How to Set Up an Outdoor Living Area

The patio or deck can be a natural extension of your home if you like to spend time outside. You can make the most of this outdoor living by creating a full outside living area. The degree of complexity is a personal decision, but a well designed outdoor living area will receive plenty of use.

Set Up Location

The first step in an outdoor living area is finding the right location for your seating. You may already have a large covered patio or gazebo. You may find that you’d like to lay a new section of patio or build a deck to accommodate your new outdoor living area. Arrange your location before moving ahead.

Set Up Seating

Once a location has been determined, preferably near the rest of the home, it is time purchase and arrange comfortable seating. Seating can be as simple as a patio table and chairs or it can be a collection of chairs, chaise lounges, benches, swings and cushions. The style of the seating as well as the number of seats is up to you.

Arrange the seating in a circular fashion for large groups, or in small clusters to encourage more intimate conversations. If you will be using an outdoor fireplace, be sure to place seating well away from the center where the fireplace will be located.

Set Up a Focus

If you would like a focus for your outdoor living area, arrange an outdoor fireplace, a table or other large item in the center of your seating to help bring the living area together. A table may limit seats, so you might create a small living area or multiple clusters if using a table. A large fire pit or fireplace can accommodate many seats, but be sure to keep seats well away from any blaze or sparks.

Accessorize

Finally, dress up your outdoor living area with potted plants, lawn decorations and special touches such as urns or wall fountains. Arrange plants and other accessories around the perimeter of the seating arrangement to make the outdoor living area feel cozy and contained.

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How to Light Your Yard

As night falls, your backyard can take on a certain gloom that may be too inviting to unwelcome guests. By lighting your yard, you can have the peace of mind that your property is protected, and with the right kind of lighting, you can also enjoy additional decorative elements.

Select The Yard Lights

There are many kinds of lighting options available. A flood light may make sense by a garage, but it might also be too harsh for nearby neighbors. If you do invest in a floodlight, hang it so that the glare is only directly visible on your property and the light isn’t shining into any windows.

If a floodlight is too much, or you’d rather have more decorative lighting, consider lights along pathways or in the landscaping. Path lights and accent lights give off a bit less light than a full spot light or flood light, but they will illuminate your yard enough to see while you walk outside after dark or if you’re curious about a noise.

You can install electric lights which may be less expensive, but more complicated to install. You can also install solar lights which derive power from solar energy and automatically light up after dark. These are simple to install and often require nothing more than placing them in the ground where you wish the accent lights to be, or mounting the light to the wall if you’re installing a solar flood light or spot light.

Install Lights

If you’ve selected solar lights, you have little to do but decide where to actually place the light. If you’ve selected electrical lights, you have a bit more work ahead. Turn off the power before working to install the lights. Carefully follow the instructions of the manufacturer. If at all unsure, consult with an electrician or have your lights professionally installed. This will keep you safe and ensure your lights are installed properly.

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How to Install a Sundial

There are many ways to install sundials – not just on a southern oriented wall. So long as your sundial receives light during the day, it can be installed almost anywhere suitable to the style of your particular sundial.

Installing Sundials Outside

If you’re installing your sundial outside in the garden or patio, you have a few different options. A horizontal or equatorial sundial can be placed where two paths intersect, in the heart of a flower bed or in the middle of the yard. Mount this kind of sundial on a column, but be sure to keep the column under four feet however.

A meridian sundial can be hung from a tree in the yard or on a pillar. It can also be hung from a gatepost assuming the gateposts are facing south. The sundial can be hung anywhere that receives sun in the midday and facing south (or north if you’re in the southern hemisphere.

Installing Sundials on the House

To install sundials on your home, you must first decide what use you will receiving from your sundial. If your dial is primarily decorative, you can hang it above the door as a show of hospitality. You can also hang the dial on any wall without regard to orientation if you are using it only as decoration.

If, however, you are going to actually read your sundial, you’ll want to install it with the correct cardinal direction. A vertical direct south sundial should be hung on a southern wall with the dial facing directly south. Even if the wall isn’t directly facing south, you can orient the sundial using pegs or other means of raising it a bit on one side or the other.

To hang a sundial for the sunrise or sunset, hang it on an east or west facing wall. This positioning works well for direct east, direct west or vertical declining sundial.

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How to Grow a Butterfly Garden

A butterfly garden is a flower garden specifically planted to attract butterflies. Whether you take on this project alone or with your children, you will watch in wonder as butterflies come flocking to the garden you planted.

Gather Materials

Before you start planting, be sure you have all the materials you will need. Your garden will need flowering plants or seeds (see below for specific types of blooms), a clean, empty, plastic milk jug, large flat stones, and gardening tools.

Choose a Location

You will want to locate your butterfly garden in a sunny spot with good soil. Try to find a place that not only gets direct sunlight, but that is visible from your patio or windows so you can watch the butterflies enjoy your garden. Also, make sure your garden is in a location that will not be damaged by other pets or children playing.

Choose Your Flowers

Butterflies are attracted to fragrant flowers that have large petals or blossoms that grow in direct sunlight. Consider flowers such as giant swallowtail, prickly ash, swallowtail ash, violets, pansy, pearl crescent, asters, milkweed, ageratum, bee balm, bougainvillea, calendula, coneflower, dahlia, daylily, geranium, hibiscus, marigold, milkweed, snapdragon, yellow sage, and zinnia. These types of flowers provide easy access to the nectar that butterflies love to eat.

Plant Seeds or Seedlings

Once you have your spot picked out, prepare the soil, making sure it is moist, and plant your seeds or seedlings. If you are planting seeds, be certain to follow the instructions on the seed packet. Remember that butterflies tend to migrate to groups of flowers, so plant your flowers in bunches.

Add Other Elements

Your garden will not just consist of flowers. Provide places for the butterflies to rest and bask in the sunlight and socialize. Place some flat stones near the flowers where the butterflies to land. Also, dig a small hole and place the milk jug inside the shallow hole after you have cut off the top of the jug. You may choose to lay some stones over the edge of the jug to keep it from blowing away and to give the butterflies more sunny spots to perch. Fill the jug with fresh water. This puddle will give the butterflies drinking water and a place to socialize.

Decorate Your Garden

The extra elements in your garden don’t have to just be for the butterflies. You may choose to decorate your garden to make it more pleasing to the humans that visit it. Add a small fountain or garden arbors to enhance the look of your butterfly garden. Once you have finished putting everything together, watch and wait for the butterflies to come!

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How to Use Espalier

Espalier is a gardening technique that trains trees to grow along walls to save space in tight gardens and to create an unusual effect in your backyard. Espalier dates back to castle courtyards and monasteries, but you can use the technique in your own garden today for the same space saving and beautification purposes.

Prepare a Space

The location is everything with espalier. In most mild climates, a south facing wall is the ideal location for trees grown using espalier as the wall would absorb sun and warmth throughout the day. In some climates, however, the south facing wall may receive too much sun and heat which would be detrimental to the espalier effect. If this is the case where you live, consider an east or west facing wall. A north facing wall is almost never a good location for espalier.

The tree will planted only six to eight inches from the wall or fence, so prepare the soil adequately in this location as well as extending out from the fence to ensure a healthy root system. Prepare the fence or wall itself by installing a wire mesh or trellis behind where the tree will actually be planted.

Plant a Tree

Plant a young tree that grows well in your climate. Espalier can work well with fruit trees if they naturally grow in your area. Be sure you plant a young, supple tree as you will be training the branches over time to grow in a certain fashion. If you are not up for the training of the branches, you may be able to find trees already prepared for espalier planting in local nurseries. These can be more expensive than a standard young tree, but they will also save a great deal of time and effort.

Train the Tree

Once the tree is planted, water it well on a regular basis and allow it to establish a root system before beginning training. In the spring while the branches are especially soft, carefully bend them against the wall and use string or cloth to gently tie them into a design along your mesh or trellis. In cool weather, you can prune the branches that are not part of your actual design. Training will take a long period of time and some work on your part to keep branches tied correctly and unnecessary branches trimmed away. But eventually your tree will be a true asset to your garden.

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How to Mow a Yard

Moving from an apartment to a house is exciting. Not only do you now have your own garage, you also have your very own front and backyard to care for. Your yard is very exciting, at least until its time to mow it for the first time. Here’s how to mow a yard.

Locate a Mower

Your first step in a successful mowing experience is to actually locate a mower to use. You may already own one in anticipation of this very day. You might be able to borrow one from a friend, family member or new neighbor, but don’t plan on making a habit of it. The old owners might have left one behind, but most likely your mowing needs are the cause of one of many trips to the home improvement store.

Buy a Mower

If you’re going to buy a mower, be sure you know what sort of yard you are working with – especially if this mowing experience is completely new to you. An average yard can be cut with a gas powered push mower. A self propelled mower helps with a yard that has hills or dips, or a larger yard, but is not required. Electric lawn mowers work best on smaller yards, and very large yards might be best cut with a riding or heavy duty propelled mower.

Buy Accessories

You’ll also need at least one additional piece of lawn equipment. A mower will cut 95% of the grass in the yard, but you need a weed eater or edger to go around sidewalks and objects in the yard such as metal yard art. A leaf blower and separate edger can supplement a weed whacker, but are not required.

Start the Mower

When you’ve assembled your supplies, read the instructions for your new mower or get help from its owner as to what fuel it requires. It’s likely it takes a combination of gas and oil, but read to be sure. Different mowers turn on different ways, but the most common push lawn mowers require a pull start. Push the prep button three to ten times to prime the mower. Then hold the handle down while pulling up quickly on the start cord.

It is common that a mower requires a few attempts at starting before the engine catches. If the engine doesn’t catch right away, don’t despair. Prime the engine again and pull. If the mower doesn’t catch in a few tries, consult with a friend or neighbor to see if you’ve missed a step.

Mow!

Once you get the mower going, hold down the handle and begin pushing it in rows over the yard. Overlap your rows slightly to avoid leaving a path between each pass. Go in straight lines to make your lawn appear manicured. If you are bagging your grass clipping you may have to stop to put the clipping in trash bags. If you’re mulching, you can mow your entire yard without stopping.

Trim

When the moving is complete, use your weed whacker to cut in on the edges you were unable to reach with the mower. Be sure to trim the grass along the flower beds, house walls, driveway, sidewalk and any other lawn objects. Then, put your equipment away, relax, and enjoy your manicured yard.

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How to Wallpaper a Kitchen

Certain rooms of the house lend themselves to wallpaper or at least a wallpaper border along the top of the walls. If you’re ready to take the next step in decorating, here’s how to wallpaper a kitchen.

Make a Plan

The first step to wallpapering is to actually select the paper. Many types of wallpaper now come with adhesive. You simply dip the wall paper strip in water and apply it, so this is your best bet. It’s far better to skip messy glues if you can avoid it. Look around for wallpaper you’ll enjoy for years to come. It’s challenging to change out wallpaper, so don’t settle. If you love rooster décor, by all means find coordinating wallpaper, but if you’re unsettled on a pattern, wait until you definitely prefer one before beginning.

Know What You’re Buying

You also need to understand what sort of wallpaper you’re buying and the level of commitment you’ll be extending to the project. A simple border can be hung in a few hours or less. Wallpapering an entire room can take days to do well, especially if you have an unusually shaped kitchen.

Measure

When its time to actually start the project, put on work clothes, find a large pan or bucket, a ladder, a trimming knife and a scraper and get started. Start at one corner of the room. Use a level to make a careful vertical line where the first two strips of paper will meet. This vertical line will ensure your paper is straight – be sure to draw another one each time you start a new section or wall.

Carefully measure the height of the wall area where the wallpaper will be hung. Measure it again to be certain, and then measure out the length on the paper itself. Cut the strip with your trimming knife and straight edge to ensure it is perfectly straight. Be sure to leave a two inch margin for trimming.

Booking

Then loosely roll the paper backwards so that the back of the paper is on the outside. Soak the strip in your pan of water to activate the glue. When the paper is thoroughly wet, carefully lift it out and spend a few minutes activating the glue. You can activate the glue by “booking” the paper. Booking entails folding the wet paper on to itself with glue to glue. You’ll want to have floor coverings in place to protect your floor from drips.

Hang the Paper

“Unbook” the wallpaper sheet and gently press it onto the wall leaving an inch at the top. Align the paper to the vertical line you drew to ensure its straight. Use a brush or other smoothing tool to press the strip against the wall. Be sure the wall paper is flush to the corners and along baseboards and the ceiling. Cut a small diagonal at the top of paper hanging in corners to ensure the excess paper doesn’t cause your strip to hang improperly.

Once the strip is hung, smooth is out to remove any air bubbles. Work diagonally from the top down. Any stubborn bubbles that won’t leave, pop with a pin and force the air out before the wall paper dries. Repeat the procedure with additional strips taking time to trim the top and bottom of each with a sharp razor and straight edge.

When dealing with a window, door or electrical outlet, paper over the obstruction and then trim away the paper using a series of diagonal cuts to ensure your corners are exact.

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How to Paint a Room

There is no faster, or less expensive, way to change the appearance of a room than to give it a new coat of paint. Painting a room requires a bit of prep work and time, but the more carefully you attend to the details, the better the result.

Buy Paint

The first step to painting a room is to determine what paint color and any texture you will be using. You can obtain samples from a paint or home improvement store to see what colors work best in your room. Then, with a color in mind, head back to the store to buy your paint. Plan on at least two coats, so a small room may need only one can, but two gallons of paint is your best bet. If you are painting over stained walls or dark paint, you should also buy a gallon of primer. Be sure to also buy paint supplies such as rollers, brushes, painter’s tape and paint trays.

Tape the Edges of the Room

While professionals shun painter’s tape, it can help keep your ceilings and floors paint free. Take time to carefully apply painters tape to the outside of your paint area. This will give you a bit of freedom in case a brush slips or there are drips while you are painting. Tape the ceiling, doorways, floorboards, and any other built-ins that will not be painted.

Remove Wall Art and Spackle

Remove any wall art or other hangings and spackle the holes left behind. Sand down any spackle that dries uneven with the wall texture.

Prime and Paint!

Cover your floors with a drop cloth and carefully pour the primer (if you are using one) into your paint tray. Use a roller to carefully roll the primer onto the walls in a V pattern. Overlap your strokes and refill your roller with paint frequently to get the best coverage. Avoid too much paint on the roller at a time as this can lead to drips and splatters.

When the walls have been primed, clean the tray, attach a new roller, and pour in your paint color. Ensure the primer is completely dry, and then begin rolling on your paint color using the same V technique. Use a brush to paint the narrow spaces where a roller won’t fit such as corners, the tops and bottoms of walls and the areas around windows and doors. Allow the first coat of paint to dry, then repeat with a second coat. Some dark colors may require three or possibly even four coats of paint for solid coverage.

Clean Up

Allow the paint to dry completely before removing the tape. Pull the tape carefully to reveal crisp corners and straight lines. Throw the tape away, clear away your tools and drop cloth, and enjoy your painted room.

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How to Maximize Space in an Apartment

Apartments are often a bit short on space, especially in critical locations such as kitchens and bathrooms. Maximizing this space can be an exercise in patience or simply a task for someone ready to use their creativity to earn extra space and a bit of extra organization as well.

Maximize Space in an Apartment Closet

Apartment closets are often too small for all of your clothes. If this is the case in your closet, take the clothes that are currently out of season and store them in large storage bags or totes. You may be able to fit the totes on the top shelf of the closet or you can buy specialty totes that slide under the bed. When the seasons change, simply switch out the clothes you are currently storing.

You can also maximize apartment closet space by investing in a closet organization system. Find one that hangs on an existing closet bar so that you can take the system with you when you move on rather than being forced to leave it behind for the new tenants.

Maximize Space in an Apartment Kitchen

Maximize space in your apartment kitchen by eliminating waste such as a junk drawer. The items usually kept in a junk drawer can be organized into other areas by using gadgets such as a battery organizer, desk organizer, and a series of small containers to keep rubber bands, tie-tabs and other small items.

Store large kitchen items on top of the refrigerator or in a hall closet to leave the cabinets free for dishes and glasses. If you buy kitchen items or groceries in bulk, use the space under the table or above a washing machine to keep large boxes out of the way.

Maximize Space in an Apartment Bedroom and Bath

You can save space in an apartment bedroom by using shelves to store items up rather than along walls. You can also buy platforms for your bed to give yourself additional space for storage underneath. If you have a large bed, consider moving your dresser into the closet if it will fit to give yourself extra wall and traffic space in the bedroom.

In an apartment bathroom, maximize cabinet space, buy placing shelves inside the cabinet. You can buy shelves that don’t require installation so you can use them in other apartments down the road. You may also consider a series of stacking baskets for towel storage or a system of shelves or cabinets that can be arranged over the toilet. Again, look for ways to store up the walls rather than across them to maximize the height of the room as the width will be severely limited.

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How to Maximize Space in a Dorm Room

Dorm rooms are small, there is no question about it. But savvy students can store all of their things in those small rooms and still have space for an extra pair of shoes – so long as they are small ones.

Store Up

Bring along a set of shelves to put inside your closet or against a wall. Some shelving units let you stack as many units together as you can, so you might consider these along with a stool. Put items you never use, such as textbooks and suitcases on the very top shelf with items used occasionally on the shelf underneath. Everyday items can be stored on the lower shelves. You can even store the stool on the shelf to keep it out from underfoot until you need it.

Store Under

If your bed is not built in, raise it by using risers or cement blocks. Then, store as many crates and boxes as you can squeeze in under the bed. Off season clothing and extra towels can be stored this way since your shelf is taking part of your closet, and a big bin of shoes lets you dig through them when needed, but frees up valuable floor space.

Use Wall Space

Hang what you can from the bare, blank dorm room walls. If your walls are too tough for pushpins, try heavy duty hooks like Hercules hooks to hang your bathrobe, towels, jacket, scarves, earphones, TV cables and more.

Avoid Knick-knacks

Cute mementoes of dates and spring break trips are grand, except they take up valuable shelf space. If you have some mementoes, store them under the bed or in the closet until you have a space large enough to show them off properly.

Scale Down

Do you really need a full stereo system when your iPod and portable speakers will do? Skip the desktop in favor of a laptop and keep that little refrigerator safely stowed under the desk. You don’t need legroom anyway.

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