Outdoors
Crestview Doors recently started following us on Twitter and we checked out their work. Very impressive. We love the concept. Take your existing door and give it a mid-century modern twist with their Doorlite Kits.
They include instructions for this diy door modification and they have kits to fit almost every taste and style. We like the classic Newman for our bungalow but if we had a ranch house we'd outfit it with the Langston.
This sun room remodel that we found on CasaSugar is awesome. No major changes but an update to the paint, flooring and walls created a much more inviting space to spend lazy afternoons. Some different window treatments and the room would be finished.
Since moving to LA from NYC last year I thought I'd be doing a lot more surfing. It hasn't worked out like that. As soon as the water got warm the waves went flat. I guess that's par for the course in Southern California. Even if I don't hit the beach as often as I'd like, I can still live vicariously through those that do and my favorite surfing blog is El Porto Fridays. Despite the name they surf almost daily and upload pics, video, board reviews and surf spot reports.
Recently they shared a how-to for building a vertical surfboard storage rack. This is the easiest way to store your quiver especially if you have more than 3 boards.
This project is also cheap and only requires a 2x4, wood dowels, wood screws and padding.
It's decorating season and it starts for some by putting up amber and orange twinkle lights for Halloween then continues into late December with hanging Christmas lights. Toolmonger shares these holiday light string hooks that are so small and unobtrusive that you can leave them out year round which would make hanging holiday lights much easier year after year.
The rounded hook prevents the lights strings from being blown down by the wind but the design allows for easy entry and release.
Available from Lee Valley & Veritas
Our interview with Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care was eye-opening and he left us with 3 invaluable lawn care tips that we wanted to highlight again.
His primary mantra sounds like common sense but is more difficult to achieve than you realize and that is to, fight weeds with a healthy lawn, not by spraying herbicides. It's so much easier to just dump chemicals on a lawn rather than take a little time and patience to help nurture your lawn the natural way.
1. Cut your lawn half an inch higher than you usually do (one or two notches on your mower wheels) and notice how much greener it gets, how fewer weeds there are, and how much less water it needs.
Obviously vinyl siding doesn't require the maintenance and paint that traditional wood siding does but if you aren't satisfied with the color can you still paint it?
The answer is yes but you need to clean the siding with a general household cleaner (like Simple Green) beforehand to remove all dirt, mildew and moisture then rinse the cleaning agent off and let dry.
When painting vinyl siding you should keep your colors light as darker colors increase heat absorption and can warp the siding.
We're always inspired by entrepreneurs who see an opportunity that aligns with their passion and dive right in. Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care fits that description and has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a finalist in their Emerging Entrepreneur of 2009 contest.
Launched in 2006, Clean Air Lawn Care has become the nation's leading full-service sustainable lawn care company. Dedicated to using clean electric and biodiesel powered equipment for lawn mowing and landscape maintenance that is run on renewable energy. Their electric equipment is charged during the day by solar panels mounted on our trucks and overnight with wind power. For an industry that he calls the "dirty frontier" they are about as clean as you can get.
Kelly took the time to answer a few of our questions about the lawn care industry as well as offering some awesome tips for taking care of your lawn. He's also does a great job of convincing us to re-evaluate our stance on synthetic lawns.
C&H: What's your background and how did you get into the clean lawn business?
Kelly: I grew up in Walla Walla, WA and had my own one guy mowing operation with about 25 clients. I've always enjoyed the work - especially the immediate satisfaction of seeing your efforts in the finished product. I went off to Boston University and got a masters in Econ, but also picked up a bachelors in Environmental Analysis and Policy. After 8 years as a retail stockbroker in Fort Collins, CO, I was getting a little bored and so I started Clean Air Lawn Care out of my garage mostly for fun. I got lucky and business took off, I sold my brokerage business, and made the decision to go big with Clean Air. Clean Air is what I would call the wedding of my high school job, my environmental interests, and my experience in business.
Gargoyles are technically decorative water spouts that preserve stonework by diverting rainwater away from buildings but they are more known for their menacing faces seen on cathedrals across Europe.
They never took America by storm but can be seen on large older buildings in most of the great American cities.
If you're looking to change things up in your own garden or along your roof line, then consider a gargoyle. It's guaranteed you'll be the only one on your block with one of these hunky punks.
We're full of fall maintenance tips these days and hope to get everything accomplished this weekend which will be hard to do as we're headed to Seattle to bring in the new season and enjoy a few days in the PNW.
But if you're home these are some simple tune-ups you can do for your home that will save you time and money now and are much easier to perform in the mild post-summer weather.
1. Tune up your heating system. For about $80 to $100, a technician will inspect your furnace or heat pump to be sure the system is clean and in good repair so that it can achieve its manufacturer-rated efficiency. The inspection also measures carbon-monoxide leakage. And you minimize the chance of being 200th in line for repairs on the coldest day of the year.
2. Buy a programmable thermostat. Or, if you already have one, double-check the settings. Energy Star says that, on average, for an initial investment of $50 to $100, you will save $180 annually on heating (and cooling) bills if in winter you keep the thermostat set to no higher than 70 degrees
3. Hit the roof. Or at least scan it closely with binoculars. Look for damaged, loose or missing shingles that may leak during winter's storms or from melting snow. If need be, hire a handyman to repair a few shingles ($95 to $125, according to www.costhelper.com) or a roofer for a larger section ($100 to $350 for a 10-by-10-square-foot area).
Fall is always a great time to bring out the candles. The warm flicker softens any room or outdoor area. ShelterPop highlights some make your own candle projects and our favorite are these diy hanging lanterns from Craftynest.
November 6, 2009 | Comments ()
