If you have become quite tired of how the landscaping in your yard appears, but simply do not have the money to make any major renovations, there are other alternatives. You can easily spruce up the exterior landscaping of the home, at virtually no cost, with a few simple ideas.
Planting Perennial Plants
Plants are the key component to any landscaping design. However, many times homeowners will plant flowers that only have an annual lifespan, and will not replenish in the new season. Instead, the homeowner should consider planting perennial plants in the front and backyards. They will return each spring, on their own, and produce flowers every year. Ask a friend for cuttings or samples of their perennial plants from their yard, and transplant them into yours.
Using Annual Seeds
A quick stroll through the home improvement center is all one needs to understand exactly how expensive annual plants can be. While they produce profuse amounts of blooms, they only last through one season and then will quickly die off. Typically, planting an annual plant is a good waste of money, because it will only enhance the beauty of the landscaping for a few months. Instead, consider using annual seeds either purchased or obtained naturally.
You can clip the pods of the blooming flower and place them in a brown paper bag. After a few days, they will dry sufficiently enough that you can shake the bag causing the seeds to naturally separate from the pod. With a bit of water and soil, they will bloom on their own during the first days of spring.
Obtain Free Plants
Many times throughout the year, the local home improvement center and plant nursery will clean out their garden stock. They will eliminate, throw away, or just simply discard the scraggly, ragged looking plants that look as though they need lots of tender loving care. Typically, the plant nursery or home improvement center will simply give the plants away to you, instead of simply discarding them in the trash. With a little simple tender loving care, it is easy to bring these haggard looking plants back to full life, with the right fertilizer, and enough water and premium soil.
Generate Free Mulch
Many communities across the nation encourage their community to stay “green” in an effort to promote a healthier planet. They will offer a recycling program that takes in Christmas trees after the season has ended. They also accumulate landscape cuttings and tree limbs, and run them all through the city wood chipper to create mulch. They often hand out the mulch for free to any resident in the community.
There are easy ways to improve the landscaping of both the front and backyard, with a minimal budget. It often requires thinking outside the box, when planting perennial plants, using annual seeds, and obtaining free plants and mulch. With a little forethought, you can beautify the look of the landscape of your home, with little or no money at all.
Home Improvement: Installing Floor Tile
Installing floor tiles in the home is a great home improvement project, and one that can offer a significant value to the home. Quality made porcelain and ceramic floor tiles are very attractive, and are nearly impossible to wear out when properly cared for. As an additional bonus, homeowners can perform the job of installing the tiles themselves. Any specialty tools require for the job can be rented at the local home improvement store, with the only additional tools required will be a lot of labor and patience.
Getting Started
To begin with, the homeowner needs to remove the existing flooring which might be carpeting, old tile, linoleum, or hardwood. This begins with removing the baseboards that surround the room that will be tile, along with doorjamb moldings. The substrate, (the floor below the floor covering) needs to be stable and in good shape. The floor tiles are extremely hard and durable, but are extremely brittle they can break easily, if there’s avoid in the substrate below.
If you’re installing the new flooring tile on a wood floor, it needs to be stabilized. This might include the need to nail down the existing plywood, or add glue to the joist below. Once the substrate of the floor is stable it is time to take the next step.
The easiest way to stabilize a plywood floor is to install cement backer board. The manufacture suggests that the homeowner glue the backer board before placing it into its proper position. Then, the backer board should be nailed to the floor joist below using long 2 inch or 2 ½ inch galvanized nails.
The Layout
The layout of the room is critical for proper installation of flooring tile. Be sure to measure the width and length of the room to determine square feet. With a chalk line, intersect two different lines to indicate the center of the room. This will determine the width of the room, while the other determines the length. Make sure the lines are square to each other, and that they form an angle of 90°.
Begin by dry fitting the floor tile. This means laying out a single row of floor tiling along both lines. Add spacers between each floor tile to allow for grout. With the proper layout you can begin permanently setting the tile into place.
Installation
The installation process is easy. Start by mixing thin set mortar to the consistency of peanut butter. Take your notched trowel and spread the newly mixed thin set evenly on the back of a few flooring tile. Take the right amount of time to set the first futile in place and apply a firm amount of downward pressure without pushing out the mortar.
By starting in the middle of the room, and working toward the walls, it will be easier to provide the desired result. You’ll need high quality tile cutters or a rented tile saw to cut pieces to fit along the walls and doorway.
After the mortar has set up by the next morning, it can be walked on to apply the grout.