The Doors Recommended By Australia’s Leading Kit Home Supplier (Kitome)

Building a new home can be exciting, but when it comes to making big decisions (like choosing doors, for example) you’ll notice that there are a wide range of options available on the market. With doors, you have to consider the size, colour, frame, glazing, and style for both the internal and external doors of your home, which can be a little overwhelming. So to make it easier for you to choose the right doors for your home, here are Kitome’s top nine door recommendations (all offered by Hume Doors & Timber).

Entrance Doors 

The Hume Doors entrance range has a visual design that is not only clean and strong, but also beautiful to look at. The solid entrance doors are the best in the range as they provide strength and stability with their medium density and moisture resistant fibreboard core.

1. Vaucluse

The Vaucluse entrance door is made of high-quality materials and comes in a variety of styles to match any architectural frontage. It has detailed carved patterns on the external side of the door, whereas the internal side is smooth. If you want a simple and sleek design, the Vaucluse is definitely for you.

We use the XV14 Vaucluse as a standard inclusion in our Gable Series kit homes.

2. Vaucluse Premier

The Vaucluse Premier entrance door has deep carved patterns on both sides, along with attractive moulding on the external side, which is great for if you want to make a big statement. There’s also a wide range of glass options available to match any décor.

We use the XVP12 and XVP13 Vaucluse Premier as standard inclusions in our Freedom Series and Prestige Series kit homes.

3. Newington

The Newington entrance door is popular due to its everlasting appeal and unmatched adaptability. There are a number of dazzling designs, glass options, and matching sidelights to choose from to create the exact look you want. If you want a versatile door designed to impress, look no further than the Newington.

We use the XN5 and XN6 Newington as standard inclusions in our Freedom Series kit homes.

Hollow core internal doors

The Hume Doors internal range is visually impactful and designed to inspire. The hollow core internal doors are the best in the range with high-density honeycomb core and pre-primed faces perfect for paint finish. 

4. Honeycomb Core Flush and Moulded Panel Smooth

The Honeycomb Core Flush and Moulded Panel Smooth are traditional flush panel doors that you can use to support the theme you want without affecting your home’s visual appeal. There are bi-fold and multifold options available for the Honeycomb Core Flush, as well as made-to-order options in various sizes. As for the Moulded Panel Smooth, pre-cast production ensures every door is consistent and you can choose between non-solid and solid construction.

We use smooth flush panel doors as standard inclusions in our Gable Series and Freedom Series kit homes for an everlasting and refreshing look.

5. Sorrento

The Sorrento internal door will bring a fresh contemporary feel to your home. On both sides are beautifully carved rout designs that are produced on a premium primed door face. It has a non-solid construction with strong six millimetre skins for impact resistance.

We don’t offer Sorrento doors as standard inclusions in our kit homes, however they can be made to order.

6. Strata

The Strata internal door is unique and modern with eye-catching vertical and horizontal textured patterns. You can also add a metallic strip to the door to complement your own personality. It has a non-solid construction and is primed ready for painting.

We don’t offer Strata doors as standard inclusions in our kit homes but they can be made to order.

Door systems

The Hume door system range has technologically advanced solutions for both internal and external doors.

While we don’t offer door systems as standard inclusions in our kit homes, we can create them from scratch if you wish to install one.

7. Frontier Barn Door Sliding System

The Frontier Barn Door Sliding System has wide sliding doors and has become a popular interior decor piece. It’s the perfect room divider for the bedroom, wardrobe, or home office. You can choose between a modern and traditional design that adds real value to your home. What’s more, there are shaker style and inexpensive options across two barn door ranges, as well as plenty of great designs to help you achieve that sought-after authentic barn door look.

8. Pivot Door System

The Pivot Door System is ideal for large entrance doors and if you want to make a bold statement to boost your home’s street appeal. The factory assembled frame incorporates a heavy-duty pivot with quality fittings that allow you to adjust the door during installation. It also comes with perimeter seals and a self-closing mechanism.

9. Multifold Interior

The Multifold Interior Folding System is smooth and quiet. It also saves space as it can turn two rooms into one big room. Moreover, there’s a wide range of styles and sizes to pick from.

10. Alfresco Folding System

The Alfresco Folding System is fully assembled and weather sealed. Use it to double your living space by bringing the outside in and enjoy the relaxing style of true alfresco living.

Choosing the right doors for your kit home

With only the best doors to choose from, you should now be able to pick the right doors for your kit home. Whether you’re building a family home or a holiday home, it’s important that the doors you choose suit both your living needs and the style of your home.

Visit your closest Hume Door distributor to view our range in person.

The post The Doors Recommended By Australia’s Leading Kit Home Supplier (Kitome) appeared first on Kitome.

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Why Your Coastal Home Needs The Right Cladding

Cladding isn’t used solely for decoration purposes. It also provides thermal insulation and weather resistance for your home. When choosing the right cladding for your coastal home, you not only need to think about weather resistance to water, heat and wind. It is also important to consider erosion from the salt in seawater. 

The salt in seawater dissolves, causing the sodium and chloride ions to dissociate. These dissociated ions can move freely through the solution. This allows seawater to carry an electrical charge. Corrosive chemical reactions can take place when materials come into contact with seawater. This is why choosing the right cladding is important for your coastal home.

What cladding is suitable for a coastal home?

Metal

When it comes to metal cladding, the two most common materials are aluminium and steel. Galvanised steel is usually coated with a zinc or copper-nickel alloy to prevent corrosion. Although highly-reactive, aluminium forms an inert, protective layer with oxygen for corrosion resistance. Steel is always preferable over aluminium due to its durability. 

Metal cladding is an easy way to add a pop of colour to the exterior of your home. It is considered a cost-effective option for cladding. It is also quick to install and requires little ongoing maintenance.

Brick

Brick gives a classic, traditional feel to your home. It’s another great low-maintenance option. Although the build is time-consuming and costly, it will be easy to maintain for years to come. 

Brick is durable, thermally-insulating, fire-resistant and is relatively resistant to moisture absorption. Although all properties are advantageous, the latter is an important feature for cladding in a coastal home. Humid air in coastal conditions can wear away moisture-laden claddings. Choosing a type of cladding with a low rate of moisture absorption should be on the top of your checklist. 

Consider adding an outdoor alcove into your outdoor space to further shade from the harsh weather conditions. If you’re low on space consider choosing outdoor furniture that you can pack away easily during the colder months.

Brick veneer is a cheaper and less time-consuming option. However, it is quite susceptible to moisture retention. For this reason, always choose brick over brick veneer for your home by the sea.

Timber

Timber has been a popular choice for many years. This type of cladding has an extensive range of styles so you’ll be sure to find the look you’re after. Although labour can be lengthy due to wall framing, this makes it thermally-efficient. 

The biggest downside of timber is its high maintenance. Timber will need to be replaced sooner than other types of cladding. This is due to its moisture-absorbency and lack of extreme durability. For these reasons, timber may not be the best long-lasting choice of cladding for coastal homes.

Vinyl/plastic weatherboard

Man-made materials require very low maintenance. They’re also lightweight, durable and can be made in a wide range of colours.

Like timber, wall framing is required so the construction process may be long in duration. Styrofoam backs the cladding to improve insulation due to thermal inefficiency. Ensure the cladding is joined using regular expansion joints as the material may expand and contract with the weather.

Saltwater has little effect on these materials. However, it is not completely resistant to the sun’s rays. Over time, the colour may fade. 

Concrete

Modern finishes aren’t complete without concrete cladding. The possibilities are endless. Create your desired texture, pattern and polish. Labour for concrete cladding will be a higher upfront cost compared to other materials. However, maintenance for concrete cladding is low. Concrete is also a thermally-efficient option.

Over long periods, saltwater can corrode concrete. This can take many years, but over time, your cladding will eventually become weak and unstable.

Ultimately, each choice for coastal home cladding has its advantages and disadvantages. Saltwater is a corrosive substance, so ensure materials are properly treated. Whichever material you choose, be sure to wash your cladding regularly to prevent salt build-up.

 

Author’s bio:

Maia Fletcher is a New Zealand based freelance writer who has written articles for various blogs and local sites such as Tairawhiti Gisborne. After long hours spent in front of her computer, she always looks forward to ending her day admiring the picturesque view of the sunset from her window.

The post Why Your Coastal Home Needs The Right Cladding appeared first on Kitome.

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Best Landscape Design Blogs in 2016

A beautiful, well-maintained landscape is every homeowner’s dream, but achieving it requires time, effort and commitment, as well as landscape knowledge and practical skills. If you want to learn more about landscaping and pick up helpful tips on plant care and maintenance, a landscape design blog provides a great way to get started.

A landscape design blog can educate you on various landscaping topics from basic plant knowledge to building a lovely gazebo in your back yard. Many blogs also provide beautiful photographs of gardens and landscapes that will inspire you with new ideas. Whether you’re a beginning or experienced gardener, landscape blogs offer helpful landscaping advice and design tips for your home. Take a look at 25 great landscaping blogs that you’ll enjoy.

1. Ledge and Gardens

Ledge and Gardens won the “Best Garden Blog Award” from Horticulture Magazine in 2012. Their garden design blogs discuss various landscape and garden topics, smart gardening techniques and plants that are to their Rhode Island location. This blog site is loaded with helpful landscape information and great links to horticulture guides, a wildflower directory, a Latin botanical names directory; the Garden Guys Radio Show; and the University of Maryland Plants Diagnostics Guide. You can’t ask for much more educational help than that!

2. Unique Landscapes

Unique landscapes, located in Phoenix, Arizona provides beautiful photography and helpful tips on both landscape and swimming pool design. If you’re interested in unique swimming pools and spas, this landscape design blog will be very inspiring. Blog topics focus on beautiful pools and spas for all types of homes, as well as care and maintenance issues. Unique Landscapes offers great advice on pool amenities like floor cleaners, heaters, underwater lighting, underwater shelves, swim-up bars and outdoor misting systems. You’ll get a lot of inspiring design ideas through this blog. Unique Landscapes was ranked among the top landscape companies in Phoenix from 2010 through 2014, and received the Best of Houzz Design Award in 2015.

3. Avant Gardening & Landscaping

Located in McFarland, WI, Avant Gardening & Landscaping is a full-service landscape company for residential and commercial customers. They provide basic landscape maintenance services, design and build services and commercial snow removal services. Their landscaping blogs are educational, and they offer readers good design ideas and “how to” tips on a wide range of topics. They have a mobile nursery that offers beautiful perennials that are grown locally in the area. They also have an annual Garden Expo that’s held on premises and offers over 150 free seminars and demonstrations to learn the latest in gardening and landscaping trends. What a great educational tool for the community!

4. A Way To Garden

A Way To Garden is one of the best educational blogs you’ll find. With a focus on gardening, you’ll find great articles on all types of plants, flowers, shrubs and trees, annuals, perennials and bulbs, vegetable and edible gardens and landscape design ideas. This landscape design blog contains a large list of “how-to” posts on a wide range of subjects from composting to outdoor pests and diseases. Organic gardening is a popular topic, as well as interesting posts on nature-related subjects and garden FAQs. The blogger, Margaret Roach, is a long-time gardener and former garden editor for Martha Stewart Living.

5. Borst Landscape & Design

Borst Landscape & Design is an award-winning landscape company located in Allendale, NJ. With over 25 years of experience, Borst is one of New Jersey’s most respected landscape companies. As a consecutive winner of the NJLCA Residential and Commercial Landscape Maintenance Award, the Borst landscape design blog offers readers valuable, educational landscape information on a wide range of topics. As a full-service landscape company, Borst has a well-educated and trained staff who can provide a variety of services including lawn care and maintenance, organic lawn care, garden design, outdoor pest control, landscape lighting and design/build services for outdoor landscape features that will add value to your home. Borst Landscape & Design provides residential and commercial landscape services, as well as landscape packages to New Jersey homeowners in Bergen County.

6. Backyard Landscape Ideas

Backyard Landscape Ideas gives you tips, resources, and how-to’s that will help you build the backyard of your dreams. The author updates the blog section regularly with unique and new ideas for backyard design. You can also find advice on topics ranging from patios to landscape lighting and water features to planting ideas. In addition to the great content written for the site, Backyard Landscape Ideas also features a Community section where you can get help from other landscape enthusiasts. You can share your landscaping ideas with other readers of the blog and you can also read ideas proposed by readers like you. There is also a section where you can share pictures of your landscape with other readers.

7. The High Line

The High Line is a public park maintained, operated, and programmed by Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Volunteers and friends of the High Line help to raise 98 percent of the annual budget to maintain the city park. Owned and operated by the City of New York, the High Line serves as a city park to residents in the area. Landscaping blogs feature interesting articles on planting, sustainable design and landscape design ideas for the park. The High Line is an inspirational blog that promotes green landscaping and features the outstanding landscaping results of an involved New York community.

8. Urban Greenery

Urban Greenery is simply an incredible site that shows an inspiring side of urban living. With beautiful photography and interesting articles, you’ll find yourself rather mesmerized by all the landscaping possibilities and creative designs. From rooftop gardens to living walls, this landscape design blog captures the true impact that beautiful landscaping can have on urban city lifestyles. If you weren’t a fan of urban living before, you certainly will be after following these inspiring landscaping blogs.

9. 66 Square Feet

66 Square Feet is a unique, informative blog site that focuses on gardening and landscaping for small outdoor spaces and urban rooftops. You’ll find wonderful landscaping blogs, design tips and photos for rooftop garden ideas in New York City, Brooklyn, the Bronx and various urban areas throughout New York and New Jersey. Although most landscaping blogs are geared to homeowners with great yards, this one focuses on people who choose to live in urban areas where living spaces are small, and there’s no such thing as a back yard. 66 Square Feet is inspiring for all those city dwellers out there!

10. Birds & Blooms

Birds & Blooms offers a landscape design blog that focuses on creating a natural eco-system between birds and flowers in your landscape. If you’re interested in attracting beautiful birds to your landscape and garden, this blog site will teach you how. You can learn about flowers that attract birds, bees and butterflies and create a balanced eco-system that will sustain them. There’s also posts about bird feeding and feeders, birdbaths and natural ponds and specialty plantings that attract various bird species to your landscape. By following this unique landscaping blog, you’ll learn a lot of fun facts about beautiful birds and blooms.

11. Sparrow Landscaping

Sparrow is a landscape design blog with easy-to-read articles and inspiring photography. The focus is on building a harmonious balance between landscaping, nature and wildlife. With the use of native plants and specialty gardens, Sparrow will inspire you to get in touch with nature. You’ll find a variety of educational articles about flowers, butterflies, wildlife and furry little critters who often want to nest in your landscape. Many of the landscape photos show more casual, natural landscapes that promote a more organic link between man and nature.

12. Bonza Landscaping & Hardscaping

Bonza Landscaping, located in Morristown, PA, takes a simple, direct approach to educating their readers and customers with their landscaping blog. Topics cover a wide range of landscaping and hardscaping interests such as preparing your lawn for summer heat, installing a new patio, outdoor landscape features, landscape lighting and holiday decorating ideas for your landscape. Their landscapes, as well as their blog posts, focus on simplicity and a design approach with more traditional appeal for Pennsylvania homeowners and businesses.

13. Dirt Simple

Dirt Simple is the blog of landscape and garden designer, Deborah Silver in Sylvan Lake, Michigan. Although her formal education was in English literature and biology, her passion for landscaping and gardening led her to landscape design. Her love for gardening and her creative eye makes her landscape design blog interesting and inspiring to read. Since 1986, she has become one of the most respected landscape designers and gardeners in the Detroit area. Her blog contains photos and design tips that make you want to run out and plant a garden!

14. Outdoor Home Living

Outdoor Home Living is a Mesquite, Texas based landscaping company that provides lawn care services throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. This company designs, installs, and maintains one-of-a-kind outdoor living spaces. Their outdoor landscape design and installation services can transform your home into a residential paradise. They began as a simple lawn mowing company but later expanded into full-service landscaping, pool landscaping, and outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and much more. Their blog features a great mix of informative professional landscaping advice as well as do-it-yourself tips and tricks for creating and maintaining a beautiful yard.

15. Hanselman Landscape and Gardens

Hanselman Landscape and Gardens provides landscape and garden design, care and maintenance and specialty nursery care for residential projects. Their landscaping blog and creative designs focus on Japanese gardens, water gardens, courtyard gardens, children’s gardens, as well as swimming pool landscaping. Their blog is creative with important design advice for readers, in addition to colorful images that are inspirational. As a family-owned business, Hanselman Landscape and Gardens has been designing unique landscapes for private and corporate clients in Pennsylvania for more than 25 years.

16. Garden History Girl

Garden History Girl is a wonderful landscape design blog that takes you back through the pages of history with beautiful landscaping and garden facts and photography. You’ll learn about Thomas Edison’s passion for gardening, along with information and photos of French gardens, Russian gardens, European landscapes, native landscapes, courtyard landscapes and beautiful outdoor ornaments and pottery. If you’re a history buff and you love landscaping and gardening, this blog is very inspirational, whether you’re a novice or avid gardener.

17. Pith & Vigor

A stylish looking blog that appeals to beginners and professionals, Pith & Vigor has a layout that’s easy to follow. Managed and written by a Boston-based writer, Rochelle Greayer, these landscaping blogs are full of helpful information, design tips and garden advice. Pith & Vigo blogs were voted the “best garden design blog” by the US Mouse and Trowel Awards in 2013. Posts are well-written, organized and very educational. More like this please!

18. Neave Landscaping

Neave Landscaping, a full-service landscaping contractor in New York, has a separate blog for each of their four divisions: pools, sports, landscaping and décor. All of their posts are light hearted, easy-to-read and take a playful approach to serious landscaping topics. Neave’s landscape design blog covers a variety of topics on for residential, commercial and institutional clients throughout New York areas. With more than 40 years of experience and four New York locations, Neave Landscaping is equipped to handle large projects within New York and Western Connecticut.

19. Picture Perfect Lawn & Landscape

Picture Perfect Lawn & Landscape is a landscape, irrigation, and maintenance company based in Waco, Texas. They are experts in the basics of lawn care and landscaping but also have great ideas for improving a landscape. They are also experts in designing, installing, and repairing sprinkler systems. Their irrigational services also include custom designs, system modifications, tree bubblers, rain and freeze sensors, and french drains. In the Picture Perfect Lawn & Landscape blog, you will find a large variety of topics like actionable landscaping tips, outdoor project ideas, and irrigation tips.

20. The Level Green Landscaping Blog

The Level Green Landscaping Blog is a great landscaping blog site that offers a lot of basic, practical information on lawn care, planting new sod, pruning shrubs and trees, pest control and landscape design ideas. Blog posts are educational and easy-to-read, so they’re great for both beginners and advanced gardeners. You’ll find topics on watering and irrigation techniques, signs of an over watered lawn, lawn damage and diseases, installing sprinklers and best times for planting and watering. The information on The Level Green Landscaping Blog covers a wide range of landscaping topics, but they’re interesting and enjoyable.

21. Farmington Gardens

Farmington Gardens is a retail nursery and grower in Beaverton, Oregon where you can actually purchase plants and trees. Their landscape design blog includes wonderful articles on different types of shrubs and trees, blooming plants, colorful ground covers, beautiful flower beds, whimsical gardens and easy-to-maintain succulents that provide water conservation. You’ll also find practical posts on proper watering and irrigation, pruning, deadheading, garden cleanup and proper plant selection for your landscape. This is a well-written blog that’s easy to follow and enjoyable to read.

22. Black Forest Landscape

Black Forest Landscape offers readers blog topics about landscape design and installation that’s geared to DIY landscapers and gardeners in Colorado. You’ll find a variety of interesting articles on landscape design, hardscaping ideas, creating colorful borders and beds, selecting plants, shrubs and trees and specialty gardens. There are practical posts on irrigation techniques, proper planting and pruning, erosion control and outdoor pests and diseases.

23. Cold Climate Gardening

If you live in a cold climate region like Northern NJ with unpredictable spring and fall temperatures that create shorter growing seasons, you’ll appreciate this landscape design blog. It offers detailed information on choosing plants, shrubs and trees for colder climates. It also covers the basics of extending the growing season through hoop tunnels and floating row covers that protect plants from freezing temperatures. You’ll find lots of interesting articles on planting bulbs, annuals and perennials, blooming plants and shrubs for areas with cold winters.

24. Fine Gardening

If you’re inspired by beautiful photographs of colorful plants and flowers, Fine Gardening should be on your list of landscaping blogs to follow. In addition to gorgeous photography, you’ll find articles on landscaping and gardening that are educational and easy-to-read. Blogs talk about low-maintenance grasses for your yard, succulents for water conservation, shrubs for privacy hedges, garden beds with annuals and perennials and creative landscaping design ideas for your yard and patio. Find Gardening blogs will inspire your visual senses and fill your brain with great landscaping and garden ideas.

25. Seasonal Wisdom

Seasonal Wisdom is a great landscape design blog that offers readers a wealth of information on gardening and landscaping. You’ll find articles on seasonal planting, pruning, mulching, fertilizing and pest control, as well as practical “how to” articles on a variety of landscaping subjects. This blog site provides links to great garden tours, historic gardens and resources for helpful landscaping and gardening books. Seasonal Wisdom was a 2015 finalist in the Gardening Bloggers Hall of Fame for best garden and landscape blog.

26. Landscape + Urbanism

Landscape + Urbanism is an interesting blog written by a landscape architect who combines topics on landscape design with topics on architecture. The landscape design company, based in Portland, Oregon, features contemporary landscape ideas and modern architectural designs. You’ll find this blog interesting and inspiring from a modern point of view.

27. Clean Air Through Green Roofs

If you’re interested in green living and sustainable designs, you’ll find Clean Air Through Green Roofs landscaping blogs very inspiring. Along with promoting green ecosystems and water conservation, this blog site discusses the many benefits of green roofs and features some interesting photos of homes and commercial buildings in the US and other countries that have green roofs.

28. Hanselman Landscape and Gardens

Hanselman Landscape and Gardens provides landscape and garden design, care and maintenance and specialty nursery care for residential projects. Their landscaping blogs and creative designs focus on Japanese gardens, water gardens, courtyard gardens, children’s gardens and swimming pool landscaping. Their blogs bring a unique sense of creativity with important design advice for readers and colorful images that are inspirational.

29. Backyard Blogger

Backyard Blogger is written by a self taught home gardener in Texas who simply has a passion for landscaping and gardening. Landscaping blogs are easy-to-read and follow for beginners and more experienced gardeners. You’ll find wonderful blogs on landscaping and planting, flower gardens, edible gardens and pruning schedules and techniques. There’s a variety of unique and interesting topics like green gardening gift ideas, gardening with kids, garden to table cooking, seasonal garden ideas and water saving tips for hot and humid Texas landscapes. These blogs take a no-frills approach to landscaping and gardening and provide a lot of basic advice.

30. Garden History Girl

Garden History Girl is a wonderful blog that takes you back through the pages of history with beautiful landscaping and garden facts and photography. You’ll learn about Thomas Edison’s passion for gardening, along with information and photos of French gardens, Russian gardens, European landscapes, native landscapes, courtyard landscapes and beautiful outdoor ornaments and pottery. If you’re a history buff and you love landscaping and gardening, this blog is very inspirational, regardless of if you’re a novice or avid gardener.

31. Chaparral Landscaping

Chaparral Landscaping, located in Santa Maria, CA., is a full-service landscape company that focuses on the design and installation of outdoor features and hardscapes. They build and install walkways and pathways, patios, retaining walls, interlocking paver driveways, outdoor water features and landscape lighting. Since they’re located in California, a drought prone area, landscaping blogs often focus on artificial turf and drought-tolerant plants, shrubs and trees that promote water conservation, a popular landscaping option for California homeowners. This blog will inspire you to think about the benefits of beautiful, cost-efficient landscaping.

32. Urban Greenery

Urban Greenery is simply an incredible site that shows an inspiring side of urban living. With beautiful photography and interesting articles, you’ll find yourself rather mesmerized by all the landscaping possibilities and creative designs. From rooftop gardens to living walls, this blog site captures the true impact that beautiful landscaping can have on people’s lifestyles. If you weren’t a fan of urban living before, you certainly will be after following these remarkable landscaping blogs.

33. House Landscaping Ideas

House Landscaping Ideas features landscaping and planting ideas for your front and back yards. You’ll find interesting posts on garden design ideas, pool landscaping ideas, selecting plants for different sun and shade conditions, plant, shrub and tree varieties and some hardscaping ideas. There’s also some posts on new landscaping materials like rocks and sand used in sustainable landscapes and gardens, planters and beds and walkways and pathways. You’ll find links to creative design software for landscape design and gardening.

34. Ledge and Gardens

Ledge and Gardens won the “Best Garden Blog Award” from Horticulture Magazine in 2012. Their garden design blogs discuss various landscape and garden topics, smart gardening techniques and plants that are native to their Rhode Island location. This blog site is loaded with helpful landscape information and great links to horticulture guides, a wildflower directory, a Latin botanical names directory; the Garden Guys Radio Show; and the University of Maryland Plants Diagnostics Guide. You can’t ask for much more educational help than that!

35. Neave Landscaping

Neave Landscaping, a full-service landscaping contractor in New York, is unique because they have a separate blog for each of their four divisions: pools, sports, landscaping and décor. All of their blogs are light-hearted and take a playful approach to serious topics. Although blogs are easy and fun to read, they are quite educational on a variety of topics related to each division. Neave’s landscaping blogs cover a variety of topics on their main landscape services including landscape design, landscape service and maintenance, design/build construction and gardens for residential, commercial and institutional clients through New York areas.

36. Cody Landscape

Cody Landscape blogs focus on landscaping ideas and information on different varieties of plants, flowers, shrubs and trees. You’ll find helpful information on planting schedules, propagating and pruning, water and irrigation, plant selections and care and maintenance. Blog posts feature a lot of information on evergreens, annuals and perennials, container gardens, arbor and trellis gardens, as well as photos of beautiful, colorful blooms for your landscape.

37. Fine Gardening

If you’re inspired by beautiful photographs of colorful plants and flowers, Fine Gardening should be on your list of landscaping blogs to follow. In addition to gorgeous photography, you’ll find articles on landscaping and gardening that are educational and easy-to-read. Blogs talk about low-maintenance grasses for your yard, succulents for water conservation, shrubs for privacy hedges, garden beds with annuals and perennials and creative landscaping design ideas for your yard and patio. Fine Gardening blogs will inspire your visual senses and fill your brain with great landscaping and garden ideas.

38. Sounds Green

Sounds Green is a fun, colorful blog that will keep you reading! You’ll find blog posts on a variety of topics under basic landscaping care and maintenance, garden design, landscape design and green landscaping. Posts also discuss common landscaping problems like standing water and drainage issues, erosion and re-grading issues and landscaping for hillsides and steep slopes. Sounds Green blogs are directed toward the DIY landscaper, so there are helpful “how to” tutorials and videos that make this blog good for beginners.

39. 66 Square Feet

66 Square Feet is a unique, informative blog site that focuses on gardening and landscaping for small outdoor spaces and urban rooftops. You’ll find wonderful landscaping blogs, design tips and photos for rooftop garden ideas in New York City, Brooklyn, the Bronx and various urban areas throughout New York and New Jersey. Although most landscaping blogs are geared to homeowners with great yards, this one focuses on people who choose to live in urban areas where living spaces are small, and there’s no such thing as a back yard. 66 Square Feet is inspiring for all those city dwellers out there!

40. Landscaping Videos

Landscaping Videos is a unique blog site with great landscaping articles and videos on a variety of topics. You’ll find interesting landscaping blogs on front yard and back yard landscaping, landscaping design ideas, creating curb appeal, as well as more practical subjects like mulching, pruning and watering. What makes this site different, is the videos on a variety of landscaping subjects that provide visual help and instructions. You can watch a video on building a retaining wall, creating a flagstone pathway, landscaping a hill or slope, how to cut flagstone and how to lay a patio with pavers. The landscaping videos are extremely helpful for beginning gardeners and DIY landscapers.

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What to Ask When Buying a Block of Land

When buying a block of land, it is important to go in with your eyes wide open. While a block of land may look perfect on the surface, there are a lot of underlying factors to consider. From legalities to the nature of the land, being informed of every piece of information can save a lot of heartbreak down the line. That is why, when purchasing a block of land, it is important to ask the hard questions before signing on the dotted line.

Importance of Location

The location of your home is paramount. That is why it is important to ask a few key questions pertaining to location before you purchase a block of land.

Know your Locations

When buying a property one of the first things you need to consider is location. The block must be situated in a spot that makes sense for you. In order to find this, ask questions such as the proximity to transport, schools and shopping precincts.

The choice of location will largely depend on the lifestyle you’re looking for. If you can work remotely, perhaps look for a rural block with plenty of space and privacy. If you are dreaming of building a property with ocean views, consider the price you are willing to pay for a house with certain accessories in this area.

Look at Planning Controls

Another important aspect of location is looking at planning controls. The last thing buyers want to happen is to purchase a block of land only to find out that the council has plans for major infrastructure works on surrounding blocks.

Therefore it is important to carry out your own due diligence to avoid any surprises later on. If the block you’re looking to purchase is surrounded by other vacant blocks, check zoning and land use to understand if there is any potentially deal breaking works planned for the neighbouring blocks.

Block Breakdown

Before committing to purchasing a block of land, it is important to understand the nature of the block in consideration. For example, does the block of land feature any slopes? It is important to know the dimensions and nature of the slopes now. This will allow you to research the extra costs of slopes to the building phase and determine if your budget can cater for this.

Another thing to consider is the nature of the soil on the block. If the soil grading isn’t perfect, it could have an impact on the cost of building foundations for a house.

Check Orientation

Always check the block of land’s orientation. In the Southern Hemisphere, the northern orientation is most popular. This is due to the fact that northern sun passively heats a home while also offering protection from eastern and western sun. This results in better energy efficiency and therefore significant savings on energy bills.

Utilities

You need to know if key services are available. The availability of key services like power, water, sewerage, gas, internet and telephone should be questioned before purchasing the land. If they are available, it is also best to check their location as well.

By asking the land developer these questions before purchasing the land, you can skip the surprise of finding out that these services aren’t available after you’ve purchased the land. Asking this question early also allows you to determine the connections costs and allow room for these in the budget.

Legal Considerations

When buying a block of land there are some legal considerations to take into account. It is best to be aware of these before purchasing the block of land in case any legalities turn into deal breakers.

1. Approval to Build

Before land owners are allowed to build on a block of land, they need to acquire building or development approval. This approval could prevent you from developing the land the way you intend so it is important to ask about the block of land and its potential before purchasing.

2. Easements

An easement may affect where you can and cannot build on your block of land. This is so third parties such as electricity or water authorities can access your land. If these easements are in place, it is important to know about them as they could play a part in changing your vision for the block of land.

3. Covenants

Sometimes with specific blocks, there are covenants in place. This means there are restrictions on the building materials that are allowed to be used. This could also mean that there are restrictions in place as to how the land can be developed. Therefore, it is important to have this information before making any commitments.

Ready to Build a House?

Once you have done due diligence and worked out if a block of land suits your lifestyle and your needs, the exciting part can begin- building the house.

Looking for your dream home? Kitome offers a wide range of fully customisable homes for you to choose from or you can design your own!Talk to the friendly team at Kitome today.

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Why Kit Homes Are the Cheapest Way to Build a House in Australia

When building a house there are a lot of costs to consider. Virtually every step throughout the construction process comes at a cost. While the price of building a house can be cut down by sourcing cheap locations to build, this is not the only cost cutting option. A kit home allows individuals to buy the land they actually want and build a kit home on top of it without breaking the budget. With kit homes, you can have your dream house on your dream piece of land and still have saved money.

Building a House in Australia

The cost of building a house in Australia is comprised of many underlying factors. From site costs and pre-start costs to variations and finishing costs, building a house in Australia can be costly.

Site costs include expenses relating to preparing the block of land for building upon. These costs pertain to retaining walls, site surveys, soil tests and site clearance.

Pre-start costs start to add up when it comes time to choosing the colours of fittings and materials. Pre-start costs tend to get out of control if you decide to make changes to lighting layouts and other plans that have already been drawn up.

Builders have a mark up of around 20-25% on variations, no matter how big or small. Variations can come in the form of changing the colour of grout tiling or adding another full size room.

It is estimated that the average cost of building a new home in Australia is around $306,885.

A project home with a basic finish costs around $900 per square metre in Adelaide and $1210 in Brisbane. In Melbourne the cost is estimated at $1180 while it is slightly more in Sydney, costing $1190.

Cheapest Locations to Build

It won’t be surprising to most that some of the cheapest locations to build are located several kilometres outside the major capital cities. However, the sheer amount of land on offer for reasonably good value is enough to convince anyone to build their dream home in one of these locations.

The median price for a square metre of vacant land is almost $1000 in the most expensive cities, whereas large blocks in regional areas are on offer for less than $1 per square metre.

Priced at $6000, one of the most affordable locations in Australia is Western Australia. While the land would need earthworks, the 1760 square metres on offer is hard to refuse.

South Australia also offers cheap land by the ocean. A 1085 square metre piece of land close to the water in Port Germein would set you back $15,000. However, the water views are a dream.

Over in Victoria, in the town of Brim, famous for their silo artworks also offers land for value. A 2000 square metre block would set you back $15,000.

Many land owners will note that location is just as important as the house you build. With a block of land in one of these locations and a kit home, you could be well on your way to building one of the cheapest houses in Australia.

Kit Home Prices

The cost of a kit home is affected by a number of things. From permits, materials and labor costs, choosing a kit home doesn’t mean eliminating costs altogether, but rather minimizing them.

With Kitome, the cost of a 3 bedroom kit home starts from just $54,367. A 4 bedroom starts from $67,514 while the cost of a 5 bedroom begins at $91,155.

When compared to a 3 bedroom house in Australia costing anywhere between $160,000 and $195,000, the price of a Kitome kit home speaks for itself. While there are still labour and construction costs to consider, a kit home still works out to be the cheapest way to build a house in Australia.

Start Designing Today

Looking for your dream home? Kitome offers a wide range of fully customisable homes for you to choose from or you can design your own! Talk to the friendly team at Kitome today.

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Small Project, Big Impact

Photoscape LLC of Fort Myers, FL transformed a zero-lot-line property with a landscape design of unique plantings that maximized the 2,600 square foot project. The result? A Silver designation from NALP and five new contracts. 

Not every successful landscape project has to be huge – or complex. It just needs the right elements, carefully executed.

Take the project Fort Myers, FL-based Photoscape LLC did for the Jaksichs family in the high-end Grey Oaks subdivision in Naples.

No more than 2,600 square feet was involved in the job, says Photoscape owner and president Vernon “Oliver” Ray, Ph.D., but the careful use of plantings both in front and behind the zero-lot-line home earned it a 2018 Silver designation in design/build from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Ray was contacted by the clients after they’d seen his work on the Houzz website. “They called me,” he says. “They didn’t want me to bid it, they just wanted me to design it and do it. I gave them a bid, as well, but they weren’t taking multiple bids.”

As long-time residents of the Naples area, the Jaksichs wanted a tropical look. However, because of the size of the new home, there wasn’t much space in which to work.

“The front of the house was a whole lot of pavers – or was going to be; we started the install before the pavers went in,” Ray explains. “They knew the abundance of pavers would detract from the beauty of their home, so they wanted an over-the-top landscape package that would pull the eye to the landscape and then the front entrance.”  While it’s not unusual for Photoscape to do paver installations, adds Ray, in this case the company was so busy, that part of the work was subbed out.

The situation in the rear of the home was somewhat similar. Although the back of the house features a pool and outdoor kitchen/patio, it was built to the zero-lot-line. “They had no backyard to speak of,” he says. “We had to talk the homeowners’ association out of six or seven feet of common area on the backside of the house.”

Missing Utilities

Still, the job should have been straightforward, except that it wasn’t. After taking a day to tear out the areas to be improved, including some old-growth hardwoods, the company began digging to plant some of the eight palm trees that went into the project – and found information on an important utility was missing.

Finding the location of utilities proved a challenge.

“I have photos of my guys in five-foot holes because we had to dig up the whole yard to find where the gas main was coming through,” Ray says. “We realized there was no gas meter to the house, so the gas company had to come out and it delayed our planting for three days while we had plants on the ground.”

Once that was resolved, Photoscape installed both irrigation and lighting in the planting areas. Ray says he particularly loves lighting because it allows clients to enjoy their installations beyond just daylight hours. “It’s all ground lighting, but we also lit up the front of the house with some wall-washers,” he says. “We didn’t do any downlighting from the trees because we were dealing primarily with palms.”

Ultimately, about 2,400 square feet were planted, with the remaining 200 square feet going to floratam sod.

Right Plant, Right Place

Ray prides himself on his planting beds and designating the right plant for the right place. In this case, some beds received full sun, some were in partial sun, and others received virtually no direct sun. “I… use plants that are unique [and] that you rarely see in other landscapers’ designs,” he says. “I search every week on the east coast…Miami and Homestead, where 90% of the growers in the state are located. I just bring back things that are unique.”

In this case, he’s particularly proud of his use of a false Ashoka or “mast” tree at the home’s front entrance. “It’s very slow growing, but we needed some real height by the front door in a very narrow area,” Ray says. “It gives a very nice look to the front of the home.”

A Japanese blueberry topiary adds height in a small space.

Also, near the entrance is a Japanese Blueberry topiary, with others of the same species going into the small backyard. “The entrance is my favorite feature because it showcases two very unusual trees,” he says. “They bracket the entrance as well as you could with [the] little amounts of dirt as we had to work with. They turned out to be really smashing.”

The planting areas in the front were built up to allow irrigation water to drain off the beds onto the pavers. However, the back offered more of a drainage challenge. “In the back we dug and installed some perforated drains along both sides of the berms,” Ray explains. “The common area was higher than the grade to the house, so we had to put in drains. The plants we put in can take wet feet at times, but not all the time, and we had to find a way to get the water away from the root base of the plants.”

The planting areas in were built up to allow water to drain off the beds onto the pavers.

Boulder Design

While Photoscape didn’t install the aforementioned pavers, it did incorporate some hardscape elements in the design. The planting beds include several boulders in various sizes, some up to several hundred pounds. “They’re moss boulders that I bring in from Tennessee,” Ray explains. “The boulders in Florida are very porous and in this humid climate within six months they’re full of mold and fungus and turn black, so we don’t use them.”

Ray’s other favorite – round river rock – makes an appearance in the back. The client wanted the opportunity to walk in the backyard planting area without muddying her shoes.

“We built a raised area about four inches high from river rock and then put stepping stones on it and banded the area with heavy duty commercial metal edging,” Ray explains. “The river rock and the stepping stone walkway went in at the last minute.”

Ultimately, the project took less than two weeks, with Photoscape putting six men on the tear-out and up to a dozen on the rest of the work.

Another challenge: Transporting palm trees to a backyard of zero-lot-line homes.

Besides the headaches presented by the gas line and missing gas meter, Ray says his greatest challenge was getting the trees to the backyard. “We had an articulated loader to get the palm trees back there, but this home is surrounded by zero-lot-line homes, so it was a real challenge to get into the common area,” he says. “We had to take a section of fence and a gate out in order to get back there, but we left the area better than it was before, so it wasn’t a problem.”

The total project came in at just under $50,000. Not only did the clients have Photoscape back later to add potted plants to the pool area, but the neighbors were impressed as well, says Ray. “We got five other jobs off this one before we’d even finished it,” he says. “That’s the greatest compliment. People were walking by before we were finished with the job and giving us their contact info for other installations. That’s the best.”

Schipper is a writer and editor specializing in B2B publishing. She is a partner in Word Mechanics, based in Palm Springs, CA.

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Building a Tiny House – Why a Kit Home is the Better Option

NaturaLawn Dan Collins Scholarships Awarded

Pictured above: Cole Cerulli, center, during his visit to the NaturaLawn of America Corporate Office in Downtown Frederick, MD. Also pictured from left to right are: Marketing Director Theresa Smith; President Phil Catron; Cole’s parents, Michael and Michelle Cerulli; and Chief Operating Officer Jesse Catron.

 

NaturaLawn® of America has announced three winners of its Dan Collins Scholarship award. The essay contest, now in its second year, offers high school seniors and college undergraduates a chance to win scholarship money toward higher education.

Originally designed to provide $4,000 to the essay contest winner, NaturaLawn of America instead decided to offer three awards this year due to the outstanding response, as well as the caliber of students. The winners were awarded $4,000, $1,000, and $500 respectively.

The first-place award recipient was Cole Cerulli, of Maryland. This fall, Cerulli will be attending James Madison University to study finance. He is a well-rounded student, accepted into the National Honors Society and Future Farmers of America. Cerulli is also highly regarded by his teachers, mentors, and classmates as selfless and always willing to lend a helping hand.

Cole Madsen attends Des Moines Area Community College and is studying turf management.

Cole Madsen of Iowa, a sophomore at Des Moines Area Community College, was selected as the second recipient of the award. He studies turf management and began operating his own lawn care company, Madsen Mowing, in high school. His knowledge of turf management helped him during internships, where his responsibilities included maintaining Minor League Baseball fields and professional golf greens.

The third recipient chosen was Alex Noble, of North Carolina. Noble will be attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to major in biology with a minor in either forensic science or marine biology. Noble said receiving the Dan Collins Scholarship award was an honor. He intends to live out the memory of Dan Collins by helping “change the world in his name.”

Alex Noble will attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

The award was established in 2017 in memory of former franchise owner, Dan Collins, who passed away from cancer in 2005. “Dan Collins was a ‘larger-than-life’ gentleman who always had a funny story to share, an encouraging word for his fellow franchise owners, and a big heart for giving his best to help others,” said Phil Catron, company founder and president. “Dan’s efforts in promoting NaturaLawn of America and his franchise in the Richmond, VA area can be summed up by a simple five-word question he was so fond of asking, ‘Can I get you started?’”

Applications for the scholarship were accepted this year from March to May. Students were encouraged to submit a personal essay, as well as up to three recommendations for consideration. A retired high school principal familiar with scholarship award determinations evaluated each applicant, with identifiers redacted, to identify the top three winners.

NaturaLawn of America hopes these scholarships will help students prepare for their futures with less financial burden. The company also plans to expand the contest in the future to offer more scholarship opportunities.

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