#you want something low maintenance you can plant in the side yard and leave alone forever? but of course | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tails89 · 3 years ago

Note

Are you still taking prompts? I was thinking about a 5+1 Buddie or a domestic. Thank you so much 🏵️

Thanks for the ask! I went with domestic for this one 😄

Send me a bingo prompt

You can also read this on AO3

~~~

“Hey kiddo.” Eddie holds the door open while Chris climbs up into the car. “How was school?”

“It was good.” Chris settles in his seat and waits for his dad to climb in behind the steering wheel. “We all got seeds in science. We planted them to see how they grow. I can’t wait to see what my plants are.”

He goes quiet, and when Eddie glances up at the rear-view mirror he can see Chris's reflection, staring out the window, deep in thought.

“Hey, dad?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“Do you think we could have a garden at home?”

Eddie pulls a face remembering the plant Pepa had given him as a house warming gift when they first moved to LA. She’d called it low-maintenance, insisting that even Eddie couldn’t kill it but by the time he’d finished unpacking the plant had been black and crumbling.

“Dad?”

“I don’t have much of a green thumb,” he admits.

“Oh, yeah.” Chris frowns. “You kill everything.”

“Hey, not everything!”

Chris gives a little sigh and goes back to staring out his window.

“Oh.” He brightens, straightening in his seat. “Maybe Buck can help us.”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Eddie says. Knowing Buck, the answer will be a resounding yes. It seems he’ll take any excuse to come over and hang out with Chris, which works for Eddie because he’ll use any excuse to invite Buck over.

It’s almost embarrassing, to be crushing on someone this hard. Eddie’s an adult, not some lovesick teenager. He shouldn’t be getting butterflies at the thought of seeing Buck.

“Can we ring him when we get home?” Chris asks.

“Buck’s working kiddo, but I’ll send him a text and see if he’s free on the weekend.”

Buck is so completely in, because of course he is and Eddie falls just a little bit more in love with him.

Eddie is woken early on Saturday morning by the sounds of movement in the house and the loud beep of the coffee maker. He pads out to the kitchen to find Buck, pulling things from cupboards to make breakfast.

“I gave you a key for emergencies, Buck.”

“Your cooking is an emergency,” Buck calls back to him moving to the fridge and peering inside. “You have eggs, right?” His head disappears behind the door. “Found ‘em.”

Eddie leans against the doorframe and watches Buck move around the kitchen with ease. He doesn’t need to ask where everything is kept having spent enough time in there already.

He stands with his back to the doorway, cracking eggs into a bowl. Eddie wants to go to him, to wrap his arms around his waist and hook his chin over Buck’s shoulder.

He shakes off the mental image and steps into the room.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Buck turns to look at him, rolling his eyes and fixing Eddie with a fond smile. “I’m making breakfast.”

Eddie has nothing to say to that. He’s certainly not going to try and argue when the alternative to Buck making breakfast is whatever cereal he can find in the cupboard.

He makes a vague ‘go ahead’ motion with his hand and sets about making coffee for them both, sliding one mug along the counter towards Buck before taking a seat at the table.

“Buck!” Chris appears in the doorway, one hand on the wall for balance. “What are you doing here?” He rushes up to Buck, wrapping his arms around the firefighter.

Eddie hides a snort behind his coffee mug at Buck’s over the top pout. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten.”

“Oh, the garden!” Chris’s face lights up in joy. “You’re still going to help right?”

“Of course I am,” Buck reassures him. “Our garden is going to be amazing. You just need to promise not to let your dad touch it.”

“Because it will die?”

Buck nods sagely. “Because it will die.”

“Hey.” Eddie reaches with his foot to poke Buck in the leg. “What is this? Roast Eddie day?”

“Are you going to deny it?” Buck asks, whipping back around to face Eddie. There’s an easy grin on his face and he’s laughing as he shoos Chris away from the stove top. It makes Eddie feel giddy with affection and he has to look away before he’s caught staring at Buck’s lips.

After breakfast Buck takes Chris outside. They stand side-by-side on the barren back lawn to check out what they’re working with.

Eddie watches shamelessly from the kitchen while he washes up. There’s something about the easy way Buck interacts with Chris that makes his heart pound in his chest. With the window open he can hear them both talking as they make their plans.

“What are you thinking, boss?” Buck has his phone out, tapping away as Chris makes suggestions.

“We should have a vegetable garden next to the house,” Chris says, pointing.

“Vegetable garden?” Buck teases. “Since when do you eat your vegetables?”

“I like some vegetables,” Chris argues.

“Yeah, like what?”

“Carrots—”

“That’s one.”

“And tomatoes.”

“Okay.” Buck taps his phone against his leg, brow knit in thought. “Oh, what about strawberries?”

Chris nods. “I like those.”

“It’s a start,” Buck tells him, writing it down. He glances up, meeting Eddie’s gaze through the window. “You want to come to the hardware store with us?”

“What for?” Eddie asks, opening the window fully.

“Well, do you own a shovel?” Buck asks. “And we’ll need a hose or watering can, soil--"

“There’s plenty of dirt out there,” Eddie says, waving his arm vaguely.

Buck laughs. “And that right there is why Chris is in charge of the garden,” he says. He ducks down to whisper something to Chris. Eddie doesn’t hear it but, judging from the smothered giggles, that’s probably for the best.

“Sure, I’ll come,” Eddie tells them, thinking at least if he goes with them, they can’t tease him behind his back.

They tease him to his face, loudly and with no remorse.

Eddie doesn’t mind. Their excitement is infectious and he can’t help getting swept up in it.

They leave the store with more tools than Eddie knows what to do with. He wouldn’t even know the names of half the things that end up in their cart, let alone what they’re used for. Still, Chris and Buck seem happy with their purchases and that’s enough for Eddie.

He leaves them to it once they get back to the house. It’s been made very clear that his help is not needed and Eddie has enough to do inside.

The life of a single parent means there are always chores to do around the house, but then Eddie will hear a laugh—Chris or Buck—and his attention will be pulled back out to the yard.

Eddie holds out for another hour before giving up the pretence of being busy inside. The day is warming up, so he stops by the kitchen to grab Chris's water bottle and fills another for Buck before heading out.

“How’s everything going out here?” He hands Chris his water and tosses the other bottle to Buck. “No ones chopped off any important body parts?”

“We’re making good progress, right Chris?” Buck takes a long drink. He caps the water bottle, dropping it in the grass. “Hopefully we’re done before it gets too hot.”

In one quick movement, Buck pulls his shirt up over his head, using it to wipe the sweat from his face before letting it drop to the ground.

Eddie should look away, should look anywhere other than at Buck. But with that one simple action Eddie has lost all capacity for rational thought.

“Uh...” He manages to tear his gaze away, but doesn’t miss the knowing smirk that tugs on Buck’s lips. He files that observation away to overthink about later. “You’re not overworking Buck are you?” He asks Chris, latching onto his son for a distraction.

“No.” Chris digs holes in the fresh dark soil. “Buck dug up the grass but I helped spread out the dirt and he said I could decide where the plants go.”

“Oh, so Buck is overworking you then?”

Chris grins and continues digging.

“I guess I’ll leave you both to it then,” Eddie tells them, but he doesn’t head back inside. It’s a nice day, and even if they don’t want his help Eddie is content to sit on the sideline and watch while Chris carefully decides where to put each plant they bought.

They spend most of the day outside, pausing only to eat lunch.

When they’re done, Eddie sends Chris to have a bath and then offers Buck the use of the shower. While the water is running, Eddie looks through his closet for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that will fit Buck, leaving them outside the bathroom.

Once everyone is clean, Eddie orders pizza. It’s not quite dinner time, but he can see Chris probably isn’t going to last much longer.

He’s guesses correctly. Chris crashes out on the couch halfway through the movie he picked to watch while eating. There’s still a slice of pizza on his plate.

“I think you broke him,” Eddie teases. He pokes Chris gently on the arm but his kid doesn’t even stir. “You completely wore him out.”

“More like he wore me out.” Buck blinks sleepily across at Eddie. “This gardening business is hard work.”

“You can crash here if you want,” Eddie offers. “You can drive home in the morning when you’re not so tired.”

“Mm, thanks,” Buck mumbles around a yawn.

Standing, Eddie scoops Chris up into his arms. The boy is all limbs and he realises with a start that soon his kid is going to be too big for this.

“Give me a minute to put Chris to bed, and I’ll grab you a blanket from my room.”

Buck doesn’t say anything. His eyes are closed, his head tipped forward, chin propped on his hand.

Eddie quickly tucks Chris into bed then goes to his room, rifling around for the blanket Buck usually borrows when he stays the night.

Buck hasn’t moved from his spot when Eddie returns to the living room. He lingers in the doorway, his eyes drawn to Buck’s sleep rumpled hair then down to the sliver of skin revealed where his shirt is riding up.

“I can feel you staring.”

Eddie flinches in surprise.

“Sorry,” he mutters, moving over to the couch to hand Buck the blanket.

“’s okay.” A sleepy smile pulls at Buck’s lips. “You do it a lot.”

That stops Eddie in his tracks.

“You, uh, noticed that, did you?”

The smile pulls wider. “I always notice you Eddie.”

Eddie’s mouth goes dry. “You do?”

Buck opens his eyes, his gaze fixing on Eddie’s with an intensity that steals Eddies breath.

“Always.”

Eddie licks his lips, trying to draw some moisture back into his mouth. His heart pounds at the idea of what he’s about to say.

“You know, my bed is much more comfortable than the couch.” He offers Buck his hand to pull him to his feet. “Just sleep,” he adds quickly. “But maybe in the morning we could talk about... more...”

Buck nods slowly, more awake now. “I’d like that,” he says. “More. If that’s what you want?” He accepts Eddie’s hand, rising from the couch.

“I want everything with you.”

#911 #buddie #evan buckley x eddie diaz #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #911 bingo #911 fanfic #my911fanfic

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raptorginger · 6 years ago

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Samhain: Chapter 3 - Ostara

for @reysexualkylo

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2

It had been several weeks since The Incident, as Rey thought of it.

She had woken up back on the couch, wrapped in her favorite blanket, totally alone save for Dusty. The cat had taken up position on the back of the couch and was staring unblinking at a spot on the floor behind her. Rey had sat up and rubbed her face.

“What a fucked up dream,” she groaned to herself. Dusty hardly moved a hair, which was strange. A low rumble was coming from him, and Rey stilled.

“It was a dream...right?” she asked Dusty.

The cat continued to growl.

Rey got up and walked around her couch to the spot Dusty was staring at. Where the monster had been standing in her dream There was a faint scorch mark and a bit of ash on the wood floor. Rey paled. No, it couldn’t be. Maybe it had come from an ember from the fire she’d had a while back. That she forgot to clean up and didn’t notice until now. Riiight.

And then there’d been that guy. His voice had been so familiar. He knew her name. Tried to throw himself in front of her. That one still floored Rey. Her own parents hadn’t loved her enough to stick around, but some guy had thrown himself in front of some clawed monster for her. Well, it HAD been a dream. Rey quickly scanned her living room and listened for sounds that shouldn’t be. Nothing. She was alone. Last time a voice had told her she wasn’t alone. Had that been his voice? The man in black?

“If that was you, you’re more approachable in sweats,” Rey muttered to herself. More attractive too. He’d been tall and broad, with pale skin and a mop of unkempt black hair. Rey gave herself a shake and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea like she always did when she was out of sorts.

She spent the next several days constantly looking over her shoulder. She was distracted at work, every clang in the shop making her jump. She dropped her wrenches more times than she could count. Her boss, Poe Dameron, went so far as to pull her into his office to ask if she was alright.

With a concerned tilt of his swarthy head, he asked, “Did something happen, Rey? You’re pretty jumpy these days.”

Rey put on her brightest smile and replied, “Oh no, Boss! Just a bit distracted is all.”

Poe leaned back in his chair and regarded her with a skeptical expression. Rey fidgeted under his scrutiny and winced when she felt a strange pressure behind her eyes. She rubbed them and tried to push the feeling out. Poe flinched and sat back up.

“Right,” he muttered, like he knew she wasn’t telling the truth. “Well, try to stay focused, Rey. I can have Finn help you out if you want. We don’t need a Land Rover falling on you,” he said in a more jovial tone.

Rey laughed at the weak joke, and she liked Finn well enough, but she didn’t need the help, bristling slightly at the suggestion. “No need, Boss. I’m fine.”

The idea that Poe thought the quality of her work was slipping jolted Rey back to the present, and she resolved to put this whole dream business behind her. She was a damn good mechanic, and the thought of disappointing a customer was practically offensive to her. She noticed Finn hovering a bit more than was called for in the ensuing days, but she tried not to take it personally. She knew Poe was just trying to watch the shop’s back. They worked on a lot of high end vehicles, and high end vehicles came with high maintenance clients. They didn’t need a lawsuit or a bad review.

Things went back to normal shortly after that. The first hints of spring began to creep through the snow and chill of winter, which made a lot of people happy. Except Rey. Slush and mud is what it meant to her. Although, the sun did shine warmer, which she enjoyed. Too bad the snow it shined on looked filthy and disgusting.

Rey gently lowered the hood of the Porsche she was tuning up, wiping her greasy hands on the rag she kept in her belt. She jotted a couple more things on the receipt before she handed it to Poe to give the customer.

“Tell Mr. Biggs that just because his car can go from 0-160 in 2.5 seconds doesn’t mean it should,” Rey muttered.

“Will do,” Poe chuckled. “How’s it going these days Rey? Any more strange dreams?”

“No, not since…” Rey looked up suddenly. She hadn’t told Poe about the weird dream. Had she? She was sure she hadn’t told anyone. Poe and Finn were probably her closest friends, and she was sure she hadn’t mentioned it to either of them. It was too weird. Besides, Poe would have gotten all psychoanalytical saying how it meant she needed to get laid, and Finn would have said it meant she needed to “confront her past” or some shit.

Poe was looking at her with a curious expression on his face. Like he knew something she didn’t. She’d seen that look before. On Luke’s face last time she’d seen him. Rey cocked her head to the side and wiped her hands with her rag some more. “Do you know a Luke Skywalker?” she asked.

Poe made a “beats me” expression and shrugged. “Name sounds kinda familiar. Customer maybe. Why?”

Rey shrugged back. He was lying. She knew it. “No reason,” she replied as she went to the locker room to scrub out and change. Unzipping her blue-grey jumpsuit and kicking off her work boots, she tugged on her jeans and laced up her Converse. Her arms were covered in motor oil and grease, so she grabbed her tin of strong soap and went to the bathroom. She scrubbed and scrubbed until her hands and arms were raw and red, but clean. She washed her face next before heading back to her locker to put on her t-shirt. She rubbed a bit of Eucerin mixed with Lollia hand cream over her arms and hands before she slipped on her black Patagonia sweater and headed home. She was grateful for the thick rubber soles of her shoes as she headed through the slush and muck of the municipal parking lot to her car.

She frowned at some guy who was leering at her a few feet from her car in the lot. He was smoking a cigarette, his motions turning blatantly suggestive and his eyes looking her up and down. Rey imagined how funny it would be if his lighter caught fire in his pocket right next to his crotch. The man suddenly yelped as his pocket starting burning, smoke curling from his hip. Rey figured an ember from the cigarette must have burned through the plastic to the butane.

“Serves you right, prick,” she grumbled as she turned the key in the ignition and sped off, watching the man hop and flap his arms in her rearview mirror.

***

Pulling into her garage, Rey didn’t see anything amiss, but she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. Getting out of her car, she closed the door as quietly as she could and grabbed a crowbar off of the nearby shelf. Holding it in front of her, she quietly open the door and tiptoed into the mudroom, shutting it softly behind her. She heard nothing, not even Dusty. She relaxed a little. If Dusty wasn’t hissing or growling, things should be alright. Unless… Rey paled at the thought. Holding the crowbar in both hands, she crept into her kitchen. Nothing out of place. No weird smells.

“Dusty!” she hissed. “Dusty!”

Rey breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a delicate meow followed by a soft thump. She set her crowbar down on the counter and pulled off her shoes, tossing them near the washer behind her as Dusty sauntered into view, tail held proudly. Dusty stretched luxuriously before jumping up onto the kitchen island and nuzzling Rey’s arm. She gave the cat a gentle scratch behind the ears, making him purr. She poured some food into his bowl and sprinkled a few treats on top, earning her several excited yowls. She watched Dusty gobble up his food for a minute before she headed towards her bedroom. She stripped her clothes off unceremoniously, leaving them in a pile near her hamper, before she walked the few remaining paces to her adjoining bathroom. Turning the knob all the way towards the ‘H,’ Rey finished undressing, hanging her bra on the door handle and tossing her underwear back into the bedroom. She watched the water rush out of the faucet for a moment, enjoying the swirling of the steam around the stream of water before she tugged the shower pull. She wished she had some essential oils or something handy. Rey closed her eyes and imagined the scents of lavender and sandalwood wafting around her, soothing her frazzled nerves. When she opened them, she swore the scents were there, teasing her nose. She got in the shower without a second thought, attributing it to her overactive imagination. As she rinsed out her conditioner, Rey thought she saw the shadow of a man out of the corner of her eye. Peeking out of the shower curtain, she only saw her blinking owlish eyes staring back at her in the foggy mirror. She shook her head and finished her shower, determined to put these strange feelings aside for the rest of the evening.

After heating a bit of her leftover Pad Thai, Rey planted herself on her couch and switched on Ol’ Reliable, aka Netflix. She navigated to her favorite John Mulaney special and focused on eating her leftovers without making a mess. It didn’t take long for Dusty to curl up next to her hip, trying to force her off the small couch so he could lounge. Eventually, Rey did end up on the floor somehow, her empty bowl on the coffee table. The special over, she flipped to another standby of hers, Daredevil. She was hardly five minutes into the first episode before she was on her side and her head was nestled against a pillow she’d thrown on the floor. Her eyes drifted closed, and she was out.

***

When Rey opened her eyes, she was standing outside a rusted iron gate. Dead leaves and snow swirled in the yard before her, a flagstone path leading up to a dark and foreboding old home. Compelled by some force she couldn’t comprehend, Rey pushed the latch down on the gate, the door swinging open with a groan of protest, and stepped into the yard. Walking slowly up the path, she sensed no danger in front of her, only a feeling of… What was that feeling? Rey turned the warm feeling over and over in her mind, as if it was some kind of stone or object she could examine. It was foreign, strange, but intoxicating. It felt like...she belonged here. That’s what was in front of her, belonging. Rey wrapped her arms around her slim body, trying to hold the feeling close.

Walking up the creaking porch steps, Rey paused at the massive front door. It was maybe one and a half times the size of a normal door. Dark stained wood, long ago scarred by weather or...something. Heavy. A massive pane of stained glass depicting a five pointed star within a circle took up almost half of the door. Rey pushed the handle down, and the door swung open easily for her. A dark foyer stood before her, and Rey stepped inside cautiously. A dim sconce was on her right. Peeking past the open archway, Rey saw a tidy, if old, living room, the fireplace dark. Rey could barely make out bookshelves lining the walls. Just past the archway was a set of stairs, a dark hallway beside them leading towards the back of the house. Rey saw a large leather book on the coffee table, but didn’t enter the room to investigate. The belonging feeling wasn’t in here.

Rey walked up the stairs timidly, trying not to make a sound. On the landing, Rey peeked in the door on her right. Study. There was a hallway on her left. Walking to the end of the hallway, Rey pushed open the half closed door that blocked her way. Rey gasped softly. A fire was dying in the small hearth. An armchair sat beside the fireplace, a lamp beside it. In the middle of the room stood a massive four poster bed, occupied by a huge black dog and a very familiar looking sleeping man. The dog was watching her, a curious expression on its face. Rey walked into the room cautiously, the old wooden floor silent beneath her feet. Reaching the edge of the bed, she held her fingers out to the dog, who gave them a friendly snuffle. The dog rested his head on his massive paws after giving Rey a sniff, and Rey figured that meant it was okay to approach the sleeping man.

Rey looked down at the sleeping man. He was lying on his side, his pale face pinched and pained. He was having a dream, and not a very pleasant one, if Rey had to guess. His hair was a dark mess against the white of the pillowcase, and Rey reached out to smooth some of the strands back from his damp forehead. Rey flinched and retracted her fingers when the man let out a whimpering sound, clutching his blankets tighter to his chest.

“Please don’t,” he was begging some invisible assailant. “Don’t hurt her. Please.”

The dog lying at the foot of the bed let out a mournful whine and looked at Rey with beseeching eyes.

“Who? Don’t hurt who?” Rey whispered, reaching out again. She was pretty sure she knew the answer already. She felt it deep in the marrow of her bones, perhaps etched there since time immemorial.

“Don’t hurt Rey. Take me instead,” he whimpered.

Rey sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed his hair back, resting her other hand gently on his shoulder. “Shh. I’m here. No one’s hurting me.” Rey paused and probed the depths of her mind, searching for something. Finding a thread she didn’t realize was there, she touched it with her mind. She felt rather than heard the name ‘Ben’ echo across her mind.

“I’m here, Ben,” she whispered as she smoothed his hair again. Saying his name felt right. “Ben,” she whispered again, enjoying the sound, the feel of it on her tongue.

Ben’s eyes shot open, and before Rey knew it, he’d seized her and had her pinned beneath him. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated in fear. His chest was heaving. Rey was shocked at the number of scars that ran across the pale skin of his torso. He was holding her by the wrists, and she flexed her hands experimentally. Ben loosened his grasp but did not let her up.

“Are you really here?” he asked in a raspy voice. It sounded as if he’d been screaming. Rey’s heart gave a lurch at the thought of him in pain.

Rey licked her lip. She noticed his gaze flick to the tiny movement. Was she? “I don’t know,” she murmured honestly.

Ben hummed with exhaustion and flopped beside her on the bed, pulling her to him and holding tight. Rey tucked the blankets around them both and let herself drift off with him breathing steadily behind her in the downy softness of his bed.

She woke again with a start, disappointed to find herself back on her cold hard floor, her stomach clenching unpleasantly. Looking at her phone, she saw that it was well past two in the morning. She groaned and rose stiffly, joints cracking, and shambled to her bed.

She was snuggled deep in her covers when she sighed and closed her eyes, Dusty making himself comfortable at her feet, letting out an indignant meow at something. Rey’s eyes shot open again when she felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her close to a warm, familiar chest. One curled hand made its home near her heart, and she knew he could feel its frantic beat.

“I’m not going anywhere, Rey. My Little Bird,” Ben murmured into her hair as his hand spread over her heart, feeling its beat. “I’m Ben, by the way.”

“I know,” Rey replied quietly, closing her eyes with a smile.

#reylo #reylo fanfiction #reylo au #modern au #fantasy au #witches #warlocks #force bond #rey #ben solo #rey x ben solo

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livingcorner · 3 years ago

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Everything You Need to Know to Build the Perfect Backyard Pond

All About Ponds

Photo by Jerry Pavia

There’s something about water in motion that soothes the soul. Watching light play off the ripples or listening to the splash of a fountain—these are universally calming pastimes. It’s no surprise, then, that one of the most popular landscaping projects for This Old House readers is installing a pond.

Happily, you don’t need deep pockets or lots of land to enjoy your own water feature. You can install a fully equipped, landscaped, fish-filled pond for around $500, provided that you do your own digging. Creating a lush habitat like the one at right requires rubbery liners, powerful pumps, effective filters, and, without question, a commitment to care for them. But when you’re finished, whether it’s tucked into a corner of the yard or next to a deck or patio, your pond will provide an endless source of fascination for family and visitors alike.

You're reading: Everything You Need to Know to Build the Perfect Backyard Pond

Pictured: Built close to the house, this pond creates a refreshing, relaxing backdrop just out the back door. The rock waterfall makes a pleasing sound as it oxygenates the water. Plants soften the stone edges and provide cover for fish.

Anatomy of a Pond

Illustration by Rodica Prato

A clean, healthy pond requires a few key elements to keep water contained, fresh, and filtered.

Water agitator

Keeps water oxygenated. Fountains, waterfalls, and bubblers are all agitators.

Filter

Cleans the water coming from the pump.

Liner

Prevents water from leaking into the ground.

Underlayment

Protects the liner from punctures and stretching during installation.

Pump

Circulates water through the filter and up to the waterfall or fountain.

Covered GFCI outlet

Feeds power to the pump. Trips automatically to prevent lethal shocks.

Vitals

Photo by Kolin Smith

What’s it cost?

Home-center kits start at $70 for a simple 9-square-foot, 84-gallon pond. A more typical 176-square-footer installed by a pro starts at $5,000, while more grandiose versions can easily exceed $50,000.

DIY or hire a pro?

Ponds longer than 6 feet on a side and deeper than 18 inches require so much digging and other heavy work that they are best left to pros. Smaller ponds are good DIY projects, but let pros handle the plumbing and electrical work.

How long do they last?

It all depends on the liner. The best ones have a 20-year warranty and 30- to 40-year life span.

How much maintenance?

The electricity to run a pump for a typical 176-square-foot pond costs about $260 a year. Filters need frequent cleaning. A pond-maintenance firm starts at about $1,000 a year.

Type: Natural

Photo by Jerry Pavia

Meant to blend in like an integral part of the landscape, this kind of pond has free-form edges that don’t

follow a straight or predictable course, and incorporates stones and plants native to the area.

Type: Seminatural

Photo by David Massengill/Cornerhouse Stock

Taking cues from the existing hardscape around a home, this most popular pond type has free-form edges set next to a brick, concrete, or stone patio. The plants can be native or not.

Type: Formal

Photo by Tim Street-Porter

Defined by geometric shapes, this style of pond is often edged in expensive mortared stone or poured concrete. Perfect for a reflecting pool in a formal garden, it also makes a fine showcase for fish. Plantings are sparse or nonexistent.

Where to Put It?

Photo by Kolin Smith

The location of a pond determines its health and your ability to enjoy it.

How much sun?

Ideally, ponds should receive sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon. This keeps the water cooler, discouraging algae blooms.

Read more: Timber Garden Edging [Ideas, Tips and Pictures] – Garden Tabs

What about overhanging trees?

A tree’s afternoon shade is welcome, but a pond directly under a tree’s branches will quickly clog with leaves, seeds, or needles unless given constant maintenance. If a nearby tree is young, factor in its mature spread before settling on the pond’s location.

How far from the house?

Ponds that are out of sight tend to get neglected. And if they’re farther than 20 feet from your patio, you likely won’t hear the gurgling of a waterfall or fountain.

What do the codes say?

Ask your local building department about how far a pond has to be set back from property lines.

Where are the utility lines? Dial 811 to have their location marked. This is a free service.

Materials: Liner

Use these formulas to calculate how much material you’ll need (all dimensions in feet):

Liner length=pond length+(2 x depth)+2.

Liner width=pond width+(2 x depth) +2.

Multiply liner length by liner width to get total square footage.

Synthetic rubber

The best choice for most ponds, 45-mil-thick EPDM comes in sheets up to 50 by 200 feet. Durable, UV resistant, and flexible to -40 degrees F. Not to be confused with roofing EPDM, which has additives that kill fish.

About 67 cents per sq. ft.; GrayStone Creations

Plastic

Liners made of polyethylene (PE) and reinforced polypropylene (RPP) are thinner, lighter, and less expensive than EPDM but stiffer and harder to work with. Sizes up to 40,000 sq. ft. Like EPDM, they carry a 20-year warranty. Avoid PVC liners; they have a short life span when exposed to sunlight.

20-mil PE, about 30 cents per sq. ft., and 36-mil RPP, about 45 cents per sq. ft.; Pond Liner

Equipment: Pump

At minimum, the gallons per hour (GPH) rating should match the volume of your pond. A pump will need additional GPH to supply a waterfall or fountain, and enough “head” to push water to the top of that waterfall or fountain. Look for the unit with the lowest wattage; it will cost the least to run.

Direct drive

These heavy-duty units, which were the first pond pumps, are able to move lots of water. They also use the most power, and if their seals fail, they can spill oil.

GPH: 1,500–16,000.

Head: up to 52 feet.

Watts: 150–1,500.

Warranty: one to two years.

Cost: $200—$1,400. PondScapeOnline

Magnetic drive

Much cheaper to buy and operate than direct drives but without nearly as much oomph.

GPH: 65–3,000.

Head: up to 15 feet.

Watts: 25–350.

Warranty: six months to three years.

Cost: $45—$300. Danner Manufacturing, Inc.

Hybrid drive

Combines the power of a direct drive with the energy efficiency of a magnetic drive. Won’t spill oil.

GPH: 1,200—10,000.

Head: up to 25 feet.

Watts: 110—500.

Warranty: two years.

Cost: $185—$500. Atlantic Water Gardens

Equipment: Filter

One type keeps water free of debris so that the pump won’t clog. The other removes chemicals that harm fish. To sustain fish, you’ll need both types or a product that puts both in one package.

Mechanical

Traps debris before it reaches the pump. Clean weekly in spring and fall, every other week in summer, monthly in winter. A filter in a waterfall or a surface skimmer will be easier to reach than one on a pump at the bottom.

$60—$800. PondScapeOnline

Biological

A must for ponds with fish. Bacteria living on a porous medium digest toxic nitrites and ammonia. Wait six to eight weeks for them to become established, or buy a starter colony. No cleaning needed.

$140—$500.

Equipment: Water Agitators

A pond will become a stagnant, algae-filled eyesore if you don’t keep its water moving and aerated. Here are three ways to stir the pot:

Fountain

Water shooting up from the surface of the pond or flowing from a man-made ornament is visually compelling and nice to listen to. Available in a variety of sizes and shapes, each linked to a particular pump capacity.

Waterfall

To create the show you want, measure its width in inches at the point water spills out. Multiply by 50 if you want a trickle of water, by 100 for a sheet of water, and by 200 for Niagara Falls. The result is how many GPH your pump needs for the falls alone, not counting the pond.

Read more: Starting a new vegetable patch

Bubbler

An air pump, a separate device from a pond pump, produces bubbles that subtly ripple the pond’s surface.

DIY Kits

Most online retailers bundle the pond essentials. Or you can buy a prepackaged kit from a home center that includes a rigid plastic tub, flexible tubing, and a properly sized pump. These kits are small and manageable enough to install in a weekend, but they don’t include the biological filter you need for fish. Though you could add such a filter, they’re really intended to be low-maintenance water features for people who want the pleasant sound of trickling water near a deck or patio, not a full-fledged ecosystem.

Shown: Beckett 65-Gallon pond kit, About $150; The Home Depot

Prep for Installation Day

Photo by Kolin Smith

Do you want fish? If so, build your pond at least 24 inches deep. That depth keeps the pond from freezing in winter or overheating in summer. In extreme northern areas, the minimum depth should be 3 feet.

Will you need a fence? In some areas, local codes mandate that yards with ponds deeper than 18 inches be surrounded by a fence with a locking gate to keep out unsupervised children.

How will it be refilled? Ponds must be topped off periodically to replace water lost through evaporation or splashing. You can do the job manually with a garden hose or have an auto-fill valve connected to a buried water line. When using city water, protect your fish by adding a dechlorinator directly to the pond.

What about the leftover dirt? Digging even a small pond will create a large pile of soil. A hired installer should get rid of it for you, but if you dig your own hole, use the soil to raise the grade around the pond or to build a waterfall.

Where’s the power? A weatherproof GFCI outlet to power the pump should be located at least 10 feet from the pond. The electrical cable leading to that outlet needs to be buried at least 18 inches deep.

Pro advice

Rather than slope the sides of a pond right down to the bottom, make a shelf about 18 inches wide and 18 inches below the water’s surface all around the pond’s edge. This shelf serves as a platform for plants and a convenient step for anyone who falls in.

—Demi Fortuna, August Moon Designs, Stony Brook, N.Y.

Pond Plants: Cattail

Photo by Mark Harmel/Getty Images

(Typha latifolia)

Zones 3—10

Grows along pond edges, in moist soil or shallow water. Hollow stems carry oxygen to the root zone, and to fish, year-round. Perennial; spear-like foliage grows up to 10 feet tall.

Pond Plants: Lotus

Photo by Wildlife GMBH/Alamy

(Nelumbo sp.)

Zones 4—10

Planted in containers up to 2 feet deep, it blooms on a stalk high above the water’s surface. Perennial; leaves up to 20 inches in diameter sway on stems that grow up to 6 feet tall.

Pond Plants: Iris

Photo by Deni Brown/Getty Images

(Iris versicolor)

Zones 3—9

Plant in pots in 3 inches of water. Bears 5-inch-wide flowers in shades of blue or purple on 24-inch stems. Tolerates partial shade. Perennial; arching leaves grow up to 30 inches tall.

Pond Plants: Water Hyacinth

Photo by Hiroshi Tonoshiro/Getty Images

(Eichhornia crassipes)

Zones 9—11

A free-floating plant, it sends a 9-inch spike of lavender flowers up from a rosette of leathery, glossy green leaves. Perennial in Zones 911; often grown in colder climates as an annual.

Pond Fish: Goldfish

Photo by Robert Van Der Hilst/Getty Images

(Carassius auratus)

The ultimate in low-maintenance, goldfish can get by eating the plants, algae, and larvae they find. They’ll live about 10 years and often grow up to 12 inches long.

Pond Fish: Koi

Photo by Kaz Chiba/Getty Images

(Cyprinus carpio)

Koi often live for 40 years or more and grow up to 3 feet long, depending on the pond’s size. They must be fed regularly; you can even train them to eat from your hand. They’ll survive winters as far north as Maine.

Solutions to Common Pond Problems

Photo by Olson Photographic

Algae:

You can kill this green slime with chemicals or UV lights, but it will still come back. You’ll get better results by adding plants, barley straw, or biomat filters, and not overfeeding the fish.

Mosquitoes:

Keep the biters at bay by stocking larvae-eating fish, such as goldfish, mosquito fish, or bitterlings. Tossing in mosquito dunks with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) also kills the larvae without harming plants or animals.

Pests:

Deter raccoons with a straight drop of at least 18 inches from the pond’s edge. Nylon netting stretched over

the surface discourages fish-eating birds. Motion-activated sprinklers may scare off other interlopers.

Leaves:

In the summer, sift out debris before it reaches the pump with a skimmer (about $116; Aquatic Ponds). Come fall, scoop out the bigger batches of leaves and needles with a pond net (about $22; Amazon).

Ice:

Place an air bubbler (about $40; Pond Biz Pond Supplies) or a floating pond heater (about $47; Gold Crest Distributing) into the corner of the pond to keep a portion ice-free and maintain a proper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/everything-you-need-to-know-to-build-the-perfect-backyard-pond/

#livingcornernews

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scriptflorist · 7 years ago

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Guest Post: Low-Effort/Depression Gardening

Originally written as a reply to this post, which featured an anonymous asker with an unmotivated character that likes to daydream… and has a garden. Mod Jana wasn’t sure if that combination would work, but I have experience in that area and I’m 100% sure that it can! (Terminology won’t be too accurate, sorry. I’m an amateur, and this kind of gardening is a lot less professional than florist-level stuff and mostly by feel.)

Hey everyone! Mod Jana here. This is our very first guest post that @acosmic was so kind to write and plenty helpful for anyone who wants to add a low maintenance to their story. Now don’t sell yourself short dear, you did really well. It’s an excellent post!

The key to low-effort gardening is having the right plants for your area (which I can’t cover) or having “generic” plants that grow well in most areas (which I’ll recommend to the best of my ability).

Your character will want perennials instead of annuals (differences explained here). If they’re starting a garden from scratch, they’re going to want to buy established plants from a greenhouse or garden centre, or get plants from people they know. It’s instantly gratifying and lower-maintenance than planting seeds.

Very good link. Easy to read and understand. A side note since tulips are mentioned: don’t water bulb plants till they’re almost in full bloom. The purpose of a bulb which is to store water, so for the first bloom the plant’s all good and then once a week should be fine. Take care to keep the bulb dry if it shows and water around it or from below if it’s potted. Also a lot of shrubs count as perennials.

The most strenuous part of gardening for your low-effort (or spoonie!) gardener will be planting things, which they can spread out over a few days. (A tip: growing plants around the edge of the yard is visually pleasing and means you don’t need to pull much grass up in order to put the plants in.) Get vegetable seeds put in early in the season, and the other things can go in whenever. Plant flowers/shrubs from back to front - tall plants one day, medium the next, and small the day after. Weed as you go.

The downside of a low-maintenance garden is that your character won’t be able to grow florist-quality blooms or special varieties. (Think large, fragrant roses - those are often picky and need lots of fertilizer, and you have to cut them off and re-bury them deeper in the winter. Fuck, no. Too much effort. We’ll leave that to florists’ suppliers!) Their garden is probably going to be a bit messy because they won’t put in the effort to have it be meticulous.

After everything is planted, your character will need to water once every couple of days with a sprinkler for 10-20 minutes, remove dead foliage, and weed in and around the plants. That’s all! No re-planting the next year if they’re perennials, either. Just water, weeding and waiting for things to come up.

I have to cut in here, because watering is at the end of the day very much dependable on the climate, weather, planting location and whether or not a plant is properly rooted. Generally your plan should work for most climates I think, this is just in case. There are a lot of factors your character wil sometimes have no influence on which can influence how much water it’ll need. As a rule of thumb: sun and wind dry the ground and shadowy places keep it wet.

Here are some fairly standard plants, all of which I’ve grown myself in a hot/dry climate. (Brief growing details past the basics are included.)

Indicator plants:

These are the ones that your gardener character will use to remember to water the other ones. They’ll wilt when they need water, and bounce right back after. Nice! (But they’re annuals.)

Basil. Grows nicely in pots. Smaller leaves taste better, and you need to pinch off the flowers or they’ll stop producing leaves. Good in pretty much everything savoury.

Strawberries. Pick when fully grown and just eat them off the fucking plant because you’re not going to have enough to bake anything, and they’re way smaller than commercially grown strawberries. (They can be bought in hanging baskets, so you don’t need to plant them OR weed them.)

Large flowers:

Lilies. Lily plants become larger by growing new bulbs that are connected to the previous bulbs in an underground system of tubers. Your demotivated character probably won’t want to split them (“splitting” refers to cutting the plants apart, usually to move them), and will end up with lilies in clumps like this after a couple of years of growth. Upright/tiger lilies, on the other hand, grow in single stalks, don’t make clumps, and don’t spread as much or as fast. Mod Jana says: Lilies are highly poisonous to cats. If your character has one I would recommend asking google which other plants are toxic for their favourite feline. It is not something we learn as florists and my understanding is that not every vet knows either.

Irises. Like lilies in terms of growth and care (they all clump without splitting). They’re all easy to grow, even the fancy-looking ones.

Hardy roses. Emphasis on “hardy”! They’ll have smaller blooms than the roses you’d buy from a florist, and won’t be as fragrant and symmetrical. Your character will probably want a bush-type rose rather than a climbing one because climbing roses need to be tied onto the thing they’re going to climb, which is a pain. Mod Jana says: This might be because I come from a very rose friendly climate, but to my understanding all roses are hardy. At least they should be in most of the warmer and temperate climates. Hardiness is a wanted quality, and there’s no reason to breed it out, so my guess is this is more of a climate situation here in most cases than someone breeding out their hardiness.

Peonies. Deceptively frilly, but very low-maintenance after they’re established. Without much water, they won’t take planting/transplanting well - they’ll wilt and won’t produce blooms. It’ll take a couple years for them to get comfortable. (Or, have your character use fertilizer and water them well. Learn from my mistakes.) Plunk a tomato cage around them early in the season, because otherwise, they’ll flop like this. Mod Jana says: Peonies are awfully pretty but take some maintenance as cut flowers. So your character should keep them on the shrub, just in case. But maybe the neighbour knows how to keep them alive?

Smaller flowers:

Clematis. They climb. Your character can literally just leave them on the ground if they’re not up to tying them to a trellis, and they’ll grow on the ground. They’ll have lighter, smaller blooms and only get a couple feet tall if they aren’t watered often, but they’re still cute. They flower all summer, even though they’re perennials!

Pansies/Johnny-jump-ups. They’re like cute little weeds, and often pop up literally wherever. Great for filler, and pansies are edible (if grown organically!).

Brown-eyed Susans/Shasta daisies. Tall, with strong stalks - and they expand massively and you’ll end up with a ton of them after a couple of years. Great for background - put them behind your irises/daisies and let them grow along the fence line.

Bluebells (Scottish). Tiny, but hardy. In a couple years one tiny clump can grow to fill the edge of a ~6-foot berm. Good for edges and growing in rocks.

Lilacs. Fancy bushes, with fragrant flowers in spring. It takes them a couple of years to get past fence-height, so they don’t need much pruning. Good in/along fences, to add privacy.

Other fruits/veg:

Raspberries/blackberries. Blackberries are seen as weeds in the PNW. Both are prickly, get gigantic off of rainwater and sun alone, and spread like crazy unless they’re controlled (easiest done with concrete pads to block their path). Raspberries will stop producing fruit if it’s not picked, so make sure your character eats them!

Rhubarb: Needs a year to get established, and then gets giant. Very edible - try pies or crisps.

Summer squash/zucchini: Plunk the seeds in the ground and let them go. They’ll get giant (think ~12-inch squash) if you let them grow for a couple of months, but they taste better if picked small.

Mint: I’ve grown everything on this list except this one, but it’s like a weed and needs to be held back. It’s a small-sized bush.

Re: anon’s character, the brown-eyed Susans are nice to stare at while daydreaming, and putting in the effort to grow some fancy roses would be a pretty bomb way for her to confess to her neighbour! (wink). This is all realistic information, so you could totally skew it for your character’s flower power.

I hope this is an okay response. Sorry, it got so long!

- post by acosmic

Thank you very much, dear!

#plant care #horticulture #writing advice #guest post #gardening #low maintenance gardening #submission #long post #mod jana #acosmic

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10homestrategies-blog · 6 years ago

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10 Essential Strategies for Home Improvement Services

Does Your House Look Cool, Clean, And Appealing?

5 Areas To Think About

You purchased your home, which, for many people, is their single greatest financial property. Doesn't it make good sense, for that reason, to protect it, keep and enhance its worth, and make it, the best you can potentially be? In order to do so, you will require to commit to, be relentless and persistent, and create a quality strategy, to improve its appearance, and assure, it is regularly appealing, tidy, well - kept, and neat! This post will quickly take a look at and examine, 5 important and necessary areas/ components, to consider, and so on

1. The exterior of the house: Produce a particular schedule, when you will check specific locations, of the outside of your house. Perhaps the finest method, to method and perform this, is to do so, seasonally, with particular areas, to be checked, at specific times and/ or dates. This includes checking the windows and doors, ensuring not just, they are effectively sealed and kept, however, also, clean and cool. How frequently will you, for example, tidy your windows, etc? Will you wash the exterior of your home, on a routine, consistent basis? Consist of removing any dead pests, particles, cob and/ or spider webs, etc! If you have vinyl siding, would not it make sense to power wash it, on a routine basis?

2. Concrete and blacktop: Among the numerous realities of own a home, is a well - maintained, and taken - care - of homes and houses, creates far less tension, and in the long - run, reduces overall expenses and expenditures! Check concrete locations, such as patio areas, exterior structures, etc, and seal and repair work, as needed, to prevent major tasks, and costs! Sealing your blacktop regularly, extends and extends the beneficial life of these areas!

Premises; yard; shrubs; flowers; plants; trees: Remember, the first impression, others get, of your home, is from the exterior. Exactly what do your premises, suggest, about how well you keep and take care of your home? Take care of your shrubs, and trim them, routinely.

4. Painting: When one paints his home, on a routine basis, rather than awaiting it, to look uncared - for, it suggests pride - in - ownership, and in the longer - run, saves expenses!

Clean your floorings frequently, vacuum carpets, and produce a schedule, for painting and cleansing walls, and so on. When these areas are consistently, tidy of particles, carpets are shampooed, and walls are wiped tidy, etc, your home consistently shows, you care!

Does your home appearance neat, clean, and cool? Look after your home, and it will, take care of you!

"House upkeep" typically brings to mind yard work and painting. Home upkeep is more than keeping your house looking good, it has to do with protecting your asset. With nearly everything in life, if we don't take correct care of something then it can end up being seriously harmed. Our houses are no different.

If we neglect cleaning the gutters and downspouts it could lead to foundation cracks, settlement, and/or water in the basement or crawlspace. These problems can be repaired however why not avoid them in the very first place with appropriate maintenance?

We figured out three of the most neglected locations in a house that might cause severe damage if left alone for too long.

1. Gutters and Downspouts

A roofing system is directing water; if it is damaged or isn't diverting the water to an appropriate place then it may trigger serious problems. If the downspout is broken and discarding the rain water to pond along the foundation wall it could produce hydrostatic pressure. When water fills the soil outside of a structure wall then the soil ends up being denser and much heavier.

2. Landscaping Grade

The ground around your house is referred to as the grade. It is very important to maintain the landscaping grade's slope, so water does not stream toward your home. Like gutters and downspouts, keeping landscaping grade is about utilizing gravity in natural water diversion. You never want water to puddle or pond up along the foundation wall. Water always takes the path of least resistance. In order to keep water away from your structure, you need to make the natural flow of the water away from your house.

When you are re-grading, leave at least 8-inches of vertical space in between the ground and your house's exterior surface. This will secure your exterior finish and prevent it from soaking up water from the ground.

Plants must be at least two feet far from the foundation and low enough in the ground so they do not direct water toward your home.

Ensure there isn't really anything interfering with the flow of water. Keep drainage ditches and swales (low spots for natural drain) totally free of leaves and debris.

Remember, a lot of soil settlement takes place in the first year so hold-up any significant landscaping jobs till your home is at least a year old. Nevertheless, the soil continues to settle in time. Keeping the soil grade is an ongoing procedure with natural settlement and erosion.

3. Basements

Sadly, unfinished basement are commonly neglected in a house. It falls under the old adage: "Out of sight, out of mind." Unless you are thinking about ending up the basement, the majority of people only enter an incomplete basement to pull out the Christmas decorations.

An unmaintained, incomplete basement might have different problems that might be quickly fixed. Some of the problems in your basement might be structure cracks, leakages, water or wetness problems, mold, or mildew. These problems typically go unfixed because they go unnoticed.

It is essential to examine your basement at least two times a year to make sure there are not foundation cracks. In house upkeep you cannot treat your basement like it is not part of your house. Often individuals leave foundation cracks alone for many years. The issue is those relatively harmless foundation cracks, if left alone, might result in major issues. Even small cracks open a course of least resistance for water to go into the basement. Nonstructural fractures likewise open the basement to harmful soil gases that might jeopardize the indoor air in your whole home. Depending upon the size and location of the fracture, it might also indicate a more severe structural issue. If you find a foundation crack you should call a foundation repair work contractor to inject the cracks.

If there are more water problems you might have to think about setting up a basement waterproofing system. If you currently have a sump pump system it is essential to preserve the health of the sump pump as well. Make certain it is working order, devoid of particles and geared up with a battery-operated back-up sump system in case of a power blackout.

These basic home upkeep ideas can prevent significant water problems in your house. Following these fundamental pointers a couple of times a year can save you a lot of time, money and headache in the future.

Did you understand that house upkeep carries with it five major benefits to you, the property owner? They are:

Boosted house value

Money cost savings

Enhanced security

Increased convenience

Energy effectiveness

Thinking about the advantages, house upkeep is definitely worth doing on a routine basis. Failing to do regular house maintenance can lead to health problem, injury and even death (carbon monoxide gas poisoning is one example).

A few of the essential areas you have to preserve are:

Windows and doors that enable drafts in

Subfloors that are becoming spongy

A furnace that may be producing hazardous levels of carbon monoxide gas

A cooling system that will probably stop working in the heat of summer

Smoke detectors with dead batteries

Your home can be a much more secure place for you and your household if you will adopt an easy home upkeep strategy. For instance, changing a smoke detecter battery might conserve your life or the lives of your loved ones, and only takes five minutes. As you can see, doing a few simple fixes on some things and inspecting a few others, on a regular basis, can pay big dividends.

Your home is a comfortable place to live because of the systems that are constructed into it. You might not have considered it that way prior to, or you may have taken the systems in your house for approved, however in either case, eventually, one or more of them will break down; resulting in, at best, a great deal of pain or, at worst, tragedy; home upkeep can prevent that breakdown.

Your home has actually included into it an electrical system that powers lights, refrigerator, microwave, water heater, your washer/dryer and numerous other devices. You may not believe about this system each time you turn on the light switch, take milk from the fridge or do a load of laundry, but you'll quickly discover yourself without these things and a lot more, if your electrical system breaks down. Probably it will take place when you can least manage it, too.

Many of these systems have moving parts like motors, belts and equipments that make them based on a lot of wear and tear over an amount of time. Some are simply made from products that naturally degrade over time or undergo attack by pests or mold. In any case, you can avoid the significant hassle that can arise from such a breakdown, by embracing a schedule of basic maintenance.

Whether your house is an investment, a place to live or both, chances are it's the greatest single expense of your life time. If you purchased the house as a financial investment, in the hope of making some money on it when you sell, then it makes great sense and pays big dividends to keep it in terrific shape. That way it will keep you safe and comfortable while you live in it and will fetch a good price if you sell.

Real estate professionals have an expression that uses to a well kept home: curb appeal. A house's worth is impacted by its outside look and that's what the expression 'curb appeal' refers to. The worth of your house is going to be greater if the roof is well looked after, the doors and windows are tight, and the landscaping is cool, since potential purchasers will find it more enticing, so you'll likely get a higher cost than if it were otherwise.

You'll require to preserve your home, even if you don't plan to offer, just to keep your original financial investment. Even as simple a task as replacing the filter in your heater can yield big dividends, when it comes to keeping the value of your house high.

The very first thing to do is to determine those parts of your home that need routine maintenance and make a list. Check each of them regularly and make repair work where required.

This will make sure maximum advantage and you'll discover you make repairs less frequently, so you'll save money in the long run and you'll be protected from inconvenience and even catastrophe.

Here are simply a few things you have to check each year:

Gutters and downspouts

Window trim and door frames

Sprinkler timer batteries

Heater

Air conditioning system

Chimney trigger arrestor

Hot water heater anode and dip tube

Hot water heater burners, tank and flue

Fireplace and chimney

Fridge condenser coils (vacuum).

Smoke detector and CO2 detectors.

Indoor gas line connections.

These are simply a few of the numerous products you'll have to examine on an annual or, sometimes, regular monthly basis. There are a lot more locations you have to inspect and fix however they are beyond the scope of this post. So, as you can see, you have a lot of work to do; and there's no time at all like the present. Best of luck!

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homequickguideandadvice-blog · 6 years ago

Text

The No. 1 Home Maintenance Ideas and Ways To Fix It Damaged Gutters

Does Your House Look Cool, Clean, And Appealing? 5 Areas To Think About

You acquired your home, which, for the majority of people, is their single most significant monetary property. Doesn't it make good sense, for that reason, to safeguard it, keep and boost its value, and make it, the very best you can potentially be? In order to do so, you will need to dedicate to, be relentless and diligent, and produce a quality strategy, to improve its look, and guarantee, it is consistently appealing, clean, well - maintained, and neat! This post will quickly examine and evaluate, 5 essential and essential locations/ components, to think about, etc.

1. The outside of your home: Create a specific schedule, when you will examine specific locations, of the exterior of the home. Maybe the very best way, to approach and perform this, is to do so, seasonally, with specific locations, to be checked, at particular times and/ or dates. This consists of examining the doors and windows, assuring not just, they are effectively sealed and maintained, however, also, clean and neat. How often will you, for instance, tidy your windows, etc? Will you wash the outside of your house, on a routine, consistent basis? Include removing any dead insects, particles, cob and/ or spider webs, etc! If you have vinyl siding, would not it make sense to power wash it, regularly?

Concrete and blacktop: One of the numerous truths of house ownership, is a well - kept, and taken - care - of properties and houses, produces far less tension, and in the long - run, lowers general expenses and expenses! Inspect concrete locations, such as patio areas, exterior structures, etc, and seal and repair, as required, to avoid major tasks, and expenses!

Premises; yard; shrubs; flowers; plants; trees: Remember, the very first impression, others get, of your house, is from the exterior. What do your grounds, indicate, about how well you preserve and take care of your home? Take care of your shrubs, and cut them, regularly.

4. Painting: When one paints his home, on a routine basis, instead of awaiting it, to look uncared - for, it shows pride - in - ownership, and in the longer - run, saves costs!

5. Floorings and walls: Do not wait until your home looks shabby, or very much, in requirement of tender, caring care (TLC)! Clean your floors regularly, vacuum carpets, and create a schedule, for painting and cleansing walls, and so on. When these areas are consistently, clean of debris, carpets are shampooed, and walls are wiped tidy, etc, your home consistently shows, you care!

Does your house appearance cool, tidy, and cool? Look after your home, and it will, look after you!

"Home upkeep" generally evokes lawn work and painting. House upkeep is more than keeping your house looking nice, it is about protecting your asset. With practically everything in life, if we don't take proper care of something then it can end up being seriously harmed. Our homes are no various.

If we disregard cleaning the gutters and downspouts it could lead to structure cracks, settlement, and/or water in the basement or crawlspace. These issues can be repaired however why not avoid them in the first place with correct maintenance?

We figured out three of the most neglected locations in a house that could trigger major damage if left alone for too long.

1. Gutters and Downspouts

A roof system is directing water; if it is harmed or isn't diverting the water to an appropriate place then it may trigger severe problems. If the downspout is broken and discarding the rain water to pond along the structure wall it could create hydrostatic pressure. When water fills the soil outside of a structure wall then the soil ends up being denser and heavier.

2. Landscaping Grade

The ground around your house is called the grade. It is necessary to preserve the landscaping grade's slope, so water doesn't stream towards your house. Like gutters and downspouts, preserving landscaping grade has to do with utilizing gravity in natural water diversion. You never want water to puddle or pond up along the foundation wall. Water always takes the course of least resistance. In order to keep water far from your foundation, you need to make the natural circulation of the water far from your home.

When you are re-grading, leave a minimum of 8-inches of vertical space between the ground and your house's exterior finish. This will safeguard your outside surface and avoid it from soaking up water from the ground.

Plants should be at least two feet far from the structure and low enough in the ground so they do not direct water toward your house.

Make sure there isn't anything disrupting the flow of water. Keep drain ditches and swales (low spots for natural drainage) without leaves and particles.

Keep in mind, a lot of soil settlement occurs in the very first year so delay any major landscaping tasks till your home is at least a year old. However, the soil continues to settle with time. Maintaining the soil grade is a continuous process with natural settlement and disintegration.

3. Basements

Unfortunately, incomplete basement are typically disregarded in a house. It falls under the old expression: "Out of sight, out of mind." Unless you are thinking of completing the basement, the majority of people only enter an unfinished basement to take out the Christmas decors.

An unmaintained, incomplete basement might have different problems that could be quickly repaired. Some of the issues in your basement might be structure cracks, leaks, water or wetness issues, mold, or mildew. These issues often go unfixed since they go undetected.

It is necessary to check your basement a minimum of twice a year to make sure there are not foundation fractures. In house maintenance you cannot treat your basement like it is not part of your house. Frequently people leave foundation fractures alone for years. The problem is those relatively harmless structure cracks, if left alone, could lead to significant issues. Even little fractures open a path of least resistance for water to enter the basement. Nonstructural cracks likewise open the basement to harmful soil gases that could compromise the indoor air in your whole home. Depending upon the size and location of the fracture, it could likewise signify a more severe structural problem. If you find a foundation crack you ought to call a foundation repair work professional to inject the cracks.

If there are more water problems you might require to think about setting up a basement waterproofing system. If you currently have a sump pump system it is important to maintain the health of the sump pump. Make certain it is working order, without particles and geared up with a battery-operated back-up sump system in case of a power failure.

These basic home upkeep suggestions can avoid significant water issues in your home. Following these basic ideas a couple of times a year can conserve you a great deal of time, money and headache in the future.

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Did you understand that home upkeep brings with it five significant advantages to you, the homeowner? They are:

Boosted house worth Money cost savings Enhanced safety Increased comfort Energy performance Thinking about the benefits, house maintenance is certainly worth doing on a routine basis. Failing to do routine house upkeep can cause illness, injury as well as death (carbon monoxide poisoning is one example). A few of the crucial areas you have to keep are:

Windows and doors that permit drafts in Subfloors that are ending up being spongy A heater that might be producing unsafe levels of carbon monoxide gas A cooling system that will probably stop working in the heat of summertime Smoke detectors with dead batteries

Your house can be a much safer place for you and your family if you will adopt a simple house upkeep plan. For instance, changing a smoke detecter battery might save your life or the lives of your enjoyed ones, and just takes 5 minutes. So, as you can see, doing a couple of basic fixes on some things and inspecting a couple of others, regularly, can pay substantial dividends.

Your home is a comfortable place to live since of the systems that are developed into it. You might not have thought about it that method before, or you might have taken the systems in your house for given, but either method, eventually, several of them will break down; leading to, at best, a great deal of discomfort or, at worst, disaster; house maintenance can avoid that breakdown.

For example, your home has actually incorporated into it an electrical system that powers lights, fridge, microwave, hot water heater, your washer/dryer and numerous other home appliances. You might not believe about this system each time you flip on the light switch, take milk from the refrigerator or do a load of laundry, however you'll quickly find yourself without these things and a lot more, if your electrical system breaks down. Most most likely it will occur when you can least manage it, too.

A lot of these systems have moving parts like motors, belts and equipments that make them based on a lot of wear and tear over a time period. Some are just made from materials that naturally degrade gradually or are subject to attack by insects or mold. In any case, you can prevent the significant hassle that can arise from such a breakdown, by embracing a schedule of basic upkeep.

Whether your home is a financial investment, a place to live or both, chances are it's the biggest single expenditure of your lifetime. If you purchased the home as a financial investment, in the hope of making some money on it when you sell, then it makes excellent sense and pays big dividends to keep it in excellent shape. That method it will keep you safe and comfortable while you live in it and will fetch a great cost if you sell.

Property professionals have a phrase that uses to a well kept house: curb appeal. A house's value is impacted by its external appearance which's exactly what the phrase 'curb appeal' describes. The value of your home is going to be greater if the roofing system is well cared for, the doors and windows are tight, and the landscaping is cool, due to the fact that possible buyers will discover it more appealing, so you'll likely get a higher cost than if it were otherwise.

You'll need to maintain your house, even if you do not prepare to sell, simply to keep your initial investment. Even as basic a task as changing the filter in your heater can yield huge dividends, when it comes to keeping the worth of your house high.

The first thing to do is to determine those parts of your home that require regular upkeep and make a list. Check each of them periodically and make repairs where needed.

This will ensure maximum benefit and you'll discover you make repairs less often, so you'll conserve money in the long run and you'll be protected from hassle as well as disaster.

Here are simply a couple of things you require to inspect each year:

Gutters and downspouts Window trim and door frames Sprinkler timer batteries Heater Air conditioner Chimney spark arrestor Hot water heater anode and dip tube Hot water heater burners, tank and flue Fireplace and chimney Fridge condenser coils (vacuum). Smoke detector and CO2 detectors. Indoor gas line connections.

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blackpjensen · 7 years ago

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Story Of A Landscape: Texas Water District Garden Demonstrates Efficiency

Any 16,000-square-foot landscape project is likely to be impressive based on size alone. However, the demonstration garden at the Tarrant Regional Water District main office in Fort Worth, Texas is much more than that.

Designed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Water University in Dallas, the goal of the demonstration garden is to show TRWD guests the best practices for designing lush, low-maintenance, resource-efficient landscapes.

The key is plant selection and placement, says Water University horticulturist Patrick Dickinson, designer of the demonstration garden. He says that gardens of regionally native or adapted plants help his group’s mission of water conservation by consuming less water and fewer resources, thriving in the natural conditions of their home environments.

“Being on the design side of things, we’re encompassing all those things to try to get people to be more efficient in the landscape,” he explains.