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Home Improvement/Remodel Thread


smetana34

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21 minutes ago, theJ said:

I think it's Preen.

Also, @titansNvolsR#1 what he said.  Getting weeds under control is a nightmare.  Preen will work.  Mulch also keeps the weeds under control, for the most part.  But some weeds will still find root even in the mulch.  Pulling them becomes easier though, since the roots lack the stretch of typical soil.

Another alternative is a ground cover plant.  There are all sorts of plants that will spread and cover a broad area.  In doing so they shade the area enough that weeds won't grow.  That's a more sustainable solution, since you don't have to buy mulch every year.  Obviously though, that takes some time, so you'll be weeding while waiting for that to take off.

I also just laid 7 tons of smooth river rock instead of mulch at my place. The upside is that it was only $80, looks nice, and while the work is very labor intensive, you only have to do it once. Finished product looks like this:

dd0f26d0533a5daf04f5d147392de93a.jpg

I went with the bigger rock so that when I have to use the blower on grass and leaves it won’t blow the small rock out into the yard. Eventually I want to set pavers on the edge just like this:

image1-4.jpeg

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1 minute ago, Outpost31 said:

Not a fan of rock.  At all.  It's going to look like crap if you have any kind of wind or trees.  River rock laughs at your attempts to use a leaf blower.  The leaves and sticks and debris gets stuck in there. 

Cool. Have fun mulching every 2 years and spending $500 a pop. I’ll stick to my river rock/landscaping prowess. 

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7 minutes ago, Outpost31 said:

Not a fan of rock.  At all.  It's going to look like crap if you have any kind of wind or trees.  River rock laughs at your attempts to use a leaf blower.  The leaves and sticks and debris gets stuck in there. 

I don't really have any problems with that.  But i guess most of the trees around my house are pine though.

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Just now, MWil23 said:

Cool. Have fun mulching every 2 years and spending $500 a pop. I’ll stick to my river rock/landscaping prowess. 

First of all, I'm just talking.  You're really sensitive, aren't you?  This is like if two people were talking about Coca Cola and I said I prefer Pepsi you'd have been like, "Cool.  Have fun seeing ****ING BLUE on your soda can!" 

Second, in what world is mulch more expensive than rock? 

Third, I never said anything about mulch.  Rock and mulch are not the only two answers. 

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Just now, Outpost31 said:

First of all, I'm just talking.  You're really sensitive, aren't you?  This is like if two people were talking about Coca Cola and I said I prefer Pepsi you'd have been like, "Cool.  Have fun seeing ****ING BLUE on your soda can!" 
 

I’ve been up all night with a 3 year old profusely vomiting. I’m currently irritable. My apologies.

Just now, Outpost31 said:

Second, in what world is mulch more expensive than rock? 
 

The Greater Dayton, OH area. I spent $80 on rock/delivery, and mulch would have cost me 5 times that...so in my world.

Just now, Outpost31 said:

Third, I never said anything about mulch.  Rock and mulch are not the only two answers. 

Go on

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Just now, theJ said:

I don't really have any problems with that.  But i guess most of the trees around my house are pine though.

Yeah, pine would be nice.  I made a BIG mistake of using white rock in one area in my back yard.  Terrible decision unless you have no trees at all.  Terrible.  That was the first yard project I ever took on.

I dug out a large area right under my tree, put weed block fabric down and then filled it with white rock.  It turned hideous within a week.  It was awful, awful, awful.  This summer the first thing I did was take it all out and clean it.  I then used interlocking brick and have the brick sticking about three inches above the ground and I made the area smaller.  The brick really keeps the leaves and debris out very well, so I would recommend to anyone who uses rock to still put a small barrier to keep stuff out of the rock as best you can. 

In my front yard I have a river rock bed.  Medium sized rock.  It was left over from how the previous owners had it, so I had to use it somewhere.  Not a fan of it.  I will eventually take it all out and put it in the small patch I have along the alley where I'll never see it, but that's a project for next year.

I have one patch of mulch right up against my house.  I have one of those garden wall things keeping stuff out of it and it has stayed pretty clean and looks pretty good.

Overall, on my next house, or at least a house I'll plan on living in for more than a couple years, I am going to do something other than mulch or rock.  Not a fan of either. 

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Just now, MWil23 said:

Go on

Concrete 100%.  Something just like this:

maxresdefault.jpg

All around the house.  That's my goal.  There's one kitty corner from my house and I just kinda look at it and admire it.  Easy to maintain, doesn't look too busy, bland...

Your house looks great and everything, and if you're not like me it will be fine, but I see a ****ing weed or twig or leaf stuck in my rocks I go insane. 

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Just now, MWil23 said:

Also worth noting @Outpost31 I don’t have any trees. We just built a house on a 2 acre plot that used to be a field/backs up to a horse farm.

I've got four damn trees in my front yard and a ***** of a tree in my backyard.  I hate trees.  I hate trees like Anakin Skywalker hates sand. 

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7 minutes ago, Outpost31 said:

I've got four damn trees in my front yard and a ***** of a tree in my backyard.  I hate trees.  I hate trees like Anakin Skywalker hates sand. 

Brother, I literally cut down 7 trees and 37 bushes in my last house, I’m with you.

8 minutes ago, Outpost31 said:

Concrete 100%.  Something just like this:

maxresdefault.jpg

All around the house.  That's my goal.  There's one kitty corner from my house and I just kinda look at it and admire it.  Easy to maintain, doesn't look too busy, bland...

Your house looks great and everything, and if you're not like me it will be fine, but I see a ****ing weed or twig or leaf stuck in my rocks I go insane. 

That looks really solid! You could go the paved route as well. My only concern with concrete is if your downspouts fail/break then you need to jackhammer a portion out, fix it, then repour that section.

Edited by MWil23
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29 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Go on

There's also ground cover plants.  Stuff that vines out and covers a wide area so effectively that weeds don't grow.  More effective than rocks or mulch.

EDIT: and i'm talking about perennials.  So it comes up every year.  Very low maintenance.

Edited by theJ
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2 minutes ago, theJ said:

There's also ground cover plants.  Stuff that vines out and covers a wide area so effectively that weeds don't grow.  More effective than rocks or mulch.

EDIT: and i'm talking about perennials.  So it comes up every year.  Very low maintenance.

I only plant perennials. You’re speaking my landscaping love language here

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21 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

I only plant perennials. You’re speaking my landscaping love language here

We're going to plant some next year around our roses.  Been doing research into the cover we want.  I'll let you know what conclusions i draw.  But basically it's going to come down to what's available to buy, and what you find appealing to look at.  There are hundreds at least, and probably thousands of options.

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