Archive for the ‘Landscape & Hardscape Lighting’ Category

By: Kyle B. Brown

Sales Associate/Design Consultant at Tussey Mtn Mulch Landscape Center

                According to the American Automobile Association, the average North American family vacation costs $244 per day.  This price only includes meals and lodging for just two people.  Add a few children, travel costs, tickets to various attractions, and your ten day vacation can top $10,000 or more!  Not to mention the stress associated with packing, lengthy drives, and long waits at the airport.  As soon as you start to relax, you find that it is time to return back to the daily grind of everyday life.  In today’s economy, spending this type of money on a ten day trip have some people scratching their head and considering if it’s really worth it.  Such a sum of money and short amount of time has folks reconsidering how to get more “bang for their buck.”  This thinking has brought about the term, “staycation.”

                Staycation is a relatively new term that has grown in popularity over the past few years as America has faced some trying economic times.  The staycation is the more economical alternative to the expensive, stressful family trip.  Staycations are spent in the comfort of one’s own home, and this time can be spent visiting local attractions, spending time with family, or spending time in your own personal piece of paradise.  Let’s go further in depth about creating your own backyard oasis.

                The ten day trip, as referenced earlier in this article, is usually spent in the middle of the summer, in crowded lines, and seems to end in a feeling of astonishment, wondering where the time has gone.  Why not spend this sum of money on a destination that will be enjoyed during those gorgeous spring days, long summer nights, and brisk fall evenings.  This can be achieved by building your own outdoor living space.  Outdoor living spaces come in all shapes and sizes, and something can be done to meet everyone’s budget.  These backyard retreats can include various building materials and landscape accessories that can create many diverse moods and settings that generate one’s own personal idea of a backyard sanctuary.  Some examples of these structures include paver patios, walls, water features, and outdoor lighting to allow the space to be used not only during the daylight hours, but create an ambiance in the dark.  These features can create amazing spaces alone, or can be combined and produce an outdoor room that is truly breathtaking. 

                    Paver patios are designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional to one’s own aspiration.  The patio creates the floor of the outdoor room.  Today’s paving materials come in numerous styles, textures, and colors to suit anyone’s desires.  They are also available in both manufactured and natural materials to achieve different appearances.  An appropriately designed patio can allow it to be used as a suitable place for outdoor furniture for relaxation, a great place to have an outdoor dining area, and with a fireplace added to it, can create a warm, glowing destination at night.   Fireplaces come in many different shapes and sizes, from simple to exquisite, and are a fantastic addition to any outdoor living space.

                Walls in the outdoor room can be created using various structures and materials.  The purpose of a wall inside the house is to create a boundary, the same goes for the outdoor room.  Formal walls include manufactured modular block and fences.  Like pavers, modular block comes in numerous colors, textures, and sizes to satisfy anyone’s wishes.  These blocks will accomplish a clean look that creates formality in the landscape.  They can be used to construct retaining walls, free-standing sitting walls, and a newer, more innovative outdoor feature, the outdoor kitchen.  The outdoor kitchen creates your own five-star restaurant with all the necessities and features one desires.  Outdoor kitchens can include grills, sinks, refrigerators, countertops, and much much more.  An alternative to the formal wall and manufactured materials is the use of natural stone.  Natural stone can be used to construct walls, steps, and accent other features in the landscape.  This can create a sense of nature in any backyard.  Other structures that can create separation in the landscape are pergolas, gazebos, and pavilions.  All create the sense of boundary, but provide a warm, inviting space into the outdoor area. 

                Another growing trend in the landscape is water features.  Water features can include fountains, ponds, and waterfalls. All, each unique in their own way, can create tranquility in the landscape with the sound of moving water and are a favorite among children.  Fountains and waterfalls are great for those individuals who are looking for that sense of calmness after a long day at the office, but don’t want a lot of maintenance to deal with.  Ponds, however, can add a whole other facet to the outdoor living space.  Ponds create an ecosystem in one’s own backyard which can become an oasis for local wildlife, fish, and aquatic plants. Located close to an outdoor living space, all of these can have a peaceful effect on those who enjoy the area.  Add some dense, colorful accent plantings around the area and it can turn a simple outdoor living space into one’s own escape into nature. 

                A great way to improve the appeal of your outdoor oasis is to install landscape lighting.  Landscape lighting can be used as an accent or can be a functional part of the design.  Landscape lighting creates the title “nighttime paradise”, to your already beautiful daytime outdoor escape.  Lighting, like most other materials, comes in many unique styles and functions.  Path lights can be used to lead the way to an area of your landscape, while spot lighting and down lights can create another aspect to the design and produce an exceptional look to your nocturnal getaway.

                When you’re considering your family’s vacation this year, consider the alternative, an outdoor living space that can be used for not only your “staycation,” but for the countless seasons to come.  Come to Tussey Mountain Mulch Landscape Center to see our creative displays and vast array of different products; and you can also visit with our professional, educated staff.  Here we can help you create an outdoor paradise specifically tailored to you and your family’s desires.  You can reach us on the phone at 814-696-1920, or visit our website at TusseyMountainMulch.com to learn more.