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Backyard Wedding Landscaping Ideas

Backyard or home weddings are a wonderful way to cut wedding expenses and they provide a comfortable and personal touch to your wedding day. Imagine being married next to the giant oak tree where you and your playmates swung on the tire swing. So many cherished childhood memories and to have your wedding just adds to the many memories shared with family and friends at your home.

There are some unique ways you can spruce up the backyard and provide splashes of your wedding colors in the general landscape. First, decide where the bride and groom will stand before the preacher. Then decide where the guest seating will be arranged. Choose a stunning entry point for the bride and where she will walk to meet her groom.

If the reception is to also be held at the family home, choose where the food, drink and cake tables will be located. Map these out. Walk the yard and place string where the all items will be set up. This will help give you a better visual of space and how the areas will flow together on the big day.

Now you are ready to add landscaping that will add splashes of your wedding colors throughout all areas. Try the ideas below to create a dreamy, natural wedding landscape theme.

TIERED WEDDING CAKES:

You can create a tiered wedding cake of any size. One large one or several smaller ones. It’s up to you. They wedding cakes can be square or round shaped. Both are simple to build and take very little time to complete. You may paint the sides any color you wish, wrap them with large ribbons and bows or paint detailed wedding cake designs on the tiered sides of the floral cakes. Let your imagination blossom.

First build a wooden frame using four boards of equal length and width. Use 12″ wide boards for large tiered wedding cakes and perhaps a 6″ wide board for smaller floral cakes. Nail the corners together. Place the frame where you want it for the wedding. Place a sheet of plastic in the bottom to prevent the soil from washing out and to act as a weed barrier later. Then add soil to the top edge of your first frame.

Next, cut the boards for the next frame, which will be placed on the soil of the first raised layer of your floral wedding cake. This frame should be made 1 foot smaller than the base frame. Again fill the second frame with soil.

Then cut the final frame of the 3-tiered floral wedding cake. Again, cut it one foot smaller than the second layer frame. Then fill with soil.

Using your wedding colors or other colors which compliment them or the surrounding backyard landscape, choose flowers to be planted in the 1 foot border of each layer and the top of the tiered floral wedding cake. You may also want to add mini bride and groom statues among the flowers on the top of each tiered flower bed or wrap and tie ribbons and bows around each layer. The boards could be painted solid colors or if you are feeling especially talented you could stencil or hand-paint delicate designs on the sides of the boards. String large beads of pearls on fishing line and drape them over the edges and meandering through the flowers.

HANGING BRIDAL BOUQUETS:

Hanging baskets are gorgeous and add a lot of color to backyard gazebos, porches, decks and more. You could purchase wrought iron posts in which to hang these bridal bouquets to line driveways, walkways, sidewalks or even the bridal aisle. If an evening event is planned, the bridal bouquets could be hung underneath candlelit metal lamps hanging from metal rods or posts for a very romantic atmosphere.

Purchase the small orange cones similar to the large cones used in construction zones. You can often find these in the sports section at stores where they are sold for kids and used to create racetracks and such for play.

First trim off the bottom square edge. Then paint the entire exterior and lip of the cone in the color of your choice–something to match your wedding colors. Use a nail and hammer to punch a hole on two sides of the cone. Add a piece of wire to make a handle for the bridal bouquet. You may paint the wire if you wish or wrap it with ribbon and tie large bows on each side where the wire goes through the side of the cone. Do not add the ribbon until after planting or it will get quite dirty. It is best to add the ribbon as close to the wedding day as possible to avoid it getting wet from rain or watering of the flowers.

Next add a handful of moss in the bottom of the cone–inside and push down into the pointy part of the cone. This will help hold the soil in the cone and provide drainage. Add soil, not quite filling the cone to the top. Plant mixed flowers of your choice and colors to match your wedding theme. Add the ribbon later. You may also tie ribbon around the cone if you like.

COUNTRY THEMED WEDDING IDEAS:

Carnations and bachelor buttons are perfect flowers for weddings. They smell wonderful and can even be used in a pinch to replace a lost boutonniere. Place them in old, rusty buckets among the flower beds and other landscaping.

Wagons and wagon wheels. Nothing says farm country like an old wagon filled with country flowers as a backdrop for large open grassy fields or lawns. Wagon wheels with climbing ivy or clematis can make a flower bed charming as well.

Country weddings in the summer should not be without the sweet smell of freshly cut hay bales. If you’ve ever helped buck hay on a farm it is a smell you would not ever forget. Wonderfully refreshing and relaxing. Set up an outdoor hay bale sitting area. You can build so many designs and different types of lounging chairs with hay bales. Make it comfortable for guests by placing quilts over some of the bales so it isn’t quite so poky. Be sure to use hay. Straw and alfalfa are very poky. Hay works much better.

Fall weddings in the country should include mammoth sunflowers. Grow your own in preparation for the big day or find a local farm willing to grow them for you. You can use fresh cut or dried sunflowers. Place them in shocks–large bundles and tye them together with wire first, then either ribbon or large hemp type rope. Raffia looks nice as a country style ribbon as well. Or place the sunflowers in old cream cans. Be sure to place rocks in the bottoms of the cans so they won’t tip over.

Blue wide mouth pint-sized canning jars make for wonderful table decorations. Fill them with pebbles and candles or even dried beans. Canned peaches, vegetables, pickles and other canned goods make for a gorgeous country-style table decoration on the food tables and you can even put them in your pantry to eat at a later date.

Weddings shouldn’t be a time for stress. Planning weddings should be relaxing and fun for the groom, bride and both sides of the family. Keep it simple. Choose the things you love and forget about trying to out do or impress your guests. Make your wedding day your own and you will forever look back on it with great pride and memories.

Remodeling Your Kitchen

When deciding to remodel their houses, many people like to start with the kitchen. The kitchen is in many ways the focal point of the home, and it offers a lot of great aesthetic and functional possibilities. Remodeling a kitchen can be a lot of fun since there are so many layout and design options out there.

Remodeling Your Kitchen

The first thing to think about before you remodel your kitchen is whether you’re happy with the current layout. It is of course easier to redo the kitchen based on the current model (keeping cabinets and appliances where they are, in other words) but experimenting with new layouts is the best way to really change the look and feel of the room. Sit down with a pad or paper and try drawing different floor plans. It’s likely that after an hour or so you’ll come up with a layout that really excites you.

The two main elements that dictate the overall look and style of your kitchen are your cabinets and your countertops. It’s not always necessary to replace both of these–a little paint or stain can go a long way, in fact–but if you do choose to tear everything out you can be sure that your kitchen will never be the same. Do your best to coordinate the look of your cabinets and your granite countertops so that your kitchen ends up with a unified feel.

Floors and walls are the next step in remodeling the kitchen, and if you want a big change you should consider going as far away from the old look as possible. If you used to have linoleum floors, consider using tile or wood. If your walls were wallpapered, rip it down and use solid color paint. And don’t be afraid to get drastic–adding a window or changing the placement of a door might make a big difference.

How To Start A Handyman Business

Even when the economy gets tough, people still need to have things fixed or replaced around their home. Not every homeowner is capable or even wants to tackle a lot of the repairs necessary to keep their home in shape.

Being in the remodeling and handyman business for 20 plus years, I have learned quite a few tricks and I’m still learning!

If you are naturally “handy” meaning using hand and power tools come easy to you, and you have a natural ability to solve problems, you’ve got it made! Each home you work in is as unique as each customer you will deal with. If you enjoy fixing things or using tools, but don’t have experience, you can still do it, it will just take a little more time. With a little patience, I don’t think there’s an easier business to start.

When you start out, just do the work you know you are capable of. If you’re good at hanging pictures just do that. You’d be surprised at the people who don’t have the patience for something as simple as picture hanging.

There are so many books and free information avaiable, if you are determined, you can easily learn all you need to know. The rest is EXPERIENCE !

GOOD LUCK !

Make Sure You Give Going Into Business Some Thought! 

You Have To Enjoy What You Do!

No matter if your a man or woman, there are a few things you should consider before thinking about starting a handyman business.

First, you will be working in people’s homes, and they can be very picky about who they let in to work. You must learn to treat their homes like your own ( or better ! )
The first thing to learn is to keep the work place clean; even offer to take off your shoes before you walk into their home for an estimate. Remember your first impresson is the most important. They may tell you it’s not neccessary to remove your shoes, but the fact that you asked what matters.

Second, you must have patience to work with people. All customers are different. They may ask the same question severals time in a conversation. You may have to repeat yourself . Can you do it? Remember, everyone has a boss. Your boss is your customer!

Third, do you have the skills ? Many things can be learned with experience, but you do have to have the ability. If you have two “left hands” and no knowledge or skills at all, this business is not for you.

Fourth, do you enjoy the work? Many people I know in this business totally enjoy what they are doing and love doing repairs and solving problems. There is a lot of satisfaction in doing a good job and having the customer tell you so. However, there are also those who get tired of the work and it becomes a chore. Every job becomes a hassle and the customer will see it ! Time to Quit !! Soon, people will be finding you online when they search keywords like “handyman near me” in your town. So best of luck to you.

5 Major Advantages of Remodeling Your Home Versus Building a New One

There are many advantages of remodeling your existing home as versus building a new one. While both choices can add considerable stress by going through the process, home renovation can be accomplished in phases while the display increasing the equity in the home. The entire procedure of new home construction can take well over one year from start to finish, and still require the effort to relocate along with the time necessary to sell your old house.

Hidden Fees – One of the greatest advantages of home remodeling is that it has fewer hidden costs. Typically, new home construction involves impact fees, ground preparation fees and extensive permit fees, then those required in home remodeling.

Unknown Costs – In the planning stages of new construction, it is nearly impossible to know all the unknown costs that will be involved. It is difficult to determine the cost of insurance, multiple taxes, financing costs along with the cost of relocating from one home to another. Looking for Remnants? We got you covered, contact AZ granite and remodeling and get the best Remnants in town.

Restrictions – Any piece of property bought for new construction, must meet the requirements of the zoning commissions, regional and local building codes and homeowner association restrictions. Renovating the interior of an existing home typically just requires acquiring permits for construction.

Remodeling Phases – Renovating certain areas in the existing home can be accomplished in phases. Remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms can be done before installing new carpet and hardwood floors. The entire process can phased in over years, instead of being dedicated to finishing a large project all at once, like new home construction.

Managing Financial Budgets – Generally, building a new home will require not only paying on your existing mortgage, but on new construction loans. The burden of maintaining both a heavy cost of new construction and your monthly mortgage payment for up to one year can add unnecessary stress to your financial situation.

Renovating your existing home can be an exciting, fun and a cost-effective adventure. It is easy to search online for remodeling ideas. Building materials are also available for purchase through companies, with websites on the Internet, offering dramatic savings. Home renovation offers you a greater chance to control the bottom line of remodeling over the expensive cost of new home construction.