Every Home Needs Landscaping Repair and Restoration

 

Before

After

After three or four years, your once beautiful landscape project will inevitably turn into an eyesore and a liability. There’s no escaping this problem.  Perhaps the pavers on the walkway become uneven or the gaps between the pavers grow wider and unsightly.  Worse, your entire patio may now be leaning towards your home causing rainwater to slowly erode its foundation.

This happens to every home with a landscape attraction out front even if the landscape work was done by a good contractor.  Blame it on the elements and the wear and tear brought by time as a matter of course.  So it behooves upon the homeowner to look for landscaping repair and restoration.  In case the landscape contractors you originally got made a shoddy job, the imperative is for you to find a team that can repair the mistakes done on your yard.

The team you need is one that can move in quickly to properly level pavers, support retaining walls, rebuild features, and everything else to make a landscape look good again.  Such landscape repair and restoration undertaking must include proper base preparation and compaction, the adding of edge restraints, joint sanding and many other services that may be needed to make your landscape or hardscape stand up to the test of time.  See that the landscape repair team is very passionate about the quality of service it offers to homeowners and it shows in their workmanship.

A landscape repair and restoration effort has to cover the paver patio, walkway, driveway and any outdoor living space that had gone seedy with time.  The landscape contractor needs to make the pavers or walls level and closed the gaps in the pavers where unwanted weeds have begun to grow.  Most of all, the contractor will replace the patio, walkway or driveway that is now sloping back towards your house, forcing water to your walls and foundation.  In re-leveling your pavers or walls, see that the contractor makes sure that everything is up to industry standards as set by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute for pavers and National Concrete Masonry Association for your walls and steps. This includes proper base preparation and compaction, to edge restraints, joint sands, and more.  There are possible bonuses such giving clients a long-lasting, maintenance-free paver patio, walkway, or driveway that they can enjoy and be proud of.

When the landscaping repair and restoration job is done, the common procedure is for the contractor to give you a warranty on their workmanship for at least three years.  That’s for your assurance that the contractor did not pull a fast one on you, which sometimes happens in this business.  The best contractor is one that offers paver cleaning and sealing for those hardscapes in need. Typical applications for this service are areas where there are grills, and driveways where grease and oils are dropping on the pavers.

Some people really enjoy the look of pavers when they are wet.  Some contractors also provide such extra as cleaning and sealing your pavers with a wet look application that does just that.

Do Your Own Hardscape Repairs

 

Winter can be rough on your homes, especially your hardscape which is perpetually exposed to the elements. When the last signs of cold weather melt away, you can find yourself heading into spring with pitted driveways, cracked asphalt and crumbling landscaping. So it’s important to make repairs before summer heats up and puts further stress on these important areas. Doing your own hardscape repairs isn’t difficult. You’ll save money, and doing it yourself gives you the opportunity to get some outdoor exercise this spring.

You may need professionals to pour new asphalt but repairing existing asphalt in your hardscape can be done by yourself. For pothole repairs, start by sweeping and removing any loose materials from the area needing repair. Next, pour ready-mix asphalt in the trouble spot and spread evenly to a depth of no more than 2 inches at a time. Use the back side of a shovel to compact the material. And since there is no oily tracking with this material, just drive over it a few times with your vehicle. The compaction causes the product to cure into an effective patch. For deeper potholes, keep repeating in 2 inch amounts until completely filled.

Patio pavers and bricks can shift, sink or raise, and even crack during a tough winter. If your hardscape has a sand underlay, fixing problems is relatively easy. For broken or cracked pavers, simply remove the damaged pieces, check that the sand is level, and fill the gap with a new paver or brick. If your patio has become uneven over time, you’ll need to lift all the uneven pavers, level the sand beneath – you may have to add sand – and then put the pavers back atop the now-level sand.

Concrete is a common hardscape material around homes across the country.  Concrete driveways, walkways and steps can all succumb to cracking, crumbling, chipping and spalling after a harsh winter. Fortunately, concrete is an easy material to fix, and patching a problem while it’s small may help prevent a much costlier repair or even replacement down the road. To repair cracks of virtually any size, simply apply an easy-to-use product. Power wash cracks to remove debris. For larger fissures, it may be necessary to use a hammer and chisel to remove crumbling concrete and produce a clean, clearly delineated repair site.

For resurfacing old, damaged or spalled concrete, Flo-Coat resurfacing material by Sakrete provides an easy alternative to costly replacement. Simply remove loose materials from the surface, mix the material, dampen the concrete surface with water and pour the resurfacing material onto the concrete slab. Use a long-handled squeegee to spread the mixture evenly. Be sure to protect expansion and control joints with tape to prevent filling.

Whether your brick, stone or cinderblock retaining wall is acting as a retaining wall or simply a decorative one, moisture is not its friend. If your region has had a lot of snow this past winter, check your landscaping walls for damage such as cracks in mortar, shifted stones or crumbling bricks. Repairing cracked mortar is easy as long as the bricks or stones it secures remain in good position.

A few simple repairs will help ensure your home’s hardscape is in good shape, and ready for whatever summer weather brings.

Walk Patio Repairs can be Easy in Five Ways

Is your walk patio or outdoor living spaces are in need of repair or maintenance and you’re stumped about what to do? Relax, it can be relatively easy. Those with experience in walk patio repair will tell you all you need is to start with an old fashion inspection of the problem. It could be a sunken patio base or a chipped piece of concrete or deteriorating mortar. Whatever the case, repairs will come easy once you look closely into the problem. The reason is that assessing the basic issues leads to solutions. Here are five ways that can be easily worked with walk patio repairs.

The first thing you need to do is look very closely at your existing mortar joints. Look at the color of the sand. Believe it or not, not all sand looks the same. Sand is simply a collection of very small rock particles, and the color of individual sand particles can be vastly different if the particles come from a variety of black, red, white and gray rocks. Visit different building supply businesses and/or sand and gravel pits, and try to find sand that matches both in color and particle size.

The second thing is to make a very rich mixture that will be exceedingly strong. Once you have the correct sand, mix it one part of it to one part of pure Portland cement. You need this strength, even though you do not get too many extremely cold days. The extra cement also helps make the mortar flow easily from the tip of the special grout bag you will use to fill the defective mortar joints. Mortar grout bags are just like icing bags used by professional cake decorators. They are larger than an icing bag, and have a metal cone tip that has a one-half-inch hole at the end.

The third thing is do not work on a hot, sunny windy day. Experts recommend working on cloudy days. The mortar will dry too rapidly, especially where you are filling slight depressions in the existing mortar joints.  Once you have the mortar mixed, lightly spritz the mortar joints you are going to fill. Do not get them too wet, just slightly damp. Fill the grout bag half way with the mortar mix, and apply slight pressure to make the mortar mix flow just as toothpaste oozes from its tube. If you can’t get the mortar to flow, you need to add more cement and/or slightly more water. The mortar mix needs to be fairly wet so that it doesn’t clog the grout bag tip.

Fourth thing is to check out the different colored pieces of sand. Each grain is a small piece of solid rock. The sand for the repair job should match the existing sand as close as possible in grain size, shape and color. Carefully guide the grout bag tip so that you apply new mortar only to the joint. Move the bag along and make sure you apply mortar so it rises above the level of the brick by about one-quarter inch.

Fifth and the most important thing is to take the proper steps to ensure the sealing process is done correctly otherwise the seal will not be as strong and will eventually fail. In terms of keeping your patio durable and long lasting, sealing is best. Before patio sealing can begin the first step is to clean the patio surface of all dirt and debris as well as any other stains or paints. Using a power washer is generally the best way to do much of the removal work however the surface must be completely dry before the patio sealing can begin. Once the initial sealing has begun, the best conditions are during mild temperatures where no rain is expected.

A Well-designed Patio for Beautiful Homes

A well-designed patio makes for a beautiful home. It’s the first home feature that greets first-time quests and so they draw the conclusion that you keep an ideal home if you have a well-designed outdoor area. For yourself and family, a great patio design or an outdoor living spaces are also provides as a great place for relaxing, outdoor entertaining, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature.

There is a perfectly suited for every home, lifestyle, and budget. Patios can be designed in every shape, color, size, and material imaginable. Before you start laying down the first pavers or pouring concrete, you should consider the options available from professionals doing this kind of work. Today’s patios are more versatile and offer a wide range of options in design.

First, you will need to formulate a plan of action. Brainstorm and pinpoint what sort of outdoor space would best suit your lifestyle. Banish the notion that this are to be strictly on an outdoor space. Canopies, awnings, pergolas and umbrellas can be added for shade. Additionally, patios can offer up a variety of options for entertaining, dining, and seating. The addition of patio ideas such as an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, built-in seating, and planters should be considered before construction begins.

When planning a patio design project, you are faced with a barrage of outdoor living spaces ideas and choices in designs. From the options in materials, patio decor, furniture, and various choices in its design, there are many ways to customize your outdoor living space. Modern paved outdoor areas are made with the use of a vast variety of materials such as stone, cement, wood, slate, sandstone, brick or granite. The possibilities are seemingly endless when considering the options for constructing your patio or space for outdoor living.

Every project begins by building a solid base. This first step is crucial and if mishandled may lead to a space that does not last more than a year. The base of these may either be constructed with gravel, sand, or concrete. But no matter what kind of material you use, the base should be from six to eight inches deep.

Concrete can be used as a flooring material for the patio, and can be surprisingly versatile. Concrete, can be painted, shaped, and formed into patterns. Alternatively, interlocking stone can be used as a base. Stones have become an appealing option in recent years, and can help to properly drain rainwater away from the home. The sturdy wood pergola can also be used.  Pergola shaded to perfection has just the right amount of fiery charm. The concrete slabs form a minimalist backdrop to the sleek lines of the modern outdoor furnishings. The monochromatic furnishings and planters are contrasted by bright and fiery pops of red. The cherry stain on the pergola perfectly echoes the fiery theme. Though this area is brimming with masculine elements, the result is that of a charming and elegant retreat.

A good design is a patio that reflects all the best elements present in modern design. There are clean lines and a modern use of concrete embellishments form the foundation for this modern seating area. The bold use of modern materials is subdued by the refreshing additions of water and the lovely verdant hues present in the garden. When designing your perfect patio, remember that sometimes unlikely mixes make the best matches.

Interlocking Paving Stones for Beauty and Function

Interlocking stones in a garden add beauty and function to the landscaping project.  This is why interlocking is a very popular and attractive choice not only for garden but also for other landscaping projects such as including driveways, patios, stairs and entryways, pathways and walkways.  There is a wide variety of interlocking stone products available on the market which allows a lot of design flexibility for your unique landscaping project.

Interlocking pavers have been used for centuries, dating back to ancient Roman roads. Their durability and aesthetically pleasing characteristics is what makes them a popular choice among homeowners today. These can be treated as a system, each may be put in place to keep the others intact. These are not just visually attractive but they are also beneficial to our environment.  The reason is that they are usually permeable, which means water percolates through the surface and recharges our groundwater tables. Unlike traditional concrete that is one consistent slab, they have edges between each one and are filled with a porous material like sand.

Interlocking pavers are excellent in large driveways and walkways.  They definitely add appeal and value to your home.

But before installing them in your landscaping project, you need to understand the whole process.  To get the job done the right way, your project needs a compacted sub base, a geo-textile fabric, a layer of sand, edge restraint, pavers, and joint filling material.

The measurements of each layer changes with each project having individual circumstances; for example if you have problems with drainage they will be addressed in the thickness of the layers. Installing these can be a big project depending on the areas size; it is recommended that you call a pro in your area to get the job done correctly the first time.

For interlocking pavers, there is a large variety of designs and colors you can choose from.   And once in place, they are easy to repair, durable and beneficial in many ways.  They can withstand heavy weights and harsh weather conditions and do not develop cracks like traditional concrete.  Best of all, hey add value to your home.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons when considering this.  They are one of the best paving options out there and are guaranteed to add major curb appeal to your home. Homeowners usually choose it for their numerous colors and design options. Pavers come in a variation of colors ranging from black, tan, green and nearly every other natural tone. Some projects are laid using one color of it, while others utilize multiple colors throughout creating an intriguing design. More detailed and intricate designs will all affect the final cost. Consider your edge restraint for the borders of your design; the most popular choices are a poured in place concrete curb or a staked plastic edging. Be sure you know what you are doing if you decide to do this project yourself, if installed improperly may have to be replaced in a matter of months.

Permeable Pavers Make Gardens Sustainable

The use of ‘Permeable pavers’ in gardens is becoming popular these days because of the many benefits that homeowners derive from this choice of landscaping material. First, these are environment friendly and pleasing to the eye. They efficiently reduce runoff rainwater to gutters and storm drains without water collecting in surfaces. This makes for an accident-free garden since the surfaces are skid-resistant.  Permeable pavers in Landscape design also enable homeowners to save on their water bills.

This may come in different kinds of building materials but they are all sustainable and allow water to flow through their surface. While other non-porous materials direct water to storm-drains, these surfaces help ground water recharge by allowing water to flow into open spaces between the materials. These porous materials also filter pollutants and solids from the water as it percolates through the surface. Permeable paving is becoming more popular among home and business owners due to the innovative methods to save water. This paving option doesn’t just look good; it’s beneficial to our environment.

Consider permeable paving in large walkways or driveways and make sure that a 6-inch gravel bed is immediately below the porous material. From the top down there are usually four layers to permeable paving. Each of these different layers acts as a filtration system to clean storm water. The top layer is the actual paving material while the second layer is the gravel bed. The third layer is a filter fabric and bottom layer should be a bed of sand.

Installing stones or pavers over a bed of sand and gravel is known as dry-laying.  This allows water to pass through the openings between each stone or paver. A unique opportunity exists here for grass or moss to be grown in the cracks, creating a sort of living pavement. If you desire to take your sustainability a step further, urbanite or recycled pieces of concrete is usually used to create a permeable patio.

Brick is sometimes used as a porous paver by leaving gaps or spaces between each unit. The clay material will direct water to joints and open spaces. But the least expensive permeable paving material is crushed stone. Typically either decomposed granite or gravel can be loosely packed on top of leveled soil. Rainwater will easily be able to pass between the small pieces of stone. This is good for walkways and even driveways.

Other materials serving as permeable pavers are stones, ground reinforcement grids, plastic mats with cells, and grass pavers. Stones and rocks are placed apart with gravel or planting in between. Ground reinforcement grids are a kind of mesh while plastic mats with cells are circular or hexagonal cells that allow for planting or porous material between the cells. Grass pavers resemble a lawn. Open cells are filled with dirt and then planted with grass seed. These are especially suited for residential driveways because they are designed to carry heavy loads.

The cost of installing permeable paving depends on the homeowner’s choice of materials. Some things that can affect the cost are the type of material chosen.

Pennsylvania Homes Need Outdoor Living Spaces

Pennsylvanians are blessed with a good year-round weather that allows for weekend hikes, days at the beach and enjoying other outdoor activities any month of the year. The sun, sand and warm weather are the main draws for many of us who choose to call Pennsylvania home, so it comes as no surprise that homeowners in this state should place a premium on outdoor living spaces.

The purpose of outdoor living spaces is to extend the usable square footage of your home in a manner that allows you to more fully enjoy your property and makes your backyard serve a more functional purpose for you and your family. In some cases, this may be very specific, such as woyld-be baseball players in need of a backyard batting cage or golf enthusiasts who want to practice their putting on their own putting green. Whether around town, at the beach or visiting one of our many local attractions, most of us like to be outside as much as possible, and there is no reason for this to end when we get home.

Most detached homes in Pennsylvania have some sort of outdoor living area, although many of these spaces consist of little more than a patio and lawn installed in the backyard. This is a great start and allows for some enjoyment of the property outside of the home, but having just these features puts some serious limits on how much a homeowner can use their yard as additional living space.

Attached homes, condominiums and apartment complexes generally also have some sort of outdoor common areas, which often include a swimming pool, fire pits or a playground, but landlords and homeowners associations can significantly increase interest in their properties if they choose to include more outdoor amenities.

The purpose of outdoor living spaces is to extend the usable square footage of your home in a manner that allows you to more fully enjoy your property and makes your backyard serve a more functional purpose for you and your family. The spaces you create might be used for more general purposes or to enhance your home’s appeal when it comes time to show it off to potential buyers. Depending on the improvements you make, creating outdoor rooms and areas can significantly increase the value of your home, which is an important factor to consider if you plan to sell sometime in the future.

Attractive exterior spaces can also add visual appeal to a lackluster home and can help smaller homes compete better once they are put on the market. Since improving your outdoor areas is often much less expensive than adding interior space to your home, this is a great way to expand your home’s living space with functional outdoor rooms, particularly if you are looking for improvements that can be made on a budget.

Whether it is to enhance your own enjoyment of your home or to better position your home to sell, outdoor living spaces are an absolute necessity in Pennsylvania.

Let Professional Landscapers do Your Garden

It is a well-known fact that garden landscaping done by professional landscape contractors such as Garden Square Landscaping Inc. can reduce your utility bills and conserve energy. This is because professionals in landscape architecture will structure your garden in such a way that your home is protected from harsh winds during the winter months while the garden also absorbs the heat of the sun to cool off your home during summer.

To protect your home from harsh winter winds, professional landscape design usually includes trees, hedges, grasses and shrubs in your garden. These protect your home from strong seasonal winds while capturing the winter sun. In summer, the garden’s trees and hedges can absorb heat from the sun to help keep your home cooler.

Adding trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, plants and hedges to your landscaped garden can attract wildlife such as birds, insects and squirrels. If you add extras like bird tables to your garden, then you’re likely to attract even more animals. Natural landscaping really is a haven for wildlife because it offers shelter from predators and natural food supplies that are available all year long.

Real estate agents and property experts are quick to point out that a well-landscaped garden can increase the value of your home dramatically. In some cases, your trim and beautiful garden can increase the value of your home more than a newly decorated lounge or kitchen, so it is worth hiring a landscape gardener or landscape contractor before you put your house up for sale. Moreover, a landscaped garden can also improve the aesthetic quality of your home, making it feel like a much more pleasant place to be. So, even if you are not planning on selling your home anytime soon, having your garden landscaped now means you get time to enjoy your beautiful garden surroundings as well as knowing that your house is worth more than it was before.

Trees, shrubs, hedges and flowers offer substantial environmental benefits, because vegetation like this protects water supplies, provides food in the form of vegetable gardens, and reduces air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Having your garden landscaped by a professional can also reduce noise pollution in your home by blocking out surrounding noises.

In addition to the aesthetic reasons for adding trees, shrubs and ground-cover around a structure, there are beneficial purposes that go beyond merely adding architectural decoration. While landscaping works to enhance and complement a space, it can also provide real benefits that affect the profitability, health, productivity, and overall sense of well-being.

The design of the landscape in conjunction with the overall site planning and architectural design can create a place where people want to spend time, socialize, or work. Trees, shrubs, and ground cover in conjunction with outdoor plazas, can become spaces that can be used for organized events, casual meetings or simply taking a break. Seating areas can also provide spaces, which can give the visitor or user a respite from the built environment which can encourage a sense of community.

Multiple Benefits of Landscaping

 

The most obvious benefit of landscaping to your front yard has to do with aesthetics. A landscaped garden out front improves the looks and beauty of your home. But there are many other benefits of garden landscaping and here is a lowdown on the main ones.

Firstly, landscaping makes good economic sense because it increases the value of your home.  It also makes your property more attractive to prospective buyers if you intend to sell. In this case, you can be sure that the time your property is on the market will be drastically reduced.  If there is no intent to sell and the plan is to stay in your home for good, it would be nice to know that you’ll be spending much less for heating and cooling costs. This is because the greenery cools the surroundings when the weather is warm.

It provides the advantage of lessening the annual cooling and heating costs because carefully placed trees can cut about 20 percent off the energy consumption in a certain house for both cooling and heating. Landscaping assists in reducing heat accumulation in the house through absorbing and blocking most of the energy from the sun during summer periods. Moreover, fences and trees are normally used like windbreaks for shielding a home from cold winds during winter.

Landscaping adds value to the house and potential buyers are going to pay more money for a house that appears well maintained and nice both indoors and outdoors. We all endeavor to increase the value of our assets and landscaping offers a simple technique of doing that. A study done by researchers in the real estate field discovered that beautiful landscapes enhanced the value of the houses by about 14 percent.

Landscaping is critical when selling. It provides buyers with an insight into how the owner looks after their home. A well-presented home from the street with manicured gardens and landscaping shows buyers that the owners take pride in their home and will certainly influence the sale price.

In environmental terms, landscaping controls temperature extremes, stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter. It reduces the storm water runoff during inclement weather, thus reducing local flooding. During such weather events, landscaping is great for erosion control since it reduces loss of top soil. In effect, it protects your property from soil degradation and evaporation.

The most practical use of landscaping is probably the creation of a healthier home. It does so by filtering pollutants and providing cleaner air all around. A beautiful environment is then created to provide privacy and decrease your stress levels commonly high in these stressful times. So you can say that landscaping helps to keep your family fit by fostering an active lifestyle.

Then there are the social benefits of landscaping. In general, it creates green buffer zones that increase the livability of such densely populated communities as Pennsylvania. A landscaped garden in as many homes as possible serves to absorb noise and heat. For your own particular purpose, landscaping gives your home an attractive environment for entertaining and relaxing.

Save

Save

Save

Make Your House a Home in Building Outdoor Living Spaces

 

A house only becomes a home when landscaping designs and ideas enhance its front yard.  The yard is an extension of your home. It gives visitors their first impression of what kind of house you come home to. The people living in a house with front yard landscaping will surely make a good impression on their house guests who will see that since the house has an outdoor living space, living should be even more pleasant indoors.

It is therefore worthwhile, even important, to build outdoor living spaces that will provide a tranquil escape for you and your family and increase the value of your home manifold.  With front yard landscaping, you sort of put your best foot forward.   The fact is, the yard is often the most overlooked area of the house as interior decorating preoccupies most homeowners.

Simple outdoor decorating and landscaping architecture will help incorporate outside activities into your family’s daily life by creating a cool space away from the television set.  These living areas can also include lavish amenities such as outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and covered patios to protect you from the hot sun or torrential rains.  Landscape lighting can provide soft illumination to your outside living space for nighttime entertaining.  If you want to create an outdoor living space but unsure to go about it, find specialists in landscape architecture which abound in many cities.

For ideas on landscaping and hardscaping, start by exploring your local nursery or home improvement store.  Regardless of the size, budget or concept, easy outdoor landscape ideas can be carried out implemented in any home. Look for cheap seasonal flowers and plants to fill large garden areas and edge outdoor living spaces because you can achieve larger ground cover and a lusher look at a much lower cost.  Small backyard landscaping ideas can turn even tiny townhome patios into outdoor living rooms.

You can take a cue from the trends and tips from do-it-yourself home improvement ideas for small rooms.  Try some plants.  Some tall climbing ivy or foliage options on enclosing walls will draw the eye up to the sky rather than highlighting the tiny enclosing layout.  You may also use your own creative talent by extending design schemes from the front of your house into the back in order to ensure a unified look throughout your outdoor living spaces.

Spending time outside does not require you to give up the comforts of the indoors.  In designing your outdoor living spaces on your own, it is important to pursue both beauty and functionality.  For example, popular fire pits will greatly enhance your back yard living spaces, as these provide not only decorative appeal but also incorporate a heat feature into your layout so that outdoor entertaining will be possible all year round.  Any great party also requires food, therefore, make sure to install outdoor grills built in reviews can help you determine which one is the best type and quality for your area.  If you plan to do a lot of cooking in your backyard space, look at outdoor kitchen designs and pictures for ways to incorporate functional spaces to prepare meals for your guests.