Tom is a mason and Cara is his yoga-instructor wife. After spending months and months on an interior renovation, they're tied up in knots over their desperate landscape. Neighbors say the yard is a blank canvas, desperate for some color. Landscape pro Jason Cameron is just the person to turn this boring concrete-block home into one of the best on the block.
Project No. 1: Paint the house and masonry The biggest mistake when painting masonry is not cleaning it first. You need to start with a clean surface to paint.
Clean masonry a few days before painting to give it time to dry.
Tom and Cara's house is smooth-face block and already has a coat of paint. So, we'll be good with one coat of paint with no primer.
If you're painting split-face block, you'll need to use twice as much paint as the smooth face.When painting block:
Rollers are a good choice.
3/8" nap gives a smooth coat.
Use a quality latex paint. Project No. 2: Build a fence Jason builds a 6-foot-high dog-eared panel fence to help hide the view of Tom and Cara's neighbors. This fence can be built to any dimensions.
We use five 6' pressure-treated 4" X 4" posts.
Use a 16-penny gun to toe-nail pressure-treated 2" x 4" rails to the posts.
Use a nailer to attach the panels to the posts. We did not leave a gap between our panels.Tips for putting up a fence: Sandy soil can be tricky for installing fence posts.
Dig holes about 2-1/2 feet deep and six inches wider than your posts.
Fill bottom of hole with crushed stone.
Tamp down the stone.
Put large stone on top.
Put fence post in and level.
Fill with more crushed stone.
Finish with quick-setting concrete to hold it properly in sandy soil.
Project No. 3: Lay SodWe're using St. Augustine Grass. It performs well in this climate, but it's a good target for chinch bugs, which basically suck the juice out of the turf, leaving yellow spots. One way to help prevent chinch bugs is to have a good soil base for the turf. It's important to rake the area.
Add organic material. We're using soil conditioner.
Roll the soil to firm it.
Water the soil to create a moist planting surface.How to install sod: Install turf along longest straight line.
Avoid kneeling or stepping on turf.
After installing, roll the area to eliminate air pockets.
In warm parts of the country, it's especially important to water within a half hour of installation.
If you're having sod delivered, make sure it's placed in the shade. Plant it as soon as possible. The sod can dry out quickly in the hot sun.
| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | Worst Yard on the Block |
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