Why Build an Environmentally Friendly Deck with composite materials

Spring is just around the corner and with it comes visions of the great outdoors. Now is the time to plan and build a deck that will extend living spaces to the outdoors and create an environmentally friendly and easy to care for space to entertain friends and family.
Adding any deck can make your home feel brand new, and you can take advantage of previously unused outdoor spaces.
I know when you say environmentally friendly you are saying different things to different people. Environmentally friendly to one means using natural renewable products like Cedar wood, to another it means using products that utilize recycled materials. Whichever way you’re thinking leans, we agree we are not talking about vinyl materials or woods that have been chemically treated with preservatives.
I personally like the natural wood decks that have natural preservatives in them like Western Red Cedar but there are a number of composite deck materials on the market today that are starting to give the natural woods a run for their money.
These composite materials have several advantages over the natural woods not least of which is the low maintenance factor. They are usually made with recycled hardwood bound together with recycled plastic. Some of them look like wood and you often can work with them as you would with a natural wood product, though some do need to be treated slightly different.
Here are some reasons for building with a low maintenance composite material.
1. Its good for the environment. Using a composite product made from recycled hardwood and plastic keeps material out of the land fills, is again recyclable, and lasts for years.
2. Low maintenance decking products eliminate the annual need for staining or painting. They only need the occasional sweep or spray with a garden hose without all the maintenance and hassle of traditional wood materials. That way you can then spend time enjoying your deck rather than working to maintain it year after year.
3. Newer composite decking surfaces will not crack or splinter like natural wood decks so they are even safer with no worries about injuries caused by these natural wood materials problems.
4. Composite decking resists stains (though some composite products can stain) and spills wipe up easily.
5. Composite products are less expensive then a natural Cedar wood deck though they are more money then the chemically treated materials but they will look great and last a lot longer and are worth the investment.
6. A deck can decrease the expanse of lawn and thus reduce the need to fertilize which is not good for the environment and the need to water which is both getting costly and also hard on the environment.
7. With fuel prices rising and travel becoming more expensive why not take a vacation in your own backyard. A deck can create an outdoor living space that makes being in the yard feel like a retreat everyday.
Now is the time to take an environmentally responsible step by creating a great outdoor entertaining space which includes a permanent home for your BBQ next to your patio table and comfortable deck chairs. While you are at it why not get some new wood outdoor patio furniture to complete your deck from “Teaks n more” or “Outdoor Cedars” our two outdoor and patio furniture stores. Some content and thoughts courtesy of ARA content
environmentally friendly "by the yard"

Do You Worry about Cleaning the Harmful Grime and Dirt Outdoors?

Often we think spring cleaning is an indoor job. We scrub windows, doors, floors etc. Once I lived beside some great people and she went way beyond the norm. In the spring I would often see her out there scrubbing the brick around the whole house, with a hand scrub brush. Some of us today may use a power washer to clean the outside of the house but what about the play equipment, toys and furniture, etc. does it get cleaned? Does it need to or do you think the next rain will wash it clean? Read on you may change your mind.
(ARA) - One of the most overlooked, yet most needed cleaning chores in your home is probably right in your own back yard - outdoor play equipment. When outdoor play equipment -- activity gyms, swing sets, sandboxes, playhouses, little red wagons and even doghouses come out for the summer, it can be a staging area for bacteria-laden dirt and grime.
When the air turned cool, most backyard equipment was consigned, like the lawnmower, to the back of the garage, an unused corner of the basement or storage shed. Most outdoor playthings need a seasonal cleaning to free them from the mold, mildew and just plain dirt they pick up while not in use. Even when it stays outdoors year 'round, as most swings and pet's shelters do, the surfaces easily become contaminated from dust and residue. Playground equipment, like outdoor furniture, is exposed to weather, windblown dirt and the occasional visiting bird, plus whatever grime has stuck to its surface during storage.
CLR Outdoor Furniture Cleaner is formulated specifically to combat the types of dirt and grime encountered outdoors, and this makes it perfect for backyard play equipment. Just spray on, wipe off and rinse. The cleaner fights stains, contains a UV-protectant and is harmless to grass.
CLR Outdoor Furniture Cleaner is ideal for a clean start to the outdoor season. It will give a good feeling knowing children can enjoy the outdoor season with backyard play equipment and outdoor toys that are squeaky clean. This innovative product can also be used to clean any kind of outdoor furniture: plastic, resin, rattan, wicker, wood, wrought iron, vinyl, PVC and canvas.
CLR Outdoor Furniture Cleaner is available nationally at drug and hardware stores in a 26-ounce spray bottle. It is part of the family of quality CLR cleaning products developed originally by Jelmar.
For more household tips, to see what other CLR products can do for you or to locate a CLR Outdoor Furniture retailer, log on to www.jelmar.com. Courtesy of ARA Content
If you have quality wood outdoor patio furniture like you can find at “Outdoor Cedars” and are wanting to take care of it check out this CLR product. It will also help take care of any new outdoor and patio furniture that you might buy. If you are looking for some special new additions to your outdoor living space check out “Teaks n More”.

Keeping it clean “by the yard”

What we need to be doing to get ready for spring

Well I said last time that we would talk about what we need to be doing to get ready for spring.
This week I came across this article and it certainly is something I need to be thinking about. You see I’m one of those baby boomers and the aches and pains of working (not only in the yard) are becoming more and more real to me all the time. I’m not going to say any more about my aches and pains or all I’ll be doing is talking about me again this time. So here are some very timely tips.

Tips to Make Yard Care Easier on the Body
(ARA) - Oh, our achin' backs. It's no surprise that baby boomers who take care of the yard have plenty to complain about when it comes to aches and pains, including problems with backs, shoulders, arms, legs, hands and feet. And new research confirms what many of us know to be true -- that yard care can be tough on the body, particularly for adults in the baby boomer generation as they spend more time working in their yards.

A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the number-one lawn care injury among adults is pain from overstrain. "People tend to really overexert themselves," says Vanessa Costilla, the study's co-author. The good news? Experts say the majority of those backyard injuries are avoidable. "Using common sense is the top thing people need to remember".

No matter your age, taking steps now to put less strain on muscles and joints can help you avoid problems down the road. Here are four ways to help cut down on yard care's stress and strain:

*Know your limits. Simply put, don't overdo it. People with a history of back or joint pain should think twice before overexerting themselves in the yard. And if you start to feel fatigued, take a break. "Know and respect your physical limitations," advises Costilla.

*Ask for help. The Johns Hopkins study found that a considerable number of people are injured while trying to lift their mowers. Never try to load, unload or move heavy equipment by yourself.

*Choose body-friendly equipment. Use equipment that adjusts to the human body -- rather than the other way around. "The mower you use can make a big difference in how your body feels after working in the yard," says Joe Hager, senior engineer for mower manufacturer Lawn-Boy.

*Use stand-up tools. Instead of getting down on your hands and knees to weed, plant or till, use ergonomic tools designed to let you take care of the yard and garden from a standing position. If you do need to get near the ground for occasional close-up work, use smartly designed hand tools and a padded garden kneeler with sturdy handles to make getting up and down easier.

This spring and summer, keep pain and strain to a minimum by using common sense and equipment that works with your body -- not against it. Courtesy of ARA content

I think this is great advice. Don’t you?

Aches and pains “By the yard”

Thinking Spring Maintenance

How many of you like doing maintenance? No, neither do I. My car goes to the garage when it won’t start or something sounds terrible and my roof gets fixed when it starts raining inside. I am not good at preventative maintenance and I pay the price. Some people reading this just don’t understand this attitude. My mechanic has got used to me and he often does things I have not asked him to do because he is not sure when the next time will be that he sees my van again and I appreciate the fact that he is looking out for me. My excuse is I’m busy and I don’t have time. Well it works sometimes (the excuse that is).
When it comes to our back yards now is the time to do some maintenance (cleaning and sharpening tools etc.). We are not out in the yard yet and in fact unless you are pretty cold blooded or live in a different part of the world it still looks like winter outside here in Canada. The thing is, the time of year tells us that it won’t be long now and we will want to be outdoors in our back yards having fun or relaxing again. So while we have a chance we need to get ready so we don’t miss a minute.
I have often wasted those minutes by not doing maintenance in a timely fashion. I go to do a quick job so I can enjoy the rest of the day and oops it doesn’t work and then I spend half the day getting it fixed or buying a new one and then I miss out on my time to relax. I know you have done the same thing but some of you have learned from those experiences and do things so that it isn’t repeated.
This article did not go where I had planned. I meant to start talking about what types of maintenance we should be doing at this time of year in preparation for spring but sorry I got talking about me again and not a good me either. So over the next few entries I am going to talk about what we need to be doing to get ready for spring and I promise not to tell you things that I am not willing to do. You can check me up on it too.
Well so far I am still thinking but I promise to get started this week how about you? Wait I haven’t talked about what we need to do yet. O well if I can think of something to start on you probably can too.

Maintenance “By the yard”

Adding freshness, life, color by adding flowers!

Sorry I have been away for a couple of weeks and was not able to complete this design earlier. I went to Ecuador for a couple of weeks to help a couple of churches there in projects that they needed help with. The experience has opened my eyes to new ideas and perspectives that I am sure will change my thinking about a number of things. I almost want to start this project all over again but I think the ideas we have been talking about are good ideas. It is just we could do the same yard in so many different ways. Have you had different ideas as we went along? I am sure you have.
Well I thought we would wrap it up this time by adding some flowers to our garden. I have had some brown space in the plan for a while now and we are going to create some variety, some color, some freshness and some structure to the yard by adding different plant life.
We add structure by adding shrubs which add both height and mass. We want to bring balance to the yard so we need to place these shrubs strategically. If we place some in the corners and maybe by the arbor and pool this will create the structure and height we are looking for.
I also want some color and freshness and if we add perennials between the shrubs I think we can achieve it but only if we do it well. The thing with perennials is they only bloom for specific times so we need to know (or hire someone who does) when each will bloom, so we can have an ever blooming garden. We could also use annuals but the perennials will keep things changing throughout the seasons and keep things fresh and new. They will also add a lot of color if chosen right and that color is both inviting and refreshing.
We have added a lot to this small back yard and I am sure it will be used for both times of relaxing and times of entertaining.
I really like walking into a yard that has been recently redesigned because of it’s new clean look though it sometime takes a year to really come into its own and really look full and good. Most of us want it to just stay that way but that is not how it works. Things mature, they need maintenance and attending to keep them looking good.
So next time we will talk about that. Maintenance what does it take to keep a yard looking good?

“Designing by the yard”