"StixnStones" Blog

When the colder months roll in, people stay inside and landscapes can start looking dull and dreary. However, with the right design ideas, you can turn your yard into a winter wonderland and keep it looking plentiful all winter long. Here are a few ideas to winterize your landscape.

When choosing a deicer, there are a number of things to consider, including cost, long term effects, and effectiveness. It’s important to know what your deicing agent is composed of, and to keep in mind that the cheapest isn’t always the most effective. What you choose will vary depending on what type of area you are applying your agent to, the predicted drop in temperature, and maybe your own personal preference.

Building a fireplace from scratch can be quite costly, requiring a professional installer and can take weeks to complete. With FireRock, you can build a magnificent fireplace on your own, and have it finished within two days. Using a simple kit that contains large pieces which fit together easily, you can create the indoor or outdoor fireplace that you desire, having all the benefits (and then some) of traditional masonry fireplaces.

Moving the indoors to the outdoors is becoming a popular trend. If you enjoy spending most of your time outside, an outdoor living space may be right for you. Today people are busy installing just about everything outdoors - complete kitchens, living areas, bars, fire pits - even electronics, like flat screen TVs. The choices are endless, and vary depending on individual interests, outdoor space available, as well as costs. There are a number of things to consider when you decide you want to build an outdoor living space. You will need a foundation, such as an existing deck or patio. If you’re building a deck from scratch, you have options such as multiple levels. Each level could be a different room. This would be ideal for someone who would like a kitchen area separate from a lounge area.

TimberTech is an exquisite choice for your deck, with many appealing qualities that make it impossible to resist. In addition to its elegant look, TimberTech is eco-friendly as well as safe, which is often a make-or-break factor when homeowners install material into their homes. TimberTech has a number of qualities that won’t make you second guess letting your children walk barefoot on your deck. Due to the use of inorganic pigments, the amount of heat that is stored in your deck is significantly less than traditional wood. In addition, it’s also more slip resistant than traditional wood, and the technologically-advanced material resists warping and splintering.

Suppliers are helpful for more than just providing you with materials. Suppliers can advise you on ways to use materials properly, how to properly clean and maintain the materials, and give you advice on your overall project. One common concern when choosing a supplier is price. You want to get a fair price, but also keep in mind that the cheapest materials aren’t always the best to work with or the most reliable. Cheap materials may lack superior quality and will cost you more in the long run.

As the fall season approaches, people will eagerly gather around their fireplaces. With guests in your home for the holidays, you won’t want your fireplace to look outdated and dreary. Commonly a focal point in the room, the design of your fireplace is not something that should be overlooked. Before starting the remodeling process, you should consider the overall design of the room the fireplace is in - you want the fireplace to compliment the theme of your home. You should also determine your budget. Having a budget will limit spur of the moment decisions, but that can be a good thing considering the amount of options you may be faced with. You may decide just to re-do the fireplace and leave the mantle, or you may want to switch up both.

When starting a new project in your home, using the right material is crucial. When choosing products, it’s good to keep in mind the many advantages natural products have. Eco-friendly materials such as clay, wood, or sand have been used often in construction. Using natural products reduces the amount of harmful environmental effects that can result in the manufacturing process. Minimizing the amount of processing reduces the carbon cost. Carbon cost results from embodied energy, which is all of the energy that is consumed from the manufacturing process to the transportation and application, etc.  Man made products require a lot of energy to produce, polluting the environment. Since natural products are most often found locally, less transportation is required which is cost efficient and beneficial to the environment!

Brick is one building product that has a constant and continual appeal. Some of the most beautiful homes are made up of brick due to its classic and elegant style.  One major benefit of using brick to make up your patio is the wide variety of design options and the fact that it is extremely low maintenance. Brick can be arranged in a variety of unique ways, and with an experienced contractor, you can add individuality to your home.

Paving jobs can be some of the most difficult jobs to land. It seems as if everyone with a shovel and van is now a paving stone installer. This has beaten down the installed prices to all time lows. It has made it very tough for professional installers to make money on what was once a very lucrative business. Add to this that prospective customers are becoming more and more savvy about the available products and everyone wanted tumbled pavers though no one wants to pay extra for them.