You will need some chunks of logs that are wide enough and cut straight enough to stand on their own. On one side use an auger to drill a hole wide enough so that the base of a solar light can fit into it. Use e6000 and glue the base of the solar light into the hole. Now stand the log in your garden or on your deck. So much better looking then just pushing these guys into the ground plus you get light up a bit higher which will be more useful.
So, you rake up that huge pile of leaves. Now what to do. pick it up by hand? Shovel? Use part of an old tarp and rake the leaves onto the tarp. When you get a manageable amount of leaves on the tarp pick the corners of the tarp up and bring it to your trash to dump. Makes this task so much easier.
A swimming pool might have been a top trend back in the 1990s but nowadays, different outdoor home improvements grab the attention of homeowners. In fact, these trends shift so often, that in 2020 we can expect a whole new set of improvements to dominate our backyards. From a spruced up back door to a basketball court, the coming year will definitely be spent outdoors as much as possible.
When thinking of doors, most people immediately think of the front door and a new paint job it probably requires. However, the back door takes the same amount of beating by the elements that it too could do with a bit of sprucing up.
In some cases, installing a gasket at the bottom of the door is enough to prevent draft inside but in other cases, the back door needs to be replaced entirely. If you go with the latter solution, then choose a metal door over a wooden one because it will last longer and it will seal better.
Apart from the usual outdoor home improvements that come to your mind, plants are probably high up your remodeling list. However, the last place you would plant them is near or even on the fence. Quite the contrary, creating a garden wall should be a top priority in 2020 for several reasons.
Firstly, you’ll enjoy a greater level of privacy since vines and other climbers fill all the gaps in a picket fence, thus hiding your backyard. If you have trouble with a neighbor who’s a nosy parker, then a green wall is a subtle way to tell them to bugger off.
Furthermore, a green wall will act as a barrier that will stop dust particles from entering your home. This can come in handy if you live next to a busy road or a street. In addition, the sound of traffic will be muffled by the foliage so you can enjoy a relative comfort in the privacy of your backyard.
Needless to say, building a whole patio will set you back a few thousand dollars but building a deck is not that expensive. A deck will provide you with the firm ground for housing the seating and even the dining area. You can bring in the furniture when the weather becomes too cold to spend time outside and the deck can be covered to prevent water damage from thawing snow.
With a lot of NBA teams competing this year for the title of the league’s champion, 2020 will see a rise in the number of backyard basketball courts. They needn’t be particularly large as a single rim is enough. If your plot of land is big enough, level it to create a basketball court.
After pouring the concrete surface, all you need to do is draw the lines and add some LED sports lights, as made by Legacy Lighting so you can play after dark. Just think of it, your kids might grow up to become a new Larry Bird or Michael Jordan playing on that court!
As the weather improves next year, you will be spending more and more time outside. This means that a lazy July afternoon will probably catch you sleeping in a hammock behind your house. In order to enjoy outdoor leisure time to the fullest, add a fountain to the backyard. There are ready-made outdoor fountains widely available but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be crafty.
The water from the fountain will have to drain somewhere so why not create an artificial stream that will run the length of your backyard. You can beautify its “banks” with rock and boulder, dotted with colorful plants. In fact, the stream can be created out of necessity because the tap and the drain are set wide apart in many yards.
We’ve mentioned already that you can throw in a hammock inside the backyard. Like the fountains, they too can be purchased pre-made and simply hung between two adjacent trees. However, expect the children to start climbing into the hammock because they cannot resist the temptation to swing in it.
Since hammocks are not built for this purpose, at least the one made from rope, it is wise to provide your kids with an alternative form of entertainment. A tree swing is easy to make and it requires a single solid branch for installation. Once you test the swing for safety, don’t fall to the temptation to swing in it yourself because you’re made it for the children.
These were just the top 6 outdoor home improvements that will be in vogue in 2020. Some of them, like the swing, have been popular for ages, while others like a green wall are just now entering gardening practices. However, the boldest idea presented here is a well-lit basketball court that is bound to draw the attention of your neighbors in a positive way.
You may not like the bitter winter cold but for your house, this season is the hardest to survive. In fact, the biggest structural damage your home suffers occurs during winter as the snow and cold take their toll on the unprepared house. Luckily, there are home improvements that can help you get through winter without any major repairs. Regulating the temperature inside and insulating the walls are just some of the measures you can apply to winter out this snowy season.
You probably know all about the importance of insulating the walls of your house. However, it is equally important to invest in insulating the less probably areas of your home. For instance, insulating the basement is not a waste of money since a cold basement will literally drain all the heat from the rooms above.
Furthermore, the hot water pipes that run through the basement can benefit from insulation as well. The last thing you need is lukewarm water reaching your heating bodies when the temperature outside plummets below minus 20 degrees Centigrade. Metal is not very good insulation so even a thin layer of foam around the hot water pipes can help reduce waste of energy.
Finally, insulating the attic is also a great move. You don’t of this space as an energy-inefficient area because the roof is slanted. However, a roof without proper insulation underneath will give out warm air that is generated below. This will cool down the house, especially the upper floor where the nursery and the bedrooms are located.
Just like the hot water pipes in the basement, every meter of piping that is not going to be used during winter and that lacks proper insulation should not be used. This is easier said than done, as homeowners forget to disconnect the garden tap, for instance. They turn it off in September or October and completely about it until springtime comes. However, as temperatures hit their yearly low, the water inside freezes over, increasing the risk of a pipe bursting.
Instead of closing off the garden tap, be sure to disconnect it all together so there is no water inside the pipes underground. The same should be done with other outdoor water features, like a provisional kitchen. As far as swimming pools and splash pads are concerned, they should only be fully emptied but covered with a plastic sheet to prevent the show from accumulating inside them.
Having mentioned the swimming pool, it is worth noting that its inner walls are much more reliant to cold than the walls of your house. The main reason for this is that cavity insulation can only provide protection against cold air to a certain point.
A much better solution is rendering the walls with cement. This method will not only weatherproof the walls (subzero temperatures included,) but it will increase the overall aesthetic appeal of the house. If you have already used this method to treat your walls, then perform the necessary cement rendering repairs before the onset of winter.
If your children ask you if the chimney stack is clear for Santa to come down, don’t take this question as a joke. In the best Christmas spirit, be sure to actually look up the chimney. Namely, it needs to be cleaned because you are going to fire up the hearth once again and if there is anything stuck inside the shaft, all sorts of problems can occur. Even if the chimney is unobstructed, it still needs to be cleaned for the inside so call the local chimney sweeper to the rescue. Finally, check the kitchen hood and all the other air vents, as they should all be ready for the winter season.
In the end, one final checkup will get you ready for the holiday season. Get outside and walk around the house inspecting it in the process for holes, cracks, and openings. You might find out that there is a draft coming from under the windows or that the corner roof tile is missing. These are easy fixes but if you fail to perform them, you could be in trouble after the first snowfall.
If you notice a chilly breeze sweeping through the house but you have ruled out the window area as the likely culprit, turn to the front door. Its bottom section is often disproportion to the size of the frame so a gap several millimeters wide can appear. You could never tell it existed during summer but in winter you’ll need to get a rubber gasket to cover this minuscule opening that cold winds can still get through.
Getting through winter is not easy as it’s the most challenging season of the year for your home. However, a couple of home improvements listed here will help turn the tide around and ensure you spend the snowy January in the comfort of your warm home.
A backyard is an ideal place to create a small sanctuary to escape the world and recharge your batteries. And it’s easier than you think, although like any landscaping it will require some beforehand planning. When it comes to magical garden ideas, it can all be summarized as the combination of lush greenery, stone formations, and wooden objects.
These symbolize nature and its inspirational influence on everyday life which will fill you with energy and positivity. If you want to have such a wonderful garden, check these 5 tips to create a backyard oasis of your own.
The patio is a valuable addition to any garden and there is so much you can do with it. But to truly turn it into your oasis, you need to make it a separate installation and not part of the house. If the floor is wooden, paint it in light grey to help it pop-up and feel more in harmony with nature.
Install a pergola with wisteria hanging from above and providing shade. During summer, it will bloom with gorgeous purple flowers that will make the space lively and joyful. Wooden bench and table underneath are perfect for meals, while a hammock or two hanged on the pergola’s columns are ideal for afternoon siestas.
Make the most out of the ongoing trend to use the indoor furniture outside, especially when you design an entertainment area. Choose a spot in your backyard and install stone tiles on the ground with slight room between them so you can see the grass. Plant lavish greenery in a semi-circle surrounding part of the new-built stone patio. For this, use plants with colorful leaves like caladium and sumac which will serve as a background to the seating area and also give you some privacy.
A large sofa with unicolor upholstery and patterned cushions will bring out a lounge feel to the area. Also, place two chairs across from it so that the area seems closed off and intimate for friends to chat and have brunch. A glass coffee table and simple canopy to shade from the sun will bring out the Mediterranean style even more from this entertainment area.
Although gardens look their best during the day that doesn’t mean they can’t be magical during the evening. Declutter the space around that big tree in your backyard until you have a clean area to turn into your backyard oasis. Use potted plants like ferns, palms, and philodendron to create lush nature around the tree and especially by the fence if it’s close by.
Use wooden lounge chairs with comfortable upholstery and two or three ottomans around them. Place lanterns with candles on the small coffee table to create a relaxing and romantic mood. However, the key to this evening’s paradise is numerous small lights hanging gently from the tree branches and representing the stars.
Water features are not so uncommon in gardens today since the technology and expertise for their creation has gone a long way. Working with landscaping professionals like Landscape Solutions is the best way to create a pond in your backyard worthy of fairy-tales. Since this will be the focal point, all other pieces will have to fit around it.
Build an elevated patio above the pond where you will create a seating area with a fire pit for extra warmth and atmosphere. Surround the pond with greenery especially flowery shrubs like white jasmine and pink weigela to add color to the area.
Not everyone is blessed with large backyard space, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be a heavenly place to enjoy the fresh air. Use a fence or wall to create your spot where you can have breakfast in the summer mornings or enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon. When it comes to small backyard oasis, it depends on various potted plants in all shapes and sizes.
Use bushes and trees against the fence and allow vines to climb up the walls to give it a more natural appeal. Furniture made of cast iron is a sophisticated solution which will bring elegance and character to this area. Add perennial flowers here and there to make the space more colorful like gladiolus and Spanish lavender. For light, use wall-mounted solar lamps and candle lanterns so it would truly become a small haven even in the summer evenings.
These magical garden ideas will help you create a backyard oasis that will give you a perfect spot to spend time with family and friends. They can be your small haven to spend some alone time or an evening paradise to have dinner with friends. Whichever you choose, the abundance of nature and peaceful setting will help you have a peaceful sanctuary even if you leave in the middle of a busy city.
Country & Victorian Times 