Pagoda lights for your outdoor patio or walkway|Outdoor mushroom lights

Pagoda Lights for a Practical and Attractive Solution

People like to keep the exteriors of their houses well-maintained and beautiful. This is but natural, since that is the part of the house that is visible to the entire world. No matter what the state of the insides, from outside everything should look perfect. People hire gardeners to create and maintain beautiful lawns and plants; they spend money on swimming pools and fountains. A lot of people like to spend their evenings out in the porch or the garden.

Unfortunately, once it gets dark, your garden becomes dark and dangerous. You and your guests face the hazard of tripping over stones or uneven ground in the dark, there are security threats in the cover of darkness… even without the dangers, what is the point of a beautiful outdoor arrangement when it becomes almost invisible at night?

This is where patio lights step into the picture. Patio lights are lighting fixtures meant for the outdoors. With the help of patio lights, you can:

1) Make your garden easier to navigate, both for yourself and any guests that come visiting at night. No more tripping and blundering around in the dark.

2) Make your property safer by eliminating any dark areas outside, where it is possible for burglars to hide.

3) Enjoy your beautiful garden in the night, as conveniently as in the day time. You can read outside, have a barbecue, sit and enjoy a beer with friends. Your garden can enhance your after-dark enjoyment.

4) Create additional effects in your garden that give it a different dimension! You can use special or localized lighting to create all sorts of effects with shadows or spotlights, both with the foliage as well as any water body you may have, like a swimming pool or fountain.

Pagoda lights are a type of patio light that is characterized by a peaked ‘roof’ like a pagoda on the light fixture. This adds a lovely old world charm to any garden. You can get this style in path lights, where you illuminate the paths in your garden or Lantern type lights which are for general illumination.

You can use them as deck lighting, which not only lights up the area, but also highlights any sudden change in levels of the ground. You can light up steps leading up a path. You can illuminate your fountain, not just to make it visible at night, but also to create colour effects or a mirror effect, making your fountain a piece of beauty at night. You can use these lights to create shadow effects, where the shadow of a tree of a sculpture falls at a desired spot. You can create interesting silhouettes by placing the light behind the object. The lighting possibilities are endless with pagoda lights.

If you are environmentally conscious, and feel you should not be wasting electricity on outdoor lighting, you need not worry! You can also install solar powered pagoda lights and save power. These lights will provide you light without harming the environment. So, not only will you have a beautiful, well-lit and safe garden, you are also promoting a safe power source!

Turn Your Yard Into a Winter Wonderland

Turn Your Yard Into a Winter Wonderland

You’ve tended your gardens all summer long and enjoyed the bright colors and fragrant blooms that resulted from your work. Now that winter is coming, don’t stop there; you can continue to have a stunning landscape throughout the cooler months.

Here are some twists on old ideas that can help turn your yard into a winter wonderland.

During the holidays, homeowners love to string icicle lights across the eaves or outline windows on the front of the house. While common practice, it is so… common.

Mini lights strung on a Christmas tree have an almost magical effect. Why not create some of that magic outdoors in your garden? Hang strands of mini lights around evergreen trees, shrubs, or flowering hedges; taking care to avoid any bare trunks or branches. If you have an outdoor statue, create a necklace out of bittersweet, add some lights and hang it around the figure’s neck. Layer spruce, cedar, or other evergreens through the slats on a garden trellis, arbor or pergola. Add some berries or pine cones and highlight with mini-lights.

Natural evergreen wreaths with bright bows make a fence or post come alive, especially with added lights.

Window boxes, cast iron planters or other containers can benefit from the same treatment. Just use plenty of layering with natural foliage and extend it over the edges as though it were over flowing. Add some colorful accents and lights.

Once you empty your summer planters, don’t put them away, now it’s time to begin your winter arrangement. You’ll be dealing with dead plant material so there will be no worrying about watering or fertilizing. Look to pine, spruce or cedar evergreen sprigs, dogwood branches, berries, ivy, boxwood, holly or ornamental grasses. Supplement your finds with some hardy dried plants such as heather, roses, or cone flowers. Concentrate not only on color, but using a variety of shapes and textures as well.

Next spring, consider adding some garden plants for their winter landscaping value. Good choices include red-twig dogwood, holly, hemlocks, creeping cotoneasters, climbing hydrangea, river birches, Japanese variegated silver grass, blue oat grass and sedges.

The great thing about this type of landscaping, with no obvious themes, it still looks great long after the holidays are over.

Jerry Clifford has received the prestigious 100% Club award for his success as a real estate agent in the Minneapolis real estate area. He is certified as an ePRO and prides himself on attention to detail. If you need help in your search for Plymouth Minnesota real estate, visit JerryClifford.com.

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Small Garden Design

Small Garden Design

The small garden design begins and ends with thoughtful, precise planning. However, small does not mean limited. A small garden design can still deliver a huge “wow” factor.

Small Garden Design: The Problems

A small garden design comes with big challenges. Perhaps your property abuts the two-story blank wall of a neighbor’s townhouse. Maybe the space is all straight lines and right angles. Or you’ve remodeled your home, changed the elevation, added a new room and reduced the size of your backyard, all of which affect the relationship to the existing landscape.

Turning Liabilities into Assets

With small garden design, as with all landscape design, the goal is to create spaces in which the home and architectural elements have a relationship with the yard and surrounding area. First, consider the big picture-your assets and liabilities. Begin by looking at the large, possibly immoveable factors, such as trees, a long fence-line or pool equipment, and decide if they are liabilities or assets. In this way, you test the viability and capacity of the site, a determination that will help clarify your landscape design options. Landscape designers or landscape architects can bring expertise and experience to this process.

Small Garden Design: Features to Consider

Hardscapes. Decks, patios, pergolas, arbors and gates can be used to help define a small space, break it up or create interest. These choices, in effect, create other rooms. Your material selection adds further texture, thus making the space livelier.

Water features such as swimming pools or outdoor water fountains. Swimming pools can be custom-made to fit into a small garden design. Also outdoor water fountains can be used to good effect in small gardens. Water features create movement and pleasant sounds, both elements that heighten your enjoyment of a landscape.

Landscape lighting. Landscape lighting, in particular, can bring an element of drama to a small space. It is good to keep in mind that your landscape is viewed at night for about 30 percent of the time. Since so many people work and don’t come home until after dark, landscape lighting means homeowners can still enjoy their outdoor property, whenever they get home. It turns the landscape into a 24-hour event. Landscape lighting is also very practical as it provides security and nighttime lighting for any tricky steps.

Infrastructure, like irrigation systems and drainage systems. Irrigation and drainage systems are the work-horses of Houston gardens. Sprinkler systems deliver water to plants during our long, intense summer months and drainage systems take away excess water when we get our infamous torrential rains. They save money, time and worry.

The Heart of Small Garden Design

Jeff Halper, landscape design specialist with Exterior Worlds, says, “The overall objective of any great landscape design, including small garden designs, is to create a space that breathes with the home and has a relationship to its surroundings. It should reflect the client’s visual desires and functionally work together in every aspect.”

Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscape design and wants to share infomation about that passion. At Exterior Worlds you can read more about Small Garden Design

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Classic Landscape Designs and Traditional Landscape Designs in Houston Texas

Classic Landscape Designs and Traditional Landscape Designs in Houston Texas

In the first millennium, a wealthy Roman family would most likely have had a garden surrounding their home. In it, you might find an open-air palazzo, pergola-style structures dripping with vines and blooming flowers, a dining area with couches for relaxation, water features such as an outdoor water fountain or wall fountain, and walkways that led out into the garden proper, perhaps to a prized rosebush or into an olive grove. These are some of the elements characterizing what is now called classical landscape design, also known as traditional landscape design.

Classical landscape design is a subset of formal landscape design that uses linear, clean lines to develop an uncluttered look. These lines can be drawn with rows of trees and well-trimmed hedges, perfect plantings for the classical landscape design. Or perhaps a seat wall made of regimented terra cotta tiles can do double-duty. Here and there, vines, such as ivy or wisteria, can soften any harshness. In this regard, this style is similar to the Mediterranean landscape design with its Roman and Greek influences.

The History of Classical Landscape Design

Borrowing influences from previous civilizations, classical landscape design solidified in Rome and the surrounding countryside. Villas were built with comfortable courtyards, sparkling with the sound of water, shaded by large trees, fragrant with rosemary and citrus fruits. It was from this setting that we got the term “pleasure garden.”

In England of the late 1700s, property owners started looking backwards, past the Baroque period and the Renaissance, to the beginnings of western civilization. There, they found classical landscapes making use of woods, water, indigenous plants and small temples. These elements were incorporated into the gardens of that day, further defining the principles of traditional landscape design.

By the way, when Rome fell to the barbarians, the gardens had become so exquisite that the barbarians chose not to ransack them. Instead they kept them up and learned from them. This development is one of the early examples of how we, as humans, learned that beauty can change the world: it can stop violence. This principle is now being used to good effect in gardens started as rehabilitation projects in prisons, inner cities and ghettos.

Choices in Classical Landscape Design

As with all landscape design, the architecture of the house needs to be considered when using a traditional landscape design. For this style, the home and landscape can be tied together through the subtle placement of a hardscape feature, such as the use of tumbled travertine for the courtyard flooring.

Because of the formal principles inherent in this style, you want to strike a balance when choosing materials between boring blandness and baroque lavishness. Think instead in terms of interesting variety. For instance, well-contained decorative gravel can provide color and texture. Courtyards, pool decking and patios should use materials that are symmetrical, in keeping with the formal style. Stone, terra cotta tiles and flagstone are appropriate choices. Granite benches, concrete grottoes and marble urns add sturdiness and reference antiquities.

Your preference for classical landscape design can also be demonstrated in the plants you choose. Your residential garden will be enhanced by fruit trees and other dwarf trees-or perhaps a stand of cypress, mulberry or fig trees. The cheery colors of marigolds, hyacinths and roses are well suited for the classical landscape design. Herbs planted in terra cotta pots scent the air and provide fresh flavor in your outdoor kitchen cooking.

Hardscapes in Classical Landscape Design

Color, form, line, scale, and texture are your means of expressing classical landscape design preferences just as they are with modern landscape design.

Hardscapes to include:

Outdoor rooms for outdoor living. These living areas, in effect, make your home bigger. They also serve to create transition areas that connect the indoor and outdoor spaces. Plus, they further the notion that a garden is a place of rejuvenation. In particular, outdoor kitchens are important to the traditional landscape design.

Outdoor water fountains. If you remember your ancient world history classes, you know that the Romans perfected the aqueduct. So water is prized within classical landscape design and nothing showcases it like a picture-perfect outdoor water fountain. Look for fountains in formal, Romanesque, Italianate, Mediterranean and rustic styles. Those made of tile, cast stone, cast iron and concrete work particularly well with this style.

Swimming pools. When placed within a classical landscape design, the shape of your swimming pool should tend towards basic geometric shapes like rectangles and ovals. Thus, the shape of the pool frames the water and turns it into a classical design element of the landscape. It is often efficient to combine the pool with an outdoor water fountain to eliminate some maintenance redundancies.

Landscape lighting. Landscape lighting is another important element of traditional landscape design as it creates ambiance and lets you enjoy the outdoors, night and day.

Classical Landscape Design: A Houston Setting

”We implemented a classical landscape design for one of our Houston clients, whose home was French Country. For the garden, we chose a design that closely resembles a famous garden in Florence,” says Jeff Halper with Exterior Worlds. “The landscape design makes good use of gravel and limestone, which looks very natural in a Houston garden. And we planted boxwoods, which we trim and shape regularly as part of a well-thought-out residential landscape maintenance plan. It is a lovely and relaxing space.”

Classic Landsape Design exterior worlds

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In Love With Design! London’s No-Fuss Interior Design Company – Foliage and Functionality

In Love With Design! London’s No-Fuss Interior Design Company – Foliage and Functionality

In this last article (part three in my series “In Love With Design!”) we continue with our commentary on the magnificent redesign of the Peugeot family’s Kenya Lamu residence, as envisioned and implemented by the prestigious Modola interior design company.

The foliage and vegetation is simply adorable, with clusters of mangrove (a swamplike plant) that climb up out of the earth and envelop palm fronds and an array of white and yellow desert flowers, which look a little like the yellow buttercups that one often sees in London’s royal parks. The Modola interior design company installed the pool in an el evated position, fully 10 metres above the beachfront below. The poolside pergola is where the Peugeots and their closest friends assemble for informal lunches and light dinners prior to the evening’s entertainment.

London’s best-apportioned residences are often characterised by the traditional English conservatory. The equivalent in Kenyan culture is an architectural feature known as the baraza – a snug, sheltered outdoor private space that is covered with a thatched roof and features beautiful outdoor-safe upholstered couches and recliners. The Modola interior design company installed multiple of these units. One can snack on treats or enjoy social time with friends in these nice little spaces while luxuriating in the refreshing sea breezes. The cushions and throws help the Peugeot family to rest and relax while enjoying a meal or afternoon tea. Accessories have been installed by the Modola interior design company to evoke memories of the beach next door – shells, pebbles, rounded beach rocks, and precious gems adorn the foot of each seating area.

In the poolside pergola, one note of dashing colour reflects the overall philosophy of this interior design company’s work in beautiful Kenya . The intense red tablecloth contrasts with the green tint of the dishware and orange highlights in the glasses. In London , such colours may risk feeling overbearing – but on the island of Lamu , with its gorgeous blue skies and rich gold colours of the beach, intense relaxation is the net effect. As the founder of a London-based interior design company myself, I commend the Modola team for their amazing work on what must surely be one of the world’s top luxury homes!

Interior Design London – Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

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Designing a New Landscape With Retractable Awnings

Designing a New Landscape With Retractable Awnings

Evolving landscape designs make balconies, patios, and yards more usable, even more beautiful. Adequate sun protection helps both people and plants thrive, and versatile retractable awnings lend both stylish grace to outdoor architecture and heat and UV-controlling functionality.

Moving Outside

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) revealed in January that landscape artists are moving toward making outdoor areas true living spaces, beyond traditional grilling. Gentle outdoor areas create a festive yet peaceful atmosphere that’s perfect for daily living and entertaining.

A major part of landscape design is determining how an area is going to be used and finding ways to unite those elements seamlessly. Retractable awnings accomplish this by delineating areas, like providing shade over seating while leaving the cooking area open. They can also provide a consistent design theme which complements the structure of a home and unifies different areas. Most importantly, retractable awnings are shields from glare, UV rays, heat, glare and sunlight so that the outdoors feel more friendly.

Dean Hill, a landscape designer for Terratecture in Indianapolis and a member of ASLA, agrees that retractable awnings have an important place in landscape design because they combine the functionality of creating a comfortable outdoor room with a timeless, harmonious style that can be incorporated into almost any yard or home. Effective landscaping balances home architecture, natural environment, garden layout, and usability. “We try to look at everything cohesively and how it might fit together,” Hill explains. “It’s looking at every piece of the puzzle.”

The key to creating that outdoor haven, says Hill, has three parts:

1. Have a plan. “It’s a roadmap,” Hill explains, recommending getting a design from a landscape architect or gardener, which can circumvent common pitfalls. A plan identifies the kind and placement of plants and high-use areas, so you can determine where to place retractable awnings for the most effective sun protection.

2. Figure out what your needs are. Do you want a play area for children, a small space for intimate family use, or entertaining areas for a dozen people? How are your needs going to change? Knowing how the area will be used helps you identify what design elements (retractable awnings, flowers, decks, trees, play sets, water features) to incorporate.

3. Determine the level of maintenance. Grassy turf is resource-intensive, requiring constant watering, fertilizing, mowing, weeding, and care, as well as money. Flower and vegetable gardens, native plants, and “hardspace” (like decks and patios) are much easier to maintain than lawns. Retractable awnings are maintenance-free. Decide up-front how much time and money you can devote to keeping up your landscape, and you’ll be happier with the long-term results.

One of the most critical elements for all three – planning, needs, and maintenance – is adequate shade. Controlling sunlight is important for UV protection and for heat. “Incorporating shade elements (like a retractable awning or patio cover) is going to give you more usability,” Hill says.

For living spaces, there are a lot of instances where you can integrate shade elements. For instance, vertical drop screen retractable awnings can encircle a sitting area to block bugs, while patio retractable awnings provide shade for pets which have to stay outside all day or are left behind during family vacations. Traditional lateral-arm awnings can be attached to a pergola for additional shade in the middle of the yard; there are all kinds of retractable patio cover systems which can be used over patios or walkways to create comfortable sitting spaces.

Retractable awnings can even be a way of saving your gardens. According to George Gustafson, a master gardener with the Oklahoma State Extension Office, heat and dryness are two of the biggest threats to gardens, even for full sun plants. “What full sun means,” he explains, “is sunlight all day for areas north of Kansas City (latitude). That’s pretty much an industry standard. In the south and southwest, the afternoon sun gets way too hot, even for full sun plants. The heat will burn them up.” Retractable awnings protect sprouting plants from glaring sunlight, allowing full sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. Retractable awnings for shade gardens even make them easier to maintain – slowing evaporation means that you water less and stunt the growth of sun-loving weeds.

Awning Solutions

As spring planting begins and entertainment moves outdoors, it’s time to take a fresh look at how you use your outdoor spaces. The indispensable asset for retractable awnings is their flexibility: they can be installed in many different areas, they can be closed or adjusted to control both shade and light, and they don’t need any maintenance. Retractable awnings can be used on patios, over balconies, over hot tubs or water features, and even over gardens.

When picking a retractable awning, look at how you plan to use your outdoor space, and find the retractable awning that harmonizes with those needs:

• Insect and pest protection with vertical drop screen awnings

• Accessories like timers or sensors for sun, motion, wind, and rain which automatically close retractable awnings to protect them from damage – even if you’re not there.

• Different retractable awning styles, from traditional lateral arm awnings to free-standing butterfly awnings, plus hundreds of different awning fabrics in vibrant colors, bold patterns, and harmonious neutrals.

• Solution-dyed acrylic fabrics endorsed by the American Skin Cancer Association for UV protection.

• Lower temperatures (between 8 and 15 degrees) and less indoor heat buildup (up to 77%) making both indoor and outdoor areas cooler, more comfortable, and more energy efficient.

“People spend so much time picking out furnishings, curtains, for the inside of their homes. The outdoor areas can be a direct reflection of their personality, too,” encourages Hill. “You really have the opportunity to make an impression on the outdoors. Don’t hesitate to put your fingerprint on it.”

Retractable Awnings offers quality awnings and patio covers, which are both reliable and easy to use .http://www.retractableawnings.com

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Lessen Consumption Of Energy And Cool Down Your House Through Summer Months

Lessen Consumption Of Energy And Cool Down Your House Through Summer Months

The arrival of summer heralds a time when people turn to air conditioners and iced drinks to stay cool both inside and outside the house. Yet many do not consider a better option that can cool down the house but at the same time save on energy costs. This option is to make structural modifications to the house and take advantage of the natural ability of moisture to cool down the ambient temperature. Nonstructural shades like metal (steel or iron) gazebos can also be used but we neglect them for now.

We discuss three methods of modifying the house for cooling purposes. The first is to install outdoor shades to the house most often as a canopy or window awning. Such shades help create more usable space outside the home but also cut down on the light that enters the house. By cutting down the light that enters, homeowners reduce the “greenhouse” effect which is essentially the warming up of the house due to trapped light energy.

We discuss the two major kinds of outdoor shades that are found in homes: awnings (that can be retractable or fixed) and canopies (which overlap somewhat with pergolas).

Canopies are structures shaped like tents. The configuration of a canopy can be simplified down into the shading fabric and the steel scaffold that holds up the cloth. People like to have at the very least the top of a canopy shielded with fabric. The side-walls are optional, depending on whether the canopy owner is cognizant of privacy or more circulation in the canopy.

Awnings are a familiar thing to see for most people who have taken a walk on a sidewalk arrayed with retail establishments. They are the fixed-structure shades that shield store entry ways and windows. Awnings for private residential use have evolved far beyond classic immobile and one-piece shade cloth configuration. Modern awnings retract by themselves in dangerous winds, are powered by motors and controlled remotely.

The outdoor shades discussed here are only a limited sampling. Other types like the bamboo roll-up blinds which are fitted onto the exterior of a window can give some of the same energy-saving benefits but are limited in the respect that they do not add usable space to the house.

In addition to shades, savvy homeowners know that one can use outdoor misters to cool down the exterior of a house. A mister sends a fine spray of water into the air which slowly evaporates by absorbing energy from the air. The net result is a cooler air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the mister. Evaporative cooling is used at amusement parks like Disneyland for keeping crowds comfortable.

The third big modification that complements both of these is the addition of the outdoor fan. The outdoor fan is a heavy duty version of its indoor cousin. The primary difference is that it runs off greater power and can drive large air movement in the exterior of the house. Such fans are perfect for both shaded areas, as well as areas that are already being cooled by outdoor misters. Movement of air aids in evaporation which speeds up the cooling effect of the misting machine.

Jill has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Check out her latest website on buying landlord property insurance and read some tips on how to buy landlord insurance.

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The Planning For Landscape Garden

The Planning For Landscape Garden

An operative landscape lighting sketch requires harmonizing your interior and past lighting systems to establish a feeling of uniformity and luxury between the two. Your yard and landscape are very much a part of your home, and should be treated as an annex of the living experience you enjoy inside the bulwark of your house. Covered patios, select porches, pergolas and other remote entertaining places may require indoor lighting techniques. Recessing down light and ceiling fans now come into play, as do unique light for illuminating the grill. By using block box dimmer gearshift, one can adjust light levels to adapt to the significance the shows off the assembly and illuminates the form. If up light are used adjacent to house, elegant dimness are bent which dance on the facade of the house on windy evenings. Setting the tone between the threshold of your home and your yard in this method establishes the conceptual and emotional foundation of your outside plot lighting originate that will then stretch outer into the green and open places beyond.

It is a mutual misconception among homeowners that gloomy are a bad thing, and that the object of light is brightly to illuminate everything to the coverage the no dimness spots figure. The opposite is actually resolved. Houston landscaped lighting workings best as a mixture between light and shadow, so use a consider of darkness and light when forecast your landscape lighting approach. Depending on the step to which you adapt this differ, you can construct all sorts of face things and anecdotal states of psyche. Bathing exceptionally dark areas of your yard in diffused ambient light from hierarchy light mimics the things of moonlight and is decidedly romantic. Up lighting statuary, bird baths, and other junk creates an elevated feeling of emotion epitome for patch parties. Hiding light furniture within bushes and flower beds creates a magic realize where stuff exist to glow with a light of their own. How you graph your landscaping lighting present and landscape lighting maintenance program is sincerely a theme of how you sketch to feel when you look outside your porthole or exhaust reheat summer nights on the terrace. Start by evaluating workshop tackle, shrubs, plants, and gardens. These forms that conceive shadow, and grant as guidelines to chase that are plainly already growing right behind your home.

To achieve the variety of depth and dimension we are chatting about it, is needed to use more than one layer of light. ILD landscaping pros typically prepare an intend around four distinctive layers of illumination, some of which distinctly overlap each other; others of which unify and synthesize together. Every landscape lighting draft is different and must be planned around the unique dimensions of a yard and the stuffing within it. Fountains, sculptures, pitch formations, bridges, and ornamental structures all grant accent or feature lighting opportunities. Trees impart moonlighting opportunities with concealed mercury breath light. Depending on the total emotional tone you sketch to generate, any number of light match types illuminates these items. You may want to invest fittings that are completely obscure to only illuminate items of relevance, or you may go the other means and use highly visible, decorative furniture that add an additional aesthetic to your yard. If you are inexact as to what type of equipment to use, call one of our professionals and ask about sphere commercial grade gear that are made for aspect types of landscapes and particular mood-situation lighting things.

We propose that the DYI homeowner attach with low-voltage landscape lighting equipment exclusively. 12-volt light are generally all that you necessary to illuminate an outside matter, and represent much minus of a shock hazard to children and pets. They are also much safer to instate. Do not forget to pay attention to the smaller practicalities of landscape lighting, both. Trip hazards such as steps, sidewalks, and driveways are good candidates for outdoor path lighting. Uplighting around grass can provide a visual aid that helps family and guests cross in uncharted territory. Since these aspects of lighting include wellbeing as well as aesthetics, we endorse you consult with a professional firm for an unbound evaluation of your landscape lighting plan. This will help ensure that you have thought of all the necessary contingencies, and will eliminate surprises, mishaps, and needless additional outflow in the outlook.

Our landscape lighting crews are some of the best in the trade. They understand how light facility and where the light should go to extend your visual nighttime enjoyment. No ranking is too high for our professional hierarchy climbers! We are experienced in all forms of outdoor landscape lighting from unadorned low voltage systems to more complicated high voltage mercury vapor lighting systems. We provide an extensive choice of landscape lighting materials such as fixtures, lamps and replacement parts. We not only repair what we plug, but we can help you with repairs or maintenance to vacant outdoor landscape lighting systems installed by our competitors. All our technicians are experienced approved professionals and we subcontract no work to outside vendors. The outcome will be spectacular!

For tips on tulip care and dutch tulip, visit the Planting Tulips website.

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Gazebos Still Top “Most-Wanted” Lists

Gazebos Still Top “Most-Wanted” Lists

Once again, spring is here, and, as usual, thoughts are turning to – you guessed it – gazebos. Indeed, these versatile structures continue to rise in popularity, as, every year, more people put them on their “most-wanted” lists of improvements to their landscapes; and their reasons for doing so can vary greatly.

While some may want their gazebos simply for ornamental purposes, others will furnish them with gliders, patio chairs, chaise lounges, and picnic tables, and use them as shady backyard retreats, where they can go to relax, or entertain. Then, there are those who have truly grand plans, which can include turning them into wedding gazebos, hot tub gazebos, or even putting in wiring, plumbing, lighting, insulation, doors, windows, and screens, and using them as guesthouses, cottages, or home offices. Certainly, with all of the features that are available these days, there is no end to the possibilities.

Even those who don’t go to extremes, with tons of extras, will probably want to deck their gazebos out with lights, at some point, whether for the holidays, or just for the heck of it. In fact, anyone who owns a gazebo will agree that it’s a natural desire to showcase such a stunning focal point at night, as well as in the daytime. Luckily, even if you don’t have wiring installed in your gazebo, it’s easy to enhance its beauty with strings of colored or white lights; and you can do the same for pool houses, sunrooms, arbors, trellises, and pergolas, to give your garden a festive sparkle any time of the year.

The important thing, if you’re going to light up a gazebo, or any other backyard structure, is to take all necessary safety measures. Just for starters, make sure that your decorative lights are specified for outdoor use, by looking for the UL red label; the ones with the green labels are to be used only indoors. Exercise the same caution when choosing extension cords. Although people tend to think that the ones that are approved for the outdoors are always orange, they are also available in green, which is much better for blending into the scenery; the only way to know one type from the other is to check the label.

Use only outdoor outlets, and never run an extension cord from the inside of your home to the outside, through a door or window. If you do, you may be letting warm – or cool – air escape from your house, while giving an intruder, whether a bug, a rodent, a reptile, or a person, a way in. Furthermore, doing this may damage the cord, which can create a fire hazard. That’s also why you shouldn’t use staples or nails to install your outdoor lighting; use only plastic fasteners, which you can buy at hardware stores, home improvement centers, and many craft and art supply shops.

Fortunately, even the simplest of gazebos are spectacular, with or without lights. If you want proof, just go to GazeboCreations.com, where you’ll find a fantastic selection of gazebos, and dozens of options for dressing them up any way you wish. Using the Gazebo Wizard, you can customize your own gazebo in a few, easy steps, designing as many as you like, saving them to your personal gallery, and changing them any time you want.

Visit GazeboCreations.com, to browse the entire collection of gazebos, along with a great assortment of outdoor furniture, in colors and styles to complement any décor. To contact a design consultant, or a customer service professional, call 888-293-2339, or e-mail cs@gazebocreations.com.

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Live “al Fresco” This Summer

Live “al Fresco” This Summer

Whether you have an old-fashioned screened porch, a patch of wooden deck or lawn, a patio by the pool, or a balcony in a highrise condo, you have the basic requirements for a summer of “al fresco” (outdoor) living.

Blame our long, cold winters, but at the first sign that warm weather is here, Canadians rush to move ourselves – hammocks, chairs, tables… even fully equipped kitchens – to the great outdoors. Take some time to plan your outdoor living space this summer – and you’ll find that you’re spending more time – and better time – enjoying the brief summer season.

First, take a look at what you’ve got, and consider when and how you will be spending your time outdoors. If you’re working away from home most days, pay special attention to how your outdoor living space can be used for morning breakfasts and evening meals and relaxing. Got a crew of kids enjoying a summer at home? Remember that you’ll need to accommodate their needs during the hottest part of the day. At a minimum, you’ll want a) a place to share an outdoor meal, and b) a comfortable place to relax.

To plan for comfort on hot days, consider how you’ll get shade. If you’re lucky enough to have a mature tree or two, be sure to take advantage of the cool shade you’ve got at your disposal. It’s not just the shade that cools; a mature tree draws cool moisture from deep in the ground and expires it into the surrounding air. If you don’t have natural shade, you’ll need to find some – under a covered porch or pergola, for example – or create some – with umbrellas, or some kind of canopy.

For living outdoors in the evening, you’ll need to think about some soft lighting to enable you to enjoy your night under the stars. This can be as simple or elaborate as you like: Chinese lanterns, hurricane lamps, candelabra hanging from a branch, or just a row of tealights in jam jars. For no-fuss, all-summer lighting, drape strands of electric fairy lights in trees or around doorways and put the switch on a timer. Every evening, these lights will be an open invitation to head outdoors. And don’t let mosquitoes drive you indoors. If you don’t have a screened porch, then make use of citronella candles – placed generously around your living space just before twilight.

Al fresco meals are part of summer life. Even a morning coffee tastes better outdoors. So don’t limit yourself to the standard “burgers on the barbie”; plan some weekend brunches and candlelit dinners. To make it easy to prepare and enjoy your meal, set up your outdoor living space with an extra sidetable to hold plates, cutlery and extra serving dishes. The same space might work as a bar for drinks. Find a good container – like a large galvanized tub – to fill with ice and beverages. If you don’t have a chafing dish, start looking for one; they’re great for keeping your entrees warm when dining outdoors. And don’t forget a few heat-proof serving trays for transporting food to the table.

To maximize your enjoyment of your summer space, go beyond the basics and decorate your outdoor living area as you would any other room in the house: decide on a theme, select colours, consider accessories. You don’t need to have the standard patio furniture set. Walk around your house and yard taking stock of what you’ve already got to work with. A few tired chairs and an old kitchen table from your student days? Get out the paint. You could create a whimsical setting inspired by either Beatrix Potter or Picasso. Or mix garage sale finds with an exotic shawl and Moroccan lanterns for an eastern theme. Love a modern, stripped-down aesthetic? Look for inexpensive aluminum chairs and industrial-style tables and shelving units. Add a hit of colour, or keep it neutral with aluminum trays of pea gravel and neat pots of clipped turfgrass as a centerpiece.

Be sure that your outdoor living space includes a spot for utter relaxation: a hammock strung between two trees, or perhaps a few comfortable Muskoka chairs with broad arms to hold a drink. Or a sling chair that’s slouchy enough to snooze in. While some choices are dictated by conviviality, this decision should be strictly for comfort!

Setting up your outdoor living space is like adding an extension to the house; it adds a whole new dimension to your lifestyle, and a whole new opportunity to enjoy your home. There’s a reason why, at our favourite restaurants, the patio tables always fill up first – especially in the evening. We love to live outdoors. With a little planning, this summer, you can live “al fresco” every day…at home.

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Wood Decking or Patio Area Consideration

Wood Decking or Patio Area Consideration

Patios that hold a lot of weight, such as driveways, require stronger foundations than those that are designed for light use. After falling out of favor for a couple of decades when decks were all the rage, patios are back. Building a brick patio using brick pavers can be a chore. A simple design plan to make laying brick patios easy for do-it-yourselfers. Imagine what you can do in the comfort of your new patio room or sun-room. You should pay just as much attention to decor on the patio as you do inside.

Patio

But now, patio awnings are included as part of a houses or buildings architecture not only for its primary purpose, but also to add charm and create a statement. This brick patio design is easy to build yet elegant, laying the bricks in a striking pattern that requires no cutting.

You can’t beat the benefits of cast aluminum patio furniture. Aluminum frame strap vinyl and sling mesh in an array of finishes which combined with a vast range of baked on powder coated colors and designer fabrics create ultimate flexibility for any pool, patio, lawn, garden and deck setting.

Furniture Options

Create patio plans that will allow enough space to fit all the patio furniture you want. Teak is a very popular wood that is used for manufacturing patio furniture because it is naturally water and insect-resistant without requiring chemical treatment.

Outdoor Living Area

Decorative concrete patios are emerging as a new and exciting material for todays patio or outdoor room. You can enjoy relaxing with your family and entertaining your friends with the excitement and feel of being outdoors yet completely shielded from nature’s harsh elements.

Patio chairs are designed to meet a large range of outdoor living needs. With artful curvature and decorative back insets, these can be your focal pieces in any outdoor environment.

Decking

Standard components and decking boards are available from DIY stores and timber merchants, and should last about 25 years. Your decking area can be as unique as you, incorporating accessories such as planters, benches and pergolas can all be designed and built to your specification. Fortunately softwood can be used in all decking and pergola situations provided that it is properly treated. Whatever the reasons for building a deck, there is just one natural choice of decking material.

Just imagine how much nicer it would be walking barefoot on warm, welcoming wood decking rather than cold, gray concrete. Composite decking is weaker than wood, so a deck not built to manufacturers specifications might experience sagging or drooping. Furthermore manufacturers have told me that each batch of composite decking will be a slightly different color.

Gordon Warre writes about lawns

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A Piece Of Peace: Landscaping That Offers The Serenity Of High Resale Value

A Piece Of Peace: Landscaping That Offers The Serenity Of High Resale Value

Attractive landscaping is one of the best ways to make a solid first impression on prospective buyers, and to show that a home is well loved and cared for. Appealing landscaping can be simple or more complex, involving an intermingling of elements, from colorful flower beds and unique trees, to irrigation systems, hardscaping and thoughtful accent lighting. Home owners can transform their properties through informed choices– the benefits will be reaped whether they’re selling or have just moved in and plan to stay for years. Either way, it is worth taking the time to draw up a landscaping plan that will improve the resale value of your home, and your home’s overall enjoyment value.

Before jumping into any project, it is recommended that you have a general knowledge of the kinds of plants and greenery that will thrive in the area you are living in, and in the kind of soil you are planting in. You should do some research and learn about your yard’s various components:

Soil Condition:

To analyze your soil’s current condition, you can purchase a kit from a local garden center, or consider contacting a local college extension service. Your analysis will determine the soil’s PH balance. It is important to note that most plants thrive in near-neutral PH conditions, but some like slightly acidic soil.

Sunlight

Draw up a map of your outside property and record where the sun strikes your yard at different times of day. Get to know the effect of the sun on your property throughout the year.

Drainage

The type of soil you have will effect the drainage. For example a clay soil may drain poorly. Poor drainage prevents nutrients and oxygen from reaching plant roots. Of course, soil is a variable you can change and replace- unlike sunlight!

Climate Zones

Climate zones, are guide to help you know which plants will grow where you live, so you don’t plant materials that will soon die as they can’t survive the region’s temperatures. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is what you should refer to. This map factors in average winter minimum temperatures. The collection of information starts with Zone 1, where minimum temperatures can go down to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and ranges to Zone 11, for the lucky gardeners in Hawaii and extreme Southern Florida, where lows don’t drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once you have an idea of the plants you can and want to use, and have established some basic ideas, you should decide if you would like to hire a landscape architect to draw up a plan for you, or, if you feel confident enough, you can draw up your own plans.

Here are some helpful tips:

– Opt for year round color. If you want a landscape that retains character and punch year round, there are plant/shrubs you can purchase that will achieve just that. Some examples of plants that offer year-round color are: evergreen aborvita, junipers and boxwood. You can also mix things up by planting shrubs that bloom in the winter months, alongside the many choices for summer bloomers. Some plants and shrubs that will give you winter color are: witch hazel (blooms yellow, orange or red), dogwood arctic fire ( has bold red stems), Japanese pieris ( blooms red,white or pink).

– Plant Trees! Trees offer shade, privacy and protection from the elements, and they look pretty. Properly placing just three trees can save an average household between 0 and 0 in annual energy bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. And a report from Arbor National Mortgage found that 84 percent of practitioners believe that a house on a treed lot would fetch at least 20 more than one on a lot without trees.

– Imagine ways to make your yard more livable. A yard can be transformed into livable outdoor “rooms” Envision the potential for well-equipped outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens and fire pits. Likewise, a simple bench that takes advantage of a sunny spot, or a view can add the simple value of peace and pleasure to any yard.

– Think of hardscape elements that will add an interesting dynamic in terms of color and height variance. For example, consider building a pergola. A pergola is a set of columns supporting a roof of trellis work on which climbing plants can grow, A pergola like other hardscape elements, adds architectural interest, vertical growing space for colorful plants, and shade.

– If you are on a budget, container gardens are an inexpensive approach to gardening. Pots are an affordable, portable way to embellish an entry, line a path and to decorate the inside or outside of your home. You can add a great color scheme by choosing pots in colors that compliment the flowers/plants/herbs growing inside them. Pots that match or compliment the color of your front door add visual flair and curb appeal.

Joan C. Lonergan is a Managing Director and Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker’s Village Green Realty. Eileen specializes in Upstate New York real estate. Search Ulster County real estate for listings in the heart of Hudson Valley NY.

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Bali Villas | Villa Puri Bhawana Estate Canggu Bali

Bali Villas | Villa Puri Bhawana Estate Canggu Bali

The Estate is resourcefully integrated into the natural terraced contours of a hill. Its Bali luxury villa is comprised of a series of thatched pavilions, housing a remarkable open living pavilion, an elevated dining pavilion, an entertainment Room, two kitchens and five bedrooms, completed by additional smaller bedroom suitable for kids or a nanny.

The buildings are linked by pergola-covered walkways, achieving a unique sense of space within a natural setting. Maximizing the spectacular views and the natural light, and catching the cool breezes even at the hottest time of year, this Bali property offers a blend of air-conditioned comfort and tropical open-air living.

There are numerous relaxation areas, so guests will always find a private spot for peace and quiet. It is ideal for large groups or families with children. The Estate also boasts a membership at the Canggu Club which means its guests enjoy access to the numerous sporting and social facilities featured at the country club.

Bedrooms
The air-conditioned Master Suite at this Bali villa features a warm timber floor and sliding glass doors on three sides under a high roof. The modern furnishings include a king-size four poster bed, a couch and a desk and chair.

A flat screen TV with DVD is hidden within a rising cabinet that appears at the press of a button. This bedroom is complemented by a spacious timber balcony, which looks across the river to the rice terraces beyond. Here, two cushioned daybeds provide the facility for complete relaxation.

A dressing area and wardrobes (complete with a safe deposit box) are built in behind the bed and linked to the en-suite air-conditioned bathroom, which features a black terrazzo floor and twin washbasins upon a central vanity unit with two mirrors. A toilet and walk-in raindrop shower are located in two separate cubicles with frosted glass doors. The bathroom extends into a large and private walled garden planted with travellers’ palms, spider lilies and torch ginger. Here, a romantic oversized bathtub rests in the open air, sheltered from the elements by the overhanging roof. There is also an open-air shower.

Suites 2 & 3 are located in the family building. Suite 2 is furnished with twin beds that can be converted into a double bed if required, while Suite 3 presents a king-size bed. Similar in style to the Master Suite with glass on two sides, both suites feature cool terrazzo floors and are equipped with air-conditioning, ceiling fans, daybeds, reading lights, iPod docking stations, safe deposit boxes, desks and chairs.

Both suites feature a private dressing and vanity area, each with wardrobes, double washbasins, an indoor shower and a toilet. Suite 2 is complemented by a private garden bathroom similar to that of the Master Suite, complete with an open-air bathtub sheltered by the roof. Suite 3 overlooks the expansive lily pond, with its beautiful, raised, infinity-edge moon pool and cascading waterfall. Guests in Suite 3 can relax on an adjoining timber deck, and enjoy the delights of a sheltered, open air bathtub beside the water-garden.

Suites 4 & 5 are housed within a two-storey building and each is equipped with air-conditioning, ceiling fans, daybeds, reading lights, iPod docking stations, safe deposit boxes, desks and chairs. Suite 4 is located on the lower level and is similar to the other suites with a king size bed and the additional provision of a walk-in wardrobe, a teak shelf unit, a floating vanity unit with double washbasins, and a combined shower and toilet fashioned from white, tumbled marble.

The garden bathroom is characterised by an open-air rainshower beside the lily pond and waterfall. There is also a relaxing area with built-in seats and shelves in the garden bathroom complete with an outdoor bathtub. An external staircase leads up to Suite 5, the only upstairs bedroom at the villa, affording gorgeous views of the rice fields and river valley.

The bedroom is furnished with a king-size bed and an ottoman upon a timber floor under a soaring roof. Behind the sleeping space is a dressing area complete with floating vanity unit with twin washbasins, an indoor shower and toilet and a built-in wardrobe. An ornately tiled outdoor bathtub is positioned upon a breezy balcony, where there is also a cushioned daybed. Additionally, there is an open-air shower and, to one side, a glassless window presents a wonderful view that guests can enjoy from a cozy window-seat.

Kids’ Bedroom / Nanny’s Room
A staircase leads down under the Dining Pavilion to a small ‘spill-over’ room, which can sleep up to five kids. It is fitted with bunk beds and is also suitable for a children’s nanny. There is a bathroom next door with a toilet, shower and washbasin.

Living Pavilion
The magnificent Living Pavilion presides over the property. It is flanked by a terrace laid with grass-edged Palimanan paving stones, and overlooks the swimming pool, terraced gardens and rice fields. This open-sided pavilion is modelled upon the traditional Balinese ‘Wantilan’, or village meeting place, with a soaring, two-tiered roof supported by pillars, complete with pendulous lanterns and ceiling fans above a mint-white sandstone floor. The expansive space is furnished with two comfortable sofas, ottomans, a coffee table, a decorative, antique Javanese daybed, and a pair of white coconut shell chairs with a small matching table. The Living Pavilion is linked to the rest of this Bali villa by a covered, colonnaded walkway with black and white chequered tiles. Off the walkway is situated a guest washroom decorated with Indian stone tiles and accessed by a colourful, antique Balinese door.

Dining Pavilion
The open-sided Dining Pavilion is elevated above a high buttresses composed of indigenous serai stone, portraying a geometric jigsaw of shapes. A long suar wood dining table seats up to 14 dinner guests. The pavilion is cooled by natural breezes and ceiling fans and commands fabulous views of the bordering rice fields.

Kitchens
There are two fully equipped kitchens at Puri Bawana Estate servicing this bali villa, one is the service kitchen and the other is a state-of-the-art kitchen positioned next to the dining pavilion and linked by a large service bar. This immaculate, designer kitchen reveals a discriminating taste for functional beauty and cutting-edge style. Crafted in black marble with a central island, silver grey units and glassless shuttered windows, it is equipped with a hob, oven, wine fridge, coffee machine and other high tech appliances. There is even the provision of a sound system.

TV & Entertainment Room
Also located under the Dining Pavilion, is the air-conditioned TV and Entertainment Room. The room is equipped with a ceiling fan, teak wall units, and a large satellite TV mounted upon the wall, complete with surround sound, a DVD/CD player, and a Wii Game System. The furnishings?two large sofas, a glass-topped antique coffee table and two ottomans?can be pushed back against the wall to create an impressive party space. In one corner is a bar that can double as a DJ’s nook. Glass doors open from the Entertainment Room onto a terrace with a pergola supported by serai stone pillars beside the pool deck. Furnished with an outdoor dining table for eight, this is a great spot for a barbeque.

Swimming Pool & Garden
The swimming pool is 30 metres in length, incorporating a kids’ pool at one end. It is lined with rustic blue Java stone and the curved infinity edge follows the contour of the rice terraces. The Palimanan stone pool deck is furnished with sun loungers and there is an open-sided ‘bale’, relaxation pavilion, positioned within the pool and accessed by stepping stones. Additionally, a raised walkway leads to an elevated bale, a traditional lazy, breezy gazebo with a thatched roof, open sides and a cushioned floor. There is an outdoor dining table with seats for 8, that is often used for outdoor barbeques and casual daytime dining. This is the place to relax, contemplate and meditate, overlooking the river and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature, butterflies and birds. A wide flat lawn planted with four palms is the ideal setting for parties, weddings and events. A pathway leads down to the river and the gardens spill out into the padi fields to a traditional pavilion designed for wedding ceremonies. There is also an herb garden and an environmentally-friendly waste water garden. If the timing is right, guests will have the opportunity to plant some rice. Many of the rice fields that surrounded the villa are part of the estate. On the far side of the river, a picturesque rice terrace is carved like an amphitheatre into the contours of the land.

Simple Balinese…proud to be a balinese

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Bringing Structure With Design To Your Garden

Bringing Structure With Design To Your Garden

For anyone looking to add space, style and elegance to their garden, these versatile wooden structures are practical projects that can be built in a single weekend.

Fall is an ideal time to consider outdoor architectural upgrades. While it may be your last major project of the season, your appreciation for the effort will grow when spring 2004 arrives. The structure is already in place, ready to enjoy as plants grow and flowers bloom around it.

A popular building material for a wooden pergola is Western red cedar. Its stable, resilient, and durable without the dangers of chemical treatment.

Safety is important for people making building material choices, says Peter Lang, general manager for the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. Cedar looks beautiful and is among the most durable woods. For hundreds of years, cedar has been highly prized for its natural compounds that resist rot and mildew.

While western red cedars natural qualities have always been recognized, these are taking on new, heightened value among builders — from professionals to do-it-yourselfers. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a recommendation to avoid chemically treated wood, specifically wood treated with a form of arsenic. Recent studies have linked the arsenic in treated wood to cancer.

Above-ground structures like pergolas, which might once have been built with treated wood, can be safely built with real cedar, known as the Tree of Life to the Indians of the Northwest Pacific coast.

You may have seen pergolas on houses and called them trellises or arbors. Like a trellis or an arbor, a pergola can support vines or climbing roses. And like a free-standing arbor, a pergola can filter light with its lattice-like canopy. Pergolas are often used as covered or open-roofed gateways to homes, paths, and gardens.

Consider attaching the pergola to your home, using it to shelter a path between the main house and a garage or other outbuilding. Because the overhead spans are supported by uprights, they can be made any size. Remember, one of the great appeals of the pergola is that it’s a piece of architecture.

In its simplest form, a freestanding pergola in the garden provides a unique focal point. It can also serve as an effective soft screen from neighbors, additional shelter for a walkway, or the frame for a view of another feature within the garden.

A pergola gives a deck character and provides new options for decoration and design. Pergolas and arbors are great for vines, other climbing plants such as roses, and hanging baskets. If you don’t have a green thumb, adorn the pergola with lights or decoration for special occasions. With slight changes of the supporting columns and overhead lattice, a pergola can fit almost any house style.

The basics of pergola construction are readily available online or from your trusted home improvement store. Before you tackle the project on your own or with professional help, here are few handy reminders.

* Ensure that the posts can handle the weight of the overhead beams. For optimum performance, posts should be attached to ready-made concrete footings purchased from your building supply dealer. This will help keep moisture away from the base of the posts.

* Take special care when deciding the proportions of posts and crossbeams. A set of 4-by-4 inch posts would be ideal with 2-by-6 inch boards nailed vertically for main-beams and crossbeams.

* Make sure the structures angles are precise to fit the dimensions you want.

* Make sure the posts are vertically straight and even in height. Ensure the main beams are level and evenly spaced in parallel to each other. Use a carpenters level for precision.

* Finally, add decorative flair to the crossbeams with a simple cutting, such as a quarter circle from the underside ends of each crossbeam.

Written by DIY Conservatories

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Five Ways to Spruce up your Deck

Five Ways to Spruce up your Deck

Although the deck has the potential to function as additional square footage to a home, it is all too often neglected or used as a catch all for miscellaneous items. With a few updates, a tired deck can be made into a stylish extension of the home for entertaining, relaxing and dining in one space. If you are ready to spruce up your deck, here are five ideas to get you started:

Refinish and repaint. Repainting or refinishing a deck creates the feeling of a brand new space, and opens the door to changing up colors for a fresh new look. With use of the right products, refinishing a deck can also extend the life of the wood.

Bring the indoors out. Home decorators often say that outdoor space such as a deck should be an extension of the interior living space in a home. Outdoor furniture, drapes, pillows and even appliances make it possible to create a personalized outdoor living area that provides the same functionality and comfort as the indoors.

Add planters. Plants bring new life into any indoor or outdoor space. Creating the feeling of nature on your deck will make the space more welcoming and relaxing. Planters can also be strategically positioned to create privacy. The wide variety of plants, pots and planters available gives you essentially unlimited options for creating a unique space to enjoy.

Enhance the atmosphere with elegant lighting. Lighting is often overlooked as an outdoor design element. When you want to create an inviting space that serves multiple purposes, a single wall mounted light source will probably not be sufficient. Like indoor spaces, lighting has a major effect on the atmosphere of a deck area. Solar lighting may be a good option since it eliminates the need to run wires to each fixture.

Build a pergola. If your deck does not have a shaded area to relax, socialize and dine, adding a pergola is a great way to enhance its functionality. A pergola may also help protect the wood of the deck from damage caused by UV rays.

Combine these ideas with creativity and a bit of elbow grease, and you will be well on your way converting a dull deck into an inviting and comfortable outdoor space!

Maria Polidoro is the owner of Ace Tool Online, a leading dealer and service center for hand and power tools as well as Occidental leather products. Please visit Ace Tool Online to find the right Occidental tool belt, bag belt free system for your needs.

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Top 5 Hotel Deals in Thailand

Top 5 Hotel Deals in Thailand

The pergola’s been built, but how can you make it look more inviting? Careful planning and design using the right furniture suited to outdoor living can perk up your pergola and turn into it a favourite retreat for all the family.

There was a time when choices were limited to the park bench style seating or plastic tables and chairs. These days the selection of patio furniture available is as varied as the styles of pergolas themselves.

The Dining Setting

No pergola, veranda or outdoor living area would be complete without table and chairs. Somewhere to entertain guests, serve a meal or simply enjoy a coffee and a magazine is imperative. If you have a large area and the budget allows, why not look at the informal dining suites designed specifically for the outdoors? Choose from coloured steel frames, glass table tops and chairs topped with comfy padded cushions.

If your pergola is predominantly timber you may want to continue that theme with your furnishings. Sturdy Jarrah tables and chairs come in a range of sizes and shapes from the basic square look four seater to massive ten place seatings or octagonal if your space allows. Mix and match the cushions with some slip covers in plains, stripes or patterned fabric.

The down side of timber is the maintenance to keep it looking pristine. A seasonal light sanding and a generous coat of furniture oil will protect your furniture from the elements.

The Outdoor Café Look

Perhaps you want to retain a cosy, intimate atmosphere. There are some lovely small round tables with iron frames and mosaic tops available, from striking black and white to a variety of terracotta shades.

There’s nothing wrong with an upturned barrel and a colourful tablecloth on top either though. Cut a hole in the centre and add an umbrella if your pergola is open roofed.

Tropical Island Feel

Cane furniture either in the natural earthy looks or painted in a variety of different shades and colours create a sense of the tropics and exotic island living. Choose from the tub style, chairs with curved backs or the grander high backed look of India. Add some plump cushions with slip over covers for easy cleaning.

Furniture on a budget

Quality furniture can be sourced from second hand stores and flea markets. Give the item a coat of paint designed for outdoors for a fresh and colourful look.

Pieces of timber or specially cut glass sitting on top of cut of logs can make great side tables or logs on their own can provide extra seating around the edge of the patio or along the path.

Before you throw out that old sofa think about how it might look on the veranda with a cheap throw rug over it.

Verandas and patios are a place to retreat at the end of a long day or relax and entertain friends and family on weekends. The more comfort you bring in to the area the more time you and your guests are going to want to spend there.

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