7 Ways to Turn Your Backyard into a Suburban Retreat
Lawn Care - Your lawn is the key to a beautiful back-yard oasis. It is the foundation that ties together all of the other amenities in your yard. Start early on planning to grow a plush thick green carpet of grass. Preparation of the ground and soil is important as well as the choice of what type of grass you prefer. A maintenance program will help to ensure your lawn stays healthy and the investment in your lawn is enjoyed for seasons to come.
Landscaping - This is more than throwing in some potted plants and mulching around them. Landscaping is like turning a canvas (your backyard) into a beautiful painting. You start off with a plan for the spaces to be used, to what types of plants and colors will complement your backyard. Through planning you can experiment with many different color schemes until you find the perfect match.
Gardens - A more personal addition to your backyard than probably any other you might do. Gardens can be very therapeutic and an extension of you, the gardener. From what type of garden you choose to the type of plant, flower, herb, fruit or vegetable you choose to plant and grow. Not to be forgotten is the time and care that goes into growing a healthy garden that you can be proud of and show off to your friends.
Fencing - Having a fence put around your yard a sensible thing to do. It can give you the privacy you desire to relax in your yard and the security of letting your children and pets spend more time outside playing and enjoying the fresh air. It can really make you feel relaxed and secluded from everything and just let you get away.
Lighting - And why not enjoy your backyard retreat at night? Nighttime is a great opportunity to spend family time in your backyard. Lighting walkways and pool areas help with safety but can also be used to highlight the beauties of your yard. Spotlights can help show off your plants, shrubbery or any other area you choose.
Decks and Patios - Building or installing a deck or patio area gives you a space that can be used in a multitude of ways. There are probably more uses for either one than there are for types of material, size, design and style to choose from. And, that’s saying a lot.
Retractable Awnings and Patio Covers - Either of these will help add comfort and enjoyment to your backyard experience in any outdoor element; rain, sun or snow. Being able to relax and take it all in while at the same time being offered protection from the sky above is priceless. When looking at different types of awnings and covers you should take into consideration what its main purpose will be. Also, look at patterns and color usage and how they will tie in with your outdoor color scheme.
Plumbing Practices Can Be Environmentally Friendly
Homes in the U.S. typically use about 100 gallons of water per day, which is nearly half of the water supplied by water utilities. That’s a lot of water, so making even some of the smallest modifications to your plumbing system can save you some money, and over time you can save significant money. Now, add up the amount of water usage by all the households in the U.S. (which according to the 2007 census is 111,162,259), it’s easy to see how even the smallest change to everyone’s plumbing systems can make a significant impact on the environment.
You can use a water filtering system in your home to purify enough water to fill more than three-thousand disposable plastic water bottles every year. You would save money by not paying the store mark up on bottled water (and you would know for sure where the water was coming from). A by-product of crude oil is used to produce disposable water bottles, every year more than sixteen million barrels of oil are used in the creation of all of the bottles used in the U.S. By reducing the number of bottles we throw away, we reduce our dependence on crude oil.
Bottled or tap: A water filtration system attached to your faucet (or free-standing) can purify enough water to fill up more than 3,000 disposable plastic water bottles every year. Globally, 38 billion disposable plastic water bottles are thrown out every year. Cutting down on the use of these disposable bottles also reduces crude oil dependency -crude oil by-product is used in plastic water bottle manufacturing, approximately 17 million barrels of oil are used every year just to meet America’s demands for these plastic water bottles. Buy a reusable bottle and fill it with water you filter yourself, you’ll save money and the environment.
Graywater (or greywater) systems: A safe and easy way to collect and filter the water used by faucets, dishwashers, and washing machines, and reuse it for non-potable (non-drinking water) purposes –cutting back on your home’s water consumption. The system recycles water, to water plants for example, reducing your use of fresh, potable water. It also cuts down the amount of water going into your community’s sewage system instead of the soil.
When leaky pipes can’t be repaired because of too many pinhole leaks or another systemic problem, what can you do? Traditionally the solution has been to replace your plumbing system -to repipe, but that means cutting walls open and tearing out pipes. So not only are you throwing away the old pipes and the drywall that had to be removed to get at them, but then you need to replace them with new pipes and drywall. Manufacturing these new materials has an environmental impact.
Leaky pipes: What happens when your leaky pipes are so full of pinhole leaks or can’t be repaired and need to be replaced? A repipe, or pipe replacement, involves cutting open walls and removal of the affected pipes. Not only does this mean you’re throwing away drywall and old pipes, but you’re using new drywall and pipes, each with its own manufacturing toll on the environment.
CuraFlo’s epoxy pipe lining is a “green”, or environmentally friendly alternative to repipe. It involves less mess and takes less time than pipe replacement. More often than not epoxy lining is more cost-effective too. Your pipes are epoxy lined through connections to your existing plumbing fixtures and valves, nearly or completely eliminating the need to cut open walls. Your pipes are cleaned out and epoxy is blown through. Your existing pipes are restored to good as new condition with at least another 50 years of service life.