Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Amazon Prime Day 2020 has been postponed, and while we wait for a new date, we can only speculate on what to expect from this post-pandemic sales event. When will it be? What will be on sale? How long will it be? We reveal all our speculations below.

While some may already be aware, Amazon are having a Summer Sale right now, which is live for a long six days to give customers a discount on everything from tech to furniture and appliances. This sale, though it's not a replacement of Amazon Prime Day 2020, is offering competitively-priced deals and is very close to the usual Amazon Prime Day date of mid-July. So, if you are after a bargain right now, you know exactly where to shop.

Amazon Prime Day 2020, we expect, will fall in September this year, though there's lots of speculation that it will be as late as 5th October we think that October is too close to Black Friday in November. In terms of what will be on sale, we reckon that Amazon Prime day will be more or less the same than it has been in previous years, just with fewer deals in order keep up with the lack of factory workers and delivery drivers currently working due to COVID-19. That, and the fact they're having a mega sale right now and are getting rid of some excess stock. While we still expect Amazon Prime Day to last for 48 hours as per usual, we do expect that the deals won't be as frequent as previous year as normally, deals drop every hour or so throughout the two-day fiasco.

The best-case scenario? A joint Amazon Prime Day with Black Friday would be incredible. Imagine: deals that are incredibly cheap, lots of them flowing in every few minutes or so and essentially, this event would be killing two birds with one stone. Reckon we could pitch it to them?

Head over to our dedicated deals page for more info on what's on offer right now from Amazon and several other retailers. Keep scrolling for current incredible Amazon deals and what we reckon will be on sale during

Nescaf Dolce Gusto Jovia by De'Longhi | Was 89.99, now 34.99An easy-to-use pod coffee machine for under 35? Yes please. While it is a budget model, it outperforms its price tag, offering 40 different hot drinks at the touch of a button. If you like a range of coffees with no fuss, this is for you.View Deal

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Electric Toothbrush | Was 299, now 99.99The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is an incredible electric toothbrush. Its battery life can last for two weeks and it comes with a travel case for holidays. It has five modes from deep clean to sensitive and white. The SmartTimer signals when your total time is up, while QuadPacer technology lets you know when you've spent the optimal amount of time on each section of your mouth.View Deal

eufyCam 2C Wireless Home Security Camera System | Was 259.99, now 159.99With a whopping 100 off for today only, this wireless home security system is a bargain. It can live stream and record footage, it's weatherproof and it has a night mode setting. All that and it boasts a 180-day battery life, and it can differentiate between humans and animals to only alert you when absolutely necessary.View Deal

ECOVACS ROBOTICS N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner | Was 249, now 174.98 at AmazonA bargain price for a robot vacuum, in the box with this incredible piece of kit also comes a charging station. This means that after cleaning, your robot vacuum cleaner will take itself back to its station to charge in preparation for its next clean. Not just that but you can schedule cleans on certain days of the week at certain times, and it links your phone so you can check what the vacuum is up to if you are out of the house while it's working. Incredible stuff.View Deal

XS Sports SB350 Aerobic Indoor Training Exercise Bike | Was 299.99, now 199.99 at AmazonDesigned with an 8-kilogram flywheel and precise LCD displays to measure speed, distance, pulse, calories and duration, the XS Sports spinning bike is an advanced piece of exercise equipment for home. Suitable for everyone from new cyclists to advanced athletes.View Deal

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Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum...

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Wireless Video Doorbell...

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What to expect from Amazon Prime Day 2020: date, deals and details - Real Homes

We've taken care to review all the doorbells in our best video doorbells list at Real Homes, but the lockdown has made us realise just how important they can be in making daily life easier and more efficient.

Aside from enhancing home security which was previously our main motivation for buying video doorbells have proven vital for those who have been shielding during this period, making it super straightforward to navigate home deliveries without coming into any contact with delivery drivers.

So, when we spotted the eufy Security Wireless Video Doorbell, on offer as part of the Amazon Summer Sale, we just had to let you know. Life may be beginning to return to 'normal' but it's still important for many to limit contact with other people.

Shop the eufy Video Doorbell below. Then, check out more of our top picks from the Amazon Summer Sale.

eufy Security Wireless Video Doorbell | Was 199.99, now 154.99This smart doorbell has a huge 40 off today. You can talk through it, see through it and it's wired in so no need to charge all of the time.View Deal

So, what exactly does this video doorbell have to offer? Here are some of our favourite features:

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Ding dong! This video doorbell is under 160 in the Amazon Summer Sale - Real Homes

The Zigbee Alliance, an organization of hundreds of companies creating, maintaining, and delivering open, global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced ASSA ABLOY Group the global leader in access solutions has joined the Alliances Board of Directors.

The reputable hardware company is already an active member in the Connected Home over IP project within the Alliance, contributing experts to develop the new, royalty-free connectivity standard for increased compatibility among Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Covering all needs for products and services related to access control such as locks, doors, and entrance automation solutions, ASSA ABLOY designs and delivers offerings to help people feel safe and secure whether they are at home or at work.

As a major manufacturer of residential and commercial access solutions, our product lines depend on efficient, reliable, and secure communications to operate effectively, said Martin Huddart, Head of Smart Residential, ASSA ABLOY.

Connectivity based on open, global standards is whats going to drive this next generation of smart home and building products, so its important were involved in initiatives like Project CHIP and that we collaborate with other domain experts as part of the Zigbee Alliance Board of Directors.

ASSA ABLOY was founded in 1994 and has grown rapidly from its roots in mechanical locks and hardware into a variety of access solutions for managing access into residential homes and commercial and institutional buildings.

In August 2000, ASSA ABLOY acquired Yale, one of the best-known and most-respected names in the industry since 1840. Yale provides solutions for the residential market, offering a wide portfolio of smart door locks trusted every day by consumers around the world.

The brand power of ASSA ABLOY and Yale, as well as their market experience, enables a more open world fueled by physical and digital connections, in solid alignment with the values embraced by our member-driven organization, said Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Zigbee Alliance.

Having this trusted company join our Promoter ranks will strengthen the quality and reach of the important work being done by Alliance members, especially in the critical categories involving security, safety, and openness.

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ASSA ABLOY becomes part of the Zigbee Alliance Board of Directors - Help Net Security

Eufy Security recently released a pair of budget-priced cameras tricked out with cutting-edge AI featuresthe Indoor Cam 2K, which we recently reviewed, and the Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt.

As you might deduce from the names, the main difference between the two is that the Indoor Cam 2K has a fixed viewing angle and the Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt can rotate 360 degrees horizontally and pivot 96 degrees vertically. They otherwise have virtually identical specs and features, including a 125-degree field of view (without panning, in the case of the latter), 2K resolution, automatic night vision, 8x zoom, and two-way audio.

Like the Indoor Cam 2K, the Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt comes with motion and sound detection, the ability to distinguish between humans and pets, and it can recognize the sound of a baby crying. It also supports Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKitincluding HomeKit Secure Video, which allows for the analysis of recorded video clips on a local HomePod, iPad, or Apple TV, as well as encrypted video storage in iCloud. HomeKit support might come after the camera ships in mid July.

The camera supports up to 128GB of local storage via a microSD card (no card is included). Eufy also offers two rolling 20-day cloud storage plans. The Basic plan provides storage for $3 a month or $30 a year per camera, which is the best choice for up to three cameras. For four or more cameras, youre better served by the Premier plan, which gives you a bulk discount for up to 10 cameras for $10 a month or $100 a year. A third option is to save clips to a third-party network-attached storage (NAS) device via Real Time Streaming Protocol. The Eufy Security companion app includes a setup guide for this method, but you might need to acquire a license from your NAS box manufacturer to record security camera footage to it.

The Indoor Cam 2K can rotate 360 degrees horizontally and pivot 96 degrees vertically.

You control the pan-and-tilt camera with the Eufy Security app. It guides you through the process of pairing the camera to your phone and connecting it to your Wi-Fi network. You just need scan the QR code on the device and enter your network login credentials.

The camera appears on the apps device screen with the name you gave it during the setup and a screenshot of its current view. Pressing the play button here opens the live feed. The layout is largely the same as with Indoor Cam 2K live stream at the top, camera controls at the bottomwith the exception of big directional dial smack in the middle. Pressing any of the four cardinal points rotates the camera in that direction. It responds quickly and moves smoothly. You can calibrate the pan-and-tilt and adjust the rotation speed on a 1-5 scale in the settings.

In addition to controlling the pan-and-tilt yourself, you can set the camera to lock on to any moving object it detects by enabling motion tracking. This worked well in my testing, with the camera shadowing a family member or pet and following them anywhere they went. In a real-world scenario, this would allow you track the movements of an intruder, eliminating the blind spots created by a fixed-angle camera.

You can pan and tilt the camera manually using the app or set it to automatically track moving objects.

Having experienced Eufys AI detection previously, I knew how accurate it could be, and it didnt disappoint this time. People were identified as humans, and my dog and cats as pets. Detected noises and movement that didnt fall into these categories were tagged as general motion and sound.

Every notification includes a large screenshot of the triggering person/pet that you can tap to open the captured video clip. If you dont want to drown in a tide of these alerts, there are several ways to manage them. You can adjust the sensitivity of both motion and sound detection to receive fewer of all alerts, or you can select only the types of sound and movement you want to monitor. You can also opt to receive alerts for only those events you want to know about, change the interval time between two event notifications, and choose the content you want included in notifications and how those are delivered (text only; text first, then thumbnail; or text and thumbnail together).

One of my favorite features on the Indoor Cam 2K is also included with pan/tilt model: Pet Command lets you automatically issue pre-recorded commands when the camera detects your pet in a particular area. To use this feature, you have to establish an activity zone by masking an area you want the camera to monitor for motion. Next, you record and set the audio command you want the camera to play when it detects your pet in that area. I created an activity zone around the main part of my living room and recorded a Bed! command to play whenever my dog strayed from his bed pad. Because the recording was in my voice and not a canned one, he responded as if I was there in the room with him.

You can choose the freqency and type of alerts you receive.

You can access all your event-triggered clips from a tab on the device screen. Theyre organized most-recent first, and you can download, share, delete, or donate the clip to help improve the cameras performance. You can also scrub through live-stream footage using a scrolling timeline on the live-feed screen.

The Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt, like its companion Indoor Cam 2K, offers a raft of security features for an unbeatable price. Its best suited to large spaces where its pan-and-tilt and motion tracking will help you cover a lot ground, and its tack-sharp resolution and intelligent alerts should satisfy first-time camera owners and seasoned home security pros alike.

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Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt review: Full-room coverage with AI detection - TechHive

As a rare and historically noteworthy race car of literally unrivaled value, the 250 GTO has every reason to be closely guarded by Ferrari. Permitting the replication of its most coveted model, after all, would be a disservice to both Maranello and its customers, some of whom take pride in their vehicles' exclusivity above all. Unfortunately for Ferrari and its tifosi, however, a court has ruled that because Ferrari isn't actively producing cars shaped like the 250 GTO, it has to play nice and let other companies use its body shapein other words, the kit cars are coming.

Per a report by This is Money, Ferrari recently lost its exclusive rights to the design following a legal showdown with Modena-based Ares Design; a coachbuilder known primarily for its DeTomaso Pantera-inspired, Lamborghini Huracan-based Panther Progettouno. This kerfuffle, which resulted in the 250 GTO being legally classified as a work of art early last year, was over Ferrari's 2008 filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which Ares' lawyers contested was "filed in bad faith, namely, as a defensive mark in order to block third parties to produce and sell similarly built sports cars."

Excerpt from:
Ferrari Loses 250 GTO Body Trademark, Paving the Way for Kit Cars - The Drive

This past weekend was the first time I have been able to mow my yard in nearly three weeks. Pulling the climate data from Warren Field, in Washington, does not reflect what happened at my house at all! In fact, in keeping records at my house, I found that I had received 3.99 inches in the month of June as compared to 1.33 inches at Warren Field. The station at the Pamlico Aquaculture Field Lab recorded 7.05 inches and the Tidewater Research Station recorded 2.75 inches in the month of June. However, it seemed like it rained a little every day for nearly two weeks at my house. There were places in my yard that just would not dry up enough for me to mow.

In eastern North Carolina, we receive somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 inches of rainfall each year; some areas a little more and some a little less. Our plants need one inch of water each week to thrive. In the world of averages, we come close to this every year, but that doesnt mean we receive our rain in 1-inch weekly increments. For instance, in looking at the records for my house in the month of June, it rained 14 out of the 30 days. Most of the rains were not large-scale precipitation events, but there was enough to keep it wet for nearly the entire month! Although we do not have a whole wide range of topography, we still have water that stands in certain areas of our lawns. What can you do?

There is the obvious: improve drainage in our yards to help them dry out quicker. This can be achieved by cleaning ditches, constructing drainage ways and installing drainage tiles for your homes downspouts. While doing this will help move the water from your property a little quicker, it will not help downstream from you. In fact, this contributes to flooding downstream: all that water has to go somewhere! I feel like we fight Mother Nature all of the time and for needless reasons.

There are alternative, more long-term and sustainable solutions that can be more beneficial to our surroundings and our neighbors. One way to begin dealing with all of this water is to remove some of the impervious surfaces from our property. For instance, look at a gravel driveway, permeable pavement or pavers as alternatives to asphalt and concrete. Gravel allows rainwater to seep through. Permeable pavement does the same thing but with a bit more structure. Permeable pavement can be more expensive and typically requires design by a certified professional. This is not an alternative for all applications but can certainly replace your impermeable driveway or walkways in a residential setting. Pavers, installed with gravel in between, can accomplish much of the same stormwater and water-quality benefits as permeable pavement.

What about your house: you cant make that a permeable surface, can you? I am not aware of a way to do that just yet, although water features do create a zen-like ambiance, Im not ready to have a dripping roof! What we can do is redirect our downspouts to rain gardens. At my house, I have an area of the front yard that just doesnt drain very quickly. However, it will drain naturally once we go without rain for a day or two. This is a great scenario to look at installing a rain garden.

Rain gardens are areas of your property where you can allow water to sit for one to three days while it naturally filters back into the soil. Our soil acts as a natural filter to strip the water of harmful pollutants and keep them from reaching our streams, rivers and estuaries. Growing plants that can handle wet feet in these areas enhance the soils filtering potential too! Rain gardens require a little thought up front, a little excavation work and a little maintenance to get started, but the results can make your property more functional and aesthetically pleasing, adding value. Rain gardens are an amazing way to add some pollinator habitat to your landscape, as well. Many of the plants that will do well in a rain garden are pollinator friendly such as hibiscus and swamp milkweed. Living in one of the counties with the most shoreline in the entire state of North Carolina, this just makes sense!

If you would like to start a rain garden, visit our extension website at beaufort.ces.ncsu.edu or call the Extension Center near you for more information. N.C. State Extension has a 12-page guide to get you started, which is available at your local center. We also have our Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox that can aid in selecting the right plants plants.ces.ncsu.edu. The Master Gardener Hotline is open in the Beaufort County Center from 10 a.m. until noon Mondays and Wednesdays. If you have other questions or concerns involving horticulture, email gene_fox@ncsu.edu or call 252-946-0111.

Gene Fox is the area consumer horticulture agent with N.C. Cooperative Extension.

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Are you tired of the rain yet? - Washington Daily News - thewashingtondailynews.com

Keystone Hardscapes has added CST to its brand.

Keystone Hardscapes

Keystone Hardscapesis embracing the needs of homeowners, contractors, developers, architects, designers and landscape material distributors in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. by aligning CST under its brand.

Recognized for manufacturing high-quality pavers, segmental retaining walls and related outdoor living products, CST gains award-winning design innovation, a deeper product offering and robust marketing expertise as part of Keystone Hardscapes.

This transition will help landscape professionals secure more projects that produce greater profit while generating repeat business, says Ed Fioroni, vice president of sales for Keystone Hardscapes. Were also part of The QUIKRETECompanies and its vast national distribution network, complementary product portfolio and technology resources, which really reinforces the value of rolling CST into Keystone Hardscapes.

Founded in 1984, CST built its reputation on its MONO-CAST one-piece construction that guarantees hardscape products with consistent integral color and strength that will last a lifetime. From permeable pavers used on a driveway or pool deck to fireplaces and segmental retaining walls used to create an outdoor paradise, CST has a wide range of hardscapes sizes, colors and finishes for any residential or commercial job. Injecting CST into the Keystone Hardscapes organization means these regional customers will have a single-source for all purchasing, technical support and customer care. This consolidated service model delivers proven product performance with the financial efficiency customers want.

Link:
Keystone Hardscapes Adds CST to Brand - ForConstructionPros.com

BAUMHOLDER, Germany When I accepted the offer to come work for the Army in Germany, I had visions of gallivanting across Europe every weekend.Then, COVID-19 happened.So, while I did get a couple of short trips in, it wasnt until the recent Fourth of July weekend that I took my first trip through the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Outdoor Recreation.After listening to a co-worker describe the intended trip, I decided to sign up for the All-Terrain Vehicle/Utility-Terrain Vehicle trip leaving from Baumholder on Independence Day.I am old enough to have ridden the original red Honda 3-wheeler ATVs back in the 1970s, so I was looking forward to four-wheeling through the forests around Baumholder. But, because I signed up late, the quads were gone and I would be driving a utility vehicle.The UTVs are perfect for two or three people (as long as you dont mind being close). I thought I would be disappointed with the UTV. I wasnt. I still had the wind in my face and still had that open-air feeling. The trip wasnt just for single riders/drivers. There were several couples and a family of four, with a child seat, who rented a UTV with a back seat.I had no idea where we were going and, most of the time, I had no idea where we were. The only forest trails I saw were as we sped past on the road. We were on pavement all day. Its still foreign to me (no pun intended) for quads and UTVs to be street legal on major roads.In the 90 minutes to our destination, we must have went through 15-20 villages. We received incredulous looks from people at crosswalks and from their driveways. I laughed at the looks of normal vehicle drivers after they decided to be nice and let the first quads turn in front of them, only to be held up as the next eight UTVs came rolling through like a parade.UTVs dont have power steering. Turning the UTV is more like wrestling a cow in the direction you want it to go. The tires grab the pavement in a turn and chirp when you make a turn. They feel top-heavy. It takes total concentration. Another rider, the aforementioned co-worker, almost wiped out his family and himself twice in a span of three seconds. Its easy to start sightseeing, take a turn too tight and suddenly youre staring at the Audi emblem on the hood of an oncoming car, over-correct and almost bounce off the guardrail. Im not saying he did that but, he did that. However, you get used to it.And, we werent just putt-putting down the road. Most of the roads had 70km speed limits and we easily did the speed limits, which, in an open-sided golf-cart-on-steroids, was exhilarating. I looked down at one point and saw I was doing 83 km, but only for a second.Then, we were in a parking lot. Our ears still ringing from the motors and wind, our arms tired from jostling with our steeds, the guides said something about a castle and something about a town with great photo opportunities and great food. And, the group ambled down a cobblestone path through a tunnel of trees before the world opened up and we saw the castle Berg Landshut.Many in the group properly oohed and awe-ed.As we stepped out into the sunshine, we were able to see the real view, which was the steep vineyards that make up the Mosel wine valley dropping at a ridiculously steep angle to the Mosel River. The river splits the city of Bernkastel-Kues, which looks like it came straight off of a postcard.It was quite an impressive surprise.Berg Landshut was great to walk in as it sits perched on the side of the hill. The sun glinted off the tour boats far below. Traffic noise failed to reach up to the castle, so it was easy to imagine what life in the berg might have been like when it was built in the year 1247.After all the photos were taken, it was time for the most difficult part of the trip; the steep walk back up to the parking lot. Its no joke. Its about two hundred yards, although it felt like 80 miles. Then, back in our UTVs, down switchback after switchback, through a tunnel and right into Bernkastel-Kues.What a fantastic, this-is-what-you-expect-to-see-in-Germany town. You are encouraged to take in the sights of Bernkastel-Kues at your own leisure. We had about an hour and a half to do whatever we wanted. Many grabbed lunch at any of the numerous outdoor restaurants and toured the streets of the village.Time passed quickly and it was time to head back to the vehicles and begin the drive back the Baumholder.We took a different route back. Much of it along the Mosel. It was amazing. Yes, you have to pay attention to the road, but you cant not look at the green vineyards towering above you on one side and the river full of history shining in the sun as it flowed on the opposite side. The tranquility only interrupted by an occasional car or motorcycle pack passing you.Ninety minutes and another 20 villages or so later, we were back at Baumholder Outdoor Recreation. Our bodies vibrated and ears rang from the UTVs. Our arms sore from wrestling those machines around turns and our faces grimy and windblown.Ill do it again.While going off on your own throughout Europe certainly has an appeal, dont be afraid to take advantage of the tours offered through DFMWR Outdoor Recreation in Kaiserslautern and Baumholder. Its well worth it.Bring a jackets. Starting off in the mornings and riding in an open cab, it can be chilly.Baumholder Outdoor Recreation offers the ATV/UTV trips every Saturday in July and August. The prices are $95 for the quads, $125 for the UTVs and $175 for the family truckster UTV. You must sign up before the trip. Outdoor Recreation pays for the gas for their vehicles.Contact Baumholder Outdoor Recreation at 0611-1435-313401 or DSN: 531-3401. Baumholder Outdoor Recreation is open Thursday-Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

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First Outdoor Recreation trip immersive, enlightening - United States Army

Gravel is a great material to choose for your garden for all sorts of purposes. Choosing gravel for your garden is a cost-effective, natural solution, and it's low maintenance, so long as you lay it over a weed membrane. Create a rustic, relaxed scheme in your garden with gravel but first, learn how to choose gravel correctly.

Find more garden ideas in our ultimate gallery.

Slate from Nustone edges raised beds dressed with a gravel mulch

Gravel is a versatile material that can be used in both contemporary and traditional style gardens. So, whether you want to add touches of gravel around the edges of a patio, create a seaside style garden with expanses of gravelled bedding or use gravel to create a pathway, add it to your garden design shopping list.

Find out how to lay a gravel path in our guide.

But see it as just one hard landscaping element; garden designers tend to stick to a palette of three to four different materials, such as gravel, brick and oak, to avoid a garden design becoming too busy. This makes it easier to achieve design unity, and allows you to break up one expanse of material, such as paving or decking, with gravel edging, for example.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Ideally, choose your garden gravel to accent or complement what is already present in the garden, especially the fabric of the house and the local natural stone.

Pea gravel in shades of earthy brown, honey, dark grey and deep brick red work well with most materials used in British architecture, especially period homes.

Contemporary glass-clad or wooden exteriors, tend to suit a subtler colour combination in white, pale grey and black.

If your garden gets a lot of shade you might want to choose a pale coloured gravel or paving that has natural light reflecting qualities to brighten your garden up.

Try to view the stone before you buy it; just remember it will look completely different when wet.

If you have several packs of the same gravel to lay, mix them up to enhance colour blending.

This Pavestone Old Black Sandstone is the perfect complement for traditional style pea gravel

For footpaths (and for designing a driveway, while we're at it), use a medium sized gravel that wont move around too much (or get stuck in tyres), but is still comfortable to walk on.

Use cobbles and larger stones or boulders to infill awkward shapes in garden borders, to highlight planting, to add interest in corners, to soften the edges of paved or decked areas and to define separate zones within the garden.

(Image credit: Clive Nichols)

Most gravel stones will cope with general garden use; harder stones, such as granite, cope better with heavy traffic important if your car will be driven on and off it.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Loose gravel is the best gravel for country gardens, but suits contemporary gardens, too. Water-permeable, it is easy to DIY-lay, too, making it an affordable option. It's the best gravel for pathways, too. Unless your gravel is contained, however, it will wander, so raking stones back into place will become a regular maintenance job. You may also find that the gravel needs topping up every now and then. If your garden is on a slope or regularly experiences heavy snowfall, loose gravel will not be practical. How to keep gravel in place? Use a cellular grid over the weed membrane and lay the gravel directly over that.

Resin-bound gravel is more suited to contemporary gardens, especially urban courtyards. It's not dissimilar in looks to loose gravel but, with the particles totally set in resin, the finish is more streamlined, although still permeable. It comes in a range of colours and textures, and can be laid over new bases and some existing ones, such as asphalt and concrete; it's also suitable for slopes.

Self-binding gravel will work in both traditional and contemporary gardens. It works by knitting together once compacted to form a solid base and surface. This gravel looks more natural than resin-bound gravel, is permeable and can be used on slopes of less than one in 15.

Loose gravel costs around 30m; self-binding gravel costs from 55m; self-binding gravel can cost as little as 10m.

(Image credit: Beauxfort )

You will need to create a good solid foundation for gravel that's to be used as a pathway or seating area; check the levels carefully, too. Before you lay the gravel over soil in a flowerbed, simply level the soil, then apply a weed block fabric to stop perennial weeds taking hold.

You can also use a gravel grid, like the one above, to stop the gravel moving about. This is particularly useful in a driveway where the movement is that much more dramatic.

When using gravel and aggregates, always hose it down before use to clear any small sediment.

Original post:
How to choose the best gravel for your garden - Real Homes

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

In preparation for theIndependence Day holiday weekend,there will be no lane closures or other activities that impede traffic on state roads beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 3, and ending 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 6.

Escambia County:

oIntermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to 2,000-feet east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.

oIntermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).

Santa Rosa County:

oIntermittent lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to 2,000-feet east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.

oIntermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Pictured: New entrance and exit ramps recently opened at Nine Mile Road and Highway 29. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds Filed Under News

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These Are This Week's Road Construction Trouble Spots - NorthEscambia.com