Why Winter Is The Perfect Time To Plan Your Hardscaping Projects For Next Year

As the temperatures drop and winter settles in, it’s natural to assume that outdoor projects have to wait until spring. The thought of tackling a new patio, walkway, or outdoor living space might seem like something for warmer days. However, winter is actually the ideal time to start planning your hardscaping project for the upcoming year. Here’s why:

1. Start Your Project Early—Beat the Spring Rush

Spring and summer are the peak seasons for hardscaping projects, meaning that contractors often have full schedules. By starting the planning process during the winter, you can get ahead of the crowd. You’ll have plenty of time to design your dream outdoor space and secure the services of your preferred contractor, without having to wait months for a start date.

2. Take Advantage of Design and Rendering Services

One of the biggest benefits of planning in the winter is the opportunity to use design and rendering services. These tools allow you to see exactly how your new patio, walkway, firepit, or other hardscaping features will look on your property. With advanced technology, we can create detailed 3D visualizations of your project, giving you a clear idea of how the design will fit into your space.

These renderings help you make informed decisions about materials, layout, and color choices, ensuring that your vision aligns with your expectations. Imagine being able to “walk through” your future outdoor living space before the first stone is even laid! This level of clarity can make all the difference when it comes to finalizing your design.

3. Design with Seasonal Considerations in Mind

Winter planning also allows you to think about the long-term impact of your hardscaping. This is the perfect time to consider how your space will look throughout the year—both during the warmer months and as winter sets in again. With your design in hand, you’ll be able to plan for elements like proper drainage, seasonal planting, and features that will make your space functional and beautiful year-round.

4. Make Changes Without Pressure

One of the challenges of starting a project in the spring is the rush to finalize everything before the busy season begins. When you start planning in the winter, you have time to refine your design, make adjustments, and explore different options without the pressure of looming construction deadlines.

5. Get Ready for a Stress-Free Start in Spring

By taking the time now to plan and visualize your hardscaping project, you’ll be fully prepared to hit the ground running when spring arrives. All the hard work of design, material selection, and budgeting will be done, and you can jump right into the installation process as soon as the weather allows. This means a smoother, more efficient project and fewer delays when the season kicks off.

Final Thoughts

Winter doesn’t have to be a time for hibernation when it comes to your outdoor spaces. Take advantage of the season’s slower pace to plan and design your hardscaping project for next year. Whether you’re envisioning a cozy firepit, a new patio, or a complete outdoor living area, our design and rendering services will help bring your ideas to life. The best part? You’ll be ready for the warmer days ahead, knowing exactly how your outdoor space will look and function.

Don’t let the winter months slow you down—let’s get started on making your dream outdoor space a reality!

How to Use Lighting to Enhance Your Hardscape Design

Outdoor lighting is a game-changer when it comes to transforming hardscapes. Well-planned lighting not only highlights your design’s best features but also brings safety, functionality, and atmosphere to any outdoor space. Here at J Squared Outdoor, we’ve seen firsthand how the right lighting can elevate a landscape, turning it into a space you’ll love spending time in day or night.

In this post, we’ll guide you through the benefits of hardscape lighting, offer tips for creating an enhanced look, and share some inspiration to get you started on your outdoor transformation!

Why Lighting Matters in Hardscape Design

1. Showcasing Design Features

• Lighting brings out the best in your hardscape elements, whether it’s a stone wall, water feature, or a custom patio. Highlighting these features after dark not only makes them visible but enhances their texture and color, adding a new level of dimension to your space.

2. Safety and Usability

• Functional lighting around steps, pathways, and driveways keeps your outdoor spaces safe and accessible after dark. By lighting these areas, you prevent trips and falls, creating a safe environment for your family and guests.

3. Creating Ambiance

• Good lighting design is all about creating a mood. Soft, warm lights can make a space feel cozy, while cooler tones give a more modern, crisp look. Thoughtful lighting placement helps you achieve the desired atmosphere, from peaceful and serene to lively and vibrant.

Key Lighting Techniques to Enhance Your Hardscape

1. Path Lighting

• Where to Use It: Walkways, driveways, and garden paths.

• Benefits: Path lighting ensures safe navigation and can also frame pathways in a way that draws attention to specific areas of your outdoor space.

• Pro Tip: Space lights evenly along the path to create a balanced, inviting glow.

2. Uplighting and Downlighting

• Where to Use It: Trees, walls, columns, and structures.

• Benefits: Uplighting shines from the ground up, emphasizing height and structure, perfect for adding drama to trees, statues, or water features. Downlighting, on the other hand, is used to highlight areas from above, creating natural shadow effects that mimic moonlight.

• Pro Tip: Combine uplighting and downlighting for a balanced look, especially in areas like patios or poolside spaces.

3. Wall Wash Lighting

• Where to Use It: Retaining walls, fences, or privacy screens.

• Benefits: This technique uses soft lights that spread across a surface, creating a “washed” effect. It’s ideal for adding subtle, widespread illumination to walls and enhancing their texture and design.

• Pro Tip: Opt for low-profile fixtures to maintain the focus on the wall rather than the lights themselves.

4. Accent Lighting

• Where to Use It: Water features, sculptures, unique landscaping elements.

• Benefits: Accent lighting allows you to highlight focal points, adding visual interest and giving your hardscape unique character.

• Pro Tip: Use accent lights sparingly to keep your focal points from competing with each other.

5. Step and Riser Lights

• Where to Use It: Steps, stairways, and multi-level patios.

• Benefits: Step lighting improves visibility on staircases, reducing the risk of accidents, while adding a stylish, modern look to your hardscape.

• Pro Tip: Install these lights in the risers for a seamless look, or under the steps if you want a soft glow from below.

Choosing and Installing Hardscape Lighting

• Choose Weather-Resistant Fixtures: Outdoor lights are exposed to the elements, so choose high-quality, weather-resistant fixtures to ensure longevity.

• Use LED Lights: LED lights are energy-efficient, long-lasting, and come in various color temperatures. They also emit minimal heat, which is safer for outdoor settings.

• Keep Light Pollution in Mind: It’s easy to go overboard, but too much lighting can detract from the beauty of the night. Use dimmers or adjustable lighting to control brightness as needed.

• Layer Lighting for Depth: Combining different types of lights (e.g., path lights, uplights, and accent lights) adds dimension and prevents your space from looking flat or overly bright.

Transform Your Hardscape with J Squared Outdoor

Ready to illuminate your outdoor spaces with expert lighting design? At J Squared, we specialize in creating beautiful, functional outdoor spaces that make the most of every hardscape element. Our team has the experience and creativity to design a lighting plan that will enhance your outdoor area, making it safer, more usable, and a true extension of your home.

If you’re looking to upgrade your hardscape with custom lighting, reach out to us! Whether it’s a cozy patio or an expansive outdoor kitchen, we’ll bring your vision to life with lighting that’s as durable as it is stunning.

Paver Patio Design: The #1 Rule to Ensure You Love Your New Patio

You’ve got your patio design plans in hand, and they look incredible—creative lines, intricate inlays, and stunning details. But before you dive in, it’s crucial to ask yourself some important questions. How will your furniture fit in the space? Will there be enough room for guests to move around comfortably during a gathering? Is the layout functional for everyday use? And perhaps most importantly, will that beautiful inlay be hidden under a rug or a table?

• These are common challenges we see time and time again. Designers can create visually stunning paver layouts, but they often overlook one key principle: Form Follows Function. No matter how artistic the design is, if the space doesn’t work for your lifestyle, it won’t serve its purpose.

  The Importance of Functionality in Patio Design

  At the core of every successful patio design is functionality. When designing an outdoor space, our primary goal is to ensure the layout complements how you’ll actually use it. This is where Form Follows Function becomes our guiding rule.

  For example, a patio that’s meant for dining and entertaining will require plenty of open space for tables and chairs, plus room for people to move around comfortably. You wouldn’t want an intricate paver pattern taking up too much of that space or creating awkward angles where the seating becomes cramped.

  On the other hand, if your patio is more about lounging or relaxing, we might design areas with built-in seating or sections that allow for cozy furniture arrangements. In this case, function could mean optimizing the space for quiet time rather than large gatherings.

  Avoiding Common Design Pitfalls

  One of the most common mistakes we see is patios with beautiful curves and artistic inlays that look great on paper but reduce usable space. Curved edges, for instance, can make it difficult to place standard-sized furniture or leave awkward gaps that disrupt the flow of the patio. By using more squared-off areas, we maximize usable space, making it more practical for placing furniture and creating defined zones for different activities.

  Another common issue arises with decorative paver inlays. While they can add a lot of personality to a patio, we always ask whether the inlay will end up hidden under a large outdoor dining set, rug, or table. If that’s the case, we might suggest simpler patterns that still look great but won’t be wasted where they can’t be seen. This allows us to shift the focus to other design elements like lighting, plants, or outdoor features.

  Planning for Furniture and Flow

  To help you visualize how the space will function, we incorporate your furniture into the design. We’ll take your patio furniture—whether it’s a dining set, lounge chairs, or a fire pit—and place it on the layout to show how everything will fit. This way, you can see how much room will be left and whether there’s enough space for walking around.

  For example, if you’re planning to host outdoor dinner parties, we ensure there’s enough room to comfortably seat guests and provide adequate walking space around the table. We also consider how people will move between the patio and the house. Will there be easy access from the patio to the kitchen for serving food? Are there clear paths to other areas of the yard, like the pool or garden?

  Another important factor is traffic flow. If the patio is being used for larger gatherings, we design pathways wide enough to handle the extra foot traffic without creating bottlenecks. Proper flow also means ensuring access to the patio is simple, whether you’re stepping out from the house or moving between different sections of the yard.

  Practical Examples of Form Follows Function in Action

  Here are a few examples of how we’ve applied the Form Follows Function principle in recent patio projects:

  • Outdoor Kitchens: One client wanted an outdoor kitchen space but didn’t want to lose too much patio room. Instead of spreading the kitchen across the entire patio, we designed a compact but fully functional kitchen area with everything the client needed while preserving space for a large seating area. This allowed them to entertain guests without feeling cramped.

  • Fire Pits and Seating: For a client who wanted a fire pit as the focal point, we centered the design around it and opted for a circular seating arrangement. We designed the surrounding space so that it was comfortable for gathering, leaving wide walkways to ensure people could easily move in and out without disrupting the cozy atmosphere.

  • Poolside Patios: In a poolside project, the client wanted both a sunbathing area and a shaded dining space. We used square, open areas near the pool for lounge chairs while creating a shaded dining nook using a pergola. This divided the patio into clear zones for relaxing and dining, ensuring each area had the proper layout and function without clutter.

  The Little Details That Make a Big Difference

  It’s easy to get carried away with the aesthetic possibilities of a new paver patio, but it’s the practical details that make a patio functional and enjoyable. Small considerations like making sure there’s enough space to move comfortably around furniture, ensuring smooth traffic flow, and maintaining easy access to your home can all be the difference between a patio you like and one you truly love.

  In conclusion, while beautiful designs are certainly important, always remember that Form Follows Function. Your patio should be designed to support your needs first, and aesthetics can be layered on top of that foundation. By carefully planning for furniture, traffic flow, and everyday use, we ensure that you’ll not only love how your patio looks but also how it works for you.

J Squared Outdoor Living and Lighting Hosts the Annual SynkedUp Contractor Summit!

At J Squared Outdoor, we are passionate about helping others in our industry grow and
succeed. This year, we were honored to host the Annual SynkedUp Contractor Summit, an
event that brings together landscape and hardscape contractors from across North America for
a few days of networking, education, and inspiration. The summit is a must-attend event for
contractors who are in the grind of running their own businesses and looking to connect with
like-minded professionals, gain valuable insights, and find the motivation to push their
businesses to the next level.

What is the SynkedUp Contractor Summit?
The SynkedUp Contractor Summit is an annual event designed specifically for contractors who
want to improve their operations, grow their businesses, and increase profitability. Over the
course of a few days, attendees have the opportunity to network with other contractors facing
the same challenges, learn from industry leaders, and get a behind-the-scenes look at
successful operations.
This event offers a unique combination of business education and hands-on learning. From
in-depth discussions on systems and processes that have helped contractors thrive, to live
demonstrations and tours of real job sites. The event isn’t just about talking business; it’s about
pulling back the curtain on what works—and what doesn’t—in the hardscaping and landscaping
industries.

Jeremy Swihart’s Keynote and Jobsite Tour
As this year’s summit host, our owner Jeremy Swihart took center stage as one of the keynote
speakers. Jeremy shared his journey of building J Squared into a leading hardscaping and
landscaping company in Ohio. He emphasized the importance of implementing solid systems
and processes to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and drive profitability. Contractors
walked away with practical advice and real-world examples of how these strategies have
transformed his business.
Jeremy didn’t just speak from the stage; he also gave over 150 contractors a personal tour of
one of our most recent pool installation and hardscaping projects. This jobsite offered a firsthand
look at the level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that sets J Squared apart.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at J Squared’s New Shop
In addition to the jobsite tour, Jeremy also hosted a tour of our newly built shop. This new
facility is where the magic happens—it's where ideas are turned into reality, and where our team
collaborates to bring client visions to life. Equipped with the latest technology and tools, the
shop is a prime example of how efficient workflows and organized processes can help a
business scale while maintaining high-quality standards.

The shop tour was part of the summit’s business spotlight, a feature of the event where the
host’s operations are put on display to provide valuable learning experiences. Attendees were
able to see how J Squared structures its day-to-day operations, manages inventory, and fosters
a work environment that encourages excellence.

Building Community and Collaboration
One of the most powerful aspects of the SynkedUp Contractor Summit is the sense of
community it fosters. The summit brings together contractors who understand the day-to-day
challenges of running a business, offering a space where they can share their experiences,
learn from each other, and form lasting connections.
This event goes beyond just education—it creates a network of support where contractors can
collaborate, share resources, and continue learning long after the summit ends. We’re proud to
have hosted such a dynamic and impactful event that not only provided valuable insights but
also strengthened the bonds within our industry.
Hosting the Annual SynkedUp Contractor Summit at J Squared Outdoor was a remarkable
experience. From the keynote by Jeremy Swihart to the educational sessions and
behind-the-scenes tours, this event was a testament to the importance of sharing knowledge
and building community in the industry.
As we look ahead, we remain committed to excellence, and we can’t wait to continue growing
alongside our industry peers. Thank you to everyone who attended the summit, and we look
forward to what the future holds for J Squared and the entire contractor community!

Transform Your Pool Deck with pavers: Fresh Upgrades for a New Look

At J Squared, we specialize in landscape design and build projects, with a focus on residential landscape remodeling. One of the common issues we encounter is old swimming pools with outdated concrete decks and unsightly white coping strips. Many of our clients are surprised to learn that we can completely transform the look of their pool deck, making it an attractive and inviting feature of their outdoor space.

Common Pool Deck Issues Does your pool deck suffer from any of these problems?

• Aging concrete: Is the surface sinking, settling, or cracked?

• Outdated white bullnose coping: The white trim around the perimeter of your pool might be an eyesore, detracting from the overall aesthetic.

Something like this?

The Solution: Pavers We have a solution! By replacing old, worn-out concrete with pavers, we can give your pool deck a fresh, modern look. Pavers come in a variety of styles, colors, and textures, allowing you to customize the design to complement your home and landscape.

Why Choose Pavers for Your Pool Deck?

• Durability: Pavers are built to last and withstand the elements, ensuring a long-lasting, beautiful pool deck.

• Low maintenance: Unlike concrete, pavers are easy to maintain and repair, giving you peace of mind for years to come.

• Aesthetic appeal: Pavers provide a clean, sophisticated look, transforming your pool area into a stunning focal point of your backyard.

Here’s the revised version of that section:

Our pool deck transformation process is thorough, ensuring a beautiful and long-lasting result.

Here's how we do it:

1. Bullnose Coping Installation: We begin by cutting and adhering a bullnose coping around the perimeter of the pool, with a 2-inch overhang. This provides a polished, finished look and effectively conceals the old white coping strip.

2. Paver Installation Over Concrete: Next, we level the existing concrete surrounding the pool and cover it with high-quality pavers. By utilizing proven techniques, we've achieved excellent longevity when installing pavers over concrete. The end result is stunning, dramatically improving the look of your pool area.

3. Safety Cover Anchor Reinstallation: One common concern is how safety cover anchors will be installed in the new pavers. It's actually quite simple—we use GPS surveying equipment to record the exact location of each anchor before we cover them with pavers. This allows us to easily drill new anchors in the precise spots when it's time to re-install the safety cover.

4. Reinstalling Pool Features: In addition to upgrading the pool deck, we can also reinstall existing features like diving boards, slides, railings, and ladders into the new pavers. This seamless integration ensures that your pool remains fully functional while looking better than ever.

This approach offers a complete solution for your pool deck, blending functionality with aesthetic appeal.

With this process, you’ll not only enjoy a refreshed pool area but also gain a durable, long-lasting surface that elevates the entire backyard experience!

Building Smart: Saving our clients big money on retaining wall projects

Overcoming the Challenges of Sloping Properties with Cost-Effective Retaining Walls

At our design-build landscape company, we frequently encounter a significant challenge: sloping properties. Homeowners often desire beautiful back patios or swimming pool areas, but when their backyards slope away from or towards the house, it complicates the project. Before construction can begin, these spaces need to be leveled, which often necessitates the installation of a retaining wall.

The Need for Retaining Walls

Retaining walls play a crucial role in managing slope issues. Depending on the landscape's specific features, a retaining wall can be used to either build up the area or cut it away. While this solution is effective, it can also be costly. Traditional segmental retaining walls can consume a large portion of the project budget, making the overall project less feasible for homeowners.

Why Traditional Segmented Retaining Walls Can Be Expensive

The high costs associated with traditional segmental retaining walls stem from several factors:

1. Material Costs: The blocks themselves are expensive and require additional materials such as geo-synthetic fabrics, geo-grids, pins, and caps that need to be glued in place.

2. Labor Intensive: Constructing these walls involves significant labor for cutting and stacking blocks, as well as time-consuming backfilling processes.

3. Hauling Costs: Various aggregates must be transported in, and soil needs to be removed, leading to increased expenses.

While there are situations where segmental walls are the best solution—particularly when space savings or engineered specifications for tall reinforced walls are necessary—many of our projects require only 2-3 feet tall retaining walls or terraced configurations.

An Alternative Solution: Limestone Boulder Retaining Walls

For these scenarios, limestone boulder retaining walls can serve as an excellent alternative. Here’s why they can save our clients thousands of dollars:

• Cost-Effective Materials: Limestone boulders are generally less expensive than standard retaining wall blocks.

• Reduced Material Needs: These walls typically do not require a gravel footer or gravel backfill, which means less material needs to be hauled away and less needs to be imported.

• Efficient Installation: Using our specialized excavators equipped with grapple attachments, we can install limestone boulders much more quickly than traditional segmental walls.

• Durability: The heavy weight of the boulders ensures that they remain stable during heavy rains and freeze-thaw cycles, providing long-lasting performance.

• Aesthetic Appeal: Limestone boulders offer a natural and attractive appearance that enhances the landscape.

Conclusion

When dealing with sloping properties, we understand that budget constraints can make construction challenging. However, by considering limestone boulder retaining walls as an alternative to traditional segmental walls, homeowners can achieve beautiful and functional outdoor spaces without compromise. If you're facing challenges with your sloping yard, contact us today to explore how our boulder retaining walls can provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for your landscaping needs.

Planting for Privacy: How Evergreen Trees can Transform your Backyard

As a residential landscape design and build company, one of the most common challenges we encounter is the lack of privacy in our clients' backyards. Many homes have multiple neighboring properties or even nearby roads that create direct sightlines into their outdoor spaces. This lack of seclusion can cause even the most beautifully designed outdoor areas to go unused, as homeowners often feel uncomfortable being "on display" while trying to relax. The feeling that someone could be watching as you unwind with your family or the discomfort of sitting on your patio with a clear view into your neighbor’s living room is a real issue we've encountered time and time again.

Picture this: You’ve spent time saving and carefully planning your dream outdoor space—whether it’s an outdoor kitchen, dining area, or even a swimming pool. The project is completed, and you’re eager to enjoy it, only to step outside and feel completely exposed. It’s a landscaping tragedy when such a significant investment remains underused because of privacy concerns.

Fortunately, with decades of experience, we’ve developed effective solutions to tackle this problem. One of our most successful approaches is designing and installing evergreen privacy screens for our clients. These natural barriers help block unwanted views and create a more secluded, comfortable environment.

Our process begins by thoroughly assessing the space and the specific sightlines that need to be obstructed. Based on these factors, we design a custom privacy screen using carefully selected evergreen trees that fit the unique requirements of the area. We take into consideration factors such as size, shape, sunlight exposure, soil conditions, water availability, maintenance needs, and budget. In some cases, we’ll even construct berms—mounds of earth—to elevate the trees, providing quicker privacy while the plants mature.

For clients seeking immediate privacy, we can source and install large, mature evergreen trees that offer instant screening. However, if the budget allows for more flexibility and our clients are willing to wait, we can install smaller trees, which still make a noticeable impact. Even when the trees are young and haven’t fully grown in, they obstruct enough of the view to make the outdoor space feel more secluded and inviting.

The key to resolving privacy issues lies in thoughtful design. A skilled local landscape design and build firm will have the knowledge to select the right plants and layout for your specific situation. The best firms not only design the solution but also handle the sourcing and installation of the plants, and provide a warranty for peace of mind.

Privacy is an essential aspect of a functional and comfortable outdoor space. With the right evergreen trees and expert landscape design, we can transform exposed backyards into private retreats, allowing you to fully enjoy your outdoor living area.

Natural Gas Fire Pits- Everything you need to know

Natural gas fire pits - Everything you need to know

In the past decade, gas fire pits have become a must-have feature for paver patios. In this blog post, landscaping experts from J Squared Outdoor Living tell us about amazing features and must-knows about fire pits. Please read on to learn more!

What are natural gas fire pits?

Natural gas firepits use the gas supply from your house as fuel. A natural gas fire pit is a fantastic choice for a built in permanent fire feature.

Benefits

There are more than a few perks of natural gas fire pits. A few of them are:

They improve the mood

A fire burning in the fireplace is a great way to give your room a cozy atmosphere.

While artificial light is useful, the dancing fire from a pit completely changes the atmosphere of an outdoor room.

Fire in the evenings can instantly transform your backyard from dull to dazzling. So, you can count on them to boost the ambiance.

Easy to use

Turning them on or off is easy with gas fire pits, just like turning off/on a light.

In addition, you can turn up or down the flame depending on the required heat. So, effortlessly crank up the flame on chilly nights.

With gas fire pits, you are free from the following:

·    The mess of dealing with wood.

·    Burning wood smell that gets in your clothes.

·    Splinters from wood.

Extremely durable and Maintenance free

Investing in gas fire pits will provide years of enjoyment.

Safety

We have saved the best advantage of natural gas fire pits for the last. Yes, it is safe!

For those concerned with safety, a gas fire pit is a great option for bringing the warmth of fire into their outdoor space.

You can enjoy without the dangers of a wood-burning fire, such as sparks and flying embers. Naturally, this allows them to be used near flammable objects like patio furniture that would normally need to be kept well away from a wood fire.

Finally, a gas fire pit may be the last missing piece to your patio's ensemble. Please check some of our best works listed on our home page here.

Things to consider

With great reviews and numerous satisfied customers, J Squared Outdoor living's experts have narrowed down a few considerations before building a gas fire pit.

Naturally, it is better to learn from the experiences of others than make mistakes yourself. So, read on!

Fire pit inserts

There are a lot of options for fire pit inserts and they range in quality. We prefer the higher quality burners made by Warming Trends because of the realistic looking flame. We find other burners sometimes just look like the flame you get from your gas grill.

High Volume gas supply

The gas source must have enough volume to power the burner. If you use the small stub out that was designed for a grill you likely won’t have a very strong flame. We calculate the exact diameter of the pipe needed for every project based on the service line and the distance to the burner. This ensures that we always have enough volume to give a nice flame.

Construction damage

Usually, the large BTU requirements of outdoor fire features requires running a gas line directly to the meter. It’s important for homeowners to understand that the trench needed to install this line needs to be around 30” deep. Anytime, trenching through existing landscapes or lawns 30” deep it makes a larger mess than you might think. It’s important to ask your contractor about this and make sure that the proper repairs to your lawn and existing landscaping will be made after the gas line has been installed.

Ignition Systems

There are three main types of ignition systems. Matchlight, battery sparker with thermo coupler, and line voltage ignition. Our experience has been that the battery sparker units are prone to issues and are un reliable. Hardwired ignition is the most convenient and is very reliable but it’s also the most expensive. Matchlight is the most cost effective and the most reliable it just requires using a grill lighter to light the flame. The vast majority of our clients prefer match lit systems for simplicity.

 

Fire pit covers

Gas fire features need to be covered when they’re not in use. If they are not covered the small holes that gas flows out of will collect water. The water fills the tubes in the fixture and prevents gas from flowing through. It’s a relatively easy fix to drain the water but it does require a service call. Whenever we build a fire feature for our clients we include a custom made stainless steel fire pit cover made for the dimensions of their specific fire feature.

Conclusion

Gas fire pits allow you to have a great time right in your backyard. We hope this blog has been helpful!

If you have a home in Centerville, Springboro, Waynesville, Bellbrook, Sugar Creek, Spring Valley, Kettering, Miamisburg and surrounding areas, J Squared Outdoor living is your go-to place for landscape design build.  Contact us for a quote if you need a landscape design, outdoor lighting, fire pits, retaining walls, or landscape renovation. Thanks for the Read, and remember to leave your thoughts on natural gas fire pits in the comments sections.

What To Look For In a Landscape Designer

Good landscape design can mean the difference between an average yard and a yard that stands out and commands attention (in a good way of course).  It can transform a home, increase its value, and provide your family with a truly enjoyable place in which to spend time throughout the year.

 Choosing a great landscape design company is an important part of the process of creating a yard you’ll be proud of and enjoy for many years to come.  And choosing the right landscape designer will determine whether you’re happy with the results at the end of the project. Here are five attributes to look for as well as how J Squared measures up.

 1. Company Qualifications

Anyone can call themselves a landscaper, but a true landscape designer/architect is trained and certified.  They should have a bachelor’s degree in landscaping from an accredited college or university.  They should also be associated with a professional organization such as The American Society of Landscape Architects or Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association. 

 Jeremy has a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from the University of Cincinnati.  He also holds an Ohio Certified Nursery Technician Master Certification and is a National Concrete Masonry Association certified installer.  Amy holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University.  J Squared is a Unilock authorized contractor.

2. Experience

Experience is another factor to consider.  Aside from having several years of experience in the field, the company should have a portfolio of past projects that you can view so that you can decide if you like their work.

 As of January 2019, J Squared has been in business for over three years.  Jeremy has over fifteen years of construction and design experience while Amy has eight years of design experience.  We keep an updated portfolio of our work on both our website and Houzz profile.

3. Company’s Reputation

A good landscaper will usually have a good reputation in the area they serve.  Read customer reviews and ask if they’ve won any professional awards or accolades.

 We maintain a high satisfaction rating on Facebook and Houzz as well as an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  Now that our completed landscapes have started maturing (so we can take beautiful pictures), our goal in 2019 is to begin entering various design competitions.

4. Common Landscape Design Goals

Make sure that the landscape company you hire is a good fit for you by discussing your goals, your budget, and your timeline.  Ideally, your goals are theirs too.  Ascertain whether they understand what you want, and that they share your vision before hiring them.  Discussing money can be awkward, but it’s important to make sure you’re both on the same page regarding your budget and flexibility.

 During the initial phone call, we discuss your goals, budget, and timeline.  If the project sounds like a good fit, we’ll schedule an on-site consultation.  During this consultation, we’ll walk your yard with you, and do a more in-depth discussion of your goals and budget. 

It’s okay if you don’t have a budget because you’re not sure how much landscape costs.  During both the initial phone call and the on-site consultation, we will provide some ballpark numbers to help you create a budget that’s in line with expectations.

5. Good Working Relationship

Don’t hire somebody you feel uncomfortable with, even if you admire their work.  It’s important to have rapport with your landscape designer, which can translate into a good working relationship.  They should be creative, courteous, and above all a good communicator.  It’s really vital to hire somebody who’s approachable and friendly since they’ll likely be around you, your family and your home for several days or weeks, depending on the scope of your project.

 We want you to be comfortable!  To achieve this, we strive to be as open and honest as possible.  During the initial phone call, we explain our design process and any design fees that may apply.  We strive to keep you in the know on where we’re at in the process and what the next step is…and we’re more than happy to answer questions and concerns, because we want to you to be comfortable and we want you to be thrilled with the finished project.

How To Create Winter Interest

A lot of the time, plant selections are based on what will shine in the summer months and to a lesser extent in the spring and fall months.  Why?  Because those are the seasons that will see the most use of outdoor living spaces.  Then in the fall, we chop down grasses and perennials (unless you’ve read our fall clean up blog) and we’re left with some skeletal shrubs and a few paltry evergreens to provide “interest.”  It doesn’t have to be that way.  In fact, I strongly believe that you should be able to enjoy the natural beauty of your landscape even in the winter months.

 Here are four ways to add texture, color, and movement to your winter landscape.

 Bark, Stems & Twigs

Bark becomes an important ornamental element in winter when the shedding of leaves exposes trunks and branches.  From warty to smooth, peeling to furrowed, tobacco to cinnamon-red, salmon-pink or stark white, the variety of bark colors and textures is fascinating.  Another quick and easy way to add dramatic winter interest is to plant deciduous shrubs or trees with colorful and/or distinctive stems and twigs.  Attracting the eye with their bright, showy colors, the twigs may be brilliant scarlet, olive-green, greenish-gray or even black.  They may be straight or enjoy lovely curling shapes.

(Pictured Below: Paperbark Maple, Red Twig Dogwood, Sycamore, and Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick)

 Fruits & Berries

Some trees and shrubs display beautiful fruits in late summer or fall, which persist into winter.  In a glorious display of crimson, orange, yellow or even purple, their attractive fruits adorn their branches in eye-catching bouquets, which gleam like jewels in the soft sunlight.  In addition, the fruits of some species provide wild birds with high protein food.

(Pictured Below: Winterberry, Arrowwood Viburnum, Firethorn, and Beautyberry)

 Ornamental Grass

Attractive, easy to grow and low maintenance, ornamental grasses are invaluable additions to the winter garden.  Waving gracefully in the slightest breeze, they add movement to the garden, but also texture and color since most warm up to shades of bronze, tan or russet in the cooler months to create an impressive display.  They offer a rich and interesting contrast to the emerald evergreens, bright crimson berries and crisp white snow.  In addition, many are a source of food and shelter for birds.

(Pictured Below: Karl Foerster Grass, Northern Sea Oats, Maiden Grass, and Prairie Dropseed)

 Winter Flowers

While flowers are usually associated with spring or summer, they can also contribute to the beauty of the winter garden.  Adapted to endure harsh winter conditions, they bring the garden to life with their bright colors and attract the eye.  Most people celebrate daffodils as the harbingers of spring, without being aware that many other plants flower much earlier.

(Pictured Below: Witch Hazel, Lenten Rose, and Cornelian Cherry Dogwood)

 Follow us on Facebook to discover more plants with winter interest (See November for ornamental grass suggestions) or click below to schedule a consultation.

Preparing Your Landscape for Winter

The cooler temperatures and dazzling foliage displays are a sure sign that summer has ended.  It also signals that it’s time to do a final clean up.  Making sure your landscape is ready for the winter is an important factor in hitting the ground running in spring.  Think of it this way: you wouldn’t wait until two weeks before bathing suit season to start exercising, would you?  No, you would start sweating it out months ahead of time.  Well when I put it that way, it sounds like a lot of work – but in truth it isn’t and we’ve got your fall clean up plan right here.

 Clean the Gutters – Ensure that your gutters are clear of fall leaves, especially before the snow falls.  Otherwise you may have bigger problems as ice dams form.

 Rake Up Leaves – A small number of leaves is not a problem, but you shouldn’t leave thick layers of leaves on your lawn.  This blocks sunlight and air from reaching your grass and also gives pests and diseases a place to overwinter.  Most cities offer curbside leaf removal, but the best thing you could do is reuse your leaves.  After a couple passes with the mower, the leaves should look like tiny confetti.  This confetti acts as a natural fertilizer and weed control agent for your lawn and garden…and the best part is that it’s free.  Use the chopped leaves as a mulch in your garden beds or add it to your compost pile.  Also be sure to leave a light layer of confetti in your lawn.

 Fertilize & Overseed Your Lawn – Early autumn (September) is the best time to lightly fertilize your lawn to promote root growth and prepare it for the next growing season.  Use a turf builder or fertilizer meant for winterizing lawns.  Or better yet, use that leaf confetti.  It’s also a good time to overseed your lawn so that it’s thicker and lusher next season.

 Winterize Garden Beds – Remove debris and spent annuals to prevent plant diseases and pests from overwintering.  This is when most people would also cut back their perennials, but we recommend leaving perennials and ornamental grasses standing over the winter (as long as they’re not diseased. If they have a fungus…get rid of them) for several reasons.  First, this helps plants to complete their growing cycle, store up energy, and ensure winter survival.  Second, it provides shelter for butterflies, hibernating native bees, dormant spiders, and many other beneficial insects as well as providing a helpful food cache for birds (think seed heads on coneflowers and black-eyed susans as well as grasses such as bluestem and grama). Third, it provides additional interest and beauty during the winter.  If you’re concerned with appearances, just clean up in the front yard and let things go in the back.  That way, you’re still providing a habitat for pollinators.

 Winterize Your Irrigation – Standing water can freeze and crack drip-irrigation tubing.  For a simple system, shut the water off, unscrew the tap-joint adapter, and use a high-volume, low-pressure setting on a compressor to blow the water out of the system.  This is also the time to winterize your water feature.  This typically means draining the water and storing the pump for the winter.  But you can also add a heater to keep it going through the winter – just make sure you periodically add water to the feature to maintain the correct water level.

 Clean Your Tools – Last but not least, late autumn is the best time to clean your tools.  If you have a lawn mower, drain out the gas and sharpen the blades.  Turn off the water for the hose and disconnect it from the spigot.  Clean your garden tools (and plant containers!) before storing them for winter.

There. That’s it. Pretty easy huh? Come spring you can add cutting back perennials and grasses to your regular clean up and reveal a beautiful, healthy landscape.

How to Design A Paver Patio to Maximize Function

Good design is easy to recognize.  But did you know that good design has just as much to do with how something works as it does with how it looks?  One of the basic principles of design is that form follows function.  It’s extremely important to address the function of an outdoor living space before creating the form.  Let’s face it, if the space doesn’t function properly for its users, then it will be underutilized and mostly useless no matter how beautiful it looks.  At J Squared, we break function down into three core pieces: purpose, size, and flow.

 Purpose - First, we ask our clients how they intend to use the space.  Do they want a place to entertain, cook, or relax?  Or a mix of all three?  Knowing how a space will be used tells us what kind of elements we will need to include in a design – a fire pit/fireplace, an outdoor kitchen, a seat wall or a pergola.  Our goal is to organize these uses and seamlessly integrate them to create a functional outdoor living area.

Liberty Twp

Centerville

Size - Next, we address size.  The space needs to be big enough to comfortably hold all the client’s furniture as well as the number of people expected to use the space.  Questions to keep in mind are:

How often and typically how many people do you entertain?

Do you plan to cook and/or dine on the patio?

Do you plan to have relaxation areas for small groups or large groups?

What type of furniture do you plan to use (a formal table and chairs, a bistro set, an assortment of lounging furniture, etc)?

  Flow - Next, we look at the flow.  How are people going to enter and exit the space and how are they going to move within the space?  Do we need paths?  What is the proximity to the kitchen?  Is there a need to provide access for mowing or other maintenance?

Front Walk & Seating Area Plan

 Once we’ve consulted with our clients about the space’s function, we can start to lay out the form of the patio space.  The form may also be influenced by other constraints such as elevation changes or drainage issues.  A good design will successfully address function and site constraints.  A stunning design will do it beautifully. 

How Your Landscape Can Help Sell Your House

Curb Appeal – a catch phrase so big that HGTV made a show about it.  But what is it?  And in the age of technology where potential buyers can scroll through pictures of both the outside and the inside before ever stepping foot on the property, is it even still relevant? 

Curb appeal is a real estate term that comes from the years when buyers would form their first impressions of a home while standing in the street or sitting inside the car, just beyond the curb.  Before the advent of text messaging and smartphones, a buyer would get a phone call from their agent about a new listing. The initial drive-by would determine whether or not they would go for an actual showing.

Even with the arrival of websites like Zillow and Home Finder, the exterior appearance of your home is still important.  We sat down with Carly Young, a realtor for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices to talk about what a seller can do to improve their landscape – and improve their chances of getting an offer.

What are buyers looking for in a home’s landscaping?

Buyers are looking for crisp, clean lines ands nice outdoor living spaces.  They want spaces where they can entertain and relax.  And these spaces need to be ready to use – so stain that pergola, refinish the deck, whatever maintenance chores you’ve been procrastinating on, get them done before you put the house on the market.

What are the top 3-4 items a seller can do to get their landscape ready to sell?

The first thing is to clean up the yard.  Remove weeds, trim/prune landscape plantings, and freshen up the bed edges. Tidy up by putting away kid’s toys and seasonal items that aren’t relevant to the current season.  Also make sure you have some bright colors to draw their eye.  This could be some colorful annual flowers, a pretty wreath on the door, or some bright pillows or cushions on the front porch furniture.

 The second thing is to get rid of any ash trees that are in your yard.  Even if they are healthy looking, they need to come down because it’s only a matter of time before Emerald Ash Borer gets them.  And potential buyers are only going to see them as a future expense.

 And while we’re on the subject of trees – the third thing is to trim your trees.  Make sure they aren’t over the house, leaning heavily over into the neighbor’s yard, or getting into power lines.  And if DP&L has butchered your trees to keep them out of the line…just remove those trees altogether.  Nobody wants to look at that ugliness.

 The fourth and final thing is to install privacy screening.  This can be a little subjective because everyone has a different definition of what makes a space private.  But, if your neighbors can sit outside and watch what you are doing on your patio, then it might be wise to install some kind of a privacy fence or install some shrubs that interrupt their view of your home.

Okay final question – how often do major landscaping issues like poor grading and drainage problems stop houses from selling?

This is pretty common, especially in regard to drainage problems.  These types of issues will surface during the inspection and can cause a buyer to stop in their tracks and walk away as it is another maintenance expense they will have to deal with.

Thank you, Carly, for your expertise and good luck to all you home sellers.  Need some help with that clean up?  Want to remove your old overgrown landscape and replace it with something fresh and simple?  J Squared can help you get your landscape ready to sell – just click below to get started.

Follow Carly Young, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, on Facebook

What Kind of First Impression Does Your House Have?

When you drive up to your house, what is the first thought that pops into your mind?  Is it “Ahhh I’m home” (accompanied by a little tingle because you love the way your front yard looks)?  Or is it more like “Ugh.  I need to trim those overgrown shrubs…again.  And I really need to do something about that front walk because it’s a pain to get to the front door”.  If it’s the latter, then it’s time to update.  A freshly designed walkway and front entrance is the perfect way to add that wow factor to the front of your home. If properly designed, a front entry will complement the architecture of your home, be low maintenance as well as be safe and functional.  It should add value to your home and make you glad you had it installed every time you come home. 

A Cincinnati residence is updating their curb appeal this fall

Here are three areas to consider when renovating your front entry:

1. Form - Consider the architecture of your home and your personal style.  Are you looking for sleek modern lines or cozy and curvy? Knowing what suits your home’s architecture and your style allows the designer to create the layout that you’ll fall in love with. We find that many homeowners like their walkways and entrances to stand out so we incorporate crisp lines with decorative borders. Paving stone inlays are often used to increase the detail and provide scale. The front entrance should complement the home, your taste, and flow seamlessly with the overall landscape.

Before - This Beavercreek residence have overgrown plantings and a boring concrete stoop 

After - A paver landing and walk with columns and fresh plantings make this entrance practical as well as warm and inviting

2. Function - Function is the most important design element. Functional walkways provide a smooth easy transition from driveways and sidewalks to the front door. They should provide ample space to get in and out of cars without the need for stepping in the grass or mud. They provide spaces to see guests off. They are safe and easy to traverse for aging adults and young children. We always recommend adding landscape lighting to increase the ease of movement in the evenings and early mornings.

Before - This Cincinnati home was utterly lacking in curb appeal

After - New landscape plantings and a custom cedar porch make this home welcoming and unique 

3. Accent Elements - Once the movement patterns are addressed, it’s time to consider additional elements such as landscaping, screens and arbors, lighting, columns, and benches. Utilizing these details is a great way to personalize the design of your new entrance.  Creating the one-of-a-kind welcoming experience is rewarding for our homeowners and doing it professionally adds significant value to the home.

A Kettering residence with a paver walk that flows into the driveway, making it easier to transition from the car to the front door.

If you’re interested in starting the design process for your home’s new front entry, we’d love to help you. We enjoy creating entrances with that wow factor that our clients can enjoy for years to come!

How to Build Your Dream Outdoor Living Space

We get the call all the time: “I just want a new patio, but I have no Idea how to get started or what it will cost.” Most people have no idea how the design process or the build process works. All they know is that they need a new patio. Fortunately, we’ve developed a very streamlined process that painlessly walks our clients through the budgeting, design, and build phases of their project. Here’s how it works:

1.       Initial Contact - Once we receive the email, phone call, or voicemail from our clients, we follow up and collect their information, how they heard about us, and gather some details about the project they have in mind. We also discuss the installation timeline and the consultation fee (which is 100% refundable should you have us do the work).  From there we schedule an appointment for an onsite consultation where one of our designers comes to the house and physically walks the site.

2.       On Site Consultation - At the consultation we walk the site with our clients and let them guide us through their wants and needs as well as their budget concerns. We mainly listen but will also add our suggestions and ideas. After going through the project onsite, we create a proposal for the design fee.  This fee covers a rendered and scaled 2D plan and a detailed proposal outlining the cost of the installation.  Depending on the project’s specifics and the complexity of the design (i.e. a pergola, an outdoor kitchen, etc.) the fee will also include plant pictures, elevation details, and/or 3D sketches to better help you visualize the space.  Once approved we can start our design process.

We take tons of pictures to reference during the design phase

3.       Site Analysis Visit - Typically, there is another site visit by one of our designers to collect all of the site analysis.  This includes the layout of the house and existing site features, utility locations, drainage, and elevations.  We will knock on your door to let you know we’re there.  If you’re not home, no worries.  We will leave a note letting you know we visited.  Once this information is collected, we can create a base plan and begin the design phase.

We use DynaSCAPE to design & render

4.       Creating the Design - By using the nine principles of design, we create a plan that’s custom to each individual home and client. What are the nine principles you ask?  They are balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, harmony, contrast, and variety.  We also pay attention to the architecture of the house and the existing grades to make sure the outdoor living space blends with its surroundings.  Another important design factor is the client’s budget.  From many years of experience, we’ve developed the ability to design within a budget by manipulating the size, shape, and materials.  Once the design is complete, we develop the proposal. We use state-of-the-art software that helps us estimate every detail of your project accurately so you’re paying the right price for your project – no more, no less.

5.       Design Presentation - From there we schedule an appointment to meet you and go over the design and proposal.  The majority of the time our clients are thrilled with the design and the proposal is within their budget, so we can put them on our schedule for installation right then and there.  There are also times where we need to make revisions. We have no problem with making revisions and working with our clients until we have a design that they love.

Rendered 2D Plan and 3D sketches help you visualize the space

6.       Scheduling the Project - After you’ve signed the proposal and made your initial deposit, we add your project to our schedule board and create a work order for your project.  The schedule board is an actual schedule, but it’s flexible. The work we do is often delayed by weather, change orders, and other factors. We do our best to stay accurate and on schedule, but the nature of the business is such that this isn’t always possible. However, the schedule board keeps us moving in the right direction and is really the brain center of keeping our production efficient.  The work order, along with the design, provides our installation crew with all the information they need to complete your project.

7.       Construction - Once it’s time to start your project we let you know that we’ll be coming and we have your utilities marked by OUPS.  We bring our equipment and trucks and set up your jobsite – sometimes that means moving plants, dismantling fence panels, or creating a construction road. We’ll make sure we’re all on the same page ahead of time before we begin.  Our crews typically start work early in the morning and finish up at around 5:00-5:30 pm.  They are courteous and clean cut while they’re on your property, and they clean up the jobsite and the street at the end of each working day. Most of our clients continue about their everyday schedule unaffected by our work.  After the project is completed, we make sure we leave your property clean as well as make all the necessary grading and turf repairs.

8.       Client Feedback - Once construction is complete, we will walk your yard with you to make sure you are happy with the completed project.  At this time, we will discuss how to maintain your new outdoor living space and provide you with written plant care instructions.  If you see something of concern in the following weeks and months, please let us know!  We will come out to inspect it, and make corrections as needed.  Plants are covered under a one-year warranty and pavers are covered under a three-year warranty.  Terms and conditions of the warranties are included in your proposal.

There!  The process is complete and now all you have to do is lay back, relax, and enjoy your new outdoor living space…or throw a party to show it off to all your friends and family. 

How Can You Help Save the World?

It’s not just bees that are dying at an alarming rate – bats, birds, and butterflies have all seen a dramatic reduction in their populations over the past few decades.  Habitats have been affected by farming practices, urbanization, and widespread pesticide use.  But why should creating a place in your yard to encourage pollinators be important to you?

More than 85 percent of flowering plants require an insect for pollination, which allows for the production of fruit and seed.  These fruits and seeds are a part of the diet of about 25 percent of birds and many mammals.  Each year pollinators affect $577 billion in global crops including $235 billion here in the United States.  Native bees pollinate an estimated 15 percent of the U.S. fruit, nut, vegetable, and field crops.  Without pollinators, the world would be less of a feast for the eyes and stomach.

OK so now you want to do your part to help save pollinators.  And you like watching birds, so maybe you want to attract more of them to your yard as well.  What can you do?  Create a bird and pollinator habitat of course.  That sounds like a lot of work – and it can be if you get super crazy about it.  The good news is that your yard probably already provides some of the necessities needed to attract pollinators and birds – you just need to beef it up a little.  That sounds pretty doable doesn’t it?  Here are four components needed for a successful bee, bird, and butterfly habitat.  Add a little or lot…just remember, every little bit helps.

1. Food – Bees need both pollen and nectar while hummingbirds and butterflies seek only nectar.  Providing a variety of flowers will attract a diverse array of pollinator species.  Bees and butterflies are attracted to flat, open blooms with big petals for easy landing and to blooms with short nectar tubes.  Color plays an important factor in helping pollinators to find food.  Bees can easily see white, yellow, blue, and purple flowers.  Butterflies and birds flock to red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple blooms. 

Native insects have special relationships with native plants from their regions.  Some native pollinators aren’t picky, but others will only feed on native plants that they have come to know.  In order to provide a consistent food source, stagger bloom times through the year and provide flowers that bloom for long periods.  Plant in larger groups – 3-5 plants instead of singles – so pollinators can forage without expending a lot of energy.

Native trees such as oaks, willows, birches, and maples as well as native herbaceous plants such as goldenrod, milkweed, and sunflowers host many caterpillar species that are a vital source of protein for birds, especially during breeding season.  Many shrubs and small trees provide berries that ripen at different times, so include a seasonal variety: serviceberry and cherry for birds during the breeding season and summer; dogwood and spicebush for songbirds flying south; cedar and holly trees to sustain birds through cold winter days and nights.  Trees such as oaks, hickories, and walnuts provide fat and protein rich food that birds hide or cache to provide food through the cold winter.  Native sunflowers, asters, and coneflowers produce loads of tiny seeds that are finch and sparrow favorites.  Red tubular flowers such as native columbine, penstemon, and lobelia serve up nectar for hummingbirds.  Flowers in the aster family, such as coneflowers, asters, and joe pye weed provide seeds for birds and are also very attractive to pollinators.

Need some help with plants?  Ohio State University and The Xerces Society have some great info on pollinators and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is a great resource for attracting birds.

2. Water – Birds, bees, and butterflies all need water.  Bees use water to stay cool, control the humidity of the colony, dilute stored honey that has crystallized, and aid digestion.  Provide a shallow and wide source of fresh water such as a frisbee or a birdbath.  Place corks, rocks or twigs in the water so they have a place to get close and not drown.  Birds need water to drink as well as bathe.  Like bees, they prefer a shallow water source.  Butterflies don’t need to drink water like bees or birds.  Instead they need places for “puddling” which provides butterflies with critical minerals.  Bury a shallow plate or bowl in the ground and fill it with damp sand and a few rocks for landing spots.

3. Shelter – There are two ways to provide shelter for birds and pollinators. The first is to provide boxes or houses.   Searching the internet for insect boxes, you can find a wide array of pre-made homes for bees and butterflies.  If you prefer a more natural solution, leave a few dead trees standing (for wood-nesting bees) or leave some bare soil (for ground-nesting bees).  On cool, cloudy or rainy days, butterflies prefer to seek shelter…providing a small log pile somewhere on the property will do just that.  For warm sunny days, provide a flat rock in the garden for them to rest and sun themselves.  Natural shelters for birds include both deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs as well as long ornamental grasses, and dead, hollow trees.  An additional perk to providing natural shelters for birds is that these shelters are often food sources for them as well.

Bee Nesting Box

Butterfly House

4. Nesting – Providing shelter for bees and birds also provides them with a nesting site to raise their young.  Most native bees are solitary and lay eggs in tiny tunnels in dead trees, fallen branches, hollow stems or in sandy soil.  Leave standing dead trees, fallen logs, and bare patches of sandy soil or install a bee house filled with nesting tubes.  Butterflies, on the other hand, do not use their shelter sites to raise their young.  They lay their eggs on plants that will double as a food source for their larvae.  These are typically called host plants.  Although butterflies may feed on a variety of nectar plants, the caterpillars of each species have specific host plants.  For instance, milkweed is the only host plant for monarch caterpillars (native stands of milkweed are fast disappearing and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is in the process of assessing whether monarchs should be protected under the Endangered Species Act).  Occasionally, butterflies will pupate (the process of changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly) on their food plant, but often they move to another sheltered location or in the leaf litter to pupate.  Keep in mind that host plants are there to be eaten, so be sure to place them where unsightly leaf damage can be tolerated.

 The North American Butterfly Association has a good list of caterpillar and nectar plants for Ohio butterflies.

A word about pesticides.  Most insecticides such as malathion, sevin, and diazinon are marketed to kill insects.  Try to eliminate pesticides whenever possible.  Attract ladybugs, predatory wasps, and other natural enemies of garden pests.  Native plants attract these beneficial pest predators.  These insects are a sign of a healthy garden and are an important food source for birds.  If you must spray, use only organic or natural pest deterrents such as soap, garlic, and chili pepper.  Spray only at night when flowers are not blooming and when it’s dry and windless.  Use products that target specific pests rather than broad-spectrum ones.  Avoid anything labeled as toxic to bees or that kills “weedy” flowers pollinators visit.  Specifically, avoid garden products that include neonicotinoids.  And above all – follow the application instructions and use sparingly.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with information overload?  Not sure how to make a pollinator or bird garden fit in with your style and maintenance needs?  Give us a call!  We have a designer on staff who is passionate about these types of gardens and loves to share her knowledge with others (she wrote this blog after all).

Illuminating Our Light Fixtures

Here at J Squared, we typically use Sterling Lighting fixtures.  Sterling Lighting was created with the goal to develop the most advanced, durable, and aesthetically pleasing lights on the market with both the contractor and the homeowner in mind.  They are a direct buy company, which allows us to offer high-quality products at a reasonable price.

All their fixtures are made of virgin marine grade brass rather than recycled brass.  While recycled brass sounds great for the environment, recycled brass is made from an enormous variety of discarded objects that often contain non-brass metals. They are thrown together, melted down, and poured into molds for new products.  In most cases, nothing is done to remove the impurities like lead and aluminum, which can lead to pitting and to an overall faded looking fixture.  With virgin brass, the fixture will last longer and look better.

Most companies use eighteen- or twenty-foot wire leads on their fixtures, which means you’re making a connection at every fixture – connections can be a weak point in the system.  Sterling uses a ten-foot wire lead, which allows you to easily connect multiple fixtures with less connections.

Here’s a look at the two fixtures we install the most often:

SL07 Up Light

Up lights are used to illuminate specimen landscape plantings (think trees) or to highlight the architectural features of your home.  Some of the common problems with up lights are that they are typically installed with a slotted stake, which creates a weak point where the fixture could break if bumped, and most companies use anywhere from four to seven different LEDS in a single fixture and then crisscross the optics to get the desired beam spread.

Sterling’s up light uses a CREE LED chip that changes a 12v AC input into a 39v DC output and allows a range of brightness from 200-850 lumens in the same fixture.  It comes with a standard 3” ABS stake that doesn’t have a slot, increasing the strength of the fixture.  This light also contains a rubber gasket that keeps bugs and moisture out.  At the weakest part of the fixture, there is a bolt that goes all the way through (not an industry standard) in order to provide greater strength and make the fixture easier to repair if it were to break. 

Most companies use LED inserts to adjust brightness and beam spread.  Sterling’s up light has five different brightness settings and five different beam spread settings, which is the equivalent of carrying 25 different LED inserts in a single box.  With a long-lasting bulb and an incredibly versatile replacement insert, repairs and the installation process are made a whole lot easier.

SL07 Integrated Path Light

As the name suggests, path lights are used to illuminate pathways, be it your front walk or a stepper path through the garden.  Some of the common problems with path lights are aluminum path lights with a ¼” stem that seem to always break at the stake, premium sand cast path lights that are so top heavy that they need to be cemented in to keep from leaning, and companies using copper plumbing and simply gluing them together.  Another common problem is the lack of light output.  Many companies restrict the light output by constructing metal bars to connect the stem to the hat of the path light.  This creates odd shadows and doesn’t help disperse the light evenly across the surface.

Sterling’s path light uses a CREE CXA chip, 4-watt (9-15 AC voltage range), 400 lumen light source.  It uses a heavy duty 1.25” solid virgin cast brass stake with a 9” ABS ground stake and a 20” cast brass stem.  Sterling Lighting recommends burying six inches of the stem in the ground along with the 9” stake – that is a total of fifteen inches of the fixture in the ground, which allows the fixture to have a solid base and ensures the path light will be perfectly straight and not keel over.

Every component of the fixture, including the lens, is threaded together with no glue in sight.  This gives the fixture tremendous strength and makes it easy to replace any component that might be having issues. The lens is twice as thick as any lens on the market and if it were ever broken, it is designed to simply be replaced.

It also gives amazing light output.  The fixture creates a fourteen-inch circle of light.  The light source is completely hidden from within the fixture to enhance its visual appearance and reduce light glare. 

Like what you see?  Does your home need a new or upgraded system?  Give us a call at 937.572.5482 and we’ll install a lighting system that will make you love your yard after sunset!

What do you think of when you hear "Summer BBQ Season?"

Are you stoked to go outside and fire up your built-in stainless-steel grill with natural gas hookup surrounded by plenty of counter space and a built-in fridge? Or do you instantly start to stress out like “Oh man that grill is so nasty and old. I’ll have to roll it out – hopefully the wind doesn’t take it out again. And I bet we’re out of propane. It always just burns everything. I hate grilling out!” If you’re more like the second – maybe it’s time to start designing an outdoor grilling setup you’ll actually enjoy using.

Just like your indoor kitchen, a well-designed outdoor grilling space will be the center of attention and attract the party. People flock to the kitchen. It’s science! As soon as you fire up the grill, you’re bound to have company. Imagine friends and family gathered around the grill island or sitting at the bar while you carry on a conversation and cook a wonderful meal. It’s the perfect setting for creating memories year after year. 

Also, just like your indoor kitchen, your outdoor kitchen should be thoughtfully designed with attention to function and form. Consider the flow from inside to outside, the position of the island, the size and orientation, appliance locations, lighting, electrical outlets, and finishes are all part of the design process.

First consider where you want your grilling space. We recommend keeping it close to your inside kitchen when possible since you’ll be bringing food and other items out from there. Then think about how you’ll use the outdoor kitchen. Do you love to cook? Or do you cook a little, but really love to entertain? This is going to help your designer figure out how to setup your space. An L shaped grill station with a bar is great for entertaining and provides a lot of space for appliances.

Grill Stations - Hyde Park and Bellbrook

Dial in your grill setup beyond the grill. Make this thing super functional. Add counter space so you can prep food and serve off of the grill without leaving the grill. Add a sink so that you can rinse your hands while cooking meat. It’s nice to have some cabinets and drawers to stash grilling supplies and utensils. Don’t forget to add a built-in hideaway trash can so you can keep your space neat and tidy. You’re always going to want a cold drink close by so consider adding a refrigerator or an ice chest at a minimum. Bottom line, don’t skimp on the basic appliances. You will regret it.

Once your layout and appliance selections are complete, it’s time to think finishes. There are a ton of options. Need to match the brick or stone on your house? Easy. There are ample natural stone, cultured stone and segmental block options available. You can easily achieve modern, contemporary or traditional looks by selecting the right finish. There are also quite a few options available for the counter tops – granite, cast in place concrete, natural stone. Selection all depends on your taste, budget and setting.

We often hear from homeowners that they don’t think they can have an outdoor kitchen or grill station because they already have a deck or patio. This typically is not the case. In most cases it’s actually practical to add an outdoor grill station to an existing deck or patio. By using light weight framing construction and modifying the base, we can make it work.

 If you’re ready to get out there and really enjoy grilling outside this year, give us a call and let us help you create the outdoor kitchen setup you can be proud of.  J Squared offers 3D outdoor kitchen and grilling designs so you can fully understand your outdoor kitchen and how it will flow with your outdoor living space. We also install outdoor kitchens and grill stations. We’d love to help you!

Drainage Problem? Fix It with a Patio

Read this before you spend thousands on drainage.

What if we could solve your drainage problem with a new paver patio? Crazy, right? Instead of burying your money in underground piping, consider permeable pavers as your drainage solution.  

Drainage issues are always one of our clients’ major concerns. With increased building and development, we're constantly hearing stories of drainage problems worsening. We have clients that have lived in the same house for 20-30 years and they're telling us they never had a drainage issue until recently. Typically, we can trace their drainage problems to increased runoff from surrounding properties. The question is, how do we 1) address their drainage problem and 2) how do we develop their outdoor living space without making their drainage problem worse?

Whenever new hardscapes are added to a property, the potential for drainage problems increases. But, by installing permeable pavements, we're able to collect the water that's causing the problems and integrate our clients’ patio spaces into their drainage systems. 

We can use permeable pavers to address downspout drainage, soggy backyards, stormwater runoff from neighbors, grades that are sloped toward the house, excessive groundwater, or to eliminate unsightly catch basins that would be required in the patio or lawn area. Permeable pavements allow us to build paver patios in locations that would otherwise be unsuitable for pavements. You can even integrate your paver patio into a larger drainage system or rainwater harvesting system. Your entire patio becomes a giant catch basin that funnels water to an underground holding tank that you can use to water your lawn or plants. The possibilities are endless.

The slope of the yard made it impossible to install the upper patio with a positive slope away from the house foundation.

A permeable paver inlay was installed in the middle of the upper patio allowing runoff to  drain down through the patio and into an underground drainage system.

Literally, instead of spending thousands on a French drain, you can now build a permeable paver patio and solve your drainage issue at the same time.

So, what are permeable pavers? Permeable pavers are paving stones that allow stormwater to pass through their joints into an underground drainage system They slow down and collect stormwater runoff and allow it to percolate back into the ground – similar to the way vegetation collects stormwater in nature. And like vegetation, they also filter pollutants and solids from the water as it percolates through the surface. 

Ok…But what if we get so much water the ground can’t take anymore? Does the pavement get flooded? This is a legitimate concern. We design every permeable paver project with a relief drain. Once the water reaches a certain level it will flow through a pipe and discharge at a predetermined location. – so we’re always in control of the water, but we’re still slowing it down even if it is overwhelming the soil’s capacity to hold water.

Until recently, permeable pavers were like orthopedic shoes – they were clunky and unattractive – and only to be used in industrial or commercial settings. But now permeable pavers are extremely attractive and functional for almost any residential application. Most people can’t even tell by looking at our patios that they are permeable, they look just like a typical patio. Permeable pavements used to be messy.  But now with joint stabilizing sealers, we can lock in the jointing material and create an easily cleanable and maintenance friendly surface. 

Unilock permeable pavers were used around the pool and pool house for this project in Tipp City.

Installation practices are continuously evolving and bringing the cost to install permeable pavements down and more in line with traditional paver installation. It’s a very attractive option for our clients who need to deal with drainage problems, but also want a beautiful outdoor living space (and it’s beneficial to our environment…a win-win-win situation). Consider the possibility of a permeable pavement solution to your drainage issues! If you need help designing and installing a permeable paver patio, give us a call. 

Getting Your Yard Ready for Spring

Get your home’s landscaping on point this summer. It’s not that hard!

Spring cleaning your landscape for summer can be a daunting task. When should I do it? Where do I even start? There’s like 20 different kinds of mulch. How do I know which one to use? It’s overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve got a Super Easy 11 Step Guide that will show you exactly how to do it! Follow each step like a recipe and I guarantee your neighbors will be asking who did your landscaping this year.

1.       SCHEDULE TIME: Block out some time between late March and Memorial Day. How much time you need is going to depend on the size of your landscaping. And the exact time is going to depend on your schedule and the weather. Some people prefer to wait until the soil has warmed up to apply mulch, but if you’re going to be busy in late April and May, don’t hesitate to get a head start – you won’t hurt a thing.

2.       PRE-SPRAY: In the weeks ahead of your cleanup, take a visual survey of the condition of your landscape. How bad are the weeds? If there are just a few, you can pull them during the cleanup. But if you have a lot of weeds, now is the time to spray them with a chemical weed killer like glycophosphate (Round-Up). This is especially important if you have weeds like nut sedge or Canadian thistle. You’ll want to consult your local garden center or landscaper to see what’s the best chemical control for these weeds – but they will only get worse if you try to pull them. Two weeks is typically enough time between the pre-spray and the spring cleanup to kill the weeds to the root.  

3.       PRE-PLAN: Figure out the logistics and get your tools together. For the logistics side, you’ll have debris to remove and mulch to bring in. You’ll have two types of debris to remove from your beds: one is the organic yard waste like leaves, sticks and clippings and the other is soil and sod from the edgings. Yard waste is pretty easy to get rid of as most cities offer a pickup service and the county’s solid waste district will usually accept yard waste at no cost if you drop it off. As far as soil goes, the first place for a disposal site is on your property. Do you have any low areas in your lawn? Do you need any soil for your compost? If you do need to haul soil away, you’ll want to call the dump and make sure they accept soil debris.

 Mulch can either be delivered or picked up in bulk or bags. Figure out where you’ll have the mulch delivered and how much to buy. There are mulch calculators online that will help you figure out how much to buy. The type of mulch we recommend ordering is an organic double-processed hardwood mulch. We don’t recommend the dyed mulches or wood chips for your foundation planting beds.

Once you’ve got the logistics figured out make sure you have all the right tools. At a minimum you’ll need a wheelbarrow, a 10’x10’ tarp, a soft rake, a hard rake, a flat shovel, an edging spade, a pitch fork, hand shears, and a broom. If you have a leaf blower, it certainly makes things easier, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

4.       DEBRIS REMOVAL: It’s time to rock and roll – but first a quick word of caution – to get pro results it’s all about the prep work. Mulch is literally the last step, so don’t be in a hurry. Trust me, just take your time with the prep work. The mulch will be the easiest part and it will look awesome. Start by cleaning out the junk. Work from the perimeter of the house out. If you have leaves, sticks, and junk on your roof or in your gutters, sweep it off and into the beds first. Use a blower and a soft leaf rake to get all the junk out of the beds and onto a tarp. Pro Tip: Put the debris straight onto a plastic tarp or an old bedsheet. It’s a lot easier than picking it all up and putting it in a wheelbarrow. While clearing out the debris, go ahead and cut back any perennials and ornamental grasses that were left up during the winter.

5.       WEED REMOVAL: After all of the debris is removed, go back through the beds. Working systematically, start from one side of the house and work your way across. Don’t leave an area until every weed is pulled. Pro Tip: Put the weeds directly into a 5-gallon bucket or a wheelbarrow. If you just throw them on the ground, you’ll create more work for yourself since you’ll have to go back through the beds to pick them all up.

 6.       PRUNING: Pruning is as much of an art as it is a science. It should be done regularly to encourage plant health and for aesthetics. If you’re unsure where to begin with pruning check out this fact sheet from the University of Minnesota Extension. If you’re still unsure about pruning, this is one area where it may be best to contact a pro. It’s really easy to seriously injure your plants if you don’t do this right.

7.       CULTIVATE THE EXISTING MULCH: This step is often overlooked, but extremely crucial. The purpose of mulch is to insulate the soil from temperature changes and moisture evaporation, but it’s also there to break down over time and to add organic content to the soil. In order to cultivate or break up the existing mulch, you’ll use a hard rake or a garden weasel. As you rake through the old mulch, you’ll see the hardened crust layer change color and start to appear fluffed. This step ensures the old mulch will break down into the soil over time. It also allows you to spread out and even out the mulch before applying the new mulch. You only want 2-2.5 inches of mulch in your beds total – that’s new mulch and old mulch combined. You don’t want to apply new mulch to an area that has two inches of crusty old mulch. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with too much mulch.  Too much mulch looks unattractive, it can kill your plants, and it invites pests like termites. Make sure you don’t have too much mulch when you’re done. And if you already have too much mulch, remove it with a wheelbarrow and flat shovel.

8.       EDGING: This is where you’re going to really start to see some results. A nice, clean, spade cut edge that flows smoothly is what you’re after. This takes some practice, but once you get it, you’ll love the look. There are also some machines for this step – just watch out for the machines that spit the grass and clumps back into the bed as this is going to create weeds and mess up the look of your beds. We use a reciprocating bed edger or a hand spade. The tool you use is just a matter of your preference and how much edging you have to do. The real key to edging is a nice 3-4 inch vertical edge cut against the grass line. Once you cut your edge all the way down the line, come back through with a flat shovel and a wheelbarrow to remove the ribbon of grass and the mulch/soil left in the cut. This will give a nice open spot to tuck in your new mulch. You’ll also want to go through with the flat shovel along all of the “hard edges” at this point. For the same purpose, you want the mulch to tuck in along the driveway, sidewalk patio, etc. We always remove the soil/mulch and haul it away. This prevents build up over time.  After all of your edges are picked up, you’ll have a nice smooth edge around all of your landscape beds. Pro Tip: Take one more step to get a super crisp, professional looking edge. Using a weed eater, cut a vertical edge along the inside of the turf edges – this will smooth out any imperfections and create a crisp clean edge.

9.       PRE-EMERGENT AND FERTILIZER: You’re almost ready to mulch! But first, one more quick but crucial step. Pre-Emergent is an herbicide that keeps dormant weed seeds from germinating by creating a barrier between the soil and mulch to help suppress weeds. There are several brands of pre-emergent available, but it is typically sold at garden centers as Preen.  Along with the pre-emergent, you’ll want to go ahead and fertilize all of your ornamental plants now. Use a 12-12-12 balanced fertilizer and apply to the drip line of the plants. Follow the manufacturers’ recommended application rate for both the pre-emergent and fertilizer.

 10.   MULCH: FINALLY! Everyone has their own way of installing the mulch. There’s no right or wrong way. The two main keys are to never apply more than 3 inches of mulch and keep the mulch off of any house siding and below the brick line if at all possible. Also keep the mulch away from the trunks/crowns of your plants. Mulch should not be touching your plants. Keep it a couple inches away and don’t worry about the small area that’s left uncovered. Piling mulch against plants is a sure way to cause stress and death. Our preferred method of mulching is to fill a wheelbarrow and bring it as close as possible to the area you’re mulching. (Be careful not to smash your nice clean edge or to run over plants.) Working from the house out, use a pitchfork to place the mulch exactly where you need it. Use the back of the fork to smooth the mulch as needed. Continue this until you’ve applied mulch over the entire landscape to a total depth of 2-3 inches. After you’re totally done mulching and smoothing, go back with a garden rake and tamp the edges of the mulch for a clean look.

11.   CLEAN UP: Once the mulching is done you can clean up – sweep up, hose off, and enjoy!

Are you too busy to give your yard the clean up it truly deserves?  Or are you completely overwhelmed by the jungle your yard has become?  Maybe you just hate yard work.  Whatever the reason, have J Squared Outdoor do your spring clean up for you!  Click the link below or call 937.572.5482 to get an estimate.