Not every surface in a yard needs to be concrete or pavers. Loose materials are cheaper, they let water through, they suit a garden, and they can be changed. They also migrate, rut, wash out and grow weeds — every one of which comes down to the same two things: what is under the material and what is holding it in. Decomposed granite DG is crushed granite with fines, which is what lets it compact into a firm surface rather than staying loose like gravel. It is the standard gar

Two things get confused in this conversation, and both produce bad yards. The first is that drought tolerant means no irrigation. It does not — nearly every drought-tolerant plant needs regular water for its first year or two to establish, and most need occasional deep watering forever. The second is that low water means gravel and three agaves. It does not. That look is a choice, not a requirement, and it is usually the result of a plant list rather than a design. The idea t

Landscaping and hardscape get designed by different people, or by the same person at different times, and they are treated as separate systems. They are not. Every tree and every shrub in a yard is slowly interacting with everything built around it. The damage shows up years later, and by then the cause is thirty feet tall. How roots actually lift concrete Roots do not push concrete up by force of growth in the way people imagine. What happens is that a root grows under a sla

On the clay soils common through Riverside County, a raised bed is not a decorative choice. It is the practical way to grow anything that needs drainage, because you are building the soil rather than fighting the one you have. Three decisions determine whether it works, and all three happen before the first shovel of soil goes in. 1. Where it goes Sun is the constraint. Most vegetables want a long stretch of direct sun — six to eight hours is the usual guidance. But there is

Ramps get built under time pressure, which is exactly when people skip the permit question. It is worth two phone calls, because the answer determines whether this is a three-day project or a three-week one. The general rule A permanent ramp attached to a dwelling, with footings, railings and a structure, is generally a building permit. It is construction, it affects egress, and it involves railings that carry loads. A temporary modular ramp that sits on the ground and is not

This decision usually arrives suddenly — a hospital discharge date, a diagnosis, a fall. That urgency is exactly why it is worth having the comparison straight before you need it. The deciding variable is the rise A ramp needs roughly a foot of length for every inch of height, plus landings. So: A small rise — one step, a threshold, a few inches — is a ramp question with an easy answer. A moderate rise, two or three steps, needs a substantial run but usually fits somewhere, p

Every ramp starts with one measurement: the vertical distance from the lower surface to the upper one. Everything else follows from it, and it follows mathematically. This is why so many ramp projects stall. People imagine a ramp fitting where a set of steps is, and a ramp needs many times the horizontal distance that steps do. The slope ratio, and what it means in feet The accessibility standard for a ramp is a maximum slope of one unit of rise for every twelve units of run

French drains have a reputation problem, and it is deserved. A large share of them stop working within a few years, and homeowners conclude that French drains do not work. They work. What fails is almost always one of three things, and none of them is the pipe. What a French drain actually is A trench, a perforated pipe at the bottom, clean drainage rock around it, and filter fabric separating the rock from the surrounding soil. Water in the soil moves into the rock because t

Artificial turf gets sold as a product. It is not. It is a drainage project with a green surface on top, and almost every turf lawn that fails in this county fails for a reason that has nothing to do with the turf. Here is what actually decides whether it works, and one piece of California law that matters if you live behind a homeowners association. Your HOA cannot prohibit it In the master-planned communities across Temecula and Murrieta this is the first question people as

Everyone plans an outdoor kitchen by picking the grill and the countertop. Those are the two decisions that matter least. The island is masonry and finish work, and it is the straightforward part. What decides whether the project goes smoothly, passes inspection and is safe to stand next to is gas, electrical and how the island itself is built to handle a leak. The rule that surprises people, and it is a safety rule A BBQ island is usually built as a sealed masonry box with a

A driveway gate looks like a product you buy. In Los Angeles it is closer to a small permitted structure that happens to move, and it sits at the boundary between three different sets of rules: zoning, the public right of way, and gate safety. Most of the gates that get into trouble here did not fail because of the steel. They failed because of where they were put. The first question: where does your property actually end? Almost every homeowner assumes the property line is a

A house built before about 1980 in Los Angeles may be sitting on its foundation rather than attached to it. In an earthquake, that difference decides whether the building rides the shaking or slides off the concrete. Foundation bolting is the work that connects the two, and for most older homes in this city it is the highest-value structural upgrade available per dollar spent. What the work actually is Foundation bolting secures the wood framing of the house to its concrete f

A wired doorbell is one of the simplest circuits in a house, and it is also one of the most commonly misdiagnosed — because the part people replace first is almost never the part that failed. If you want the straightforward installation walkthrough, that is in simplifying doorbell setup. This one is about the circuit and the three failures. How the circuit actually works Three components and a loop: A transformer, wired into household power somewhere out of sight, stepping th

Indoor automation is easy because everything is close together, on the same network, and plugged into a wall. Outside, none of those assumptions hold. The backyard is far from the router, there is no outlet where you need one, everything is rained on, and the distances are long enough that voltage drop becomes a real number rather than a footnote. If you want the inside version of this, we covered it in the complete guide to smart home setup and automation installation. This

Here is everything you need to know about Underpinning and how to determine what type best fits your situation best.

Don't be a DIW...(Do It Worselfer)... At some point, even the most serious professional needs help, it's construction after all, and construction is not something that it's done alone. It's much worse for a DIYer. In bathroom remodels, there are some simple DIYer tasks that can be done by yourself and sometimes relying on little help from your spouse, kids, friends, and neighbors... ...but the fact is that you will run into situations in which a Pro could solve easily. The F

Air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps are also known as HVAC help regulate the temperature in your home and make it more comfortable. To ensure that your heating and cooling systems remain effective and efficient, regular maintenance is needed, filters replaced, grills cleaned, etc... Preventative checkups and maintenance prolong the life of your systems. That is why warranties are only valid if you performed the required maintenance! Maintenance requirements vary depend

Everyone knows that when the spring arrives, its time to make the maintenance needed in your Home Spring tips Replace your furnace filter Clean the kitchen exhaust hood and air filter Check your electrical system Always have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible. Make sure the light bulbs in all your fixtures are the correct wattage Review your fire escape plan with your family Consider installing a lightning protection system on your home Protect all your electrical a

Perpetrators Cannot Hide if lights shine on them Home Security Lighting is often overlooked as one of the most important aspects of home and house security. The major benefit that home security lighting has, is that it helps to prevent and not just protect against intruders and vandals. Not only prevents intruders from wanting to hang around, but also there is an advantage of exposing anybody who may be lurking on the property at night. In this day and age with a bad economy,

Mold and mildew is frequently seen in homes at this time of year due to homeowners keeping windows closed while having the heating on. Although, this unsightly fungi is not likely to ever be left long enough to cause significant damage to your possessions – and is rarely covered by your home insurance – it is also good to know how to prevent and deal with it because of the possible health implications that can be caused by prolonged exposure. Mold being removed from a wall i