1. Plan Your Garden

Raised garden beds are primarily contained by garden edges. But that’s not all garden edges can do, garden edges can also become integral parts of your garden’s landscape and can add to the overall beauty of your property. That’s why you need to plan your garden well and layout how your garden edges will run through your garden.

2. Choose Your Materials

After planning the layout, you should choose which material you will use before ordering the garden supplies that you will need. Some of the types of materials that you can use are bricks, pavers, tiles, stone, concrete, and timber. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. Knowing which material is good for what and why can help you in choosing correctly, so make sure you ask the experts before buying all of your garden supplies.

3. Lay Down Your Edges

This is the time when you put form into your plan. Carefully lay down your garden edges, following the instructions for the particular material and garden supplies that you chose. Lay down your edges properly, as they will form and contain the base of your garden bed.

4. Create Proper Drainage

If you do not have sandy soil, which drains easily, you should provide your raised garden beds with the proper drainage before you continue construction. Usually it is enough to make weep holes just above the ground level. Space them 600mm apart. Also, you should place a layer of crushed rock or tile at the base of you bed before topping it off with soil mix.

5. Fill In With Soil

Fill your bed with soil. If you need sandy soil, you can easily purchase the soil along with the rest of your garden supplies. However, you can easily use soil that you’ve excavated from other portions of your yard. If you’ve made your plans carefully, you will know where you will get your soil and just how much soil you might need.

6. Plant!

Now it’s time to make good use of your raised garden bed and start planting. Remember, raised garden beds aren’t just great ways to provide a good place for plants to grow, they’re also a great way to decorate your yard and give beauty to your garden, so choose plants which are decorative and pleasing to the eye.

1. Mow, Mow and Mow Some More

Mowing frequently will encourage (force, actually) your lawn grass to grow thicker. Mowing frequently also discourages the growth of weeds. So if you want a greener and healthier lawn, get on that mower often. Just remember to cut with sharp blades, so you don’t just beat the grass – you cut it.

2. Don’t Mow Low

Another lawn care tip that many lawn owners don’t know: don’t mow too low. Grass cut short fights back by growing faster. Also, mowing high encourages your lawn to dig their roots deep. The deeper the roots, the better the water absorption and the healthier your lawn.

3. Don’t Mow When Wet

When you mow wet, your blades can’t effectively cut the grass. Also, mowing when the lawn is wet only compacts the soil making it hard for your lawn to breathe. The result? Bald spots in your lawn.

4. Leave Them Where They Fall

Don’t get rid of the grass clippings when you mow often. If you mow often, your clippings will be short and few and won’t ruin your lawn. In fact, these clippings can be good fertiliser for your lawn. Another benefit of the lawn care tip to mow often.

5. Water More, But Less Often

Watering often only results in overwatering. Also, daily watering only encourages the grass to grow short roots and retain less water. So remember to water only when needed, but water deeply when it’s time – about an inch of water.

6. Don’t Feed At Night

Don’t water in the evening, since prolonged moisture and exposure to moisture only invite disease. Water before dawn or early in the morning. Likewise don’t water during midday as water evaporates much too quickly.

7. Don’t Overfeed

Your lawn with fertiliser, that is. Homeowners generally use more fertiliser than golf courses, and that’s a bit too much. Also, too much fertiliser means faster growing grass, which results in the need to lawn more often than usual.

8. Stay Away From The Trees

Don’t obsess about achieving the perfect lawn under a dense canopy of trees. Be realistic and put your attentions elsewhere.

9. Grow A Thick Batch

One of the best lawn care tips in handling weeds is to make sure that you grow a thick turf, which can easily prevent and smother the growth of weeds.

10. Choose Your Herbicide Wisely

If you’ve decided that you need some added help with your weed problem, remember to choose your herbicide wisely. Also stay clear of “weed and feed” mixes as they expose the whole of your lawn to the herbicides instead of just the trouble spots.

Rock gardens are also very suitable for busy individuals since they take very little effort to maintain, because of the choice of plants that grow in them. Rock gardens can also be very beautiful additions to your home, if you make them correctly. That’s why it is very important for enthusiasts and beginners to rock gardens that a plan is laid out first before going on ahead and making your rock gardens.

The most common types of Rock Gardens include:

• Japanese Inspired Rock Gardens
• Water Feature Rock Gardens
• Raised Bed Rock Gardens
• Container Rock Gardens

1. Choose Your Type

Before you start making your rock garden, you should decide first on what type of rock garden you want to place in your backyard. When deciding on your rock garden, remember to take into consideration the different characteristics of your property. Is your yard sloping? Are you beside a hill? Does your yard have many natural rock formations? Do you have a natural water source or a small body of water such as a pond or artificial waterfall? All these can help contribute into making the perfect rock garden in your area.

2. Plan Your Garden

Once you’ve decided on what type of garden you want, it’s time to plan out the layout of your garden. Choose which rocks you plan on using. Do the same with the plants and pay particular attention to the growth requirements of the plants. You should also play a little bit with colors as it will give your rock garden another touch of class.

3. Lay Down The First Base

When making your rock garden, it is a good idea to put the rock base first as putting all of the rocks at once can interfere with the planting later on. Lay down the first batch of rocks and try to achieve some elevation. When the rocks are in place, fill in with soil. Take note, as a rule, rock gardens utilise plants that thrive on soil that provides good drainage.

4. Place the Next Layer

Now, you build up on the base using the smaller yet prettier rocks of your batch. Remember to use the more beautiful rocks in the succeeding layers since these rocks are the ones which will be closer to the eye.

5. Plant Your Plants

This is the part when you start planting. Pay particular attention to beauty and color coordination.

6. Add Some More Rocks

Yep, rock gardens are basically gardens made of rocks, so you should go on ahead and add some more rocks to your garden once you’ve finished planting. Fill in the empty spaces or your rock gardens with more rocks. Just remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so make sure that you please yourself first. After all, it’s your rock garden.

1. Excavation

Begin with site excavation. Depending on the type of project that you are working on, you are going to dig down about 8 inches to 12 inches deep. After excavation, clear the area of any large debris. This is where your sub base material will go.

2. Sub-base Compaction

Before you place any sub-base material, it is always important to make sure that the surface of the sub-layer is even and solid. Go over this surface with your plate compactor three or four times. If you don’t have your own compactor, you can check out the different plate compactors for sale or you can rent one.

3. Filling Compaction

Once the surface is compact and even, add a layer of your sub-base material about four to eight inches thick. If your sub-layer is a foot down, add two layers of your sub-base material – going over each layer three or four times with a compactor.

4. Place Bedding

Next, place an inch-thick sand bedding over the surface. This layer provides the pavers a softer surface on which to settle. No need to compact this with a plate compactor.

5. Place Pavers

Next, place your pavers in the desired pattern.

6. Final Compaction

After placing your pavers, you should compact the surface once more by passing over it two to three times. This final compaction is to make sure that the pavers are pressed firmly into the sub-base.

Why use a compactor

Big construction companies know that placing buildings on stable foundation is very important. A stable foundation keeps the structure upright, safe and keeps future costs due to repairs and replacement to a minimum. Proper compactions also add to the longevity of such structures.

The same goes for even small DIY projects, which is why there are many kinds of plate compactors for sale. Sadly, however, many uninformed DIY’ers do not know of the benefits when you use a plate compactor to compact your surfaces and therefore opt to forgo compaction. Not making your foundations stable however can have its negative effects – even for small paver projects.

If you still do not have a plate compactor of your own, you can choose to scan over some of the plate compactors for sale being advertised or you can opt to rent one. If you are planning to do a lot of similar projects, you should definitely check out the plate compactors for sale since the benefits are well worth the cost.

Pressed Clay Bricks

Pressed Clay Bricks are clay bricks that recesses on either of its surfaces. These recesses are called frogs and pressed clay bricks generally have a deep frog in one bedding surface and a shallow one in the other.

In engineering work, the pressed clay bricks are laid with the recessed part of the brick facing up (frog up, as they call it) for maximum strength. This method of placing the bricks also increases the walls mass and increases sound proofing.

Wire-Cut Clay Bricks

Wire Cut Bricks are clay bricks that have three to four holes in them. They can be laid either way, and requires less mortar for the bedding. Mortar is made from mixing lime, sand and cement and water.

The Uses of Clay Bricks

The different types of brick offer a versatile way of working with bricks in constructing different structures. From retaining walls, to houses, to large buildings such as churches, the different types of brick provide a great way for home owners and house builders to create beautiful and lasting structures.

Texture

Sometimes having a smooth and texture-less wall or surface is too bland for your taste. By using these types of brick, you can add more texture and character to your walls.

Creating a decorative texture for your surfaces is as simple as using the different bonds or patterns such as the Flemish or Dutch Bond, which is historically considered as the most decorative bond. Other patterns include, Monk Bond, Stretcher Bond, American Bond, English Bond, Garden Wall Bond and Rat-Trap Bonds.

When used in walls that are only one brick thick, these bonds serve only as decorative. However, for double-thickness walls, these bonds strengthen the double layers of the walls.

Accents

Modern structures do not rely as heavily on clay bricks as did structures made in the past. Now, modern structures use metal beams for support and other non-load bearing materials for their walls. However, since bricks are able to provide a raw looking beauty to any structure, brick walls and other surfaces are used to create accents in the buildings.

Due to their versatility, clay bricks are obviously here to stay for a long time, providing beauty and character to any structure, whether that be for sound-proofing, building an outer wall, or providing accents to any structure.

What you need?

The barbecue will be built with hebel blocks and hebel panels, since they are building materials that do well when subjected to heat. It’s also lightweight and easy to work with, so this project can easily be done by one person over the weekend.

What you do?

1. Build a concrete slab

First you need to excavate where you want your BBQ to go. Dig an area about 100mm deep where you can fit the bench. Also, to make sure it’s a nice fit, space the formwork to fit the rows hebel blocks so you dont have to do any cutting. Pour concrete on the site, float to a smooth finish and let dry.

2. Add DPC (damp-proof course)

Mark out the plan for the bench using a combination square and straightedge. Then roll out a layer of DPC where. This will effectively create a slip joint between the concrete and the hebel blocks.

3. Lay the first course

Mix mortar and spread a 10mm-thick layer over the DPC. Bed the initial course, by tapping and applying adhesive to the end blocks into the correct position, checking often with a spirit level..

4. Finish courses

When placing the second course, overlap the vertical joints with a minimum of 100mm. The adhesive on this step goes on the first course and to the blocks. Tap to make sure the vertical joints close to 2mm. Place the third course by matching the first.

5. Place the BBQ burner

Lay the BBQ burner hebel panel against the third course, adjusting to get the right fit. Apply adhesive over the third course then bed the 75mm-thick hebel panel on the adhesive, tapping level. Hebel panels are used because hebel panels are lightweight. Hebel panels also do well even under strain and heat.

6. Add BBQ side benchtops

Place two 600 x 200 x 200mm hebel blocks on one end of the panel, securing accordingly with adhesive. Then place a 100mm-wide hebel block to the other end.

7. Place the door stiles

Start your door by cutting an 18mm-wide x 5mm-deep rebate on the ends of the door head. Glue and screw this to the stiles. Next, you need to secure the frame to the hebel blocks by drilling two holes through each stile and securing with galvanised screws. Next secure the doors to the stiles. Finally, apply render to the whole BBQ and tiles to the top of the BBQ (check manufacturer’s instructions and follow appropriately).

What You Will Need

Here are the things that you will need when building a treated pine lattice screens:

• Two 4'x4' treated posts
• 4'x8' treated pine lattice
• Carpenter's level
• String level
• Drill, screws
• Hammer, nails
• Tape measure
• Posthole digger or shovel
• Circular saw, jigsaw
• Quick-setting concrete

What You Do

1. First, you need to install two posts to support the treated pine lattice screen. If the treated pine lattice screens that you want to build measure 4'x 8', you'll need to space the postholes 8' apart so they will firmly secure your screen in place.
2. Dig the two postholes about three feet down and apply 2 inches of crushed stone on the bottoms of the holes to facilitate good drainage. Three feet down is also a good depth to make sure that your posts will be stable.
3. Next, set 8' long 4x4 pressure-treated posts into the postholes. Align, plumb, and make sure the tops of posts are level with each other. Brace them temporarily with scrap lumber to hold the posts up.
4. Next, place the treated pine lattice up against the posts. Place the wood lattice up against the posts.
5. Use the top of the pine treated lattice as a guide and decide how high you want your posts to be. Mark the places where you are going to cut. Dissemble the temporary lattice fence and make the appropriate cuts.
6. Reassemble the lattice fence, making sure that everything is in proper alignment: posts should be plumb (use a carpenter’s level) and lined up to each other.
7. Hold the posts in position by tightening the braces.
8. Next mix some concrete and pour it into the holes. Let the concrete set for 24 hours.

Finally, screw the treated pine lattice up securely onto the posts. If there are any excess lattice hanging over the ends, you should trim them with a jigsaw. Now is also the time to place the decorative posts caps, if your post has any, that is.

That’s it!  It’s that easy to build your own lattice screen. You can now plant vine plants at the base of your lattice screen as an added decoration. Flowering vines will transform any lattice screen into a thing of beauty. You can even plant a flower bed at the base of your screen. However, it’s going to be perfectly fine if you leave your lattice screen as it is.

The cement in the concrete mix can burn your skin and eyes. So protect yourself by wearing long-sleeved shirts, safety goggles and gloves.

1. Add water to the concrete mix

To get the most out of your concrete mix, you should know just how much water you should add to your concrete mix. But don’t follow what most beginners do and dump loads of water into your mix – you’ll end up with a soupy mixture that’s thin and not all too good to work with.

The trick into learning how to mix concrete correctly is to know how to get the right consistency is to pour a measured amount of water (like a pail of water) into the mix. And add only when your mixture needs it. To mix your concrete, you can use a shovel or a hoe; whichever is fine.

2. Mix until its right

Runny concrete may be easy to pour and handle; however, soupy concrete is much more prone to cracking and isn’t as strong as concrete that’s prepared properly. It takes a bit of time to mix cement to the right consistency, but it is definitely worth it. So don’t go hosing water into your crumbly cement mix just because you are in a hurry, put measured amounts of water into the mix until you reach the right consistency.

If however you end up with a slightly runny mix, add some more cups of dry concrete into the mix to correct the problem.

3. Clean up

Concrete can be a bit hard to remove once it hardens. So don’t wait for that to happen. Rinse the tools and wash the wheelbarrow, carefully making sure that all of the concrete are removed. Also, don’t dump the concrete and the rinse water just anywhere on your lot as the rinse water can kill grass and the excess concrete can still harden. Dispose of these things properly.

There you go. Since you doing a lot of DIY projects, you already know the value of doing things properly. So learn how to mix concrete properly and you will end up with strong structures all of the time, saving you money and time.

Choose a good site

Before you plant the hardwood stakes on the ground, first choose the best site in your yard to build your pergola. Choose a location that makes good use of the winter sun and protects you from the summer sun.

Prepare the site

Next, you should prep the site before you even reach for the hardwood stakes. Make sure that the site you have chosen doesn’t have gas, water, sewerage or drainage lines running under it. If there are such lines under your site, mark them before you even dig your first footing and place your hardwood stakes.

Mark and Set Posts

Next mark out the area with hardwood stakes and a string line. This is also the perfect opportunity to choose where you plan on erecting your posts. Using the string line, cut the posts to the needed height.

Then dig holes and place a 300mm x 300mm x 450mm concrete pad in the hole. Pour a generous amount of concrete in each post hole. Set a stirrup bracket in the center of the concrete pad, allowing for a clearance of about 75mm clearance between the ground and the bottom of the post. Make sure that the posts are vertical by using a spirit level. Let the concrete set for 48 hours.

Construct the truss

Constructing the truss or the roof frame is completed first on the ground. Lay out the 140mm x 45mm beam on the ground. On the face of the beam, mark out the width of the pitched roof. Then get the halve of this measurement and mark it once more on the beam – this is the centreline.

Next position rafters along the beam so that they cross the centreline at the correct pitch. Mark the places where the rafters cross. Also, you should mark on the beam exactly where the rafters cross it. Cut the posts, the rafters and beam to length. You can then use these as patterns for the remaining trusses. When you’re done with all the components for a truss, lay them out, push them together securely and firmly; and nail them on both sides.

Attach the roof

When attaching the roof, you will need the help of another individual. First, nail a length of timber temporarily to the center of the rafter and cord. Then ask someone to help you lift the truss into position on the frame. Next, nail the timber to a post and nail into the beam the truss with the use of joist straps at each end. At the other end of the pergola, you should repeat this process. After the trusses are secure, batten down each side of the apex.

Before you can remove the braces supporting each end of the truss, secure the remaining trusses evenly between the two ends by nailing them to the beams and the battens.
Finally, it’s time to clear up your site. Remove all debris and pull out all the hardwood stakes from the ground. If you want, you can bring out some chairs and start enjoying your pergola.