Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

Why Cabin Vacations Are Becoming A Popular Get-A-Way

September 10, 2023   Matt

Why Cabin Vacations Are Becoming A Popular Get-A-Way

Do you want to take your family on a fun vacation, but are limited by factors such as cost and convenience? The perfect answer may lie in renting a cabin for your family getaway!

Let’s face it, going on vacation with your family is not cheap. If you are planning on staying in hotels, you have to worry about the price of the room, the lack of privacy, and the hassle and additional costs of going out for meals at restaurants, which increases both the cost and stress of your vacation. A family of five might even have to purchase two hotel rooms for one night’s stay.

Camping can also be quite stressful for a family on vacation. Tents and RVs allow for no privacy, and can get really hot in the morning sun. It is no wonder that cabin vacations are becoming the number one choice for families going out on their vacations!

Owners of cabins along lakefronts and ocean sides, and even at ski resorts, have begun to realize that the perfect way to keep their cabins maintained and safe during the frequent times they are not using them is providing them for rental to families who would like to vacation at a certain location but cannot afford the price or inconvenience of a hotel room, and who also find the idea of an outdoor camping experience strenuous.

Families can take a cabin vacation for less than they would spend in hotels, with all the comforts of home that cannot be found in a tent or an RV. Cabins that have been made available for rental usually include multiple bedrooms with soft beds, a full kitchen, plumbing, heating, electricity, and often cable or satellite television. In other words, cabin vacations offer all the comforts of home at your favorite vacation destination, for much cheaper and with less stress than can be offered either by staying in a hotel or by camping.

Meals can be planned and implemented with ease, and if you forgot to pack enough food there is almost always a grocery store within a short distance. Often, there will be stores that specialize in a specific food you might want to eat on your vacation- ocean cabins, for example, are quite often located in close proximity to stores selling fresh seafood. A family who chooses a cabin vacation will save money over a hotel experience not just in rental costs but in the pricy restaurant costs as well!

Cabin vacations are becoming so popular among families that in many resort areas, hotels are becoming obsolete as owners of cabins rent them out to eager vacationers. The cost effective vacation and the insurance that the cabin is occupied provide a mutual benefit to all parties concerned.

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Finding the Right Landscaping Company

September 05, 2023   Matt

Finding the Right Landscaping Company

Hiring a good landscaper will make completing your landscape a much simpler process. If you create goals and properly layout your plans for your landscaping you will be able to get specific pricing. Here are some tips on how to hire a landscaper the right way.

1. What do you really want or need?
Some landscapes are beautiful as they are, but the owners sometimes just want to add new appeal to their homes so they opt to have a landscape job done. Be sure that you have already identified what you want in the landscape design. This should be in your preparatory plan before you even speak to a professional contractor. Once you have your plans you can present them to the contractor to see if everything will work and is possible. The blog on paramountlawns.com is a great place to start for your landscaping ideas.

2. Set a firm budget.
Next you should prepare your budget. Will your dream garden be feasible? Is it practical or do you need to make some adjustments or compromises? The best thing is that you know what you want and you are able to identify alternatives if your budget fails to accommodate your vision. With the plans and budget in place things tend to be easier when negotiating with the contractor. The landscaper will ensure that this project will meet your budget and assure that it will look closely to what you are expecting. Be sure to get accurate measurements so that materials do not accidentally go over budget. Some contractors like to give you the best price in the estimate, but find out later that they can’t provide all the material at the quote given. Which brings us to the next step, get references!

3. Get references.
Know the landscape companies that you are contacting and negotiate with them. Gauge their level of experience and the quality work by asking for photos or tours of their previous projects. You should also ask for references and their professional affiliations. Make sure the company is a legitimate company and that everything is written down. Without written proof of the agreed upon services it is difficult to prove if you are not happy in the end.

Summary
It all boils down to good planning and documentation. If you have a solid plan and ask the right questions you will end up with an exceptional landscape. In the Sacramento California valley, Paramount Properties is the premiere landscaping company. Visit the website for more information and for services.

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Useful Landscaping Ideas for Your Front Yard

August 31, 2023   Matt

Useful Landscaping Ideas for Your Front Yard

The front yard usually requires special attention since it is the part of the house that is seen most often. The beauty of your home can sometimes be judged by how well the front yard is designed. A cluttered front yard can say a lot about what can be found inside the home. A well-kept yet simple front yard design can say a lot about how a homeowner treats and gives worth to a property.

To create a beautiful front yard doesn’t usually require hiring an expert to do the job for you. Your own creativity can do a lot to brighten up your front yard. Your front yard doesn’t have to be just a typical patch of grass, the usual mailbox, or small pool for the kids.

Front yard landscaping ideas are available for you out there to help create that important part of your home look unique and more attractive. With a little creative thinking, you can have a front yard that everyone in the neighborhood will talk about.

A good landscaping idea that you can use for your front yard is creating an attractive outdoor living area on it. Some people may apply such an idea to their backyard, but it can also be a unique touch to any front yard. A place where you and your friends and family may be able to lounge around or sit peacefully in the backyard can already be considered as an outdoor living space. It can be as easy as placing a bench under a tree to act as a shade.

You may even want to make use of plants to surround the area to add a private touch to this part of your front yard. The space that you create can be a perfect setting for observing the daily happenings in your neighborhood or just peacefully while away the time reading a good book. This quaint outdoor space in your front yard can become a welcome extension to your home’s various living spaces.

Another way to put life into your front yard is by creating beautiful outdoor displays. Visually appealing landscaping in your front yard can make it all the more interesting. One way of doing it is by adding some visually stimulating objects that becomes a part of your front yard. This can be made possible by attracting a variety of interesting wildlife to come and visit your front yard paradise.

You may wish to add a bird house or bird bath in a good area of your front yard to welcome the birds to come by for a visit. You can also add some flowering plants in your front yard in order to attract butterflies that may help add some color and appeal. In so doing, you can help your own front yard spring to life, literally.

Adding up plants is one of the easiest and the best front yard landscaping ideas that you can use. Choosing the plants for your front yard would depend on how much time you can spend on maintaining and caring for it. If you do not have a lot of time to spend on caring for your newly landscaped front yard, you may choose to have more perennial plants for your front yard.

Perennials are plants that bloom year after year and require less time to maintain. Using them can be an inexpensive way to add to your front yard landscape.

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What do you when you’ve decided a garden bench would look perfect in your landscaping

August 26, 2023   Matt

What do you when you’ve decided a garden bench would look perfect in your landscaping

What do you do if you decide to build a new shed for your backyard?

If your answers are:

Go to the garden center and buy one,

Hire a reputable contractor

Buy a premade shed from lumbermills

You may be right! Then again, you may be wrong! If you would like to save 50% or more on your home projects, and feel the satisfaction of doing it yourself, this is where MyShedPlans.com comes to the rescue.

MyShedPlans offers the most complete home project resource you can buy on the Internet.

It is bursting with plans for over 12,000 woodworking projects! You will find plans for birdhouses, garden furniture, sheds, full size decks, and everything in between. If it can be made out of wood, it will most likely be here. After all, 12,000 pretty well covers the gamut of whatever you might like to build! Toys are included, too. All plans are complete from start to finish, and include material lists, detailed diagrams, and explicit step by step instructions.

Many different designs for each type of project are also included. For example, there are hundreds of designs for outdoor buildings, from small sheds all the way up to a complete stable. Choose whatever type of shed or storage house is right for you. Pick from fancy ones or more utilitarian designs.

What if you do not have carpentry skills?

No worries. it brings you up to speed with professional tips and tricks used by the pros. Learn how to handle carpenter equipment, follow the right safety rules, and how to do your projects professionally so that they will look good and last.

In addition to the woodworking projects, MyShedPlans brings you valuable information for all your home projects. You will discover professional guidelines for plumbing, electrical work, foundations, plastering, building codes, wallpapering, installing fireplaces, decorating, tile, stone work, working with cement and mortar, and so much more!

With MyShedPlans, you can finally be the handyman you always wanted to be. You don’t need to feel helpless if the faucet breaks. Install improvements like new lighting with ease. Got a new puppy? Make him feel welcome with his own doghouse.

You’ll always have the ideas and plans you need for your next project.

MyShedPlans is delivered via instant downloads. The plans are printable, so that you can pick out your project on the computer, print out the plans, and have them with you when you go to get materials and then work on your project.

It really is an awesome resource. And you can have it all, in one swoop, with a single, small payment. Save time and money, and get the satisfaction and pride that comes with accomplishment at MyShedPlans.

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Types Of Swimming Pools

August 16, 2023   Matt

Types Of Swimming Pools

Swimming pools provide a great way to relax, exercise, and enjoy yourself on a hot summer day, coming in a variety of different shapes and sizes. To efficiently and safely operate a swimming pool, you’ll need to have a pump, basin, water filter, chemical feeder, return, drains, and the proper plumbing to transport your water.

Depending on the basin structure, there are various types of pools available for you to choose from. Above ground swimming pools are the easiest to build and the cheapest to buy, as they come with pre-made kits. Fiberglass pools are built using molded fiberglass, reinforced plastic. Fiberglass pools are in ground, and can provide you years and years of family fun and swimming excitement.

Vinyl lined swimming pools are the cheapest types of in ground designs you can get, although you’ll need to have the liner replaced every 10 years or so. Concrete is another popular design for in ground pools, as they provide plenty of room and no need to have the liner replaced.

There are also the public swimming pools, which include heated indoor pools, children’s pools, and outdoor pools. Public swimming pools are well known for their slides and other features such as waterfalls and splash pads. Public pools are great for hot days, although most prefer to get their own pool due to public pools being so crowded on a frequent basis.

Swim spas, or exercise pools are also popular, known for their resistance swimming. Swimming is one of the best exercises that you can do for your body, as it works just about every muscle in your body. There are several exercises that you can do in an exercise pool, such as jogging, water toning, and water yoga.

No matter what type of swimming pool it may be, it’s very important that the chemicals stay balanced. If the balance of the chemicals is off, it can damage the water, which can really irritate your skin and your eyes. Therefore, swimming pools need to be disinfected on a daily basis and treated with various chemicals. To maintain the proper health of the skin, purifying the water is very important.

If you are looking to add a swimming pool to your property, there are several for you to choose from. Swimming pools can help add property value to your home, which is always a good thing. When you add a swimming pool to your property, you should always think in terms of safety, and ensure that your pool is protected against young children. If you take care of your pool and always make sure that things are clean and safe, your pool will provide you with plenty of fun for years and years to come.

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Landscaping With Rocks Will Spotlight Your Yard

August 11, 2023   Matt

Landscaping With Rocks Will Spotlight Your Yard

Taking a drive around town will reveal yards that look the same. Sure some may have beautifully manicured lawns and others may not but the overall look is the same, green grass, trees and flowers. If you’re longing to make your yard stand out from the acres of sameness adding some decorative rocks and stones will do the trick.

The addition of landscaping rocks will give your yard a style and character that most homeowners would love to have but don’t know where to start. The first step to adding some personality to your landscaping is to remove some of the grass. If you aren’t using your front lawn there’s no point in maintaining it and this will make your landscape unique.

Use a shovel or if you have access to one, use a tiller to break up the ground. Pull the rocks out of your way –these are not the kind of rocks we’ll be using for this landscaping project 🙂

While you’re digging, decide whether or not you have the proper drainage for your plants and flowers, if not, now would be a good time to add the appropriate irrigation system.

One addition that you can add to your front yard landscaping is to add a walkway. Having your guests use the driveway or worse, the grass, to get to your door is not the effect you’re after so think about adding a walkway. This addition will keep guests from tracking in dirt and other debris in to your home too.

One popular effect for a stone walkway is to stagger rocks all along the walk to your door. Make certain that when you do the final install your rocks are secure and they don’t move when they are walked on. To keep the rocks in place remove four to five inches of soil beneath each rock that you lay. Add a thin layer of gravel beneath the stone. This will keep your rocks and stones in place to ensure safety and stability.

When planning the walkway try to add interest by adding curves to your design. This will give your work a more distinctive yet informal look. Add smaller trees and shrubs top provide structure for your new walkway. And add some color with some easy to care for perennials. Perennials work well with a rock landscape because they are easy to care for yet they add beauty and color to the project.

Once the main plantings are in, you can start to add some smaller greens and flowers. You can add some greens in between the rocks in your walkway to fill in the gaps. Some people suggest that instead of using mulch to maintain the manicured look use river rock between the flowers. Both would work well it’s just a matter of taste and budget.

Now for the finishing touch –add some climbing vines that will wrap up and around your railing and front porch. Hanging plants can be hung from the roof of you porch or you can create a trellis for the vines and the planters. This will give it the finished look of a Tuscan garden. Decorative rocks are the final touch for this easy to do project and you’ll have a front yard that neighbors will envy for years.

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