photo by AmethystD

The one  function of exterior decorative shutters is to look attractive. They are totally fastened flat against the exterior wall and don’t have hinges. There is no way they’re going to open and close. In fact, the only time they would move is if they’re not properly installed and encountered to hang loose or collapse from the wall altogether. Some may be used to make the home elegant and others may be installed to help re-create a historical rendition of how the residence used to look.

• Louvered. Louvered shutters have horizontal slats that are lastingly slanted at an angle to let air in. Louvered form one panel from top to bottom or two small panels with a spacious strip of material between.
• Raised and paneled. Raised and paneled shutters contain panels in the center which are a lot thicker compared to the rest of the panels. It looks very much similar to a kitchen cabinet door.
• Board and batten. Board and batten shutters are wood slats that are set up vertically either close jointly or with a space in between the slats. The slats are fastened to two thicker pieces of wood laid horizontally across the. One piece will be near the top with the other piece near the bottom.
• Bahama. Bahama shutters have a strong resemblance to a louvered shutter. Bahama shutters have a narrower frame. The narrow panels divide the shutters vertically instead of horizontally.
• Accordion Shutters. Accordion shutters are used as security from severe storms. Accordion shutters work just like an accordion, pulling out from one side to the other and folding up to be almost undetectable.

They must have the correct tools for the installation procedure, such as drills, a saw, nails, a wooden file, or whatever else might be required. Depending upon how much railing there is to be installed, learning how to install a porch railing is not a difficult task. The typical job will take between two and six hours. It is important that the individual wear the proper safety equipment, such as goggles, throughout the entire process. As aforementioned, accurate measurements will be critical to an individual’s success at this undertaking.

Accurate measurements of the surface area available for the porch will be essential. These measurements should include the space between nailing points. It will be important for an individual to ensure that their filler strips are cut to match the exact required length and are measured from the top rather than the bottom.

Before a person begins to install a porch rail, they should also mark the spots where they intend to position the balustrades. If a person is not confident enough to build the porch railing themselves, then they can simply purchase pre fabricated porch railing that is ready to be installed with the use of screws and a drill. Regardless of which method a person uses to obtain their porch railing, it is important to ensure that the porch railing undergoes water proofing treatment to ensure its durability.

Cedar Garden Trellis Arbor

Before a person undertakes the task of building a trellis, there are several items that should be taken into consideration. The first item to decide when you building garden trellis is what kind of material the trellis should be constructed from. Most gardeners opt for a durable form of wood when they build a garden trellis; however, metals, such as copper or iron, may also be used.

The second item when building a garden trellis to consider is the style of the trellis and how well it will incorporate into an individual’s garden. The third item to consider when you want to build a garden trellis is what types of plants the trellis will be supporting. It is important that the garden trellis offers adequate support for vigorous growing plants.

To build a garden trellis, an individual should first purchase the needed materials. For a simple design, sixteen, six foot lengths of durable wood will suffice. Additionally, an individual will need to ensure that they have certain tools, such as a hammer, hand saw, and nails. Fifteen of the slats of wood should be trimmed so that they are the same length. The final slat will be divided into one four inch length piece, one sixteen inch piece, and one thirty six inch length piece.

The next step to build a garden trellis, a person should measure twelve inches from one of the stack of lumber. The four-inch strip should be added to this measure. A level should be used to ensure that it stands at a proper 90 degree angle. The strip should be attached across the surfaces of all fifteen slats. At approximately 24 inches from this crossbar, the sixteen-inch strip should be attached. From the second crossbar, an individual should measure another 24 inches. The thirty six inch strip should be attached in a similar manner to the other two. Now, the garden trellis is completed.

The final step to build a garden trellis will be to dig a hole within the garden and to insert the garden trellis to the desired length. The dirt should be packed in tightly around the trellis to ensure it has adequate support. Finally, an individual should plant their vines at the base of the trellis and allow nature to take its course.

Installation of decorative concrete curbing has become popular in garden landscapes all over the world. Usually, a special machine specifically designed for concrete landscape curbing is used for installation. Because of the laborious and expensive installation process involved with decorative concrete curbing, it’s usually done to make a permanent border. It’s not advisable to install this in areas with changeable landscape, like around a swimming pool that is not permanent because it will not last long, or near pine trees where borders have a great tendency to expand as the tree continues to grow.

Decorative concrete curbing can also be utilized to emphasize a flowerbed or any other areas which has been landscaped. There are many available stamps and colors in varying options to achieve the kind of look that you desire. The concrete border, aside from its decorative purpose also serves as a barrier of plant roots. Because of its natural heavy weight, decorative concrete curbing doesn’t rise when there is frost, not like plastic landscape edging.

Decorative concrete curbing could prove to be a very durable and beautiful option when it comes to landscaping borders and edges. It’s not so hard to make the concrete curbing. Moreover, it freely allows you to add your personal touch, like decorative stamping and color addition in your concrete. A simple tip though, if you’ll be using a product made of real wood for the concrete forms, make sure that the sides which will get in contact with concrete will be sprayed liberally with cooking spray. This will allow molds to be easily released from your concrete once it’s been cured.

Here are some pros and cons of using rubber mulch in your landscape garden bed.

Advantages of Rubber Mulch

• Rubber mulch is much more durable and longer lasting than traditional mulch.

• For gardening and landscaping purposes, both rubber mulch buffing and nuggets insulate the soil from the heat which allow a 2-3 deg F higher temperature difference on soil compared to wood mulches.

• Since rubber is known to be non-porous and doesn’t absorb any water, rubber mulch is considered as beneficial to help keep the soil moisturized.

• Rubber mulch reduces plant and fungus growth, and serves as a barrier for weeds.

• Neither buffing nor nuggets give any humus to soil types which are compacted. Humus is an organic substance from the breakdown of plant material.

• When it comes to elasticity, rubber mulch is obviously more advantageous compared to plant material mulch because of its naturally springy quality making it the natural and best choice for playgrounds. Its natural springiness provides an added safety for the kids each time they fall.

Disadvantages of Rubber Mulch

• Rubber mulch can smell of rubber during very hot weather. This is more likely with new rubber mulch in a large garden area.

• There might be leached chemicals on some variety of rubber mulch, some may even be toxic, which would be very harmful and dangerous to plants. Only use trusted rubber mulch brands such as Dupont Rubber Mulch. Place it over landscape fabric to create a barrier from the garden soil.

• Just like most mulches made of organic materials, rubber mulches could be very hazardous when ignited. Since it’s composed of rubber materials, it would be harder to extinguish.

• Although in general, rubber mulch is safe, tire materials which have been recycled still contain compounds and minerals which could be hazardous when high concentrations are used.

Now that you’re armed with the information you need on this alternative to traditional landscaping mulch you can make a more informed decision.

Almost all tires can be utilized for rubber mulch making, this include tires for large trucks and passenger vehicles. To produce buffing, treads from tires are recycled after removing the remains of worn-down treads from tires for retreading.

In general, buffing are thin rubber slivers. The size of a nugget usually ranges from 10-32mm or 3/8-1¼ inch.

Keeping reading to learn more about rubber mulch.

You can get rubber mulch in a variety of colors similar to the wood chips you can purchase for your landscape bedding. Rubber mulch costs more on the front end, but has a longer life span saving you money in the long run.

In addition to using rubber mulch for your garden, you can use it for a playground area or a ball field to provide a soft cushion. It’s pretty versatile and doesn’t need much maintenance to maintain its appearance. In a garden, rubber mulch will help block weeds from growing through the surface. When it’s time to refresh your mulch, you can add another layer of rubber mulch if you choose without having to remove the old rubber mulch.

You can purchase roll out rubber mulch, such as Permanent Mulch- Roll Out Rubber Mulch – Brown 2′ x 6′ Roll which offers you a quick roll out method to apply rubber mulch to your garden bed.

Another option is a 20- pound bag of rubber mulch nuggets – Phoenix Recycled #BMP82030-100 20LB Brown Rubber Mulch. Each bag is reasonably priced for its expected life span in your garden. You can also get the Phoenix Recycled rubber mulch in the red rubber mulch.

Curv Rite Lawn Edging Kit

If you want to install plastic landscape and garden edging in your own yard, here are some steps that you can follow.

Materials Needed
• Utility knife
• Pruners
• Spade – flat tip
• Measuring tape

Steps
• Purchasing your plastic landscape and garden edging materials. Determine where you want to install the edging and get the measurement using a measuring tape. You can purchase plastic landscape garden edging materials in any store for home improvement or garden center. The edgings are usually 5.5 inches tall and are available in sturdy strips or rolls, connected together by clips in C-shape. Usually, c-clips are separately sold, together with the stakes which would be used to keep the plastic landscape garden edging in its place when installed. Strips on the other hand are more expensive compared to rolls and are commercial grade quality.
• Digging a trench. The depth of the trench must be equal to the plastic edging’s height, or more. The trench must be V-shape, cutting one side straight down while the other side gets an angle of just about 45 degrees. You can use pruners to get rid of any remaining roots.
• Placing the plastic edging in the trench. Place the edging’s first strip into the trench. The edge which is hooked at the bottom must face the soil bed. If the strip is too long, cut it using a utility knife. Use the c-clip to connect the pieces of strip.
• Installing the stakes. For the installation of stakes, dig 4 areas just along the trench and also into the soil bed for every 20-foot edging strip. Two areas must be 2-3 inches from the end of strip’s end, the remaining 2 areas must be spaced equally between each end. The area which you need to dig must measure about 6 inches for the width and 12 inches for the length into the soil bed. You will use this area to hammer stakes through the garden edging and right into the soil bed beneath the grasses.

Courtyard 7.5-ft. Vinyl Pergola Arbor

Simply defined, a pergola is multiple columns that support open crossbeams. It provides a stable base for climbing plants and vines. In order to achieve a more customized appearance, a wooden or vinyl pergola may have added elements of wire or latticework. Furthermore, a front yard pergola will allow a gardener to choose the plants that grow upon it. The plants may even be color coordinated to match the landscaping of a front or back yard.

Because wooden and vinyl pergolas are an open concept, it may be decorated climbing flowers to create a walkway from a person’s patio to another outbuilding in their backyard. A front yard pergola may be used to connect the front yard to the side yard or a driveway.

The wooden or vinyl pergola can also be essential in creating a sort of outdoor living room. A wooden pergola is reminiscent of a bygone era of European charm. It also designates a particular space for cooking out, cocktail destination, or casual dining area. This outdoor space may also be decorated with items, such as holiday lights or stereo speakers, to enhance its functionality. Similarly, a wooden or vinyl pergola may be used to connect sections of one’s backyard.

There are multiple other functions that a front yard vinyl pergola or wooden pergola may be used for.  A pergola may be used for creating shade within an individual’s yard. Pergolas may also be created in order to add an element of romance to a person’s yard. They are reminiscent of a bygone era. Placing a small bench or seating area underneath a pergola adds a quiet corner for couples to canoodle.

A vinyl or wooden pergola is simply a desirable element that adds monetary value, in addition to beauty, to an individual’s home. Additionally, it may be customized to suit a person’s unique tastes.

Build your own pergola for your yard with this great e-book guide complete with pergola design plans: Click Here!

One of the many uses of bamboo is bamboo landscape edging. Bamboo edging is created by connecting bamboo lengths side by side with the use of a wire. Afterwards, the tubes are capped to help keep interior sections dry and maintain fence durability and strength.

Bamboo garden edging can be constructed in a way where all tubes are cut the same length which is typically just about 12 inches tall. It also comes in sections which are staggered, with the sections for bamboo landscape edging ranging from 8-12 inches in height.

Bamboo garden edging comes in speckled, light tan or darker and natural finish. Every finish has an appearance that is quite glossy making it very attractive in bamboo garden borders and landscaping.

Bamboo garden edging has many benefits when it comes to landscaping, among them are the following:

• For a lot of projects, bamboo garden edging is well-known for being an eco-friendly material for building. It’s quite lightweight but very sturdy which makes it a great addition to gardens.
• Since bamboo is a lightweight material, it’s very convenient to work with for gardens as a border. The edging is very easy to lift, move around and install.
• Bamboo has the steel’s tensile strength and the concrete’s compressive strength which makes it the perfect choice for plant containment in gardens.
• Bamboo garden edging is known to be resistant to mold, moisture and drying out which makes it the durable and excellent choice for various landscaping projects.

Here is one popular bamboo garden edging option for you to buy:

Gardman Bamboo Pole Edging. This landscape border provides a rustic look for your garden. It’s easy to install and the edging is sold in packs of six. Reviewers have found this landscape border to be attractive and long lasting.

Find out more about the GARDMAN Bamboo Pole Edging at this link.

Here are a few oval wall address plaques you can customize with your home address.

Whitehall House number plaque – Rose Oval One Line  – Standard Wall

This rose colored oval house address plaque by Whitehall is a vibrant addition to any home. It has rich deep red hues that will draw the attention of passersby. The customized plaque will feature your house address number in gold numerals. The rose detail on the top and bottom of the sign add a delicate touch.

This oval Whitehall wall address plaque is 2.6 pounds and 13.5 inches by 7.75 inches.

You can purchase the rose red Whitehall address plaque at this link.

Another option is the Whitehall Ivy Oval One Line plaque. This custom address wall sign is black for versatility in your exterior home decor. This sign features an ivy pattern on the top and bottom. The measurements are 13.5 inches by 7.75 inches.

You can check out the ivy Whitehall wall address plaque here.

Hawthorne Oval Address Plaque

Another custom-made oval wall address plaque option is the Hawthorne Oval Address Plaque available from Exterior Accents.

You get style and an environmentally friendly product in the Hawthorne Oval Address plaque. It is made of recycled aluminum. Have your sign personalized with your name, address number and street if you choose. You can also choose from 18 color combinations to custom match your home’s exterior colors.

This oval wall address plaque comes with brass wood screws for stylish installation. It measures 10.25 inches high by 14.25 inches wide.

If you’re interested in buying this wall address plaque, you can by clicking the photo or this link for the Hawthorne Oval Address Plaque.