A backyard fire pit provides a great setting for family and social gatherings. Many homeowners have built their own fire pit using a concrete product for the walls of the pit, such as pavers, engineered stone, or CMU (concrete block). Concrete materials used to build a fire pit perform best when protected from the intense […]
Have you noticed that outdoor spaces, nowadays, are getting the same amount of attention that the interior spaces in our homes have always received? It is very exciting to imagine all the extra living space that can be added to family living by including outdoors spaces. The list of amenities that can create beautiful and […]
Homeowners seem to really like the idea of using natural stone for many outdoor projects. What wall, patio or terrace, entry walk, or porch stoop wouldn’t be enhanced in some way from the intrinsic beauty of natural stone? Limestone, sandstone, and bluestone are some popular natural stones for outdoor home improvement projects. These stones […]
Even low garden-type retaining walls need to be built using proper construction methods to remain a long lasting feature for your yard. Our Mom has a low retaining wall in the backyard that kept falling over in a number of spots along the length of the wall. It had been installed a number of years ago […]
Some homeowners may find the need to install an exterior access ramp at an entry door to the house for a family member who may have difficulty navigating steps. This could include an older parent who is living with you. The main purpose of a ramp is for the user to have access to areas […]
Have we forgotten about those reliable lumber yards where our grandfathers, dad, and uncles would head to on a Saturday morning to get lumber for the projects on their to-do lists? Whether the project was building a go-cart for the family, or a porch and steps off the kitchen, a visit to the lumber yard […]
Your deck should last many years if the proper materials and the correct construction methods were used to build it. Also, proper maintenance, like cleaning away algae from the boards and using a high quality deck weather sealer, can add years onto a decks life span. Your decking boards are the part of a deck […]
Traveling along the highway and those stretches of country roads, those long expanses of the classic post and rail fences are a familiar site, beautifully poised to follow the rise and fall of the ever undulating lay of the land. They really give a rather grandeur presence to whatever lies behind them, even if […]
Every once in awhile, we run across a unique architectural feature that deserves to be investigated. Whether an architectural feature on a home or one in the landscape such as a trellis, entry gate or wall, we just want to know more about it. So, not too long ago when we were on one of […]
Recently we visited a Home & Garden show where ideas abound for enhancing the comfort, convenience, and beauty of the house and the outdoors for homeowners. One of the displays that caught our eye was of a company that builds yard/garden storage structures, including garden sheds, dutch barns, garages, playhouses, and even weekend cabins. We […]
