Space-saving products have forever been popular inside the family room, especially contemporary furniture that doubles as decoration and storage, regardless of whether its only a small drawer in the side table. Now, as we have more clutter living room furniture which was once consigned to history is making a comeback, and new techniques in contemporary furniture manufacturing imply living room furniture can be quite decorative yet very practical as opposed to the need to compromise someone to get the other.

Need storage?

If you need to add a lot more storage have you thought to utilize area above the sideboard to set matching floating shelves on or maybe get a Storage Units Boise. Allow sufficient room above the tallest item on the sideboard therefore it doesn’t look too busy, and then choose shelves as close to the width and finish of the sideboard that you can. Don’t put too much on the shelves though in any other case they will look cluttered, a couple of attractive books, vases or figurines, or possibly a treasured collection that will reap the benefits of being well away from harms way. For latest ideas about furniture follow grid-nigeria .

Ottoman

Another useful piece to think about is surely an ottoman having a lift up cushion and a space for storage inside. They are obtainable in both traditional and modern designs, and in anything from wallet friendly to Italian luxury. If you’re able to understand it covered in a fabric much like your sofa fabric so that it blends in. These can be very useful in several ways. If it is the proper size and height it can also double as an extra seat, and the easy to lift top means its a great place to save daily things such as TV guides, fobs, magazines and books, reading glasses etc. If it is fairly large it can be used like a coffee table, by buying an attractive tray for the surface of it. A tray makes sure that cups and glasses are stable and your ottoman doesn’t get liquids spilled onto it, in addition to being beneficial to use when bring items in and out of your kitchen.

The best contemporary furniture store

The best contemporary furniture store BIF has some of the most unique and innovative collections from leading manufacturers around the world. You can browse contemporary furniture from our website or you can visit the showrooms in your city and then decide which model you want. Shop at BIF to create a fresh new look using today’s hottest trends in contemporary furniture design for a stunning finish to any room.

Housing Maintenance

What do you do if your roof is leaking?

Who do you call if your water pump breaks down?

Where do you find a reliable repairman?

How often do your air conditioners need to be serviced?

How do you pay utility bills?

Why is the swimming pool turning green?

Dealing with household management and maintenance problems often prove to be some of the most frustrating experiences that expats have living in Indonesia. Due to poor workmanship and/or the poor quality materials used in the construction of many houses and the rigors of the tropical climate, home repairs and maintenance are constantly needed. Common problems include leaks, problems with electrical wiring, plumbing and breakdown of electrical appliances, insufficient voltage to run numerous electrical appliances, and clogged rain drains.

There are several options available to expats in order to get the help that you need. These range from “do-it-yourself” or “get your domestic staff to do it”, through hiring a repairman, calling your company’s maintenance personnel, to executive housing maintenance services.

Large companies sometimes have a maintenance agreement in place with their expat employee’s landlords or a service company which is set up to handle housing-related problems for their expatriate staff, but most expatriates are not so fortunate. Most leases that expats hold will state that major maintenance issues will be the responsibility of the landlord, however for smaller issues they will have to deal with repair and maintenance problems themselves.

Housing Repairs

For general house maintenance or repairs of household appliances there are numerous contractors or companies offering their services. Post an inquiry on the Expat Forum to to find recommendations from other expats. If possible, it is always a good idea to consult your landlord to ask who he recommends or get a repairman who has been recommended by an expat friend who has used their services and is satisfied with them.

If you are not able to do this or not satisfied with the repairman that your landlord has sent, there are now many online options for various problems. In most cases they are reliable and are concerned about the review you will give them as normally good reviews on line leads to more work for them.

One of the main difficulties in dealing with the repairmen (they usually come in teams, rarely alone) is the language barrier. Miscommunication is common and your explanation of what you want is often met with blank looks, or perhaps even worse, nods of understanding when you are sure they haven’t got a clue what you want! You can also ask your driver or maid to help find someone or to interpret for you.

Your average repairman will most likely never have seen the interior of a true western style house and therefore has no idea of what a westerner would consider common or the level of workmanship that you are expecting. Most probably they have never been schooled in their trade or used modern power tools. In most cases, their tools are extremely basic and their knowledge is limited to problems that they have been exposed to or their friends have told them about.

Commonly there are two ways of hiring a repairman, a set fee for the entire job, or when the client supplies the materials and pays the repairman a daily wage for his labor only. Both of these methods of payment have their drawback. If you agree on a set fee for the total completed job, be careful that the repairman uses materials that you have agreed on. Often repairman will try to gain additional profit by using inferior materials to increase his profit margin. This is very important if you are having construction done and the proportion of cement to sand is being compromised! It is also common that the width of iron used in structural building support is switched for a lower grade or smaller iron, which results in a weaker building structure.

Unfortunately, the outcome of the other common payment option where the client pays for the material and pays labor on a daily basis lends itself to prolonged jobs. Most do not work at a very fast pace. This becomes even more pronounced if they are getting paid by the day. To an expat the pace of work can be extremely frustrating. Before work begins it is suggested that you discuss an estimated time frame and suggest that you are not too flexible if the job exceeds the expected time.

When calling a repair shop you may find that the person you need to talk to is not there and your calls are not returned. They may promise to come at a certain time, then after you have stayed home to wait for them they don’t show up. Estimates of when a job is likely to be completed are often inaccurate. Sometimes the repairs made are actually only temporary or stopgap measures, and the problem will recur shortly after the guarantee period has ended. Get the most professional repair and replacement services with roofing company in Indianola.

One of the best stories we’ve heard of this common problem was from an expat on the Expat Forum who had a chronic leak problem in his house. He’d tried several repairmen, but no one seemed to be able to fix it. Along came Fix-it Man number 4 who solved the problem! The family was so relieved, until a month later when the barrel that had been placed in their attic to catch the leaking water crashed through the ceiling into the house! Normally there is a reason why quality repairmen charge more for their services.

Prices for repair services are not fixed and there can be huge differences between companies and the quality of their work. It is always best to compare prices and, if possible, check previous jobs that the workman has done to make sure they can produce the standard of work you are expecting. Negotiate before agreeing on a price as well as a time frame for the job before allowing the repairs to begin.

The repair and maintenance processes are often complicated by the fact that homes in Indonesia are undoubtedly constructed differently than homes in your home country. What would never even be considered safe because it isn’t “up to code” may be common place methods of construction in Indonesia. Electrical wiring and plumbing may not be well planned out and the “easiest” fix may be taken when a problem arises rather than a better long-term solution which most likely involves disassembling cement walls or tiled floors. Many owners will also look for short-term solutions to problems in order to save money.

Your Responsibilities under your Lease Agreement

It is very important for an expatriate living in a rented house or apartment to be aware of which maintenance matters are the responsibility of the landlord, and which should be handled by the tenant. Major structural problems, plumbing or well water problems, for example, should be taken care of by the landlord and this should be included in the lease agreement. Smaller maintenance jobs are normally taken care of by the tenant. In many cases, the determination of who is responsible for the repairs is made in the contract by stating the amount of the repair. We recommend that you include in your lease agreement that cheaper repairs are the responsibility of the tenant, and more expensive repairs are the responsibility of the landlord.

Because of the common practice in Jakarta of paying the full lease agreement cost for at least one year (up to 3 years) in advance, the tenant has little leverage in ensuring the completion of any repairs or improvements agreed to in the lease agreement which are to be carried out after the agreement is signed. Some landlords are very helpful and take good care of their properties, however there are many who are reluctant to invest any more money in the property after they have received their rental payment. Colliers International Executive Housing Management suggests that prospective tenants be very specific about what they want and have the property well inspected before signing a lease agreement. “For a property that has been unoccupied for some time or has undergone large scale renovations, we recommend a full housing audit.”

Many tenants opt to hold back a portion of the rental payment until all agreed upon renovations or repairs are done. Or they make the final payment after a specific period of time (for example, one month) after they have moved in so that they can “discover” if there are any additional problems with the house after living in it for several weeks. These provisions, of course, should be written into the lease agreement.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioners (AC) need to be serviced regularly by a professional maintenance company. This is due to the buildup of dust, dirt and mold within the interior blower and exterior compressor. Failure to have your AC systems serviced regularly can cause the AC unit to not function properly and may endanger your family’s health, especially if you have family members with allergies due to inevitable buildups of mold and mildew. Ensure that the service includes a complete cleaning of the interior/exterior air filter, blower, and condensation coils. The service should also include a Freon level inspection. The Freon level in most units should be maintained at 70 PSI (Pressure per Square Inch).

The lack of regular AC maintenance or the misuse of the unit by running it non-stop can result in poor AC performance, leaking, and further damage to the compressor and other components. Typically this routine air conditioner maintenance is the responsibility of the tenant.

UTILITY OUTAGES

Electrical Outages

Disruption of electrical service happens in Indonesia however it is more common in the 2nd and 3rd tier cities and the provinces than in Jakarta. This can be caused by tropical storms resulting in broken connections, broken cables or debris falling onto the power lines. Most of the time the reason for the power outage is not obvious and is almost always unannounced. For problems regarding electricity supply the State Electricity Company (Perusahaan Listrik Negara, PLN) has a 24-hour service line where you can report outages anywhere in Jakarta. Call 123 for a tape-recorded message in Bahasa Indonesia and press 1 to leave your message. You may need to have a staff member or Indonesian-speaking friend leave the message for you. If you can ever manage to get a PLN staff member on the phone, they are usually not of much assistance and are unable to tell you how much longer the power outage will be. However, it is still suggested that you call PLN as they may not be aware of the problem and could then send someone to the affected area to investigate the cause.