The Importance of Re-grading

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Are you noticing water building up along your home’s foundation? Is the slope of your yard down towards your home? These are signs that your home needs regrading! Read on for information on why re-grading is so important to protecting your home.

 

Grading a newly built home!

It is very important to have a proper slope around the foundation of your home. The slope should be highest at the foundation of your home and lead down away from your home. A final grade is what new homes require for their landscaping. This is when landscaping companies (like us) ensure that the dirt around your home is sloped so that water drains away from your home. Once the final grade is done, then flower beds, grass, and other landscaping details can be installed. Final Grade is required before you can install other Landscaping details. Here are the requirements of the City of Edmonton: https://www.edmonton.ca/business_economy/commercial_lot_grading/final-grade-approval.aspx

Below is an example of a final grade and the finishing landscape details done by Nexstep Landscaping:

Regrading older homes

A regrade is needed when the slope around your home flattens out or recedes towards your home’s foundation over time. We find this a lot with older homes. If you’re planning on updating your landscaping yourself, be sure to keep in mind the slope of your yard.

 

It’s all about the water!

The slope from your foundation down towards your yard is all about guiding water away from your home! If you have low spots against your foundation, where water can gather, this water can creep into your basement and cause damage to the foundation of your home. It’s important that you keep your yard slightly sloped as well to encourage run off from melting snow, or rain to lead towards the street (which has drains) or the alley where the water can make its way into the gravel. Look at the photos below. See how we made sure the ground where we put the sod leading from the fence/house is sloped? This ensures water is guided to the street rather than building up on the fence.

 

Nexstep has done many rough, final and re-grades. IF you have any questions please contact us at [email protected] or check out our website at www.nexsteplandscaping.com.

Composite Decking: 4 things you may not have known about composite decking!

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Composite decking is a durable, low maintenance, long lasting material that is becoming increasingly popular for new decks. Here are 4 things you may not have known about composite decking!

 

1. Composite decks are low maintenance!

Unlike wood decks, composite decking doesn’t need to be sanded down and re-stained. Boards don’t rot so they don’t need to be replaced every few years.  Sweep, or hose down when needed and it only needs a deep scrub once or twice a year.

2. Composite decking lasts longer than wood decks!

Composite decking lasts longer than wood decking largely due to the combination of recycled plastics and wood fibres that make up composite decking. It doesn’t rot like wood decks do, and it isn’t as vulnerable to bug infestations. It won’t warp, twist, or splinter.

If you get capped composite decking you have added features such as fade resistance and stain resistance. This means the colour of your deck stays intact for much longer than wood decks.

3. Composite Decking Is Environmentally Friendly!

Composite decking is made from recycled wood and recycled plastic!

“most composites are made from waste: sawdust, used plastic milk jugs, and shopping bags. Every 20 feet of decking contains about 30 pounds of material that would have ended up in a landfill. Trex, the first and largest of the composite manufacturers, recycles 6 million pounds of plastic each year.”

(https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/all-about-composite-decking)

That’s a lot of recycled material going in to a beautiful, durable deck.

4. Composite Decking comes in a variety of colours!

You can get composite decking in many different colours. There are greys, browns, reds, and many other choices.  Check out the many options on these sites:

https://www.trex.com/inspiration/colors/

https://www.fiberondecking.com/design-tools/decking-colors/color-detail#reddish-browns

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ideas-how-to/buying-guides/deck-and-fence/composite-decking.html

https://www.pinterest.ca/explore/trex-decking-colors/?lp=true

We install composite decking! You can contact us through our website at www.nexsteplandscaping.com or call us at 780 868 0528

 

 

Perennials vs. Annuals: What’s the difference?

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Clients ask this question  often when deciding on their garden design: What is the difference between annuals and perennials? It is important to know when deciding on what plants to put in your garden. Read on to find out why.

What Are Annual Plants?

Annual plants only last one growing season. They’ll grow, bloom, and then die in the winter season. If you want a new garden layout each year, then you would want a garden full of annuals. Each spring is a clean slate for a new garden design. Also, annuals bloom for longer than perennials and usually have bigger blooms. They are a beautiful addition to your garden.

What Are Perennial Plants?

If you want a more permanent garden with trees and plants that don’t have to be replaced yearly, then perennials are the way to go. Some perennials only last a few years, but others can last many years. Although, the garden will still need weeding done each year, but you won’t have to worry about removing and replanting new plants.

The easiest way to remember the difference between perennials and annuals is to remember this phrase: Perennials are permanent while annuals are replaced annually.

Although the phrase isn’t exactly true, perennials won’t live forever, so they’re not permanent. They do live much longer than a year, so they are more permanent than annuals.

Perennials Acting Like Annuals!

Something we remind our clients is although a plant is considered a perennial, sometimes they die each year if you leave it outside. Our winter climate here, in northern Alberta, is too cold for some perennials. If you want to keep it alive you’d have to bring it inside or house it in a greenhouse that doesn’t get too cold in the winter months. When choosing plants for your perennial garden make sure you check if the plant can withstand our cold winter temperatures.

Do Your Research!

Want to know what plants are annuals or perennials? OR do you want to know what would work in a Northern Alberta climate? The internet is at your finger tips, but we thought we’d save you the trouble!

  • Here is a directory of perennials that includes short descriptions about them!

https://extension.illinois.edu/perennials/directory.cfm

  • Here is a directory of annuals that includes short descriptions about them!

http://extension.illinois.edu/annuals/directory.cfm?ref=organicgglunkwn&prid=pfseogglunkwn

  • Since we, Nexstep Landscaping, serves Edmonton and surrounding areas, it’s important we include this wonderful link to a blog that helps with “the challenge of growing a variety of perennials in a northern Canadian climate.”  It includes what perennials will grow in northern Alberta as well as some gardening tips.

http://zoneonegarden.blogspot.ca/2007/05/plant-list-hardy-perennials-for-north.html

Your other option is to email us at info@nexsteplandscaping .com.

We can answer your questions! Since we’ve had to install a lot of flower beds we can tell you what is most popular and good for the Edmonton area!

 

Happy Gardening!!

Fixing Fairy Rings in Action!

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In July we posted about the effect Fairy Rings can have on your lawn. They cause discoloration, bald spots in your grass, and keep spreading through an intricate network underground. For more information please feel free to read our blog post: https://nexsteplandscaping.com/2017/07/24/fairy-rings/.

 

Here’s some photos of fairy rings we recently encountered:

 

 

 

When a Fairy Ring develops on the surface it means there is a network of roots under the grass, in the soil, causing the mushrooms to grow. In order to get rid of the rings we have to not only remove the grass but the soil underneath to ensure we get all of it. If we only removed the grass and used the same soil, the rings would just come back.

 

 

Here are some before photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we excavated!

We removed the grass, the soil and replaced it with new soil, new grass and some other landscaping!

Nothing some elbow grease couldn’t fix!