good cash flow, the cost of building your home can skyrocket. That’s especially true if you purchase small quantities of materials throughout the course of the project because you’ll incur enormous transport costs. Also, if the workers unnecessarily spend a longer time than usual on site, you end up paying a lot of wages. Disputes With The Builder: Sometimes, disagreements may arise between you and the contractor if there’s a breach of the terms in the building contract. The builder you’re working with might exploit you by setting unrealistic prices of some construction materials, and then you only find out the truth later on. You’re likely to get angry at their dishonesty and confront them about it. Also, the contractor may deliberately work at a slow pace and fail to meet the agreed deadlines. If such disputes spiral out of control, you may have to hire lawyers to help solve the issues, and that’s both costly, time-consuming, and strenuous to deal with. A Messy And Muddy Building Site: Suppose you move into your new home immediately after the major areas are completed but before the exteriors are taken care of. You’ll have to bear with the usual mess found on construction sites—mud, bare soil, construction debris, and the like. Without enough patience, that sort of scene might just get on your nerves until everything’s cleared away. Differing Needs Between You And Your Partner: In the course of building your home, you’ll have to make practically endless decisions. Suppose you fail to amicably agree on some things with your partner because of different likes, tastes, and preferences. This can spoil the excitement and joy of constructing a new home. Buying A Ready-Made House Having covered the benefits and limitations of building a home, it’s now time to assess the upsides and downsides of buying a house. Pros Of Buying
Now that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer, the weather is beginning to change. The sun is starting to set earlier, and it’s starting to get cosier inside. I know what you’re thinking – that’s no reason to decorate your bedroom! But wait! There are so many reasons you should. Having a cosy bedroom can help your health. So curl up in bed with a nice warm cup of hot cocoa, or even better – one of these 5 design ideas for your bedroom this coming winter. Bedroom Furniture Whether you are a homeowner or a renter, the winter months can be an unpredictable time. Your house could need renovation, and you may want to tidy up some areas that have become messy. It can be hard to decide on the best furniture options if you don’t have a general sense of what you want out of your bedroom. In addition to being functional, making winter furniture selections should also be an aesthetic decision. Will, your bed, be the place to curl up during cold snaps, or will it provide enough comfort for active people looking to get a jump on things in February? For quality bedroom furniture, visit Furniture In Fashion for great deals. Choose warm and rich colours for winter When it comes to your bedroom, you have a lot of influence on how the space looks. This is your space to express yourself. If you choose a bolder colour scheme for your bedroom, then you risk looking unkempt and made of money. Or if you go with a more subdued look, it might seem like you’ve sacrificed comfort for looks. If you want to look good, whether you’re in your pyjamas or slippers, make sure you choose a bedroom with Warm and rich colours for winter, which gives the rooms the soft hue needed for striking those winter-appropriate reactions. Look at wood tone colors for the flooring Rosewood is best known for its beautiful appearance. It has a warm colour and tends to fade naturally from light coloured woods like mahogany and maple towards dark woods like Balsam. The natural look is pleasing to the eye. If you want something that will have a strong appearance late in the day, then look for natural wood floors. When choosing a flooring colour, start with the woods, then look at the face and grain patterns of the logs for identification of when these colours are most appropriate. Add texture to your space with fur throws Pillows are easily one of the most popular accessories that people choose to put into their spaces. Fur throw pillows are the perfect way to add texture to any space you have. Whether you have a bedroom, office, or bedroom with nothing but fluffy pillows lying around, throw them on and instantly, you’ll have a cosy spot to curl up in front of. Fur throws are a fun way to embellish your home. They’re a practical way to get taller when installing decking or generally just give your home a cosy look. They can also be used to cover up storm damage or other small imperfections that would otherwise create big blobs or ripples in otherwise smooth surfaces.
When looking for a new home, there is a lot of pressure. This is where you will live for the foreseeable future. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the need for it to be perfect. Find a home comes with a long list of desirables. Everything from location to garden space has to be covered. When it comes to redesigning and making your home yours, the ideas start coming to the surface, and it starts to get really exciting! While you may envision yourself working on DIY projects and renovating your home yourself, there are some things to look out for before you invest. Here are the essentials before you take the leap: The Size of the Project Before you start looking for a house, decide exactly how much you want to take on. Renovatinos take time and can become costly. After you have worked out the budget for investing, consider your budget for the work that needs to be done to the house. Think about how much time you have on your hands for these projects and whether or not you will take on the work yourself. Deciding to work on your home is an exciting challenge, however, you have to know that you really can do it yourself. It’s a common mistake to get excited about renovating by yourself while house hunting and then realise it’s not possible. Plan the project out before you invest and include the potential cost of hiring workers too. Should you not have the money to start renovations immediately, think about how long you’ll be willing to wait to make them. If you invest in a home with a tacky bathroom that makes you cringe every time you walk in, you will want to know when you can redesign it. You have to factor in your happiness. Wear and Tear There are so many houses on the market that have potential. With a little vision and some knowledge of what is possible, you could transform down-and-out rooms into a beautiful living space. Invite someone who is knowledgeable architectural design or construction to analyse what is possible. They will highlight any damage or issues that could result in calling pest control, or worse, further down the line. Take your time and inspect the wear and tear of the house thoroughly before taking the leap and buying the home. Any hidden damage that you can’t see, could be detectable by someone knowledgeable. This could save on expensive repairs in the future. Signs of Losing Patience House hunting can be exhausting. Hopping from property to property; seeing locations too far from work or neighbourhoods that don’t meet your requirements. After a while it can get you down. This is when impulse investments are made. Take a break. Recalibrate and redefine exactly what you are looking for. If you haven’t already, get an estate agent involved. There is no way to peek into the future, but your new home is waiting for you. By taking time to work out how much you can take on, analysing what is possible with renovations, and having patience, you’ll find the home that you are looking for.
Traditionally, a home would be divided into separate living and dining spaces. Today, however, homeowners’ tastes often call for one large, multifunctional space where all of the property’s required amenities for living and dining are integrated. So, could you build an open-plan area like this for your own home? The simple answer is yes – but you would have to navigate a fair few obstacles on your way to realising a combined space that would fit the above-mentioned description while also meeting your own needs. Consider your specific requirements Before you start sourcing supplies for your project, think about what you would personally like it to achieve from a practical point of view. For example, would you like to play music in it? Would you want it to include dedicated storage compartments? The Homes & Gardens website has advice for what you could do in either of these scenarios. You should also order materials based on the space’s intended design – such as by ordering industrial table legs if you are aiming for this kind of look. Look into whether you will need planning permission You could create an open-plan living and dining area by refitting existing space, building an extension or, indeed, doing both. However, your choice will affect what planning permissions, if any, you will need. While propertypriceadvice.co.uk notes that many local authorities allow certain extensions to be built to the rear of a property without any need for planning permission, you should contact your local planning authority before starting any work. Even just removing a wall can require planning permission. Take building regulations into account, too Even if your particular project turns out not to need planning permission, you should heed that all extensions would have to satisfy building regulations. These touch on all aspects of construction – including ventilation, insulation, heating and fire protection. Building regulations approval can be obtained by making a full plans application if you are set on substantial redesigns or by submitting a building notice application if the works will be minor. Figure out when to seek professional assistance For example, if your project will include a complicated extension, you might need to hire an architect who could help you with matters such as design and technical drawings. Meanwhile, if the dining part of your open-plan space is set to incorporate a kitchen, you should get in touch with a kitchen designer – ideally early in the project to help prevent time-consuming revisions later. Let natural light shine through where possible Accommodating sunlight in this way can help enhance the brightness and airiness of your new space. Fortunately, there are various daylight-enhancing measures you could take for it – such as installing glazing and a lengthy row of bi-fold or sliding doors. Alas, even after you have done all of this, sunlight could struggle to reach those parts of the space furthest from the glass – in which case, you could seriously consider adding roof lights or a roof lantern if either option would be practical in your particular situation.
Whether you’re in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, or in the retail sector, there comes a point when you’ll be needing a trucking partner. When your business scales up and need to transport bulky supplies and orders from one point to another, then you might consider working with a trucking company. Below are some of the signs that it’s time for your business to have a trucking partner. 1. Your Business Is Expanding When business is good, it is only a matter of time before expansion will be in the works. Once this happens, you may need to eventually transport supplies or goods to distributors and retailers across various cities and states. Are you in food manufacturing and would need to frequently transport goods across state borders or within a state’s boundaries because of a business expansion? If yes, then you’ll need a trucking partner that specializes in interstate trucking. Whether your business is doing interstate or intrastate commerce, there’s a trucking partner that can fit your needs. You can learn more about interstate vs intrastate trucking to help you determine the best trucking partner for your business needs. Interstate commerce refers to selling, buying, or moving products and services across state borders. On the other hand, intrastate commerce is any trade or transportation within a state. Both of these types of businesses include running long-haul loads. 2. Your Products Are Getting In-Demand Do you have seasonal products that are in demand at certain times of the year? For instance, if you create Christmas decorations and you need to supply warehouses and stores in different states, then you need a trucking partner to load everything and deliver loads to their intended destinations. While you can buy a utility vehicle and deliver retailer orders by yourself, it’s best to work with a trucking company that can deliver bulky goods in one trip and assign somebody (field employee or subcontractor) to manage deliveries in a specific place of destination. In this way, you avoid spending a lot of money shipping all orders by yourself or paying each parcel to a courier. Aside from that, professional truckers know how to load, handle, and discharge various goods or products safely. 3. You Need To Handle Heavy-Duty Materials If you recently added a line of business such as a material handling equipment business, you would need the help of a trucking company to transport racks, workbenches, stacking frames, trolly lifts, and other equipment from point A to point B without so much stress and hassle. Trucking service companies have the right tools and equipment to load heavy-duty devices inside a truck and bring them safely to their final destination. 4. Stricter Border Protocols Border control stations are sometimes strict with protocols because of legal, health, and safety issues. Hence, heavy loads should be transported by qualified vehicles such as trucks with proper credentials and permits to ensure full compliance. So, it’s about time to work with a trucking company if you read or hear tightening of borders across the country to avoid transport delays and costly business flow disruption. 5. Stricter Safety Transport Client Requirements If you have new clients with stricter transport requirements for the goods they’ve ordered, then you need a reliable trucking partner to adhere to this demand. Or if you simply want to protect your goods, hiring a trucking company is your best option. You can save money from buying a truck or renting one and driving it by yourself. A good trucking company has expert drivers who can drive your goods safely across borders. 6. You’re Moving If you need to move headquarters, you might need to also haul plenty of office supplies and heavy-duty equipment from your old place to your new business establishment. You can avoid spending a lot of time, money, and energy coming back and forth by simply hiring a trucking company to help you move. How To Choose A Trucking Partner You need to make sure that your prospective trucking partner has been in the business for at least three years. It’s also recommended to select a trucking company with experience transporting the types of products you have and one that stays abreast with the latest trucking trends, especially in automation. Take time to research the company as well, including its services, rates, and customer service. You need to make sure that you’ll work with a legitimate and reliable trucking company with the appropriate credentials, permits, and licenses to avoid trouble. Conclusion If you have an expanding business or your products are growing in demand rapidly, a trucking company can help you with logistics. Managing a large business without a trucking partner can be challenging. Whether you’re into interstate or intrastate commerce, a trucking company can help you move a high volume of goods from one area to another without so much hassle.
Despite its unassuming and at times unflattering reputation over the years, the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire was once a northern powerhouse of epic proportions. Not just the most affluent city in West Yorkshire, Bradford was also, at one time, one of the most prosperous cities in the world with an influence on industry and politics worldwide. Indeed, the strike at Manningham Mill textile factory from 1890-91 which sought to achieve better wages for workers reflected the wider socio-economic situation of the era and saw the introduction of the Independent Labour Party, a precursor to the Labour Party we know today. But where did it all start? Whilst a modest settlement had existed in the area since the Anglo-Saxon period, Bradford really came into its own during the 19th century and the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The city’s plentiful sources of coal, iron ore and soft water saw its rapid expansion as a manufacturer of textiles, especially wool. Indeed, at one point, Bradford was referred to as the “wool capital of the world”. With the expansion of industry came the population boom and significant investment in the area which can still be seen today in the notable Victorian architecture such as Bradford’s impressive City Hall, the Wool Exchange and St George’s Hall. City status was swift to follow in 1897 as Bradford became one of the UK’s key industrial cities. Sadly, the significant loss of local life during World War 1 – particularly during the Battle of the Somme where so many of the 16th and 18th Battalions of The West Yorkshire Regiment, aka the “Bradford Pals” were lost – and the deindustrialisation of the manufacturing industry across the UK in the mid-20th century saw a decline in the textile industry. A shift in manufacturing towards emerging and developing countries like China who could undercut the UK industries thanks to low wages, lengthy working hours and untapped natural resources and the advent of mechanisation meant former powerhouses like Bradford could not compete or retain vast numbers of workers. Just like the former shipbuilding centres of the North like Newcastle or Sheffield in the wake of its declining steel industry, Bradford was hit hard by the challenges of unemployment and social and economic unrest in the post-industrial era. However, in the wake of this decrease in traditional industry Bradford has managed to pick itself up and dust itself off in recent years to diversify its economy. Whilst there is still a focus on the wool industry in the city, which has been revolutionised by new technological advances, the finance, chemical, electronics, engineering, manufacturing and retail industries have all taken up residence in the city in a big way and both Morrisons and Yorkshire Water now have their head offices in Bradford. This creation of vast numbers of new jobs plus significant reinvestment in the city centre has seen a new renaissance for Bradford, which is even seeking the title of UK City of Culture 2025 alongside its existing accolade of UNESCO City of Film thanks to impressive amenities like the National Science and Media Museum, the Alhambra Theatre, the Salts Mill and Bradford City Park. In addition to Bradford’s already excellent commuters links to nearby Leeds, Halifax, Wakefield, Harrogate and Manchester via the A647, A650, A658 and the M62, there are also plans to introduce a new high speed rail station rather fittingly named the Northern Powerhouse Rail station. Today, many of the impressive former mills of yester year have also been given a new lease of life and have been converted into spectacular homes for the savvy house buyer. Whether it comes to young professionals wanting to take advantage of Bradford’s great transport connections, empty nesters looking for something completely different or a buy-to-let investment utilising the ready flow of renters in the city – including the 11,000 student population of the University of Bradford – Bradford is a great option when it comes to property. Indeed, property in Bradford is extremely affordable, especially compared to the national average of over £250,000. In Bradford, the average sold price of properties in the last 12 months was £144,774. A significant saving in comparison to the Yorkshire and Humber region (£224,312) and West Yorkshire (£217,982) overall. Particularly sought-after areas such as Scarcroft on the edge of Leeds (£671,638), Huby (£568,667) and Ilkley (£486,585). Properties in the city of Leeds itself are also more expensive, with an average sold price of £231,734 in the last 12 months. And when it comes to the types of property on offer, terraced house will fetch in the region of £108,000, with semi-detached properties costing around £147,000 and detached properties about £264,000.
A new, national, engagement programme supporting communities across Scotland to recover from the COVID pandemic through heritage, has been launched by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Community Connections is a new unified framework working with community groups and organisations across Scotland todeliver a range of collaborative projects through sharing resources, networks, knowledge, and expertise. The aim is to show how the heritage that matters locally can play a vital role in supporting the post-pandemic recovery – often in surprising and creative ways. The programme’s initial focus is to develop projects around the following key areas: health and wellbeing skills and volunteering creativity climate change community and destination regeneration In addition to exciting opportunities to develop fresh ideas under the programme, participants can also gain access to HES’s vast network of professionals across Scotland who are looking to help communities recover and thrive. As well as devising and delivering a range of future collaborative projects, the new, dedicated HES programme will also provide a range of supporting initiatives to benefit local communities. These include a new online ‘Community Connections Forum’ hosting discussions, workshops, and events with HES employees and communities. This will provide an interactive platform for inspiring opportunities and growing collaborations. The programme will also feature regular online discussion events entitled Scotland’s Community Heritage Conversations, bringing together volunteers, community groups and heritage professionals. The discussions among a partnership featuring HES, Archaeology Scotland, The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, Scottish Council for Archives, and the Scottish Community Heritage Alliance, will aim to celebrate resilience within community groups and examine the connections between heritage and wellbeing, arts, and culture. Elsewhere, Community Connections will also include HES employees delivering interactive talks to community groups, as well as encouraging partnership initiatives, volunteer engagement and community events. Commenting on the programme, Alison Turnbull, HES Director of Development and Partnership, said: “Although the initial focus will be on helping with COVID recovery, as the prorgramme develops it will be about ensuring communities can confidently and easily access our knowledge and expertise, so we can prioritise our resources to make a positive difference - connecting and collaborating and using local heritage to have a positive impact across the country. “ Stephen Duncan, HES Director of Commercial and Tourism, added: “Our new programme is not just about the heritage sector, as we are looking at how we can provide a contribution to community recovery across a range of different sectors as well as different themes, such as health and wellbeing by using our Properties In Care and sites to inform and deliver activities, such as organised health walks around our green spaces for example.”
Designing successful interior spaces for commercial environments is arguably both an art and a science. While the space should be cost-effective and work efficiently in terms of layout and traffic flow, it also needs to capture the imagination of the customer, reflecting the ever-changing expectations of your target audience and the commercial interiors trends of the moment. That said, unique interior design for offices, shops or restaurants is about more than delivering kerb appeal. While the exterior is obviously an important element, it’s all about creating curiosity and enticing people to come in. A positive first impression of your business can go a long way in establishing your brand authority in today’s competitive world. Here are four practical tips to achieve this. 1. Create engaging spaces Interior design should be engaging – you want those who use the space to be uplifted and inspired and to love spending time there. What exactly this means depends on your business characteristics and values, and the tastes of your customers and staff. Take the example of a company with modern eco-friendly values. Deep, cool tones such as greys and charcoals, perhaps with a hint of green, could be a suitable colour palette. Add lighter neutrals such as taupe, stone and ivory to create balance and to keep the space both contemporary and relevant. Ideally, use colours that reflect your business brand to enhance its visibility. Use patterns to add visual interest to your commercial interiors. Large-scale geometric patterns on hard wearing luxury vinyl flooring, for instance, combine both practicality and style. For inspiration, take a look at this great selection. Making a striking impact on anyone who walks in through the door, it’s a great way to make a statement and give your business a strong personality. 2. All eyes on your products and services One of the key reasons why the interior design of commercial spaces is so important is because it needs to satisfy the needs and wants of your (potential) clients. Showcase your product or service offering and use design to emphasise what your company does. Give your business environment the voice to speak directly to the customer and place your business ahead of the competition. There’s a whole arsenal of tools at your disposal to create the right interior design vibe. From colour schemes, patterns and fabric choices to furniture, fixtures and fittings, every design choice should focus on the client and the product. Without that key connection, your customers will lose focus and sales will drop as a result. 3. The importance of space and layout While maximising the available space used to mean making your square footage work hard, in these pandemic-driven times it is more likely to mean spacing out your employees, your products and service offerings, and your customers. Reconsidering the existing layout could mean being more creative with storage units and organisation of the workspace and workflow. For instance, you could remove tall floor cupboards and install wall cabinets instead, using the floor space thus freed up to position extra desks for your staff to work from. Think multifunctional or modular furniture such as cabinets with slide-out seats, handy for impromptu business meetings. Chairs with tablet arms are another nifty idea to help space out employees and minimise congestion. 4. Make your design accessible and inclusive Gone are the days when accessibility in building design was added as an afterthought, with features such as removable wheelchair ramps or special disabled toilets. Today’s commercial spaces have inclusivity at the core, meaning successful business interiors must be accessible to everyone in your target audience, able-bodied or not. The principles of Universal Design anticipate problems and eliminate them. Creating a space where everyone feels comfortable and their needs catered for may involve flexible office furniture and technology that can be tweaked and adjusted as necessary to suit the user, including height-adjustable office desks and moveable monitor arms, accessible plug sockets and underfloor cable management. For commercial buildings with multiple floors, it should go without saying that multi-level mobility should be your top priority. Have lifts in place so that older people or differently abled people can comfortably move around the building, and avoid steps and thresholds between different areas of the building as well as at entrance and exit points.
Block Out the Sun While sunlight can add picturesque natural lighting to certain areas of your home, it also stands to increase indoors temps, especially during the summer months. Needless to say, the hotter your home gets, the harder your air conditioning has to work – and the harder your AC has to work, the more you can expect to pay in utility costs. With this in mind, you should take active measures to keep indoor sunlight to a minimum. Fortunately, there are a number of easy – and cost-effective – ways to go about this. For starters, you can outfit your windows with thermal curtains. Also known as “blackout curtains,” these curtains are composed of much thicker materials than standard window dressings. This ensures that they’re well-equipped to block out sunlight and seal in cool air. As an added bonus, thermal curtains can also prove convenient during the frosty winter months, when they can help seal in warm air and keep cool air at bay. In other words, thermal curtains are far from a seasonal investment. If you’re not keen on the idea of replacing your current window dressings, look into purchasing blackout screens. Per the name, these screens are designed to block out sunlight. Additionally, most blackout screens can be effortlessly applied to windows and are affordable on even the tightest budget. However, while they tend to be slightly less expensive than thermal curtains, blackout screens are unlikely to last nearly as long. Although some screens may last as long as several years, most of them aren’t designed to last forever – particularly the stick-on variety. Speaking of which, if this is the type of screen you purchase, just know that once you’ve removed it from its respective window, you probably won’t be able to reapply it. Install High-Quality Ceiling Fans Good ceiling fans can be a tremendous boon to your summertime cooling efforts. Not only can they work in tandem with your central air conditioning system, they can also function as useful cooling aids in their own right. To truly get the most out of your ceiling fans, make sure to install at least one fan in every area of your home, as this will help ensure even distribution of cool air. You can also enable your fans to produce a downward-flowing cool breeze by setting their blades to rotate counterclockwise. When searching for the right ceiling fans, just remember that not all fans are equally obliging. To ensure that you don’t wind up with the wrong fans, limit your options to fans that have received positive consumer reviews, feature a variety of user-friendly settings and can be installed and adjusted with ease. Take Advantage of Nighttime Temps If the temperatures in your neck of the woods tend to get much cooler overnight, you should consider using this to your advantage. Once the sun goes down and the temp starts to drop, switch off your AC, open some windows and allow your ceiling fans to distribute the cool air throughout your home. In addition to giving your air conditioning a break, this will enable you to enjoy your evenings in comfort without having to worry about how much such comfort stands to cost you. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love summer. Optimal travel conditions, ample opportunities for outdoor recreation and family gatherings are just a few of the great things the season has to offer. However, by the sake token, you’d be equally hard-pressed to find someone who relished the exorbitant home cooling costs that summertime brings. So, if running your air conditioning 24/7 is no longer financially tenable, put the previously discussed pointers to good use.
Documentation is one of the staples in virtually all organizations, regardless of what they do. Every day, companies in the manufacturing industry have to deal with processing extensive number of documents, ensuring proper documentation workflows and handle obligations stemming from tax and other legal regulations. This requires the implementation of modern concepts and IT solutions, which can make document management workflows easier and more efficient in any manufacturing company. Electronic document workflow in a manufacturing company Companies that are conscious and aware of what they want to achieve choose electronic document management workflows. Why? Because at the cornerstone of this concept lies digitalization – conversion of all or some of company documentation into a digital form. Electronic documents are stored, accessed and processed in a digital archive accessible via a document management system – another tool in the document management toolkit. Together, they enable companies to streamline, optimize and automate all tasks concerning company documentation, which brings numerous important benefits. Thanks to the electronic document management workflow and automation of processes related to document management and handling, manufacturing companies can save time and money, while their employees can focus on value-added activities, which support the organizations and their growth. What is more, electronic document management workflows also eliminate the risk of human error, which can lead to significant financial losses and irreparable damage to reputation. All of this is made possible by the fact that the system holds the users’ hands, so to speak, by reminding about due payments. What is more, all files are available to users on the so-called need-to-know basis – only the authorized users can see the documents they need. All this increases the quality, speed and accuracy of business decisions, which all have a positive impact on the company and its growth, which results in achieving a competitive advantage. Managing documents with dedicated IT software Electronic document management workflow would have remained only a concept if it were not for the development of modern technologies, in particular innovative IT solutions. Document management systems (or DMS for short) are key in the area of working with business documentation. These solutions support users in the efficient, secure and effective management of digital documentation and records, facilitating handling related tasks and processes. Modern DMS-class systems are usually advanced and highly-functional platforms. But if you need to find a system which enables companies to tackle even the most demanding and complex business scenarios characteristic for organizations in the manufacturing sector, you should take a closer look at innovative low-code platforms, which use cutting-edge technologies – workflow engine, no-to-low-code application development, Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), OCR, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and many others, including bespoke solutions. Using them in a capacity of a document management system makes it possible to streamline the organization’s document workflow processes. As a result, companies in the manufacturing sector can gain better and more comprehensive control over all processes related to document management.
