Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

The Best Plants for Your Landscaping Project

May 17, 2024   Matt

The Best Plants for Your Landscaping Project

When you deal with plants, information is necessary to ensure that they are right for your landscape, your geographical area, the season suitable for planting, and the proper care that needs to be implemented, and etc. Without this knowledge, you can not assume that the investment is justified..

One practical suggestion is to consider planting an herb garden. Herbs are good for landscaping. The bonus will be herbs are both practical and can be used in cooking. Other options are available but you must you must carefully consider the plants to insure that they are appropriate for your needs.

One consideration that you should not dwell a great deal is the decorative appeal of the plants. You may be attracted to their color, size, and flowers but they may not be appropriate. Select plants that will do well in your area so that do well and provide the desired effect. Take note of the following factors in choosing plants:

• Site and soil conditions. Remember plants have environmental requirements. You need to be aware of your particular conditions and consider the following: exposure to light and wind, soil conditions and structures nearby. If you fail to check on these very important factors, chances are, the plantings will not do good as well as you expected.

• Size and type selection. If you desire a certain plant because of its size and type, you should be aware that they must be handled, planted, and cared for in the proper way. There are three types of ornamental plants: those that are called ball and burlap (B&B), bare root and container grown. If the plants are container grown or ball and burlap plants, you must handle with care and remove the container around the root ball leaving as much soil as possible around the roots. The pot should be totally or the burlap partially removed. Bare root plants, which are smaller in size, are only available in spring and should be planted immediately after purchase.
• Climatic considerations are very important because the plants survival is highly dependent on temperature, etc. Carefully check the plants you are choosing for your landscape and make certain the climates in your area is suitable.
• Prevent pests. There are plants that can resist certain pests. Be sure to choose these plants for your landscape especially if you have identified the pests that are a problem in your area.
• Start healthy. Choose plants from a reputable nursery that you know have been properly cared for. Be aware – do not purchase damaged in plants.

Landscaping is a big investment so as choosing the plants that goes with it. Proper selection and care is needed.

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Simple Strategies On How To Efficiently Improve Your House

May 12, 2024   Matt

Simple Strategies On How To Efficiently Improve Your House

I guess you could say I’ve been involved in-home improvement projects quite often in my life. At this very minute my husband is finishing the drywall in our living room, and will soon be painting it. While it’s great to see the finished product, the process can be very messy.

Building a rock climbing wall on an outside or inside wall of ones home can be a great improvement. Not only will it be a unique feature for ones home but it will also be able to be used for a fun exercise and will be sure to be a hit with the family.

If your home is an older house there’s a good chance you might have outdated PVC windows, which are difficult to maintain and often yellow with age. Replacing the PVC with modern plate glass can make a significant difference in the look of the house. Glass windows will also allow more natural sunlight into your home, creating a more open, inviting atmosphere.

Don’t throw out paintbrushes and rollers each time you use them! They can be cleaned and reused as long as you take care of them. Paint pans can be cleaned by letting them dry and then peeling off the paint. Don’t waste your money on pan liners as cleaning the pan itself is simple.

Put in an outdoor motion detector for your outside lighting. This way the lights will only be on when they are activated and not all day or all night unnecessarily. Most people don’t need their outside lights other than when they come home or leave after dark.

This tip might seem like it is common sense, but you’d be shocked at just how many people do not shut off the main water supply before attempting plumbing repairs. You might cut off the water to a direct outlet, like the sink or toilet, but as long as the main is still online you could end up flooding your home.

Improving your home’s curb appeal can be as easy as replacing a mailbox. A new, more modern mailbox can make your home feel upgraded. The project can often be completed in less than two hours. Just be sure to follow any Home Owners’ Association guidelines when picking your mailbox out.

If your carpet has lots of unsightly dents from moving furniture around during a home improvement project, use a fork to fluff the carpet fibers back to their original shape. The tines are the ideal size for re-plumping fibers that have been flattened by the heavy legs of your sofa or coffee table.

Put a skirt on your bathroom sink! Tired of seeing those tired old pipes every time you go into your bathroom? Buy a pretty piece of fabric from the sewing center, cut it to size, and hem around all four edges. Run a cord through the top hem and gather the curtain so it hangs daintily in place.

We have a home which is over 100 years old and updating it has been an ongoing process over the past five years. We have a new dining room, two new bathrooms and half of a new kitchen. Recently, my husband installed four new windows and put new siding on half of the house. I can’t wait for the whole thing to be done!

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Can a Termite See

May 02, 2024   Matt

Can a Termite See

Have you been wondering about the age old question, can a termite see? Me either, but it is an interesting question. After all, these small pests can infiltrate a home and cause a huge amount of damage, but how do they find their food source? Do they see a tasty huge old Victorian home and call all their bodies to road trip on into the foundation? The truth is that in most termites, they have no eyes, so the easy answer to the question can a termite see is No. Some of the reproductive members of a termite colony will have eyes because they also have wings, but in general, termites cannot see.

So how do they find their food? That’s almost as good a question as can a termite see! Termites are blind, and they really have no method to their madness, so to speak, when it comes to finding a food source. Basically, they wander around moving about until they encounter some type of resistance at which time they switch directions and keep going until they find something they are able to eat. We’re not talking about a cross country road trip, but let’s just say you have termites in a wood pile behind your home. When they finish up with the wood and decide they want a different kind of wood and head toward your house, the travel across your yard might feel like a cross country journey to them!

Some people consider the question can a termite see frivolous, but it really can mean a lot to the person who is interested in getting rid of or preventing a termite problem. If they can’t see, all they can really rely on is touch. They like wet places – especially wet places with damp wood. Take steps to make sure you have no leaks around your home that may attract your blind enemy. Don’t let the soil underneath your house get wet in any way, and keep the soil away from the foundation of your house if at all possible.

When doing landscaping work, you may want to use a wood mulch to decorate. If you want to do this, keep the mulch away from the foundation of the house and always use black landscaping to keep the termites from emerging from the soil and eating through your mulch. An even better idea is to use stone when landscaping.

We hope we’ve answer your question about can a termite see effectively. For more information, you may also want to consult an encyclopedia or look on the Internet to become fully informed about those pesky termites!

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How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Alabama

April 27, 2024   Matt

How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Alabama

If you have a mortgage on your home it will come as no surprise to you that your lender requires you to purchase homeowner’s insurance. But did you know that almost 90% of Alabama homeowner’s who own their homes free and clear still choose to purchase homeowner’s insurance?

The reason isn’t difficult to figure out. For most people their home is their biggest and most prized asset and they simply want to do whatever they can to protect that asset. And well they should.

On the other hand there’s no benefit to paying any more for homeowner’s insurance than necessary and so many people are looking for ways to get affordable homeowner’s insurance here in Alabama.

Remember, too, that while your lender has every right to insist that you purchase homeowner’s insurance, your mortgage company cannot legally force you to buy insurance from any particular company. And that is your key to finding affordable homeowner’s insurance.

There are several things you can do that will drive down the cost of your insurance each month.

For example, did you know that if you have a retired person living in your home that you may be entitled to a break on your insurance?

Did you know that your credit score affects how much you pay each month for your insurance? It does. So keep your credit good and your credit score high, because the better your credit score the less you pay for your insurance each month.

Did you know that the biggest reason for a homeowner’s insurance claim is not fire, but water damage? The biggest culprit is either a broken water pipe or a broken appliance connection that floods the house at night or when the home is empty during the day.

Ask your agent how much you could save if you made the one-time investment to upgrade your home’s plumbing and wiring. If the numbers make sense, then go ahead.

Install outdoor floodlights that are motion-controlled and also trim back all bushes away from windows to discourage burglars. Install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make certain that every single window has a working lock.

A 24/7 home security system that’s monitored off-site not only helps to protect you from both fire as well as burglary, it can also save you 20% or sometimes more on your homeowner’s insurance – but talk to your agent before installing a system as not all systems merit the full discount on your monthly premium.

Purchasing a kitchen-rated fire extinguisher for your kitchen and installing a full compliment of fire and smoke detectors will also help keep your monthly premium cost down.

Now, taking what you have learned in this article go to 3 different websites that allow you to compare the prices of homeowner’s insurance policies from different insurance companies. Input the same information onto 3 of these websites and then find the company that has the lowest price and which you feel confident will be around for at least another 30 years.

And you’re done. You have now gotten affordable homeowner’s insurance here in Alabama and you can feel confident that you will be saving money month after month and year after year.

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Easy Tips From One Handyman To Another

April 22, 2024   Matt

Easy Tips From One Handyman To Another

Home improvement can be great for the do-it-yourself homeowner, or the homeowner who likes to hire a professional to take on the project. Either way, you can’t go wrong with making repairs and doing some upgrading as long as you follow these tips and advice on how to avoid pitfalls and make the best decisions possible.

When selecting home renovations, consider the savings you will see in the future. For example, a new fridge may save you significantly on electricity bills, and new insulation in the attic could help reduce heating and cooling costs. While these renovations may seem expensive, future savings should always be considered during the planning stage of a home renovation.

Brighten up your kitchen or bathroom with a mosaic backsplash. Backsplashes serve two purposes: they are both utilitarian and a style element. Most people use regular square tile clay for their backsplash, but a mosaic design creates interest and allows you to express your personality. Fortunately, you can buy mosaic tiles on a mesh sheet, saving the time that it would take to lay each tile individually. This provides you with an intricate pattern without having to cut any tile, which can be tricky.

Open up the curtains and blinds during a showing to allow natural light into the home. If the outdoor scenery is not desirable, consider keeping the blinds somewhat closed to draw less attention to it. Turn on all of the lights in the home so the home looks bright and cheery instead of dark and dreary.

If you are the proud owner of an asphalt driveway you need to keep on the lookout for cracks and repair them as soon as possible to keep your driveway in good shape. Keeping your driveway clean and free of debris is the first step in good driveway maintenance.

Check your pipes and plumbing regularly. Clogs in sinks, tubs, and toilets can lead to water back-ups. Flooding from back-ups can create an awful mess and cause massive amounts of expensive damage. Slow moving drains can cause rings of dirt to appear in your tubs and sinks, creating a embarrassing issue. It is best to keep on top of and remove clogs regularly.

If you are looking to improve your house with new appliances, think of how much you are willing to spend as well as the length of time before you will have to replace them. Refrigerators last up to 20 years, microwaves up to 10 years, stoves up to 15 years and washers/dryers last about 13 years.

Don’t throw out your small baby food jars; instead use them to organize your workspace. Superglue or screw the lids of the jars to the underside of a wall shelf. Insert small items into the jars, such as: beads, jewelry parts, screws or nails. Then twist the jars back into place under the shelf. This helps take full advantage of a wall shelf and small jars you didn’t think you would ever need.

Whether you are improving your own personal residence or an investment property that you will use for resale or renting, the tips we have discussed in this article will set you well on your way to higher property values as well as hassle free and financially responsible remodeling projects.

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$1148 in One Day Working With Plants? You Bet!

April 17, 2024   Matt

48 in One Day Working With Plants? You Bet!

This article is actually an example of a simple yet, excellent marketing plan. Pay close attention to how I went out and found new business at a time of the year when things are normally slow, and not only did I make ,148.00, my friend Franky also made ,060.00.

Because I chose to keep myself out of the rat race of landscaping new homes, I went after a market that was more of an impulsive type market. New home landscaping is almost a necessity, since new homes don’t have any shrubs or grass. Not only that, many housing developments actually require people to have their landscaping done within a certain number of months from the time they move into their new homes. Therefore, when the house is done, people are anxious to get it landscaped.

Since I wasn’t in that market, and most impulsive gardening decisions are made in the spring, my business typically slowed down during the very hot summer months. So one year I decided to do a little test marketing, to see if I could muster up some work during the summer.

I decided to do a test mailing to 350 homeowners in an area where I knew the people could afford landscaping services, but were not extremely rich. I mailed a letter to these 350 homes, and the letter basically said I could help them with any landscaping project that needed done, and because my business was slow during the summer I could give them a really fair price.

Of the 350 people that received the letter 3 called me. I immediately sold two jobs, and the third job was still open for discussion. On one of the first two jobs I made about 0. and on the other I made about 0. That’s net profit. That’s how much I got to keep. Since the mailing cost less than 5., my immediate profit on the mailing was 5. Not bad at all considering this was only a part-time business for me. But don’t forget about that third caller. I had not even met this person yet.

The reason he called is because he happened to own a 60 unit apartment building in the Cleveland area, and he needed some trees or shrubs planted around the parking lot. The architect that he had been working with suggested Taxus Hicksi, which is an evergreen that is easily trimmed and maintained to a certain size. However, all the landscapers he had spoken with in Cleveland wanted about .00 each to install these plants. Although a fair price, that amounted to ,664.00 because he needed 106 plants.

He contacted me because he was hoping I could find a less expensive plant to use. After visiting the job site I realized that Taxus Hicksi actually was about the best choice for this situation, so I told him I would see if I could get a better price on the plants. I showed in a wholesale catalog that the wholesale price was .00 per plant, but mentioned that I might be able to find another source.

I knew that my friend Franky did at one time grow this particular plant, so I gave him a call. Turns out he did have 106 plants available, and was anxious to move some of them, he quoted me .00 each, balled in burlap. I called my customer and told him that I found good plants at a lower price, and that I could actually deliver and plant them for .00 per plant, which is exactly half of what others had quoted him. He was delighted, and I did the job. As a matter of fact he actually asked me to install some additional plants while I was there.

I hired 3 guys to help me do the job, and we had it done in one day. After I paid for the plants, and paid my help, I actually made ,148.00 on that one day job. My customer was so happy with the work we did that he asked me to come back the following week and do about another 0.00 worth of work. I made another 0.00 The following spring he hired me to re-landscape an older home that he had purchased, and I made another 0.00.

Remember the 5.00 that I spent to mail those 350 letters? The net profit on that mailing turned out to be about ,973.00!!! And my friend Franky picked up ,060.00 for the plants I bought from him. Were these 350 people I selected special? No they weren’t. Every town in America has at least 350 people just like them, probably thousands more.

There are many different ways to make money with plants, this is just one of them, I can show you plenty more. I’ve been making money with plants for over 25 years.

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