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How to Fix Leaking Lawn Sprinkler Systems

by Stephanie Staszko on February 15

Lawn sprinklers are an essential for anyone who takes pride in their luscious green lawn. Although sprinklers systems are generally very effective, from time-to-time they may spring a leak and require repairing. Whilst major leaks will require a professional to fix them, minor leaks can be easily fixed.

A broken sprinkler system can be problematic for a number of reasons: it can be harder to maintain your lawn as you may end up with dry patches where the sprinkler has failed to reach; or flooded patches where pipe has leaked. Either way, you’re going to end up with some rather unsightly turf! Also, leaking sprinklers can waste a great deal of water, which isn’t very environmentally or pocket friendly. [click to continue…]

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Quick Tips for Removing Snow

by Alex Kelly on February 14

Quick Tips for Removing Snow

If you live in an area that’s likely to see snow during the winter months, make sure you’re ready to tackle it. When it comes to removing snow, you have choices. You can pick up a shovel and do it the old-fashioned way, or you can invest in powered snow removal tools. These snow removal tips will help you choose the method that’s best suited to your needs.

Removing snow with a shovel

If you typically only have to clear light layers of snow, then a shovel may be sufficient. But removing snow – even if there isn’t much of it – with a shovel can be hard work. To make the job easier and safer, follow these snow removal tips: [click to continue…]

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Early Spring Garden Preparation Tips

by Stephanie Staszko on February 1

As February begins, darkness descends a little later and the dew on the grass smells sweet, as spring is on the horizon. After neglecting it over the winter months, you start to think about venturing into the garden and preparing it for the spring and summer ahead. Now is actually a good time to perform a good old-fashioned spring clean, plant some seeds and start to prepare your garden for many happy days in the upcoming months.

A Thorough Spring Clean

Winter will have left you with a rather big clean up job on your hands as dead leaves and branches are strewn across your turf. One of the first jobs is to rake the lawn and compost the debris. You may notice bare or damaged patches on your lawn, now is a good time to re-seed them for a full, luscious lawn in the summer. Make sure you keep the grass well watered until the patches begin to germinate.

Lawn edges will start to grow ferociously in early spring, make sure you trim them regularly to keep them maintained. Weeds will also start to grow rapidly around this time so weeding regularly, although it’s somewhat of a tedious task, can help you to keep on top of even the keenest of weeds and save you a big job in the future. If you have any topiary or shrubs, make sure you shape them now to get rid of any dead, browning leaves and then regularly trim them to keep them in optimum condition. [click to continue…]

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Snow Shoveling: Let the Kid Do it!

by David Lupberger on December 1

Winter is on its way.  With the eventual snow that comes with winter, comes snow-shoveling.  It has already snowed twice where I live (outside of Denver, CO).  I don’t like to shovel snow and where I live, we have 24 hours to clear any walkways or the city can issue a ticket to homeowners who don’t get this done.  So here is the deal – I have 24 hours to get my walks and driveway cleared, or I could be looking at a parking ticket-like fine if I don’t get it done.  Your area may have some similar laws or neighborhood requirements.   Look, I’m in pretty good shape – I go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week, and do some running to help keep my lungs healthy.  In spite of this, I hate shoveling snow.  It’s hard, especially the driveway.  We have a 2-car garage, so there is a fair amount of concrete that needs to be cleared.

Instead of providing best practices on shoveling snow, here’s my best tip.  Hire the kid down the street!  Middle or high-school kids are perfect for this kind of work.  Tell him/her to come do it every time it snows.  In my younger years I shoveled snow, and loved the “easy” money that came with every storm.  Want to save your back?  Hire the kid down the street!  Do you want to enjoy that early snowfall instead of stressing about removing it?  Hire the kid down the street.  This is effective delegation at its finest.  It helps “fund” the local economy, and rewards some enterprising teenagers for their initiative.  This is a win-win scenario.

If you don’t have a teenager down the street to hire, there are plenty of snow removal services that you can hire.

Soon you will be watching your local television station doing a news program on shoveling snow, and how to do it safely.  I’ve gotten smarter as I’ve gotten older.  I can’t think of any safer way to shovel snow than having a neighborhood teenager do it for me.

David Lupberger, author of the book Managing the Emotional Homeowner, draws on more than two decades of experience in the residential remodeling field, working with remodelers to develop proven business systems. Through his work in the remodeling industry, he hopes to redefine the way the remodeling industry operates so that the trust between quality remodelers, their customers, suppliers, and trade contractors can be leveraged and improved.  Visit David’s website at: www.DavidLupberger.com

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Project of the Week: Winterizing Your Pool

by ServiceMagic on October 14

If you have a pool, shutting it down is perhaps the most important winterizing task of all. That being the case, you should follow some basic pool closing maintenance steps.

  • Clean your pool thoroughly one last time: Run the filter for 24 hours before you shut everything down. You’ll thank yourself next spring, when you pull off the cover to relatively clean water instead of leaves that have been under the ice for the last six months. [click to continue…]

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Quick and Easy Beautiful Outdoor Holiday Decorations

by Karen Lawes on October 13

Winter will soon be here and with it, the holiday season. It’s time to pull out those same old holiday decorations and lights. Making the outside of your home festive is easy when you hire a Christmas light installation company, but what if you don’t want to go overboard? Just a few simple touches outside will show off your holiday spirit, but won’t break the bank. Here are some simple decorating ideas that you can do yourself.

Use Your Window Boxes

Most people use their window boxes in the spring and summer only, but there are plenty of hardy plants out there that will survive the winter months. Don’t leave them empty and unsightly. Plant some Ornamental Cabbage and Evergreen Holly branches. Add some pinecones and berries as well as a few white Christmas lights and ornaments for color and you have quickly turned your empty window boxes into a nice holiday display. Solar powered lights work best outdoors.

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You don’t have to use plants in your window boxes. Stop by your local dollar store and pick up some holiday figurines. Arrange them in your boxes with some lights and create a nice scene in your window. You could also hang holiday stockings from the bottom of the boxes.

Another easy idea is to fill your window boxes with “fake” gifts. Wrap different sized boxes with colorful holiday paper. You may want to double or triple wrap them so that they hold up in the winter weather. Add some bows and string and you’re done! Or simply wrap the entire window box. Finish it with a large red bow.

Utilize Your Bird Bath

Bird baths usually stay empty throughout the winter months. Might as well dress them up! Try cutting up some citrus fruit and berries and placing in the bird bath. Next, fill it with water. Make sure that you do this during the colder months when the water is sure to freeze and few animals are roaming. The frozen fruit looks very colorful next to snow.

Place a string of white lights inside glass a cloche and display it on your bird bath. Put some pine cones and berries around it. Makes a great entryway display!

Another display idea is to place glowing spheres in your birdbath. Finish it off with a few ornaments and a sprig or two of greenery.

Borrow Your Kid’s Toys

Check the shed or garage for one of your children’s old bicycles. Lean it against a fence or prop it up next to your mailbox. Then add some holiday decorations. Wrap it with a string of colorful Christmas lights and hang a few ornaments. Or simply wrap it with garland and add a large bow.

Lean an old sled next to the front door. Drape a large wreath over it and it makes a welcoming holiday decoration.

Your children’s basketball hoop can make for a great outdoor holiday centerpiece. Tie the net together at the bottom and fill it with glowing spheres or large tree ornaments. Wrap the pole with lights or garland. You could even hang stockings from the hoop rim.

Karen Lawes is owner of WinterIsHere.com, a site dedicated to helping homeowners feel prepared during the winter months.

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Get Your Patio Ready for Autumn

by Derek Dasher on October 12

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With the winter season upon us, it is time to enjoy the last few warm days and to prepare for the winter freeze. Now is the time to winterize your patio and make usable for the autumn season. Just because the temperature is dropping doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your patio with friends and family!

A Clean and Green Patio

Have you noticed that the summer season has left the patio a little dirty? It is time to power-wash the base of the patio. If you don’t have a power washer, you can still use the hose with an attachment nozzle. Use it at the highest pressure to remove dirt and debris that may have accumulated onto the patio’s surface during the summer. Remember to wash any patio furniture too and remove the buildup of pollen from the summer. This needs to be done before you pack up your patio items since you do not want to be using a hose outside in late November.

This is also the perfect time to replace your faded summer flowers with some new vibrant colors. Use hardy mums, violas, and pansies. Many people also decorate their patio by placing gourds, pumpkins, and other seasonal items to add color for the changing season.

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Rejuvenate the Patio

If you have a concrete patio, patching any cracks in it will prevent them from growing or causing problems in the spring. If you have a wooden patio, or any wooden fences, repainting and resealing them would also be wise.

Add color to the patio with typical fall colors including chocolates, golden yellows, deep reds, oranges, and greens. You can also add patio-lights for additional color accents in the evening. Many models and colors of lights are available and it should be easy to find one to match to your patio design. Colorful lights increase the charm of the evenings, making your late parties last longer.

Importance of Comfort

As is gets later, you may need a patio heater. You can use propane, natural gas, and electric to heat it, but make sure that there is a shut off option for safety. You can also use patio fireplaces to keep warm.

If this isn’t an option for you, keep quilts and blankets nearby. For storing the quilts and blankets outdoors, use furniture that has a hidden storage compartment, just make sure to check for spiders, or other bugs, before using or storing blankets.

All said and done, do not over-stuff your patio. A little bit of space should also be left so you don’t feel cramped. Remember to keep it useful for all members of the family and any time you have company over.

This post was written by Derek Dasher, a regular contributor at YourLocalSecurity.com. He enjoys writing about home improvement, home security, and green topics at In Good Measure.

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