Home landscaping

Home landscaping does not just involve sticking plants into your vacant front or backyard and making it look “green”. When designing and landscaping your own home, you need to invest some time and put in a lot of creativity to beautify your front lawn or backyard.

Here are some do-it-yourself tips to landscape your lawn: First, clear the general area that you will be designing and start from scratch. This will give you a better ‘canvass’ to work with. Then, sketch the general look that you would like to have for your garden. Make a list of the plants, trees and shrubs that you can plant. When deciding on the type of plants, make sure that there will be a plant which will flower or bloom for each season of the year – winter, spring, summer and fall. For example, perennial flowers will bloom in May, but after that it will just look like an ordinary plant. Having a plant which blooms in a different time of the year would make your garden have a focal point even when other plant variants are not in season.

As much as possible, make a layered planting bed. At the back row which is the farthest from your house, plant the variants which grow the tallest. This will serve as the base of your landscaping. In the middle and front rows, put the shorter plants. Make sure that you apply this rule in every area of the garden where you plant to put in plants for a more ‘trimmed’ look.

You can also vary the design of your walls, fences and probably high quality residential and Commercial Mailboxes.  When choosing ‘furniture’ for your garden, like a table and chair garden set, place them in an area where they can best be viewed and enjoyed. Installing a water fall is a great idea to add to the main attractions of your landscaped garden. With some hard work and a lot of creativity, you will feel great once you look out your window and you see the landscaped lawn which you designed and built yourself.

Plant Flower Bulbs For Beautiful Container Gardening

As a group,flower bulbs are outstanding plants—colorful, showy, and generally easy to grow for container gardening. Many have evergreen foliage; with others, the leaves ripen after flowering and the bulbs are stored and started again, year after year. Some flower bulbs are hardy, others, tender, though what is, and is not hardy, in a particular area is a matter of winter temperature averages. In cold regions, tender types—tuberous begonias, gloxinias, and calla lilies—can be treated like summer in container gardens. This gives the gardener a wide variety to grow from earliest spring to late fall.

Dutch flower bulbs include crocus, snowdrops, eranthis or winter aconites, chionodoxas, scillas, grape hyacinths, leucojums or snowflakes, Dutch hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips, the pride of northern spring gardens. Though hardy, they are not adapted to garden containers outdoors where temperatures drop much below freezing. They require the protection of a shed, unheated cellar or cold frame.  Gardening Pots can also be dug into a trench in the ground for the winter and covered with a thick blanket of marsh hay or straw. Where temperatures do not go below freezing, Dutch flower bulbs can be left outdoors in gardening pots over the winter.

For best results in a container garden, start with fresh, firm, large-sized flower bulbs each fall. Insure good drainage in the bottom of each garden pot and use a light soil with bone meal added. If in clay pots, plunge during the rooting period in damp peat moss to prevent rapid drying out. If this occurs too often, roots will be injured and flowers will be poor. When weather permits, after the danger of freezing passes, put your container garden outside where they are to flower or in a nursery row until they reach the bud stage. After blooming, move your container garden where foliage can ripen unseen.

For fragrance, concentrate on Dutch hyacinths, excellent for bedding large Planters boxes or raised beds. Daffodils look well grouped around trees or large shrubs, as birches and forsythias. Tulips, formal in character, combine delightfully with pansies, violas, wall flowers, forget-me-nots, marguerites, English daisies, and annual candytuft in container gardens.

As already indicated, in cold areas, Dutch flower bulbs cannot be potted or planted in small Window Box Planters and left outdoors unprotected for the winter. They can, however, be set out in large planters and boxes, deep and wide enough to contain plenty of soil. The garden pots should be one and a half to two feet deep and about two feet wide. Set flower bulbs, with at least six inches of soil above them, planting them early enough in the fall so that they can make root growth before soil freezes hard. In penthouse gardens in New York City, Dutch bulbs have been grown successfully in this way, but it is always a risk. It makes no difference whether garden pots are made of wood, concrete, or other material; it is the amount of soil they hold that counts.

Actually, it is not the freezing of the soil that injures flower bulbs (this occurs in open ground), but it is the pressure and counter pressure exerted by frost on the sides of containers, which are firm and do not give. As a result, flower bulbs are bruised and thrust out of the soil, their roots torn. Where there is no hard freeze, but sufficient cold weather, hardy flower bulbs can be grown successfully in garden containers of small size.

Here is a partial list of flower bulbs that thrive in container gardens.  They will help you with your container garden design

Achimenes are warmth-loving trailing plants with neat leaves and tubular flowers in blue, lavender, red and white. Related to gloxinias and African violets, they are nice in hanging baskets and window boxes or in garden pots on tables, shelves, or wall brackets. Start the small tubers indoors or Indoor Planters and give plants a sheltered spot with protection from strong sun and wind. Achimenes, an old standby in the South, is worthy of more frequent planting.

Agapanthus or Blue Lily of the Nile is a fleshy-rooted evergreen plant, with strap leaves, often grown in tubs and urns on terraces and steps during the summer, when the tall blue spikes unfold. Culture is easy, but plants require a well-lighted, frost proof room or greenhouse in winter. This is an old-time favorite, often seen in the gardens of Europe. It is a perfect flower bulb for container gardening.

The Calla Lily is Showy, and outdoors in warmer regions, but a tender pot plant in the North. Most familiar is the white one with large, shiny, heart-shaped leaves. Start bulbs indoors in February or March in rich soil and, when weather settles, transfer to large gardening pots and take outdoors. Calla lilies do well in full sun or part shade, are heavy feeders and need much water. There is also a dainty yellow one with white-spotted leaves. Rest your flower bulbs after foliage ripens and grow again.

Rain Barrels and Rain Harvesting Equipment

The sounds of the water from your garden feature and the effect it can have on you is an experience not to be missed. Pump up the volume with the sound of splashing water, you can use the rain water barrels to complete and integrated water pump. For instance listen to the sound of running bath water and to the constant dripping of a tap - which can be annoying to say the least. However, if we change the word dripping to trickling and replace the word running with flowing then that is another kettle of fish (excuse the pun if you have a pond).

If a water garden feature is to prove its worth to the eye and ears then choose your garden ornamentation with these two factors in mind - pretty to look at and nice to listen.

Fountains and waterfalls are most favourable among gardeners and if necessary support by rain harvesting. Before engaging in the structure of water garden features as such then you need to remember - these type of features actually oxygenate and freshen the water with the constant ongoing movements.  If you have fish in the pool of your fountain/waterfall then they will love the lively waters - but water plants like lilies and lotus may suffer because of this. Plants as such prefer stillness and may well be hampered in flourishing in action packed waters. 

Careful thought and planning behind your water garden feature will make your venture a whole lot easier. If you want a bit of both worlds (fish and plants) then you can. Your water garden feature can still be home to aquatic life but instead of floating water plants on top of the water why not  landscape surrounding areas with pretty shrubs - this can be very affective as well as cost effective because what ever plants you you use will not have to be of a specific plant type . 

Another suggestion is to erect a mini replica of your feature to the side of the larger garden fixture with no pump action and have floating plants there. Water movements are very important to give off an effect which is relaxing to listen too and attractive to look at. Circulating swirls are fabulous water moves. 

Water garden features and accessory tips can be found from the best friend that may suggested the rain barrels you could ever have at your side when taking on the task to build or erect a water fountain - and that is a manual. It is a wise decision to have yourself a DIY book with you at all times when undertaking jobs as such. Water garden suppliers will have all the information you need. Garden centres offer complete do it yourself kits.

Decisions that Affect Remodeling

There are a plethora of reasons that I can think of which would point to remodeling your home. Many people decide to remodel their home in order to make much needed improvements, yet others only want to remodel in order to try to get a larger bonus when trying to sell their home. There are important things to think about when remodeling your house, and some of the things that you are going to do after you remodel your home certainly will directly affect how much you actually change the face of your home.

Are You Moving?

As mentioned, there are some people who want to take on the task of remodeling their home in order to acquire a larger bonus when selling their house. However, sometimes the issue of remodeling the house could be quite counter-productive. For example, if you spend tens of thousands of dollars remodeling your home in order to spruce it up and make it look nice, what benefit would that be to you if you are simply going to be moving in a couple months? In addition, it's very possible that those additions or remodeling projects to your home will not even allow you to break even when selling your house. Even though it would be a good idea to attract buyers with remodeling projects, it is also a good idea to stay grounded and realistic about the worth that these projects will add to your home.

Are You Staying?

Just as there are important questions to answer if you are going to be moving out of your house soon after the remodeling takes place, so too are there important questions that need to be answered if the homeowner is going to stay. For example, if home remodeling projects are going to be undertaken then the question of whether or not it can be done any cheaper by doing it yourself is an issue to think about. Many home remodeling companies do charge an arm and a leg just for simple and small projects and good enough to increase your home value such as add the home address plaques. These same remodeling projects could also be completed by you and a friend for a fraction of the cost.

What Types of Changes?

Even though this question is similar to the one preceding it, it is also very important to think about the size of the changes that are taking place. For example, how long will it take a contractor to expand the Master Bedroom and add several closets to your house? How long will it take the company to expand and change the garage the way you want it to? All of these things are important to think about because they dictate when the remodeling will take place. For example, if you have a vacation planned for next month then it may not be a good idea to start on the remodeling plans just yet. On the flip side, you may want to get a general idea from the home contractors how long the projects will take, too.

As you can see, there are many decisions that affect remodeling projects around the home. If you are currently a homeowner and are trying to take on several home remodeling projects at once then it may be necessary to think about some of these things before you get in too deep!

VA Loans Opportunity for Veterans

The country always serves people whom the country has a great debt to. The patriots or the heroes of the country are ones of the people that are considered more by the country to be guaranteed in every single aspect of their lives. One of the aspects of life that is helped a lot for these people is in the financing aspect. This will be a great help, especially for the veterans, so that they can get the warranty of their future.

The va loans is one of the help that can be used well by the veterans to get the best home loans for them. Even though the recession is experienced by almost all people in the world, yet the VA loans will help the veterans to avoid this difficulty. It is since there is a lot of easiness that are offered in the program of home loan. The first of the easiness is the facility of no income check, so that the veterans with any amount of income can join the program easily. This is also true for the credit check, that will give the opportunity for the veterans to have the home loans easily.

With only some of these facilities the veterans will be able to get the home loans that they need in the post-duty time. For the easiness that is given, there is no wonder that the va loans, and also the other service of va mortgages, is the best than any other services that are available in the country for the veterans.

Considerations before Remodeling the House

Remodeling the entire house is always going to be a big project to take on, but many people say that they not only enjoy the time re-decorating and renovating the house, but they also relish the thought of having completely brand new things. There are definitely exciting times that lay ahead if you are determined to remodel your house, but there are important things to consider before you jump on the bandwagon. For instance, do you have enough money to complete the job? How many rooms in your house do you want to remodel? Will there be any expansions of the house that take place? Are there are do-it-yourself jobs that can be done while remodeling the house that will keep contractor costs to a minimum? These are only a few of the questions that you must ask yourself before remodeling, and here are some important answers to questions just like these. 

Which Rooms Do You Want to Remodel?

This is a very important question to ask yourself before taking on a remodeling project of your house because it literally forces you to sit down and think about everything that you want to do and get done. A remodeling project literally can take on a life of its own, but your job should be to keep the excitement to a minimum so as to not get carried away when thinking about other possibilities. 

Budget Remodeling: It Can Be Done!

There are literally millions of ways that homeowners are able to successfully remodel their homes without an actual home remodeling contractor to do it. If you are like the hundreds of thousands of other homeowners, though, that would like to do multiple home renovation projects then it may be entirely possible to do so. When it comes right down to it home remodeling does not have to be that expensive at all, except for the materials that are used to actually make it happen. On the contrary, though, if you or your spouse is interested in all with home projects and do-it-yourself projects then there are thousands of ways budget remodeling can be done: it just takes a little bit of creativity!

We all know that home remodeling contractors can be some of the most expensive people to deal with. If you are looking for interesting projects to do at home and don't care about the length of time it takes to get them done then here are some suggestions that will not only make your home look beautiful, but will also add value to your home:

Expanding the Bathroom or Bedroom

One home remodeling project that many people undertake each year is the expansion of specific rooms in their homes. For example, you may desire to make your Master Bedroom or Master Bathroom a bit bigger, and there are definitely cost-effective ways to get the job done. Even though a contractor may charge thousands of dollars just to expand one room, there are solutions to every problem and expanding a room does not have to be that difficult. A couple of the things that you need to know, though, is the basics of expanding rooms. For example, will you need fiberglass insulation after you knock down a wall? Will you need extra electrical wiring? These are a couple of the questions that can easily be researched if you know enough and are confident to do the job yourself.

Adding Pizzazz to the Bathroom

Remodeling: The Way to Go

There are millions of homeowners each year that usually have the best of intentions to make major changes and renovations to their houses. Whether it's adding more storage space to your bathroom or kitchen or you simply want to make changes around the family room, one way in which you can pull this off is through home remodeling efforts. Even though there are many ways to change your house and layout by simply building on the inside of your home, an even better way to change your house is through remodeling the rooms of your house. Here are some suggestions and scenarios that makes remodeling so much better than simply making minor changes around the house:

#1: Re-doing the Bathroom Shower

One issue that many people consider changing about their bathroom is their shower or bathtub. Many people decide to replace the shower or bathtub because it has gotten too dirty over the years, but what about making major remodeling changes to your house? For example, adding a Jacuzzi to the bathroom will not only be a great change and addition to the bathroom, but it will also add value to your home, which you can use as leverage if you decide to sell the home.

#2: Increasing Bedroom Storage

There are many retail stores that offer common storage bins, such as the ones that you can get to place under your bed. However, one of the ways that would be great to use the bedroom as a remodeling project is by adding a closet. Granted, a professional remodeling company may have to be called in order to have the closet fit correctly in the bedroom, but adding that extra closet space would be a great addition to the much needed renovations. On the other hand, adding and constructing a closet in the bedroom could possibly be turned into a do-it-yourself project. Even though closet additions seem like they would be a difficult remodeling project, they are actually very simple to complete.

#3: Updating the Kitchen

Remodeling Your Garage

When it comes to remodeling your house, there is no other area of the home that is usually more fun to remodel than the garage. There are all sorts of possibilities when working with the garage. Whether you want to expand the area that you already have or you simply want to make a few additions inside the actual garage, there are numerous updates and reconstruction ideas that homeowners can use to spruce up their garage.

Gauge Your Space

The number one thing that homeowners must do, though, before actual remodeling their garage is to take a look at the current situation in order to better know what needs to be done. You may think that you know everything you want to do to the garage, but there is always a value in taking a second look. In order to better gauge what should be done and what you'd like to be done, the first thing that everyone should do when remodeling their garage is to find the dimensions of it. If you don't already have the information written down then you'll want to take a tape measure and get the dimensions manually. The reason for getting the dimensions of the garage is so that you'll be able to know whether or not what you want to do to it is feasible or not. 

Decide on Remodeling Ideas

As mentioned, there are a whole host of ideas that can be used when remodeling the garage. If you want to add space to your garage then you must consider how much space you want to add and how much space you have to work with in order to expand. Many people simply decide to knock out one side of the garage first, expand that, and then work on the opposite side of the garage wall if more expansion is actually needed. However, many people find that adding just 1 or 2 feet to one side of the garage is sufficient for what they want to do with it.

Additions inside the Garage

Remodeling: Why You Should Hire a Contractor

Remodeling projects in the home are a great way not only to add value and finesse to your house, but they are also a great way to make some much needed improvements that a house has needed for quite some time. Although it is too easy to get carried away with all the things that could possibly be completed during a home remodeling project, it is also important for responsibility to take over and good judgment to be in use. 

There may be many additions that you'd like to make, but it may simply not be feasible. If this is the case then you may also be shortcuts that one could take in order to finish the jobs that he or she wants to do. For example, if the remodeling project that they want to do is finishing the basement then it may be entirely possible to do it yourself instead of relying on a home contractor.

Leave Large Jobs to Professionals

However, finishing the basement can be quite a large job to take over and not everyone may be up to the challenge. Big remodeling jobs like this should be left up to someone else, which is why hiring a remodeling contractor is a great idea! Contractors will not only be able to help you clarify what you want to see happen to your home much better than you could possibly express, but these are the ones who will be responsible for actually making it happen and making your dreams for the house that you're living in come true!

Starting a Remodeling Business

Many enthusiastic entrepreneurs usually try to look for ways to build a new business. However, one of the best ways to be successful is to start a business from the ground up. One example of such a business that can be started like this is a remodeling business. There are plenty of remodeling companies that compete against one another, and a remodeling business is one in which business entrepreneurs can be very successful.

The first thing that one needs to consider about setting up a remodeling business, though, is how many people they will be hiring and what qualifications will be required. There are many chain professional remodeling companies that have professional groups and workers in each State. However, many other remodeling companies are made up of a small group of people that work on each home remodeling project together. This is probably the type of group that you will form for your business and it is probably the most efficient, assuming that the people you hire are looking for full-time and steady work.

A second thing that one must think about before starting their remodeling business is what types of services will they offer? Home remodeling companies usually offer pretty much the same services across the board, however, there are some services that are usually not offered. For example, electrical wiring and plumbing services are usually sub-contracted to other companies that specialize in these issues. Furthermore, some companies only specialize in home remodeling while others perform business remodeling, too. There are also some professionals who perform both jobs, so taking a look at what other companies offer first may give you a clue as to what services to exclude and include.

Schedule of Work Year

Staying Calm While Remodeling your House

Even though making major changes to your home takes time, money, and lots of planning, it is very easy to become overwhelmed with all the decisions that need to be made. Indeed, home remodeling can be a frustrating time, but it is of utmost importance to stay level-headed and calm while making major changes. If you have ever taken on home remodeling projects in the past then you probably already know that a great deal of your time will be taken up. But here are some important tips and advice how to stay calm while overseeing home remodeling projects:

#1: Let the Home Contractors Take Over

Even though as the homeowner you are the principal one to oversee the whole project in order make sure everything gets done correctly, the managers of the company should be the ones to do all the work and lead their employees. If you are prone to stress and have enough stress in your life then chances are that you'll want to take it easy at home. The best thing that you can do is to let the home contractors take over and put your faith in them. Certainly if there are any questions during the home remodeling process then they will be able to ask if you're around.

#2: Realize It Won't Take Forever

What You Should Know Before Remodeling

There are plenty of home projects that are undertaken each year by millions of homeowners seeking to make their house a better place to live. In addition, living in your house for more than 10 or 15 years can certainly make the whole atmosphere seem dull and boring. In order to get over this, though, many people choose to take on remodeling home projects that will forever change the way that they see their home from the outside and inside. Unfortunately, though, remodeling your home just can't happen with the quick snap of two fingers. Indeed, home remodeling absolutely takes careful planning and decisions that must be made about the current state of the house in the first place.

The absolute first place to start before deciding on remodeling rooms and areas in your house is the current house itself. In other words, how much space do you currently have? Furthermore, how much space do you currently have that is being taken up by junk and clutter? You, and other homeowners, may be surprised to find out that there are thousands of people living in their homes who would love to have remodeling done. However, these are the same people who would have much more space if they were to only rearrange the furniture and possessions that they already own.

Changing and Remodeling the Layout of your Home

Home remodeling companies are some of the best professionals in the industry who actually want to help you with the project of renovating your home. There are also many reasons why you should hire a home remodeling contractor, but the main focus of this article will be on changing the whole face and look of your home. You may be surprised to find out that hundreds of remodeling projects that start out as home renovations end up getting dropped by the wayside just because either the homeowner can't complete the project anymore or there are too many hidden costs associated with it. 

There are certain steps, though, that one should take if they are serious about changing the whole look of their house. By planning out carefully how the remodeling project will go will benefit any homeowner in the long run as opposed to simply making up ideas as they come. Being prepared and staying ahead of the game and yourself is always something that needs to be done during home remodeling projects. But here are some tips if you are serious about home remodeling:

#1: Make a Layout

The first thing that you'll want to do is obtain a current layout of your home that is drawn to scale. Whether you do this by yourself or obtain the drawing from the property deed, this is the first step you must take in order to consider your home remodeling project. 

#2: Make Changes