Designin & Building Pool House Cabanas

Designin & Building Pool House Cabanas - If you're thinking of building a cabana to add functionality and beauty to your pool area, there are a few things you should keep in mind in the planning stages. Once your cabana is built, it's hard to turn back time, so give some attention to detail and figure out exactly what your want your pool house cabana to be. Make a list must your haves, like, sufficient storage, but entertaining space for at least six people and a bathroom, for example.

Pay some attention to location. If it's not close to the pool, it's not a cabana. It's either a storage shed or a guest house, or a combination of both. But don't locate it so that it blocks out all the rays you and your family want to catch poolside. Do you want a mini-kitchen or mini-bar, a bathroom with shower and cable/internet? Incorrect or poorly thought out placement could cost you much more if you have to pull utility lines far from the domestic interface. If you live in a multiple season climate, environment and weather may play a role, so keep that in mind.

Inside, forethought into design should take into account how you plan to use it and how much you will need to store. Clever storage options, like shelving and cabinets designed to hold your specific items, can maximize your capacity and entertaining and relaxing space. Layout should be functional. If you plan to utilize for entertaining, put those facilities up front and keep your storage areas as much out of sight as possible.

Most cabanas are around 8' x 12' or 10' x 14'. Five sided models are 10' or 11'. There really aren't any hard and fast rules, though. The most important thing is to make sure you've sized your cabana to meet your current, and possibly future, needs. It also has to not overwhelm the setting. A gigantic cabana may be what you want, but if you don't have the space, it will just look out of place. Most cabana must haves include a changing space, pool equipment storage, and either a small kitchen and bar area, and shower. It really depends on your desires, your space and other needs unique to you.

Premium grade western red cedar or maintenance free wood fiber siding are the most common materials available and come in a variety of colors to suit your décor and style. Extend or compliment your home, garden or pool area with different materials and looks. Pool house cabanas can blend seamlessly into the exterior of your home and yard. A little pre-planning and thought, and your pool house cabana can create an inviting, elegant addition to your home, pool and outdoor experience. Source

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Tips on How to Protect Your Plants From Frost

Tips on How to Protect Your Plants From Frost - You are well-aware that cold weather and frost can have a devastating effect on your garden plants. While it is true that it is beautiful to look at, frost can easily turn your landscape gardening efforts into a nightmare, if you don't take precautions.

Like with many things, prevention is actually the best cure for frost. If you are worried that your plants may not be able to cope with the freezing temperatures, you need to take steps to ensure their survival. If you are not careful in your efforts, you will see plants dying and evergreens turning brown. You must be especially careful in case your garden contains tender plants, as these can use all the help they can get to make it through. What action you take to protect your plants depends mostly on what plants you have and your current garden situation. In general, you need to consider the following:

Provide a layer of protection - for plants located against a wall or any tender specimens growing in the open, you can provide a regular fleece-covered frame. As an alternative, you can add a layer of straw/bracken leaves between two sections of chicken wire. Use that to cover your plants in the evening, when temperatures are particularly low. In order to prevent the soil where tender bulbs and plants are located, you can add a thick layer of compost - manure, leaves and straw work well enough.

Keep the soil around evergreens safe - evergreens usually do well enough throughout winter, but they do need some attention. One thing you can do is to mulch the area around the base of evergreens. The purpose of this is to keep the soil frost-free. That way they will take moisture and not become dehydrated.

Grow tender plants in pots - the main benefit of growing plants in pots is that you can move them once the weather becomes bad. Make space inside your home or in your greenhouse during the worst periods of bad weather. If you cannot move the plants, take cuttings of them and store them somewhere warm till next spring, when they will be ready for growing.

Protect trees - trees can be protected in various ways, but the most common include wrapping their trunks with fleece (or straw stuffed hessian) and protecting the crowns of tree ferns. If you have palms and cordylines, you should tie their leaves into branches and in that way protect their crowns.

Protect low-growers - low-growing plants are particularly vulnerable to frost, because they experience the worst of it as frost tends to linger more in low areas of the garden. What you can do is protect them with a cloche or a sheet of glass and surround the area with grit and gravel for crown protection.

These are all very good tips to protect your plants in the winter. Implement them all and you can expect to see the success of your landscape gardening efforts.

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How to Find the Perfect Landscaping Company for Your New Home

How to Find the Perfect Landscaping Company for Your New Home - You just purchased a brand new house. It's in a phenomenal location, has four bedrooms, a spacious basement, and state-of-the-art security system. The land has been well maintained but doesn't fit the way you picture your dream home. Much like your new home, your yard is a blank slate. Don't settle for less!

Just as Rome was not built in a day, planning the ideal landscaping takes time and a thorough plan. Employing the expertise of professional landscape designers and architects can help you to do the project right and pull off your vision for your yard. After you have a plan, be sure you choose the right landscaping company to maintain the beauty of your yard for years to come.

Planning Your Yard

If you are moving into a pre-planned neighborhood, there may be certain guidelines governing the fauna of your yard. Be sure to ask any neighborhood associations before you spend a considerable amount of money on plants. Similarly, when working with a landscaper, be sure that you choose a realistic style that works for your yard. Despite good intentions, exotic trees and shrubs can stand out and feel awkward if planted between yards with more domestic varieties.

Key Questions to Ask

You should have a thorough estimate and schedule for your new project. It's always best to shop around to find the best rate for the labor and the materials. Does their proposal make sense, and will it fit your needs? Does the landscaping company hire subcontractors that are experts in masonry, wooden decks, driveways, pools or hot tubs? What about safety and security? Are they experienced with the zoning laws in your area, and respectful of the neighbor's property as well as yours? If you are still renovating, are they experienced in landscaping around construction areas?

These are just a few important questions to ask either yourself or the landscaping company about the process of making your land look beautiful.

Other Important Things to Consider

The best contractors will assist you every step of the way. If they can provide an airtight plan, then you can feel confident that your dream home will become a reality. An informed consumer does research and shops around to find who will offer them the most comprehensive strategy at the best price. If nothing else, a skilled contractor can help you to incorporate your largest ideas into the design. Finally, remember that your yard is a living, breathing part of your home. A landscaping company can help it match your personality and aesthetic.

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10 Tips Easy for Designing Your Home Office

10 Tips Easy for Designing Your Home Office - Whether your home office is designated space for running a business, the occasional telecommute, or simply a nook for paying bills and organizing your schedule, you deserve more than a metal desk and extra chair stuffed into a spare corner. Why? An office that reflects the design and comfort of the rest of your home is a place you'll want to burn the midnight oil. Here are 10 tips for creating a charming, practical work space.

1. Location, location, location. You'll likely spend many hours in your home office, so don't stiff yourself on space (e.g. squishing a tiny desk into a windowless closet to preserve the rarely-used guest room). Also consider traffic flow and your ability to withstand distractions. Do you work best in the thick of activity, or should your office be tucked away in a quiet space? If clients will be stopping by, a private space with ample seating is a must.

2. Don't sacrifice form for function. Your desk, shelves, and storage should serve you, not the other way around. Consider your workflow and what items you need at your fingertips before investing in furniture, and then look for pieces that are both beautiful and functional. Home office furniture should complement other rooms in your house instead of screaming "soulless cubicle." If your home has traditional décor, warm wood and soft, comfy chairs or a loveseat are ideal if you have the space. A contemporary home office can feature artistic pieces or modern metal furniture.

3. Invest in a great chair. You spend hours parked in your office chair; a beautiful, ergonomically-correct, comfortable seat is worth every dime.

4. Paint the walls a color you love. Forget "office beige": you need a color that gets your work motor humming. For some people, that's a bright, cheery color like orange or lime green. Others need a calming shade like botanical green or sea foam blue to perform. Find out more about how certain colors can affect your mood.

5. Give yourself a view. Position the desk where you can stare at something more interesting than a blank wall (even if you do love the color) when you glance up from the computer. A window's natural light is ideal, but if you're in a windowless space, hang a pretty picture above the desk, or position your chair to face the door.

6. Choose homey accessories. Unless you're going for a contemporary look, choose extras that enhance the comfy feeling of your home office, like a pretty mug for a pencil holder, trendy notepads and sticky notes, and a decorative waste basket. Wrap your bulletin board in a gorgeous fabric, and hide utilitarian bookshelves behind curtains made from the same material. Hang inspirational prints on the walls, whether that's simply your kids' framed artwork or a classic painting.

7. Organize vertically and horizontally. Many home offices aren't swimming in square footage, so using space efficiently is imperative. Hang floating shelves on the walls to get papers and office equipment off the desk, and use vertical file folders on the desk to keep important papers within arm's reach. Are you a stacker or a filer? If you tend to make piles, get a nice basket to tame your mail, notes, and papers. If you prefer a clean desktop, designate one drawer for your "to-do" papers. Wooden or metal cube storage is a fun alternative to bookshelves, since each space can be used for books, knickknacks, or baskets of odds and ends.

8. Master your technology. There's not much you can do to beautify the computer, printer, and phone, but you can hide unsightly cords. Start by making sure your equipment is close to outlets and easy to access if you need to unplug. Encase cords on the desk in a pretty fabric cord cover like this one from Taylor Gifts, and feed the cords into a desk grommet, a plastic or metal cap that helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Tame the cord jungle on the floor with cord winders, tubing, or a wire organizer that's attached to the desk and lifts the cords off the floor.

9. Let there be light. Here's a bright idea: make sure your office has plenty of light to cut down on eye strain and headaches. Position the computer monitor so there's no glare from a window or overhead light, and put a small lamp on the desk for task lighting.

10. Inspire yourself. Set up a mini-shrine — a few cherished knickknacks, a piece of framed art, a special photo on your desk — that motivates you to create and/or get the work done so you can get out of there. A print of Paris can channel your inner muse, or a photo of your children might remind you that you're doing it all for them. For more information about home design, please visit the following blog >> Home Decorating

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