The Summer of 2015 came fast and doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. Even though BBQ season seems destined to linger, the kids will be back in school very soon and autumn will officially begin in less than a month – can you believe it? Though the warm weather will probably continue into October, the trees will eventually change color, the winds will pick up and the leaves will begin falling in what may seem like a never ending torrent of yard work. The time that was spent enjoying the sun turns into cleanup and summer fun will officially be over. For many, this means unfinished projects and plans are shelved until next season. Thoughts will turn indoors to upcoming holidays and the outside space will be forgotten until next year. If you are one of the people who find the summers to be too short to bring to life your outdoor living dream, All Oregon Landscaping believes that you don’t have to wait to start the work on next years project. Fall is the perfect time to begin the process. Here’s why.
3 Reasons to Start a 2016 Outdoor Living Space Now
You’ll get extra attention from landscape designers – Spring and summer is the busiest time of year for landscape companies with multiple projects happening and a lot to coordinate. Fall is the time when we can provide a little extra attention to planning a project for the next year since there isn’t as much going on outside of the office.
This is when the summer clearance sales are happening – Saving money is always nice and if you are a savvy shopper you can pick up some brand new items at significant savings compared to what you’ll pay at the beginning of next season. Additionally, you’ll save time next spring and be better prepared to start your project.
Planning is the longest part of the process – Whether you have a specific idea in mind or are still trying to figure out what you want, the fall and winter months give you plenty of time to get all of the details just right. When you work with All Oregon Landscaping, a landscape design expert visits the property and finds out what you are looking for and helps create a plan that works best for the layout and budget. If you want an outdoor living space designed for entertaining, a relaxing retreat or an urban farm we can come up with the most feasible options and start getting ready to make your dream a reality. When the time comes to break ground, everything will be in place to quickly get your outdoor living space ready to enjoy.
Here are a few selected pictures of some of our favorite outdoor living space designs.
Outdoor dining room with water feature
Outdoor living room
Breakfast bar and kitchen prep
Planting a climbing plant on a pergola offers additional shade.
A nice bar table design
Gas grill with plenty of counter space.
Outdoor massage area.
Outdoor breakfast bar
An outdoor area to relax and read.
Kid’s play area with trampoline, playground, and playhouse.
All Oregon Landscaping works in Portland and all of the surrounding areas including Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Tigard, Oregon City, Sherwood, Tualatin, West Linn, and more. Give us a call to get your 2016 outdoor living space project started this fall.
Every year homeowners try to find a balance between a beautiful landscape and conserving water. With the predictions of a drier than normal summer in 2015 and the lower level of snow melt from the mountains, reducing the amount of water you are using for irrigation is more important than in previous years. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a beautiful space to enjoy the extra sunshine. With a little planning, you can conserve water during a drought and have an outdoor space you love.
Drought Landscaping: 4 Ways to Reduce Water Consumption
1. Plant smart. One of the best ways to reduce the amount of water needed to maintain a landscape is to use drought resistant plants. Native plants are a great start since they are typically low maintenance to begin with and usually require minimal irrigation during a drought. Also placing beds near run off from the home and where moisture tends to gather is another way to use what is already there to your advantage.
Backyard pub shed
2. Create more outdoor living space. Why sit on the grass when you can sit in a cozy chair on a beautiful patio or have a cold beverage in your pub shed. Minimizing the lawn, which takes a lot of water to keep green, and using the area for outdoor living simply means you have less foliage to maintain and a beautiful area to relax, cook and enjoy the sun. When considering drought landscaping, think outside the plants.
3. Using hardscapes to fill space. Well placed natural stone or rock gardens can be beautiful focal points to a landscape and best of all, they don’t need to be watered. Combine with a few drought hardy plants and keep the water bill at a minimum. Wider pathways and larger flat stepping stones among low groundcover also add a sense of importance to an area.
4. Better irrigation. While a broadcast sprinkler and hose is easy to set up and let run, it’s also inefficient and easy to forget. They water everything regardless of whether it’s growing or not and can promote
Rachio let’s you control irrigation from your phone.
the spread of fungi that can damage plants. There are many alternatives that make it very easy to irrigate with little waste including in ground irrigation and drip systems that focus the water where it needs to be. They can be set up on a timer so there is no chance of forgetting and turning your yard into a swamp. They can also be combined with smart timers that can be controlled from your phone so if you are away from home and it rains, you can shut it off from where ever you may be.
Need help with drought landscaping that saves water and helps keep your home looking its best? All Oregon Landscaping is here to help. Our award-winning landscape designs transform a thirsty yard into an attractive, useful, and eco friendly space you’ll never want to leave. We work in Portland and all of the surrounding areas, contact us for a free quote and we can have your drought resistant yard ready soon.
Spending time outside can be one of the best ways to relax, get a little vitamin D, and spend quality time with the ones we love. With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, the time is right to start thinking about your outdoor living spaces.
5 Reasons to Love Outdoor Living
1. Outdoor kitchens bring all the people to your yard!
Outdoor kitchens are a great way to spend quality time with your loved ones and a perfect opportunity to incorporate more outdoor living into your life. Cooking brings people together, but sometimes indoor kitchens can get a bit cramped. Outdoor kitchens take the open floor plan concept to a whole new level! Without the confines of walls, your design possibilities are endless, and we are always happy to help you find what works best for you and your outdoor living space.
2. They can be enjoyed all year round!
Lets be real, this is the Pacific Northwest – we all know that liquid sunshine is just a part of our lives, why not embrace it?! Rain gardens are a great way to let nature do the work for you. Also installing an awning, pergola, or maybe even a gazebo can provide a bit of protection from the elements and helps define “the rooms” in your outdoor living space.
3. They can warm us up, even in the colder months
We all love to spend time around the campfire, but what if the campfire wasn’t just for camping anymore? Fire pits have gained popularity in the past few years, and we couldn’t be more pleased. They can help you create your outdoor living room, and can be enjoyed not only on a perfect summer night, but also during the chillier months. We have lots of info and ideas about fire pits on our blog, even some great DIY tips!
4. Breath in the fresh air, while you do something good for you!
We all know how important exercise is, but sometimes it can be hard to get up and get moving. One of the best ways to get yourself going can be a simple change of scenery. Designing a relaxing outdoor living space can be just the thing you need to get your head in the workout game! Everything is always changing; clouds, flowers, wild birds, you won’t see any of those things if you stay inside, there is always something new to see or discover, so get moving and get outside.
5. Take some time for you
We all know the daily grind can be… well, grinding. Sometimes the best thing you can do is recharge your own batteries. Why not think about some tranquil landscaping, and a nice comfy outdoor sitting area. Curl up with your favorite book, a refreshing beverage, and give yourself a little you time.
Make Every Day an Outdoor Living Day This Summer
Outdoor living can help take an average day and turn it into something spectacular. Cook up a meal for your family and friends in your outdoor kitchen, curl up around the warmth of a glowing fire pit, or just take a little time for you. Your outdoor living area is waiting, and we would love to help you find it. Give us a call to get started.
Pinterest is blowing up with pub sheds! What is that you say? Imagine a nice, well-built shed outfitted as a personal lounge complete with beer taps, comfy chairs, a television, and anything else you can imagine to make your backyard life buzz! We’d love to add a pub shed to our next landscape design, and it seems entirely fitting because we work mostly in the Portland area. Believe it or not – Portland has more breweries than any city in the entire world and finding some amazing beer for your pub shed is an easy task. Need some ideas to get the inspiration engine running? Here’s a few of our favorite pub sheds found on the good old inter-webs.
Envy These 5 Pub Sheds
Go Big or Go Home. Yes, this pub shed offers a pool table in the backyard! What we love about this pub shed design is the indoor/outdoor nature of it. It includes, a pool table, jukebox, cinema system and bar at a cost of roughly $22,000 (converted from British Pounds). While we realize this design is probably a bit much for some – it is great for those “go big or go home” types out there. Originally covered by Daily Mail.
Rustic is Just Right. This design brings nature a bit more into it but offers a distinct charm. Functionally, it also closes up in bad weather, protecting bar stools and bottles. Originally found on Cloud House.
Personalized Pub Shed. This highly personalized pub shed is a perfect addition to a smaller yard. Little touches like the hanging dart board and the sign make it an inviting place to hang out. Originally found on Reader Sheds.
Open for Business. This design looks like it could be out on the streets of Portland, not tucked away in a backyard. Is this the next big thing after food carts (we doubt it)? However, we love this simplistic design that is focused on function. Originally found on Unique Garden Sheds.
More Fun with Multi-Purpose. This is a well designed space that can be used as a pub shed or place to pot plants or other yard crafts. The slanted roof will drain nicely so that even during rainy Portland winters this space could be a nice respite. The movable table offers a slew of options when using this space. This is a great compromise between pub shed and outdoor kitchen. Originally found on Gardenista.
Pub Sheds For Any Yard
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to creating your own pub shed. Style it however you like by going either full on “man cave” or dialing it back creating a multi-use space that doubles as a bar for yard parties and barbecues. It is all up to you.
Now that we’ve poked the bear – call us to add a pub shed to your landscape design. Need a complete yard overhaul (and a pub shed?), that’s no problem either. We handle all landscape design elements, be it boulders, fountains, outdoor kitchens, gardens, or pub sheds anywhere in the Portland area.
The kids are almost back in school, and the leaves will start falling before you know it. Just because BBQ season is coming to an end, doesn’t mean you have to stop spending time outdoors. With a well designed outdoor living space, even in Oregon, you can enjoy the outdoors year round.
What is an Outdoor Living Space?
Outdoor living is a term that describes an outdoor space that is a functional extension of the home. Outdoor living spaces can include fireplaces, fully functioning kitchens, entertainment systems, heaters, and comfortable furniture. Just like you’ve made your home your own, an outdoor living area is a good opportunity to share your style with friends, family, and visitors to your home. Often, outdoor living spaces become the epicenter of entertaining, all year round.
Some of our favorite projects are our outdoor living designs. We work diligently to make every member of the family feel at home outdoors, whether that means a pizza oven, beer refrigerator, or big screen television. Here are some images from past outdoor living designs.
Dining table and fireplace in the entertainment area of a local house.A cozy fireplace extends the amount of time you can spend outdoors.Outdoor living room with a grill and a fireplace.
Not only do we think outdoor living designs are fun, but we’ve accolades to prove we’ve top-notch talent on our team. Earlier this year, we won “Best of Show” and “Best Use of Space” at the 2014 Yard, Garden, and Patio Show , right here in Portland. Thanks to our fabulous designers, Elida and Carl, we had a stunning design that our landscape team executed perfectly under the direction of Tony Prunty. Below are some images from the award-winning outdoor living space design by All Oregon Landscaping Inc.
A comfy outdoor living room.Gas grill with plenty of counter space.Breakfast bar.Finishing touches on the display. Massage table nook.
After the show, we were inundated with requests for work, and we’ve enjoyed a really busy summer. Luckily, for those of you wanting big changes to your outdoor living space, fall is the perfect time to design and implement. Here’s why.
Your yard won’t be torn up during BBQ season.
You’ll have more time to consider the design. There won’t be a lot of pressure to get it done as soon as possible.
It takes time to get plans approved, and fall offers the perfect opportunity to get things approved and in the production pipeline.
Elida and Carl are standing by, ready to help you design the best outdoor living space for your family. Give us a call or email to get a free quote on your next yard project.
We have been delighted with the outstanding job that All Oregon Landscaping has done on our backyard project. They took a backyard that had been sadly and drearily landscaped and transformed it into a spectacular showpiece. The ultimate compliment has been from the many people who walk through our neighborhood and who have watched the project from beginning to end telling us how gorgeous our new backyard is compared to how it had appeared before. Several of those individuals have even asked for All Oregons contact information because of our project!!! The many individuals who make up the All Oregon Landscaping team have been wonderful, from the landscape designer, who had impressive artistic vision for both our hardscape and landscape, to the workers who brought that vision to fruition. All have been incredibly professional, courteous and responsive to time constraints and unpredictable schedules and weather!! Furthermore, because All Oregon did such a spectacular job on our project, w…Dick Casali and Anne Wang
Jim and Omar were great! They both were very pleasant, professional, did fantastic work on the drizzly day we had yesterday and put up with periodic glued faces to the windows to see the transformation. Kudos also to Craig and to Elida for the initial plan of our gorgeous oasis that is now our backyard. I really love that I have different colors and things to look at with each season. We really are delighted with your work and your company as whole. Each interaction with everyone has been a very good experience. You have been very helpful, Julie, and we so appreciate you being able to schedule our job in time for our pending appraisal. Thank you so much for all that you and your team do – you rock!!Tracy Griffin
I also am so very pleased with how my entire project turned out (as are my neighbors) and I cannot say enough nice things about everyone involved, beginning with Russ, who totally interpreted what I was hoping to accomplish, and Tony, whose suggestions for the driveway were perfect. And I would be remiss in not complimenting the entire crew who were diligent and hardworking and brought all the tasks to fruition.Barbara Jensen-Beaverton
We hired All Oregon Landscaping to do two landscaping projects for our home and also to provide weekly landscape maintenance. The first project consisted of a landscape redesign and the installation of synthetic lawn for our backyard. The second project was a redesign and installation of a water feature pond in our yard.
For both projects, All Oregon Landscaping provided outstanding recommendations, design, installation and follow-up. The installation crews were very professional providing high quality work, always on task and leaving the work areas totally clean when completed. Both projects were completed well within the cost and schedule estimates. The weekly maintenance crews display the same professionalism as the project crews. They do an excellent job keeping the landscape looking clean and trim. My neighbors and friends have all commented on how the landscape design adds to our home and how beautiful our landscaping always looks.
We are very pleased with All Oregon La…Steve Kassel
Our experience with All Oregon Landscaping, Inc. was everything we expected from an established, reputable full-service landscaping company. From the landscape design process through the actual planting of our landscape, every step of the way went smoothly and efficiently, on time and within budget. We would not hesitate to call on the All Oregon Landscaping team again nor to recommend them to our friends and neighbors.” Thank you, also, Craig for replacing the plants in our landscape that did not survive. I was out of town when the crew came, but it was a beautiful surprise to see it taken care of when I got home.Cathy Cutrera
Thank you for all your work! We LOVE the yard!!! Even if I knew what I was doing, I could not have put it together better myself You listened to our needs and wants and came through better than we could have ever anticipated. It is a lot easier to let go of that kind of money when you get the results we did. The workers were always very professional, always cleaned up after themselves, and very hard working. We have no complaints! If you ever need referrals or to show someone your expertise, just let us know. If things go as planned, we will need you back next year for the front yard.Heather and Paul Asher
Thank you for the work your company did for our home. Your prompt attention to our issues was very much appreciated. We were pleased with all the work and will call “All Oregon” with any further work.Brent and Maile
All Oregon’s excellent craftsmanship, attention to detail and knowledgeable employees helped us to create a truly unique outdoor living space that is enjoyed year round.Blake and LizWestlake Area
We built our “dream” home In West Linn and it was very important that the landscaping enhance the style. The All Oregon team worked with our vision to put together a beautiful plan. We were involved with the ideas of the landscape and with the expertise and professionalism of the team, it all came together timely and on budget. It was a pleasure working with everyone at All Oregon. We knew we were in good hands. We have been in our home for seven years now and All Oregon has always been available to help with our maintenance.Lynn and Scottie Johnson
After many years of using other professional yard care services, and many occasions being unsatisfied, we made a change to All Oregon Landscaping. In these difficult economic times, it’s important to make good decisions about who you are doing business with. Craig and his team are talented, honest and hard-working. They are the best in the business. Our yard has never looked better!Tom and Lorri VanDomelen
