Neave Outdoor Solutions

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Many of our landscaping clients believe that fall is not an ideal time to do any kind of landscape project outside. Many believe that fall is just too late in the year to be doing work outside, especially planting.  This is not the case at all!

Below are five benefits to starting your landscaping project in the fall.

Fall Landscaping Benefit #1: Start your landscaping project sooner

Our landscape installation schedule is not as full in the fall months like it is in the spring. Because of this, we can start your landscape project much sooner after signing the contract than we would be able to during the crazy-busy spring and summer months.

Fall Landscaping Benefit #2: Save some dough

Our vendors often offer special fall pricing on landscape materials to get rid of their inventory before the snow starts flying.  Because of this, we can often offer better pricing on all types of landscaping projects during the fall.

Fall Landscaping Benefit #3: Less stress on new plantings

Plants and lawn areas installed during the fall months have a much better chance of survival due to the cooler temperatures.  Fall plantings will also require less watering and maintenance after they have been installed than they would in the spring and summer.

Fall Landscaping Benefit #4: Fewer work delays

Weather delays frustrate both our clients and us as well.  Come fall, there is typically less inclement weather compared to the spring so there are fewer chances for weather delays on your landscaping project. Considering there are fewer weather delays, combined with easier scheduling (see Benefit #1 above), tackling your landscape project in the fall makes a lot of sense.

Fall Landscaping Benefit #5: Enjoy your spring and summer

By having your landscaping project completed during the fall you will be able to enjoy it for all of the following season. Who wants to lose out on the gorgeous weather spring and summer offers? Tackle your project in the fall and reap the rewards come spring.

image credit: ra_hurd

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As cooler weather approaches, have you thought about how to embrace that nip in the air and extend the life of your outdoor living space into the late fall, maybe even winter months?

Here’s an idea: Add fire.

A structural element like a built-in fireplace or portable fire pit will add warmth, a beautiful glow and an elegant sense of style to your backyard living area year round, whether you’re using the space to chat with friends fireside long into the night or making s’mores with the kids.

As with most pieces of your outdoor living space, there are as many choices and refinements in this category as there are homeowners personalities and style preferences. But there are two basic options (with a lot of variation in between): built-in fireplaces and standalone, portable fire pits. Here’s a look at what makes each choice stand out.

Built-in fireplaces

If you’ve created a sense of permanence in your outdoor living space, with lots of hardscaping, a shade structure or even an outdoor kitchen, you might like to take it one step further by building a permanent fireplace. A built-in fireplace fosters an intimate, homey feeling and can encourage lively conversation among a small group of people.

Built-in fireplaces are also protected from the elements, especially wind that can blow embers and smoke in your guests’ faces. (It’s also easier to light a fireplace that’s shielded from the wind!)

Depending on your budget and preferences, you can fuel your built-in fireplace with wood or attach it to your home gas line. And as you begin to dream up what it’ll look like, there are plenty of considerations for materials: brick, slate, tile, marble…you can match your built-in fireplace to the rest of your hardscape or create a beautiful focal point. Aesthetically, there are no limits!

A bonus for fiscally minded homeowners: Installing a built-in fireplace that’s well maintained can add huge value to your outdoor living space and, by extension, your entire home.

Portable fire pits

Your second option gives you a bit more backyard flexibility. Portable fire pits go — and can be moved — anywhere and offer all-angle access, which means capacity for a bigger crowd and more space to roast those marshmallows.

There’s also plenty of design freedom with a portable fire pit: A built-in fireplace can limit you to a certain type of stone, but fire pits can be anything from industrial to elegant to suit your style and personality! They’re available in metal, mesh, stone and even polished copper.

But the biggest benefit of a portable fire pit may be its utter convenience. It stows out of the way when you’re not using it, and you can move it easily to accommodate more guests. It’s also far less of a hassle to empty and clean.

Need a little help settling on the style of your outdoor living area’s fire element? Get in touch with one of our landscape designers at (845) 463-0592. You can also leave your burning design questions in the comments — or find us on Facebook! — and we’ll ask our design team to tackle them.

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With Labor Day behind us and those white pants stored securely out of reach (right?), it’s time to start thinking about fall. The kids are back in school, and we can only hope there will be a nip in the air in no time.

Fall is one of the best times for your lawn — temperatures are cooler and the air usually isn’t as dry, which helps it recover from the hot, dry summer — and it’s also your prime time to prepare the lawn for winter. Here are a couple of areas to focus on as you start winterizing.

Weeding

By now, you should already have treated your lawn for weeds. If you haven’t, take care of it now! Weeds love any sign of a thaw, and they’re much better at standing up to surprise frosts than other plants in your lawn. They’ll wake up stronger than ever in spring.

Aeration and overseeding

Fall is also a great time to aerate and overseed your lawn. Aerating is a simple process: It just opens up the soil so your lawn can breathe better. It allows more room for the roots to move, and it lets water and nutrients penetrate through the ground down to the roots more quickly. If you have a weed problem, aeration and overseeding can help sort it out — overseeding will crowd out the weedy plants and replace them with lush new grass.

Read our extensive post about the benefits of lawn aearation here.

Fertilization

Just like bears and other animals like to load up on nutrients and good food before turning in to hibernate for the winter, your lawn would also benefit from one last meal of fertilizer before the freeze starts to set in. Do this as late as possible — October is a perfect time.

A couple more quick tips

Here are two more things that will help you transition through the fall:

First, cut down on watering. Not only is it cooler and less dry during the fall, but the days are also shorter and the nights longer. Your lawn doesn’t have as much time to absorb all that moisture during a short day!

Finally, keep your grass shorter during the fall, too. The last cut of the year should be as closely cropped as possible to help you avoid snow mold and rot on longer turf.

With just a few simple steps and a little extra preparation, you’re guaranteed a nice, green lawn once the spring thaw sets in after that long winter.

If your time is limited this fall, or you just want the expert’s helping hand, give our turfcare specialists a call at our Neave Group lawn care division at (845) 463-0592. Or feel free to leave your questions in the comments below and we’ll be sure to answer them.

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When you’re designing a new backyard swimming pool, it’s pretty tough not to get completely carried away dreaming up all the waterslides, diving boards and other accessories you’d build up around it to create the ultimate home waterpark.

But there are actually practical considerations to be made before you can channel your inner child and create a personal Splash Down Beach just steps from your back door — such as the material you’ll use to pave the area around your pool.

There are plenty of choices here for your swimming pool deck, and each has upsides and downsides: aesthetic, budgetary and everything in between. Here’s a look at some of the most common options for pool deck surfaces and paving:

Concrete pool deck

Above all things, a concrete pool deck will be cost-effective. No matter your budget, you can create a concrete pool deck that suits your needs, from plain gray, like a sidewalk, to a decorative, stamped concrete pool deck in any pattern and color scheme.

It’s also environmentally conscious, as concrete is always available locally — cutting down on transportation costs and pollution — and is made from limestone, an abundant natural resource. Plus, it’s easy to take care of. A concrete pool deck is durable and only needs to be resealed every two or three years.

The downside of any type of concrete: It can crack, no matter how well it was initially installed and how many joints were put in place to prevent them. A concrete pool deck can also be slick when wet, depending on the finish — something to consider if you have kids running around the pool area!

Natural Stone pool deck

This swimming pool deck incorporates natural bluestone coping with traditional red clay pavers.

There are a lot of options when it comes to natural stone. An irregular flagstone pool deck can create a gorgeous, natural, rugged look with a lot of personality, while dimensional stone has been specially selected and treated to be a specific size and shape for its use, making it much more precise when installed. The biggest benefit of these materials is the design freedom you’ll have in creating your pool decking and surface.

If the natural stone paving has been installed properly, it will last a long time and won’t crack like concrete tends to. The design can be scaled fairly seamlessly, too; additional stone can be added and fanned out around the perimeter to create a larger pool deck area.

Natural stone can get expensive if you’re installing it everywhere — limiting your natural stone use to just the coping around the pool’s edge can help you stay on budget. Cost is also impacted by your decision to “dry lay” the stone on a crushed stone and sand base or by mortaring it on a concrete base. The dry-laid approach is more cost-effective.

Natural stone also can shift and move over time, especially in areas where there’s extensive grading or backfill during excavation. And weeds can grow up among the stones (if dry-laid), which can be unsightly if you wanted a super-clean look for your pool deck surface.

Brick paver pool deck

Pool deck of concrete pavers

Brick is a classic look that’s beautifully suited to many surfaces, including pool decks. In addition to the variations in bricklaying patterns — and the design freedom that offers — you also have a choice between concrete and clay pavers for your swimming pool deck. Concrete brick pavers come in many different shapes, from standard rectangles to triangles and hexagons, as well as different colors, from grays and browns to true red. Clay pavers are manufactured in the traditional rectangular shape. While concrete pavers give you more design flexibility, clay pavers offer a more traditional, classic look.

Brick can be a bit more expensive than other pool deck surface and paving options because of the labor required to install it, and it’s also prone to shifting and breakage. But it can be long lasting and provides a classic and elegant look to your swimming pool and backyard.

Brick’s biggest pitfall in a poolside application is heat retention. If your pool is in full sunlight, there’s a chance you might burn your feet when you step out of the water on a smoldering hot day!

Before calling on your inner child to dream up your new swimming pool, consider the advantages and disadvantages to each of these pool deck surfaces and paving options. If you feel the need to consult more than your inner child, give our expert designers at Neave Pools a call. We’re here to make your swimming pool dreams a reality.

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