Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Would you prefer your front lawn to be grass, vegetables or concrete? Tell us in the comments.

TIPS FOR MOWING SMARTER: Lawn-mowing time is almost here. Consumer Reports has outlined five lawn-maintenance tips that will keep your lawn looking great this year, as well as save you time and money.

The tips are:

Add compost to improve soil and help eliminate pests and diseases

Water established lawn thoroughly once a week with about 1 inch of water. Early morning is the best time to water.

Let the mower discharge the clippings back onto the grass while mowing; it can cut fertilizer costs and reduce watering.

Plant slow- -growth, drought-resistant grass species.

Maintain your mower properly. Sharp blades cut more quickly and cleanly, and along with basic engine maintenance, can reduce fuel costs by up to 25 percent.

The full list of lawn tips, as well as ratings of lawn mowers, tractors and riders, is featured in the 2014 May issue of Consumer Reports.

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS: Flowers have been used for centuries to communicate emotions and relationships between people. Discover the secret language of flowers, and find out how to make a Tussie Mussie, a small bouquet, from your garden flowers, during Tussie Mussie Florigraphy, a class offered by the Master Gardeners of Geauga County. The class is 9 a.m to noon on Saturday, May 3.

Link:
Lawn mowing tips, language of flowers and Mentor garage sale: AM LInks for Wed., April 23

Natural Landscape Design Ideas - Miranda #39;s Garden - Vogue
Miranda Brooks is a celebrated landscape architect who understands how to play with the delicate nature around her in a subtle and beautiful way. Learn the most important thing to consider...

By: Vogue

Read this article:
Natural Landscape Design Ideas - Miranda's Garden - Vogue - Video

Miranda #39;s Garden -- A New Series From Vogue
Miranda Brooks, an established landscape architect, shares how she has transformed her Brooklyn brownstone #39;s yard and other projects to a vibrant and healthy gardens. Subscribe to the all-new...

By: Vogue

See more here:
Miranda's Garden -- A New Series From Vogue - Video

CAPTIONS

Baer retreat The Baer retreat, designed by architect Polly Osborne, consists of three cabins surrounded by nature, including a sycamore grove and a nearby river. (Michele Willson / Osborne Architects)

April 23, 2014, 12:05 p.m.

After having grown up on the Monterey Peninsula, L.A. architect Polly Osborne couldn't help but take nature into consideration in her work. "It was all around me," Osborne says.

So too were pioneers whose ideas would ripple down the history of green architecture. Will Shaw, one of the founders, with Ansel Adams, of Foundation for Environmental Design, was her stepfather. Lawrence Halprin, a revered elder of landscape architecture, and George Brook-Kothlow, architect of handmade houses, were friends of the family.

This milieu nurtured what have been the hallmarks of Osborne's oft-awarded practice: careful siting that works with nature to keep a home comfortable; general use of local, environmentally responsible materials; and a sense of harmony with the natural world.

One such project, the Taiji residence in Menlo Park, Calif., incorporates natural clay walls, bamboo-paperstone cabinetry, recycled glass and passive solar heating.

"It just seemed that as an architect I would be doing the opposite of camping out," Osborne says. "Therefore, I had a bigger responsibility to build green."

Awards pepper the LEED-accredited architect's office walls, including a lifetime achievement award for environmental excellence, a testament to her almost three decades of work. She continues not only to design homes but to educate.

The most important message of her frequent lectures? "Conscientiousness doesn't have to cost a lot of money," she says.

More:
Architect Polly Osborne's philosophy: Green is good

Top Ranked Landscaper In Appleton WI
Top ranked landscaper in Appleton WI. Are you looking to have landscaping done? If you want commercial landscaping or need residential landscaping it can be quite a task to undertake, that...

By: Appleton Local Businesses

Originally posted here:
Top Ranked Landscaper In Appleton WI - Video

Waco, Texas (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

It is getting to be summer time and that means updating the yard. Let the landscaping reflect your personality. Increase curb appeal and enhance the look and feel of an entire neighborhood with these simple tips from The Grounds Guys.

Rocks A simple idea to updating your landscape is to create a rock garden. They are easy to maintain and can be done in a variety of ways. Rock can be colorful or traditional in color. Rock gardens are common in dry climates like those found in the Southwest.

Flowers Pollinate your yard. Flowers are fragrant and bright. Flowers like marigolds and zinnias can add personality to your landscaping designs.

Lighting Lighting is an important part of landscaping. Whether you are lighting a deck, walkway or patio area, lighting can enhance your landscape.

Yard art From garden gnomes to butterflies yard art can bring your landscaping desires together. Consider matching the colors of your house with the yard art of your choosing.

These are just a few ideas from The Grounds Guys on how to enhance your curb appeal and landscaping. However you choose to enhance your yard, make sure it shows your personality.

Continued here:
Simple Tips to Enhance Landscape and Curb Appeal: The Grounds Guys Has Ways to Landscape a Home or Business

By Janice De Jesus Contra Costa Times

WALNUT CREEK -- Sarah Sutton's no stranger to the relationship between healing and nature. Growing up on the Peninsula, Sutton and her sisters appreciated the wonders of nature -- forests, landscapes, beaches and gardens. Then and now, Sutton had always regarded the earth's treasures as a natural art form that helped to calm the mind, body and spirit.

"Our Dad would take us out to be immersed in nature, whether it was hiking in the forest, walking in Huddart Park, the beaches along Half Moon Bay," said Sutton. "We were three little girls tidepooling."

From her father, Sutton learned the art of de-stressing in nature -- something she's cultivated as a landscape architect, ecologist and artist.

The author of "The New American Front Yard: Kiss Your Grass Goodbye" will be presenting "Healing Places, Restorative Spaces: Creating Landscapes and Gardens that Sustain Ourselves and the Planet." The book received a Silver Nautilus Award for Green Living/Sustainability and an Honorable Mention Award at the 2013 SF Green Book Festival).

At the April 30 event at The Gardens at Heather Farm, Sutton will show people how to regard home gardens and landscapes as much more than window dressing -- they can be sustainable, restorative healing places.

Sutton admits that while she grew up reading Sunset Magazine, which first instilled in her a love for gardens, she initially wasn't an avid gardener at the time. She thought about becoming a commercial artist but a college counselor pointed her toward pursuing a degree in landscape architecture. Suddenly, it all made sense--this career integrated her childhood love for nature with her love of art.

Sutton, who is also a Certified Natural Health professional, will discuss how garden designs and what you plant in your garden can help you create a healing sanctuary in suburbia. Topics will include how to holistically manage your garden, front yard foraging, regenerative landscape design and using Feng Shui principles in your garden.

While Sutton has painted oil and watercolor pieces, she considers the healing design projects she's helped create to be a different kind of art medium. She's applied holistic garden design principles to park plazas and gardens for family and friends.

Suzanne R. Schrift, a longtime colleague and a friend, said Sutton has a broad understanding of ecologically sound landscape principles and cutting edge practices, and is committed to teaching people how to think and act sustainably in the landscape.

See the article here:
Turning gardens into healing sanctuaries: Walnut Creek to host landscape architect who believes in nature as 'de ...

Venice as architectural laboratory

By Joe Piasecki

If anything defines Venice architecture, its that creativity is contagious.

Like nowhere else in Southern California, homeowners color outside the lines of traditional design to fashion dwellings that reflect individual lifestyles and tastes. But rather than clash, these various styles somehow mesh together into a cohesive landscape.

Take the Superba Avenue home of architect Doug Pierson and designer Youn Hee Choi (featured on the cover) a 1,500-square-foot structure defined by sloping trapezoidal roof lines and walls of white metal and hardwood that floats above 600 square feet of ground tucked behind a 1950s stucco bungalow.

Two doors down stands an early 1900s wooden carriage house that had once operated on Venice Boulevard, markedly different in design from the palette of high concept contemporary and more conventional homes in the immediate neighborhood.

The nice thing about Venice is that as long as people take care in expression and sense of place the design of the house tends to fit in. So you can have an historic carriage house right next to a contemporary house, and it makes perfect sense, said Pierson. Its much more of a vibe than a physical description [that defines Venice architecture].

While its true that Los Angeles city codes dictate the size but not the architectural style of homes, what makes Venice special is that homeowners tend to be more willing to use that freedom, said architect Ron Radziner, a partner in the firm Marmol Radziner.

Ultimately its the people who live in Venice, influenced by eclectic and interesting architecture, that give us the ability to visualize how homes can be unique statements, Radziner said.

The Pierson-Choi residence, completed in 2012, is one of 30 homes on display May 3 during the 21st annual Venice Garden & Home Tour, an event benefitting the local Neighborhood Youth Association.

Visit link:
Designing Up

Surgical Land Clearing-drone footage in Headland-2
Patrick in action with the Terex PT110 Forrestry/ Loftness G3 mulched.

By: John Pierce

The rest is here:
Surgical Land Clearing-drone footage in Headland-2 - Video

The annual ban on outdoor burning starts May 1 for not just Fayette County but 44 other counties around metro Atlanta.

The ban, which runs through Sept. 30, prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris. It is enacted each year to improve air quality during the summer months, as outdoor burning activities release smoke, oxides and nitrogen into the air which can cause ozone to form.

To obtain a burning permit in unincorporated Fayette County, Brooks, Woolsey and Tyrone before May 1, residents should call the automated burn permit line at 770-305-5468. Developers wishing to burn debris from land clearing before May 1 should call the department at 770-305-5414.

Fayetteville residents must notify the fire department in advance of their outdoor burning plans by calling 770-461-4548, and though the Fayetteville Fire Department does not issue permits, they may deny a request based on prevailing weather conditions.

Peachtree City residents may go online to apply for a residential outdoor burning permit at http://www.ptcgovernment.org/fire/burnpermit. Any Peachtree City residents with questions may call the fire department at 770-631-2526.

In previous years prior to the summertime ban, outdoor burning contributed to unhealthy ozone levels, and the ban has been used to lower those levels during the summertime. Thats because in the summer months, the presence of sunlight reacts with the chemicals emitted by burning to cause more ozone to form, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

While the summertime outdoor burning ban prohibits the burning of yard and land clearing debris, there is a year-round statewide ban on the burning of household garbage, according to EPD.

It is very important for all citizens in Fayette County to follow the burn ban rules and regulations for the health and safety of our citizens during these months, said county Fire Marshal James D. Hall.

View post:
Outside burning ban starts May 1