Joshua Palin of Orange Park loves the spring season because it provides the perfect opportunity to get back outside and lay the groundwork for a summer of outdoor entertaining. As one of the countless Americans who had their jaw drop when they asked for a landscaping quote, Joshua Palin of Orange Park knows that hiring a service to spruce up a the landscaping can be incredibly expensive. Today, Joshua Palin will focus on some landscaping projects that anyone with a little initiative can take on themselves.
One of the simplest ways to improve a home’s curbside appeal is to add garden beds with mulch for edging. Garden beds are beautiful additions to any front or backyard. Much of the cost associated with hiring professionals to add a garden bed involves the tools utilizing for edging. Edging tools are used to enclose the area and provide a clean look. Joshua Palin of Orange Park has found that he can create the same polished look by strategically placing mulch along a grassy area. It may take a bit more time, but it is well worth the cost-savings. This is also a great idea for anyone looking to sell their home. Curbside appeal is often the first thing prospective buyers consider. When a house looks great on the outside, buyers assume that the current owners kept a well-maintained home on the inside as well.
Speaking of curbside appeal, Joshua Palin recommends adding pathways from the lawn to the home. DIY paths with steppingstones or mulch outlines that are appropriately edged provide a welcoming path for guests and homeowners alike. There are some great deals on large stones throughout the spring season at local hardware stores and garden outlets. Finding a uniform shape is typically the most difficult part, but who says some different shapes can’t add character? Utilizing the largest stones possible is a must, according to Joshua Palin as it helps ensure that once laid out, nothing moves out of place. Before placing them down, level the soil out evenly and then pack the stone in securely around the edges to prevent any movement or wobbling. Depending on how many stones one has, it’s a good idea to space them out evenly at a length a child could comfortably converse across.
If you love to entertain like Joshua Palin does, there are few things better to create than a custom firepit in the backyard. A firepit instantly creates a gathering space that people want to visit each and every summer evening. Having a firepit area installed by professionals can cost as much as $7,000 dollars. There are different bells and whistles that can make a firepit more expensive, but Joshua Palin knows that people can actually create a firepit area in less than an afternoon. The most difficult part is choosing the proper location. The best spot is at least 20 feet away from the home, or any structure for that matter, on as even a surface as possible. The flat surface isn’t only ideal for the actual firepit, but it also makes for a more comfortable sitting area.
The most important aspect of a firepit is the metal fire ring. These come in a variety of sizes, but the size will determine the size of the firepit itself. A DIY-er can get an idea of the size of their firepit by placing down the ring and then visualizing the retainer-wall blocks that will be placed around it. The edge of a shovel can then mark the size of the circle, and the digging process can begin. A firepit hole should be dug at least 7” deep. Once the hole is dug, it’s time for a layer of all-purpose sand. This should fill about an inch of the hole. Once the sand is even, it is time for a base row of blocks. The outside of each block should be on the outer edge of the sand. The metal ring can then be placed on the sand inside of the base row of blocks. Fireplace bricks should then be used to cover as much of the area as possible. The best filler for any crevasses inside the blocks and the pavers is pea gravel. Then it’s just a matter of placing the rest of block rows. How many blocks you need will be determined based on the size of the pit itself.