UNL Extension Educator John Fech shows us how and when to plant a fall garden

To convey a traditional feel, use wrought iron or wrought aluminum and add color in your use of outdoor cushions and umbrellas. Wrought iron works well in a garden setting as the traditional antiqued black and white frames lend themselves to any fabric accent. Wrought iron is practical and low maintenance, requiring only minimal touch-ups to keep its lasting elegance. With time all iron will rust but given the new powder coat painting method, the finish lasts much longer than your parent’s wrought iron. Should it be necessary, repainting is an afternoon’s do it yourself project for even the marginally handy.

For a more contemporary setting try using aluminum frames with colorful straps, slings and cushions. Many manufacturers offer a combination of straps and slings with a cushion, which offer even more options in comfort and eye appeal. This style of furniture works well poolside due to the fact that it will float in the event it finds its way into the pool. Aluminum frame furniture also works well on the deck as its feet are generally wider and come with replaceable nylon glides. These glides prevent scratches to the decking material. Most manufacturers will have small bottles of touch up paint to repair minor nicks that may occur. If lost or damaged, replacement slings and cushions can generally be ordered from the manufacturer or from an outdoor cushion supplier

Teak has replaced redwood for many reasons. First, and most importantly, redwood is costly and slow growing. It’s also reminiscent of backyard barbeques and uncomfortable benches. Conversely, most teak (Tectona grandis) is plantation grown and can be renewed fairly quickly. Kiln drying of this species of teak ensures it will have the durability of the traditional teak prized by Chinese ship builders. Teak furniture conjures up image of an English garden, and it becomes one with the surrounding flora and fauna. Comfortable with or without cushions, it is ideal for a quiet bower in which to reflect or a stately setting for entertaining on a grand scale.

Finally, in choosing the right outdoor furniture, do not limit yourself to just dinner seating. Think as if you were decorating an interior room. All manufacturers now offer accent tables ranging from small drink tables to larger coffee style tables. The use of side chairs and chaises will make your outdoor setting just as inviting as any room in your home. These elements will help you create a serene indoor setting on your back porch.

For more information on patio furniture, please visit our patio furniture website.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/choosing-the-right-patio-furniture-for-your-patio-804173.html

For the majority of my life I have sold and installed fences. Whether it was a cedar privacy fence for someone’s backyard or a chain link highway fence to an ornamental pool fence. I have seen and dealt with all sorts of fencing issues.

Myself, I love cedar privacy fences they come in so many styles that are appealing but they also come with many issues. First of all they lose their unique color within a year or two. Yes you can stain them but this can be somewhat a painful process. Most cedar fences will last between 10-15 years depending on your weather conditions. In that time I’m sure you will have some minor issues from sagging gates, picket replacement. Some of the major issues that could occur are; rotting fence posts, blown down sections, gate replacement. If your willing to put the time into your fence then I would go with a cedar fence if not then lets talk about maintenance-free vinyl fencing.

Vinyl Fences

When I sell a fence to a customer. One of my first questions to them is, “what their looking for and”, “Do you want to replace this fence down the road?” Most answer, well you already know the answer to my 2nd question. My solution is vinyl fencing. It is becoming more popular throughout the United States as you have already seen. It comes in various shapes, sizes, and colors. The materials will never rot, chip, crack, peel. They can withstand winds of up to 110mph, they won’t fade in color, resistant to insects and they are made for easy DIY installations and are usually backed with a lifetime warranty. Now, the initial cost is higher than a traditional cedar fence but in the long run it’s going to save you money in repair and maintenance costs. If this is your last house then you can’t go wrong with a vinyl fence.

Patrick Quinn

Has installed and sold fences for over 15 years and can help you with purchasing your new fence or help you with any other fencing questions. Feel free to contact him at http://www.discountfencematerials.com/or email at mailto:discountfencematerial@gmail.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/should-i-buy-a-vinyl-fence-or-a-cedar-fence-802400.html

For most homeowners, tackling a home improvement project can be a very expensive time in one’s life.   Depending on what you want to do to your home, time and money will be big determining factors.

In many cases, people usually use loans from their banks or credit cards to pay for these upgrades.  If you can pay the amount back quickly then this is a fine route to go.  Unfortunately, too many people max out their credit lines and end up taking years to pay off these loans or credit cards.

It might be nice to dream about transforming your house into a dream home with a designer kitchen, home theater room and a spa-like master bathroom.  You know what I mean…the kind that everyone in the neighbourhood talks about.  If you have the money and the time to do this kind of a major project then go for it.  It is great to see homes updated and made more elegant and comfortable for their owners. There are lots of options available.

However, with the cost and time involved to tackle a big project, you may find that you could do some easy and cheap home improvement projects that will transform your home into a great place and it won’t break the bank.  A home that you can be proud of.

Here are a few ideas for you to do some cheap home improvement projects:

1. Decide what you would like.

Check out many different home improvement magazines, books, TV shows and stores to get ideas.  There are many options and even more ways to achieve a similar look and feel for what you would like.  Even go to some real estate open houses to get some ideas from other people’s places. Put your ideas down on paper in drawings, in short descriptions and create a swipe file of pictures from magazines and catalogs for you to look at and refer back to.

2. Practicality.

There are numerous projects that you can undertake to improve your home. Take the time to think about the practicality of each one that you want to do before starting them though.  You might want that new bathroom but do you really want to deal with the noise, mess and disruption by having contractors tear out the old sink, toilet, bathtub and walls and then rebuild it all to look new again?

3. Changing the layout of rooms.

Changing the layout of the furniture in your home can be one of those very good and cheap home improvement projects. Just by putting your furniture in different positions often changes the overall ambience and feel of your home.

4. Painting the walls and moulding.

Colors play a big part in terms of a home’s ambience. One of the quickest and cheapest ways to change the look and ambiance of your home is to wash your walls with T.S.P. (tri sodium phosphate) and then grab a brush, roller and new paint and get to work repainting each of your rooms.

You can do most of the repainting jobs yourself along with other members of your family which will, hopefully, make the job easier and more fun.

You may find that with with a new coat of paint on the walls and trim, along with some new accents, that you can make it look great with out spending a bundle.

5. Try a little greenery.

Plants and flowers give rooms an inviting and warm feeling. The life that they add to your home is wonderful and dramatic.  The difference between a room with plants and one without can be absolutely amazing.  With thousands of types, sizes and colors of plants to choose from you are sure to find some great greenery to change the look of your home.

The above tips and ideas are just a few of the ways that you can do some cheap home improvement projects to upgrade and improve your home without breaking the bank. It is often the little and inexpensive touches and projects that you do to your home that can give you the most pleasure. As well, your return on your investment of time and money can sometimes be better than by doing a big project.

The most important thing to remember is that your home is your castle and that you need to enjoy it and feel comfortable with it even if it isn’t the biggest house on the block.

Is the flooring in your kitchen stained and cracked? Are the countertops marred with burns and nicks? Is the floor plan of your kitchen awkward and ill-designed? If so, it is time to consider kitchen remodeling. Updating your kitchen can enhance the value of your entire house, and kitchen remodeling can be an exciting process that calls upon your creativity.

You may need a little bit of patience as you live through the kitchen remodeling process, but the end result will be a kitchen you love and are proud to share with family and friends.

Kitchen remodeling runs the gamut from small upgrades, to a full-scale luxury remodeling venture. Small upgrades could include changing the hardware on your cabinets, refacing the cabinets, or replacing them. Or perhaps you might want to replace that scuffed floor, or resurface your countertops. Such simple changes can make an enormous difference in your space. However, a full-scale kitchen remodel is going to result in the most satisfying changes for your home.

Start your kitchen remodeling by making extensive notes about what you want. Think about what works and doesn’t work in your current kitchen. Look through magazines or scan the internet for kitchen remodeling ideas. You might want to make a file of designs and products you like. Don’t hold back at this point-make a note of everything you might want to include in your kitchen remodeling. Next, draw up a budget. This is when you match your beautiful ideas to what you can afford. You might be surprised how much you can get for your money, or the compromises you can make that will still afford you an elegant, functional design. At this point, you may also want to contract the services of a designer or space planner. They can be enormously helpful with your kitchen remodel, and point out products and design ideas that might not have occurred to you.

One of the most important decisions you will make is hiring a contractor, so take your time and do some research.

Visit home improvement stores or local remodelers to get a feel for what kind of kitchen remodeling projects they specialize in. Share your vision with the professionals you are considering. Take the time to check references. Pay attention to whether or not you feel comfortable with the contractor. Does he or she listen to your ideas and respect what you are creating? A contractor-client relationship for a kitchen remodeling is like a short-term marriage, so make certain yours will be a happy one!

Finally, prepare yourself and your family for the disruption that occurs with a kitchen remodeling project. With advance planning, this can be minimized, but some is inevitable. Discuss the time frame with your contractor and share this information with your family, so everyone is aware of how long the construction will take and what to expect. In a very short time, all memories of any uproar with the kitchen remodeling will be forgotten and you’ll be enjoying your new kitchen.

You may have found that many home improvement projects can be hard on the pocketbook. As much as you may want to call in the professional contractors to deliver excellent results, often it’s more practical to have a little belief in yourself and tackle these projects yourself.

People usually dig into their savings accounts or resort to credit cards or line of interests just to finance various projects such as new cabinets or flooring.  This often causes people to hold back on what they would really like to do because now they have to have money for materials and labor which can add up very quickly.

You will often find that once you’ve decided on what you want to do that you can make your kitchen look great by just doing a few easy to do by yourself kitchen remodel projects.  Grab a few books and magazines, go to your hardware or building store and ask some questions if you are unsure of how to do something.  It is amazing what you can find out in a magazine and talking to people.  This ain’t rocket science but, it does require a little common sense.

One of the things that you can do to dramatically change the look and feel of your kitchen is to paint it a different color.  Painting is relatively easy.  It can be a lot of work to make the room look great but it isn’t really too hard.  It is time consuming and fussy though to get a professional look.  Slow down and take your time, it will be worth it.  A gallon of paint can make all the difference in the world.  For under $50 and a weekend of your time you can have a new room.

Giving a kitchen a new color will definitely give it a new and fresher ambience. If you are tired and bored with the current color of your kitchen, you can do the painting yourself. Painting with family members is a great way to bond and have fun while improving your place at the same time.

Many people who attempt to paint their homes have problems which are related to not choosing the right paint. You must remember that cheap paint is not the way to go when painting any room in your home. If you resort to using cheap paint, you will regret it some time in the near future. Buy some good quality paint.  It is worth it.

Another way to improve your kitchen is by installing ceramic tiles on the countertop or the floor.  

The most important thing that you have to consider is the kind of look that you want with your kitchen. The selection of the colors and the sizes of the tiles is very important as there are many different types to choose from.  Installing tiles is actually quite easy with a little practice.  If you are not sure at first, try tiling a small piece of plywood to get the hang of it.

Well, there you have it, a couple of different ways to go about improving your kitchen without hiring contractors. It can take a lot of practice, time and dedication to turn your home into the castle that you desire, but if done properly, the process and the results will give you many years of great pleasure.

There can be a lot of ways to improve your kitchen, which can be argued as one of the most important places in your home. The video below will give you a few quick lessons on tiling.  Enjoy.

My sweetie, Karen, and I are starting a large renovation in our home right now and are now one of the couples doing home improvements.  We are going through all the figuring, planning and comparing what we both want with what can be done and with the amount of money we want to put in
to all of this.  It is very interesting to be on this side of the table this time.  Usually, my clients just tell me what they want to do and then I get the job done.  Or, I have to help them make the decisions which at times can feel more like being a counseler rather than a contractor because they both have different ideas of what they want.

One of the things that we are working on is deciding on kitchen appliances.  As the one who is going to be doing most of the building of the kitchen I have my idea of what appliances to get and what will work with the space that we have.  As a professional chef and the one who does all the cooking, Karen, has her ideas of what she wants for the kitchen.

We were in an appliance store the other day finalizing the ones that we will most likely get.  A little sign was posted in an inconspicuous spot that put this all into perspective.  It said:  Husbands Must Have A Note From Their Wives When Choosing Appliances.  We all had a good laugh.

The owner of the store said earlier that week one the couples doing home improvements were standing at his door when he opened his doors in the morning because the husband had been in the day before and ordered all new appliances for their home.  This guy said his wife would be fine with whatever he chose.  He found out that he was wrong, of course.

So, before you start on your next project take some time to discuss what you both want.  You may have to do some compromising to keep your partner happy.  But, as one of the couples doing home improvements, remember that your relationship is more important than the color of the walls or the style of faucets to install.  It may not be exactly what you wanted but it is not worth stressing over very much.

Check out the video below to get a few tips on what to do if the discussion turns a little heated.

Meaningful Discussions

Meaningful Discussions with Your Spouse

A gutter guard that really works! Micro-mesh gutter guard is installed on a home surrounded by leaves and pine trees. Check out its performance and how it compares to other common gutter guards that claim they keep gutters clog free. Shows why this micro-mesh gutter guard offers the only 100% money back warranty in the industry!

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Yesterday was the first time this summer that I had to get up on a clients roof and try to clean out the gutters.  The early rains and winds had been a worry to her and she was right to be worried.  With a huge fir tree right beside the house, needles constantly drift down onto the roof and the rains wash them all towards the down spouts.  In no time at all these gutters can and do clog up.

I’m sure I could be up on that roof almost everyday trying to clear out the gutters and they would still clog up shortly after I got back down on the ground.  There seems to be no end to it.  The tree is a beautiful shade giving feature in the backyard but it is an enemy of the roof and gutter system.

I love trees.  Unfortunately, they can cause lots work for homeowners or expenses for homeowners to keep their home in good condition.  I get lots of calls in the fall to clean out gutters.  Some are packed full of leaves, evergreen needles, dirt, granules from the shingles, twigs and even bones and shells that were dropped in there by birds.  It is amazing what can be found in them.

Gutter cleaning is something that you have to have done at least once a year and more likely 2 – 4 times a year depending on what you have around your home ie. trees.

It is not a fun job but those gutters have to be kept clear to keep the water flowing through them and then down the downspouts to the perimeter drains and away from your home.  It’s gotta be done one way or another.

Over the course of the past few years I have come across different types of screens or covers that some homeowners have put in the gutters or had installed over them to keep them clear.

Well, they only seem to sort of work some of the times.  The screens are large enough to let a small twig the size of a pen get through them along with all the pollution that comes down in the rain and the granules from the shingles.  The metal cover types usually have holes that are large enough to let evergreen needles to pass through them and they get clogged easily.

Whether there have been covers or screens on, you still need to get those gutters cleaned out because stuff still gets through them and clogs the downspouts.  And now it takes  2 – 3 times long to clean out the gutters because you have to fight with those covers by taking them out or off and putting back in place.  Oh what fun it is!  Yeah, right.

So, up until now there hasn’t been anything that has jumped out at me as being worth the money to go through the hassle of having covers installed only to have them partially work.  If you’re gonna put covers on then they should keep everything out except the water from the rain.

In the video below you’ll see a gutter cover which looks like it was well designed and a lot of thought went into it.  It really seems to work. It looks like they figured out a way to keep all the debris out and just let the rain water in.  Amazing!

If you’re tired of cleaning your gutters or having someone else clean them for you, then this might me a solution that you might want to seriously take a look at.

As for me, I’m off to clean out some clogged gutters.  These torrential rains that we’ve been getting this week are overflowing one of my clients gutters and causing quite a mess on the outside of his home.

Thrips, also known as thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, and corn lice, feed on a large variety of sources both plant and animal by puncturing them and sucking up the contents.  They are pests no matter what you call them.

In this video you’ll see what they can do to gladiolas that will make any gardener want to cry after putting so much work in to getting these gorgeous flowers to start growing in the first place.

You’ll have to listen carefully to hear what this gardener suggests for getting rid of these thrips.

Great Gardens: Keeping bugs off your Gladiolas

Gladiolas are in full bloom at this garden, but how do you keep the bugs away? KXLY 4’s Phyllis Stephens gets to the bottom of this problem.

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