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blog, Uncategorized

The Benefits of Western Red Cedar: Why it’s Worth the Extra Cost

The Benefits of Western Red Cedar: Why it’s Worth the Extra Cost

When it comes to building materials, it can be tempting to opt for the cheapest option available. However, choosing a more expensive material like Western Red Cedar sourced from Canada and the United States can be a wise investment in the long run.

Firstly, Western Red Cedar is known for its durability and resistance to rot and decay. This means that it will last much longer than cheaper alternatives like White Cedar or Chinese Fir, which may need to be replaced more frequently due to weathering and other forms of damage. Not only will this save you money on replacements, and repairs, but also reduces the environmental impact of constant resource extraction and processing over time.

Secondly, Western Red Cedar has an attractive, natural appearance that adds value and visual appeal to any project. The wood’s distinctive grain and warm color create a timeless aesthetic that cannot be replicated by cheaper alternatives. This makes it a popular choice for outdoor structures like decks, fences, and pergolas, as well as for indoor features like ceilings and accent walls.

Thirdly, Western Red Cedar is a sustainable choice. It is harvested from responsibly managed forests in Canada and the United States, which means that the production process has a lower environmental impact than other materials. This is because the forests are carefully monitored and replanted, ensuring that the ecosystem is protected for future generations.

Lastly, let’s discuss the economic impact of your purchasing decision.

By choosing this material, you are supporting the local economies of both the United States and Canada, as well as helping to create and sustain good-paying middle-class jobs within the forestry industry.

In Canada, the forestry sector is a major contributor to the country’s economy, accounting for more than 200,000 jobs and generating billions of dollars in economic activity each year. Similarly, in the United States, the forestry industry supports over 2 million jobs and contributes over $300 billion annually to the country’s economy.

By choosing Western Red Cedar sourced from Canada and the United States, you support the livelihoods of those working in the forestry industry, including loggers, sawmill workers, and others involved in the supply chain.

This benefits individuals and their families and helps boost local economies and creates a ripple effect throughout the broader community.

Overall, choosing Western Red Cedar sourced from Canada and the United States is not only a wise investment in terms of durability, aesthetics, and sustainability but also a way to support the economies of both countries and create and sustain jobs within the forestry industry.

Sources:

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backyard, Backyard Inspirations

How To Reduce Premature Wood Decay And Degradation Of Your Outdoor Product

How To Reduce Premature Wood Decay And Degradation Of Your Outdoor Product

Many homeowners prefer outdoor structures such as dog houses, gardening kits, gazebos, playhouses, and pergolas made of wood due to their resilient and long-lasting nature, with cedar being the commonly used timber for such features. Western Red Cedar is a preferred type of wood due to its natural resistance to water, decay, and bugs, and its exceptional sturdiness, making it suitable for construction in outdoor environments. Additionally, it ages gracefully and has inbuilt air pockets that protect it from changes in temperature. Redwood, Cypress, White Oak, Ipe, Teak, and Mahogany are other hardwoods that can be used effectively in outdoor areas. However, irrespective of the wood used, maintaining the features is necessary to keep them resilient.

Wood decay and degradation are caused by decay fungi that break down the cellular structure of wooden structures, leading to a loss of strength. The fungi secrete enzymes or produce chemical reactions that dissolve various constituents of the wood cell walls, resulting in changes in color, cracks, or checks in the wood, and making it softer than it was originally. Wood degradation is caused by weathering, insects, and fungi, and can be prevented by depriving the fungi of their food source.

To reduce premature wood decay and degradation in outdoor wooden structures, several steps can be taken. Outdoor features should be built with natural Western Red Cedar wood or chemically impregnated pressure-treated wood, as the chemicals seep into the wood fibers, making it resistant to fungal decay. Pressure-treated wood should be supplemented with a specialized water-repellent finish to reduce fungal growth. If wood rot is noticed on the structure, steps should be taken to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the feature. Painting, clear varnish, unpigmented oil, wood stains, translucent coatings, and boiled linseed oil are options that can protect wood from weathering, reduce degradation and prevent moisture from seeping in. Finally, it is essential to discuss painting and staining questions with a qualified retailer such as Benjamin Moore.

For more information on Cedar products, contact Outdoor Living Today at 888-658-1658.

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gardening

The Benefits of Using an Auto Watering System

The Benefits of having an Auto Watering System

Gardening can be a rewarding and therapeutic activity, especially for those who want to control what goes into their bodies by growing their own produce. However, it requires hard work and maintenance to ensure a bountiful harvest. One of the most time-consuming and tiresome tasks is watering the garden, especially during inclement weather. This is where an Auto Watering System can be incredibly useful.

An Auto Watering System is a system that automates the watering process of your garden, removing the need to water by hand or carry buckets of water. With this system, you can lay down the hose and let the automated system handle the rest. Additionally, models like the Auto-Water System from OLT allow you to program the timer to deliver the right amount of water for optimal growth.

Aside from reducing the physical strain of watering the garden, an Auto Watering System offers several other benefits, making it a popular choice for gardeners. Firstly, it helps save on water bills by ensuring that water is delivered to the plants where it is needed most, without wastage. Secondly, it ensures even coverage and watering, reducing the risk of over-watering or under-watering. This leads to a healthier and more bountiful harvest.

Furthermore, the automatic watering system frees up time for other tasks, like removing weeds and eliminating pests. It also helps to reduce weed infestations since water is directed at the plant’s root rather than the surrounding area, where weeds usually thrive. Moreover, it helps keep nutrients in the soil by controlling water flow, preventing excess water from washing them away.

Lastly, the Auto Watering System provides greater flexibility, allowing gardeners to tend to other tasks while the system waters the garden. This is especially beneficial for those who want to maximize their gardening efforts to achieve optimal yields.

In summary, an Auto Watering System is a valuable tool for both beginner and professional gardeners. Its benefits include reducing physical strain, saving on water bills, providing even watering and coverage, reducing weed infestations, preserving soil nutrients, and providing greater flexibility. By incorporating this system into your gardening routine, you’ll be one step closer to becoming a master gardener who sees incredible results.

Auto Watering System

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Backyard Inspirations

Why a Pergola or Gazebo Will Increase the Value of Your Property

Why a Pergola or Gazebo Will Increase the Value of Your Property

A pergola or gazebo is a perfect design element to create a beautiful backyard garden. When my husband and I bought our family house five years ago, we were specifically looking for a home with a gazebo or enough space to build one. Having a space to rest, relax and catch our breath was essential for us. We finally found a home with ample space to build a gazebo, and we had it up within the first month.

Adding a gazebo or pergola can add value and beauty to your property. It is a great opportunity to increase your home’s value, especially in warmer regions where outdoor home improvements tend to be more useful in summer. If you already have a gazebo or pergola, potential buyers looking for a home in warmer regions will be willing to spend more to purchase your home.

The cost of putting up a gazebo or pergola varies from location to location, and high-end property markets such as New York City will require more investment but yield higher returns on investment. Additionally, the style, size, and type of material used will determine the cost of installation and maintenance. More durable materials like cedar, teak, fiberglass, or aluminum add more value, style, and class.

The size of the gazebo or pergola is also important when determining its value. It should be properly scaled with other elements of your backyard and blend well with the landscape surrounding your home. An outdoor structure that has unique appeal will add character to your outdoor spaces, and gazebos and pergolas offer a lovely, romantic charm and architectural interest.

Although outdoor structures such as gazebos and pergolas do not technically add to your home’s total square footage, they provide functional outdoor space for you and your family to enjoy. Adding outdoor furniture, music systems, lighting, and any other entertainment extras you require will make your outdoor space more appealing and valuable.
Before putting up a gazebo or pergola, it is crucial to have a well-thought-out plan and design.

Determine your budget and choose a style and design that fits your backyard. Overall, adding a gazebo or pergola is an excellent investment that can enhance the beauty, functionality, and value of your property.

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Backyard Inspirations, gardening, How to

How to Clean and Prepare Your Yard for Spring

How to Clean and Prepare Your Yard for Spring

Now that winter has passed, it’s the perfect time to revive your garden. The best way to do this is by sprucing up your yard, including the lawn grass, shrubs, and yard trees. Here are some tips to help you get your yard looking lovely and vibrant once again:

  1. Have a Landscape Plan: Having the perfect landscape plan before you start is the best way to get what matches your lawn needs and also leaves you with a cool finish.
  2. Clean Up a Little: Start with cleaning up debris like fallen leaves, twigs, and other forms of refuse from your yard. Prepare your flower beds by weeding and removing dirt. Apply pest and weed control options and prune the shrubs.
  3. Prepare the Soil: The best way to do this is by applying fertilizer on your lawn. You should also use a pre-emergent and a weed killer, and if possible, amend the soil at this stage.
  4. Mow Pretty Early: Mowing early and often is a great way to keep the grass roots reproducing properly.
  5. Mulch It Too: Picking good and heavy mulch will be a great decision once your yard is cared for.
  6. Give Trees a Trim: Get a trimmer and prune your trees once every three years, and remember to do this at the beginning of the springtime rather than winter.
  7. Wait Until Fall to Seed: Apply fertilizer to the lawn and allow a few more weeks for the shoots to grow over brown spots. Alternatively, use sod to hide the patches.

Additional tips:

  • Have a routine cleanup
  • Use a tiller to break new lawn ground
  • Building raised beds
  • Make use of landscape berms
  • Planting rabbit-proof grass.

These simple tips will help you prepare your yard for entertaining guests, simple gardening, playing with your loved ones, and enjoying with your family.

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gardening

Best Types of Insoles for Your Gardening Work Boots

Best Types of Insoles for Your Gardening Work Boots

Insoles are a material that sits under the foot, offering an additional layer of comfort and cushioning. While many shoes come with a standard insole, it may not be enough for workers who spend long hours on their feet, such as gardeners. In this article, we’ll provide information on what construction workers, day laborers, and gardeners should look for in insoles to meet their specific needs.

Insoles are essential to maintaining foot health and preventing injuries while working. Quality insoles not only provide comfort and safety, but they can also improve the overall work experience. For gardeners, who work in hot, humid conditions and perform physically demanding tasks like bending, digging, and weeding, insoles offer several benefits. They can counteract the negative effects of heat and moisture, correct foot and body posture, and protect against blisters and calluses.

There are different types of insoles available on the market. Support insoles offer sturdier material for comfort and stability and are suitable for gardeners of all skill levels. Comfort insoles are designed for cushioning and are better suited for lighter gardening work. Height-increasing insoles are recommended for those with chronic foot injuries or those who want to prevent certain conditions. They offer great shock absorption and can prevent pains in the knees, back, and pelvis area. Memory foam insoles are another option that offers moisture absorption, ventilation, and support for uneven terrain.

In conclusion, insoles are a necessary addition to any work boot or shoe, especially for those performing physically intensive tasks. By selecting the right type of insole, gardeners can enjoy a more comfortable and safe working experience while preventing foot-related injuries and conditions.

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gardening

Drought Resistant Plants for an Eco-Friendly Garden


Drought-Resistant Plants for an Eco-Friendly Garden

Creating an eco-friendly garden means choosing to plant drought-resistant plants that require less water, which will reduce your water bills and benefit the environment. Drought-resistant plants are not just limited to cacti. There are many flowering plants, shrubs, and perennials that have been developed to be drought resistant and will survive on rainfall after they become established. While the first year or first month may require more watering, these plants will add color to your garden after that without much effort.

To reduce water consumption, occasional deep watering is recommended rather than frequent shallow watering. Watering the plants once a week so that the soil receives an inch of water is a general rule of thumb. Watering the leaves should be avoided, and covering the soil with mulch will also help prevent water evaporation from the soil, delaying watering sessions.

Here are some drought resistant plant options for your eco-friendly garden:

  • Yarrow ‘Coronation Gold’: Golden yellow flowers bloom among tall, silvery gray leaves. The plants require direct sunlight and soil with proper drainage capabilities.
  • Silver Artemisias: This silvery gray leafy plant adds fragrance to your garden. The plants thrive in direct sunlight and well-drained soil, but can be invasive and need to be divided often to limit their spread.
  • Purple Coneflower: This plant prefers direct sunlight and well-drained soil and grows up to 4 feet in height.
  • Tall Bearded Iris: This plant requires direct exposure to sunlight and well-drained soil. It blooms in spring and grows to over 2 feet in height.
  • Rosemary: A hardy plant that produces both flowers and aromatic leaves. It requires less water and grows well in well-drained soil.
  • Common Thyme: This garden plant blooms in late spring and early summer and can grow in either direct sunlight or lightly shaded areas.
  • Lavender: These mounding plants flower in the summer and grow to between 2 and 3 feet in height.
  • Common Sage: The woolly gray-green leaves of this plant make them attractive throughout the growing season. It prefers direct sunlight and well-drained soil.
  • Hens and Chicks: A succulent plant with blue-green leaves that are tipped with red or purple highlights in the summer. It should be placed in direct sunlight or lightly shaded locations and the soil should not be flooded.
  • Snow-in-Summer: A very short plant with silvery leaves and star-shaped white flowers that thrives in direct sunlight and soil that does not hold water for extended periods of time.
  • Creeping Phlox: A hardy plant that grows in fertile soil that is well-drained. It blooms in late spring or early summer and can make attractive borders.
  • Sedum: A short plant with fleshy evergreen leaves that grows well in average or fertile soil and requires direct sunlight. It flowers in summer and produces loose clusters of purple or white flowers.

In addition to planting drought-resistant plants, conserving water by storing rainwater in barrels and using mulch to help the soil retain moisture for a longer period of time can make your garden even more eco-friendly.

These steps will ensure that your garden remains lush and enticing without consuming a lot of precious water during the dry months.

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garden bed, gardening

Introducing Gardening to your Children

Introducing Gardening to your Children

As a passionate gardener, you may want to introduce your children to the joys of gardening. Not only does gardening teach children valuable skills such as patience, discipline, persistence, and a love for nature, it can also provide an opportunity for them to learn basic skills and experience the joys of manual labor. Moreover, even picky eaters are likely to eat cherry tomatoes and kale that they have helped to grow.

However, when introducing children to gardening, it is important to consider their age. Younger children tend to be impatient and require quick results, so starting with quick-growing plants such as sunflowers and tomatoes can be helpful. Additionally, allowing children to have their own individual plots can give them a sense of ownership, and responsibility, and encourage them to remember to water and weed their gardens.

It’s important to ensure safety measures are in place when involving children in gardening activities. This includes providing proper gardening tools that are the right size for children to use safely, keeping children away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and monitoring them closely. When planning garden beds, it’s important to make sure that they are not too wide and to leave enough space between the beds for children to move around with ease.

Using the garden as a teaching tool can be an effective way to engage children in gardening activities. Encourage children to explore all aspects of the garden, including the insects, small animals, and birds that are part of it. Letting children choose what they want to plant and allowing them to make a few mistakes can also be beneficial.

Finally, it’s important to be flexible and allow children to experiment and make mistakes so that they can appreciate the joys of gardening and learn important life lessons. By following these tips, you can introduce your children to gardening and help them develop a lifelong love of nature.

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backyard, Backyard Inspirations

Outdoor Kitchen. Design to Your Perfection

Outdoor Kitchen. Design to Your Perfection

An outdoor kitchen can seamlessly blend your love for outdoor entertaining and cooking, regardless of the size of your garden or yard. A well-designed outdoor kitchen will be influenced by your budget, available space, and the type of gatherings you plan to host.

Countertops are an essential component of an outdoor kitchen as they provide space to place the grill, ingredients, and trays to hold food. Granite is a popular choice for outdoor countertops as it is durable, resistant to moisture and UV rays, and easy to clean.

The type of grill you choose will depend on whether you have easy access to gas piping. Gas grills are ideal if you can pipe gas to your outdoor kitchen effortlessly, but if not, a charcoal grill can also produce delicious food.

Outdoor storage will save you time and effort by enabling you to keep basic ingredients, cutlery, plates, and other essential items in your outdoor kitchen. Having a sink and water supply will also expedite the cleaning process, allowing you to wash dishes and utensils outside.

A refrigerator can be a valuable addition to your outdoor kitchen, allowing you to keep drinks, salads, and other perishables cold. Adequate lighting is also necessary for evening and nighttime use, and seating arrangements can range from permanent benches and tables to foldable and stackable furniture.

Ultimately, a well-planned outdoor kitchen is an excellent way to increase the time you spend outdoors, relax, and enhance the flavors of your favorite meals.

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How to

5 Tips on How to Save Money on Exterior Renovations


5 Tips on How to Save Money on Exterior Renovations

Renovating your home can be costly, and it’s important to remember that exterior renovations can add up quickly. To save money on your project, here are five tips to keep in mind:

  1. Plan ahead to avoid costly mistakes and to ensure that you and your contractor have a clear vision of the finished product.

  2. Get good estimates by doing your research and waiting to hear a few prices before committing to a contractor. Make sure you understand what goes into making an estimate and have adequate knowledge of the subject.

  3. Consider doing some of the demolition work yourself, but be sure to hire a contractor for any structural or electrical work.

  4. Save money on construction costs by using self-assembly kits for outdoor structures like sheds and gazebos.

  5. Be wise about your spending by investing in high-quality materials that will save you money in the long run, such as pre-painted and pre-primed siding.

By following these tips, you can make smart choices and save money on your exterior renovation project without sacrificing quality or style.

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