5 MOST Common Mistakes New Homeowner Makes In Their Yard

Choosing the wrong set of plants

One of the most common mistakes that people make is not choosing the right set of plants. This ranks as the most common mistake made by first time landscapers. Things to consider when selecting the plants for your yard are the size of your yard and the size of the plants, if your plant is natural to where you live, and the over-all aesthetic that you want your landscape to convey.

Mismatched Elements

An important thing to keep in mind when designing your yard is to make sure the elements that comprise your landscape match and that your yard is symmetric. If not done properly from the beginning this issue will not become apparent until after the project is done. 

Not having a plan for your plants

A vital thing to have is a plan for your plants. Having a plan for your plants allows you to figure out how much water they need, their watering schedule, when you will need to hire a gardening service to prune your plants all of this will allow your plants the best opportunity to flourish.

Inappropriate use of aesthetic

The misuse of aesthetics may cause problems. You need to choose what kind of Landscape design you’d like whether that’s formal garden design (symmetry, tight structure and orderliness) or informal garden design (wild riot color and a disdain for obvious organization). Once you have chosen which aesthetic you’d like make sure you stick with it to best accentuate the aesthetic of your landscape 

Forget about fall and winter

Most people don’t take the fall and winter months into consideration when planning their landscape design meaning they tend to be disappointed with the aesthetic of their garden because the lack of vegetation

How to Clean your Patio

Backyard Patios are the ideal space to entertain guests, spend quality time with the family, or simply relax and enjoy the outdoors. Maintaining your patio clean is relatively easy. Routine maintenance will ensure your patio will last for years to come. The proper steps needed to clean your patio depends on the material that your patio is made out of.

Poured Concrete:

Concrete is a very porous material, meaning that concrete is susceptible to stains and discoloration. For that reason, properly maintaining your concrete patio is important to maintain the aesthetic of the patio and your investment.

If you make sure that you routinely practice proper maintenance, which includes sweeping away debris and hosing the patio down with water, that should be all that is required. 

If you happen to have not kept up on the maintenance using a mixture of soap and water, along with a little elbow grease and a synthetic bristle brush should do the trick. Keep in mind that you should not use a wire brush because those have a tendency of scratching the concrete.

If you happen to have tougher stains to remove, we’ve included a few more tricks you can use to get rid of even the toughest of stains. 

Spraying oven cleaner on stains directly and letting it sit for 4 hours, then rinsing it off with a hose should help lift the stain.

Sprinkling a mix of Laundry detergent and a bit of water on the stain and then scrubbing it with a brush until the stain begins to fade, then rinsing off the mixture with water should help lift the stain. 

If you happen to have oil stains, cat litter does wonder to remove oil stains. Grind the cat litter into the stain with a block of wood or something similar, allow the cat litter to set for a few minutes to absorb the oil and then sweep up the cat litter and hose down the area. 

Stamped Concrete:

Stamped Concrete is much easier to clean than poured concrete because stamped concrete is protected by a sealer, making it waterproof and and stain resistant meaning stamped concrete requires minimal upkeep.

Just like poured concrete you want to start out by sweeping away all the dirt and debris, the reason why this is important is because if debris such as decaying leaves or wood is left on your patio for too long it can stain your concrete. 

We recommend using a simple solution of dish soap and warm water and nylon brush to scrub the stains away. And then simply hose it off with your garden hose. The ratio for the soup/water solution should be 1 cup of soup for every half gallon of water. 

Another great alternative is using a pressure washer to remove the stains and debris.

Your stamped concrete patio should be resealed every 2-3 years to protect it and keep it looking new.

Natural Stone:

Natural stone is a very good option. Natural stone is a stain resistant and maintenance is also very fairly simple. 

A good way to clean natural stone is to scrub the stain with a strong brush and use a solution of 1 part bleach and 1 part water and then rinse it off with your garden hose. Be careful rinsing the solution off though because the bleach/water solution has a tendency to kill grass and plants. If you’d like a more plant friendly solution replace the bleach with white vinegar. 

Another good option is to pressure wash your natural stone patio. 

If you’d like an extra level of protection natural stone can be given a sealant which would protect it against stains, making it even easier to clean. 

Paver Stones:

If you are looking for the most low-maintenance option paver stones is your best bet. Paver stones don’t require a lot of maintenance work to keep it looking fresh and clean and chemicals are usually unnecessary.

To clean paver stones we recommend simply scrubbing the stain with a deck brush and simple solution of regular dish soap and water. Keep in mind that the binding agent used to keep the pavers in place is sand so be careful when rinsing off the stone because you do not want the sand to wash away which is why we do not recommend using a pressure washer on paver stones. 

An awesome plus of paver stones is if your patio is fine except for a couple of paver stones that are cracked or badly stained you can easily replace those couple of paver stone and your patio back to being good as new

If you found that your patio or driveway needs more than cleaning reach out to us and you’d like to remodel your patio. Fill out our contact form for more information and a free estimate. 

5 Reasons Why An Outdoor Kitchen Should Be Your Next Remodel

1. Increases Home Value

Outdoor Kitchens are a great addition to your home if you are looking to increase your home value. Outdoor Kitchens have a high return on investment. According to NAR and NALP, Outdoor Kitchens have about a 70% ROI. NAR and NALP recommend keeping the project simple to best be able to project the ROI.

2. Expand your Communal Space

An Outdoor Kitchen creates an additional space for your family and friends to come together and spend time together without the need for expensive renovations like walls and roofs. 

3. Save Money on your Utility Bill

Cooking / grilling outside allows you to avoid having increasing the internal temperature of your house meaning you will save money from having to overuse your A.C., especially in the summer months. The reason for this is because when you bake, roast, broil or fry food in your interior kitchen it causes the temperature of your house to drastically increase forcing your AC to work that much more to maintain the temperature at your preferred temperature. 

4. Keep the Smell Outside

If you ever had made fish in your kitchen, you are well aware that the fish smell permeates the entire house, these kinds of incidents can be easily avoided by cooking in your Outside Kitchen. Keep your house smelling fresh by cooking outside. 

5. Boost the Entertainment Value of your Home

The biggest plus of having an Outdoor Kitchen is boosting Entertainment value of your home. The inclusiveness of an outdoor kitchen allows you as the host to spend more time with your guests because you aren’t confined in the kitchen alone making the meal, meaning there are more opportunities for memories and fun to be had. 

Whether you need help understanding which kitchen style would be the best fit for you or need help installing your new outdoor kitchen, fill out our contact form to speak to one of our experienced designers and for a FREE estimate.

The Different Type of Fences

Fences come in so many different styles; find out which one is best for you!

Privacy Wooden Fences:

Privacy Wooden Fences consist of long boards that are placed side by side. These fences offer maximum privacy and are the most secure of the wooden fences because there are no visible gaps between them. These fences are the most common type of backyard fence. 

Wooden Picket Fences:

Wooden Picket Fences are the most iconic type of fence. The Fence consists of thin, pointy boards, placed approximately 2 inches apart, which are connected at the top and bottom by horizontal boards. Picket Fences do not offer a lot of privacy or protection because of the spaces in-between the boards but also because the fence usually only stands between three to five feet tall. It’s important to note that a picket fence will contain small pets and children. 

 Wooden Ranch Fences: 

Wooden Ranch Fences also called rail fences are mainly seen on ranches and farms. They consist of two vertical posts placed about eight feet apart, connected by two or three wooden rails. Ranch Fences are predominantly used to corral large livestock, so you wouldn’t really see these kinds of fences in residential areas. 

Iron Fences

Iron Fences are generally built for decorative purposes. They are often placed across driveways or around the front yard. Iron fences are similar to picket fences in their structure, however iron fence posts are placed in a concrete foundation to keep them in place. This makes iron fences extremely durable. Iron fences require relatively little maintenance. 

Vinyl Fences:

Vinyl Fences are made from plastic (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC) and other special ingrediates that make it so that vinyl fences are sturdy, durable, and weather resistant. Vinyl fences require some of the least amount of maintenance when compared to other styles of fencing. For instance, vinyl fences will not rot, warp blister or split, unlike wooden fences. Vinyl Fences are non-toxic because vinyl fences do not need to be treated with chemicals to protect the fence against the elements. The average vinyl fence lasts double the time of a typical wooden fence or about 20 to 30 years. 

Brick or Stone Wall:

Brick or Stone Walls are by far the most durable and longest lasting of all the fences. A Brick or Stone Wall is an incredibly durable structure that will stand the test of time. Although Brick Walls are more expensive to initially install, Brick walls however, are far more durable and require much less maintenance than wooden fences. These brick walls are expected to last at least 100 years.

Whether need help understanding which fence option would be the best fit for you or need help installing the fence, fill out our contact form to speak to one of our experienced designers and for a FREE estimate.

TOP 2020 Sustainable Landscape Design Trends

Interest in sustainable design and being eco-conscious are both on the rise especially in places where droughts are common like Los Angeles. So we’ve created a list of the top trends in sustainable design for 2020.

Proper Drainage

Proper Drainage is one of the most important factors to keep in mind if you want your outdoor space to be more environmentally friendly. We suggest installing gutters and gutter guards onto your roof top edges this will divert a good deal of the rainwater from your patio and backyard helping prevent rain water from flooding your yard and creating unnecessary runoff. We suggest adding a slotted system for your patio to properly drain the water from your patio. A slotted system is a essentially a long drain that is installed next to your patio to collect the water and properly dispose of it, preventing the water from running off and  polluting public water with debris and toxic pollutants. 

Plants that soak up excess water:

Planting plants such as Boxwoods and Maple trees will help curtail the amount of excess water that your yard gets when it rains. The shrubs and the grass that borders your garden will protect your garden while the roots of the tree will absorb the water. Hence not only are you protecting your softscaping investment but also recycles the water by having the trees soak up the excess water. 

Outdoor flooring and Patios:

If thinking about adding a deck or flooring we suggest using Thermally Modified Wood as the choice of wood for your deck. Thermally Modified Wood decays slower than normal wood because the process of Thermal modification. Through heating the wood to over 185 to 215 degrees fahrenheit the heat removes organic compounds from the wood cells, so it will not absorb water, expand, contract, or provide nourishment for insects or fungi.

The most environmentally friendly option for your Patio is permeable pavers. Permeable Pavers allow for the rainwater to flow through its joints passing through a gravel base that filters out pollutants before the water is able to reach the ground. Meaning your drains will not overflow thus no runoff which carries debris and toxic pollutants to public sewers and public bodies of water.

Sustainable landscape is the all the rage especially here in Los Angeles if you follow a few of these tips your yard will be exponentially more environmentally friendly. If you feel like you would like or need assistance in this endeavor do not fret, simply fill out our FREE Estimate to speak to one of our professionals who will gladly go over with you what the best options for you and your outdoor space and we are a full service Landscape Contracting company so we can take you from design to your dream environmentally friendly backyard.