Shaking Up Utah Roofs

(HIT) – Designer Kevin Price is seeing red — as in the Red Ledges community in Heber City, Utah. Price has shaken up the development by designing 22 custom homes, many with DaVinci Roofscapes polymer shake roofing tiles.

“This development started with the edict that all roofs must be natural wood shake,” says Price, president of Kevin Price Designs in Park City, Utah. “That just didn’t make sense to me. Natural wood shake is a fire risk not worth taking and it doesn’t hold up well in this part of the country. I lobbied Red Ledges to try an alternative roofing product. Of the options, DaVinci was a clear cut ahead of every other product.

“They approved the DaVinci shake polymer tiles immediately when they saw the realistic look of the shake shingles. Since then I’ve specified it on every home I’ve designed in Red Ledges. Now I’m working on getting DaVinci slate roofing tiles specified in the same development.”

According to Price, the designs of his 5,000-square-foot homes are dictated by the views and the personalities of his clients. The commonality of the designs in Red Ledges is that they all capture stunning Timpanogos Mountain vistas and are created to complement the natural landscape.

“I only specify natural products for exterior siding on homes at Red Ledges,” says Price. “There’s cedar siding, natural stone, rusted or reclaimed metals. What amazes me is that the DaVinci roofs blend perfectly with these natural products. Since the roof in this desert setting takes the most abuse from the sun and weather, it needs to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Both the Multi-Width Shake and Bellaforté Shake roofing products we’ve been using capture both desires perfectly.”

	Image courtesy of DaVinci Roofscapes

DaVinci Multi-Width Shake composite roofing has the texture of natural cedar shake with a deep-grained surface. Multiple widths of the shake tiles help create a more natural, non-repeating appearance on the roof and can be laid in either a straight or staggered pattern. The product comes in a full spectrum of authentic cedar colors and is crafted using virgin resins to guarantee a sustainable product. A variety of color blends is also available with both wavy and straight grains used throughout the blend for an authentic look.

Designed to realistically resemble real cedar shake roofing tiles, Bellaforté Shake installs quickly thanks to the product’s patented features, which include a leading edge tab and a self-aligning ledge. A square of Bellaforté Shake (with 100 pieces per square) weighs just 190 pounds. This lower tile weight helps reduce installation time and transportation costs. All DaVinci roofs resist impact, fire, algae and insects.

A designer for more than 35 years, Price specializes in custom residential projects, like those found in Red Ledges. “For the most part I work off of referrals from past customers and real estate agents who have seen my work,” says Price. “I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients personally so I can create a one-of-a-kind living space for them.

“Within the Red Ledges community that means designing homes with outdoor entertainment areas for one family that loves outside activities and then creating interior sanctuary settings for another client. Everyone wants their ultimate dream home with minimal maintenance involvement. That’s another big reason I repeatedly specify DaVinci roofs. With a 50-year limited warranty these roofs will last for decades.

“The bottom line is that the DaVinci products make my homes look good … and that’s good for my reputation and business.”

DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year limited warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Roofing Contractors, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center

Your Lawn’s Ecosystem Services From Turfgrass Producers International

(HIT) - Ecosystem services is a term that we will hear more of in the future. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines ecosystem services as the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from nature. We receive many ecosystem services from our lawns as they:

• Cool the air
• Produce oxygen
• Filter air and reduce pollution
• Capture and suppress dust
• Recharge and filter groundwater supply
• Reduce storm water runoff
• Control soil erosion
• Retain and sequester carbon
• Assist decomposition of pollutants
• Restore soil quality

	Turfgrass has long been a “green cleaner.” Photo: Jim Novak

Turfgrass has long been a green cleaner. For example, it traps pollutants and removes carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride and perosyzacetyle nitrate from the air. In fact, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service has reported that turfgrass removes about six tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year from the atmosphere. Turfgrass helps filter oil and debris from highways and streets, and therefore, is also helpful in cleaning the roadside environment.
With its network of leaves, shoots and stems, turfgrass removes dust and dirt from the air. The University of California-Riverside Turfgrass Research Facility reports that perennial turfgrasses offer one of the most-cost effective methods to control wind erosion of soil, thus reducing dust around homes, schools and businesses.

Photo courtesy of Jim Novak

While lawns are criticized because of grass clippings that are disposed in landfills, you need not remove grass clippings from your lawn because they biodegrade quickly when returned to lawns after mowing. This is assuming that you regularly mow your lawns and not cut more than one-third of the leaf blades, reports the University of Illinois Extension’s Lawn Challenge publication (www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawnchallenge/lesson5.html).
Moreover, when appropriate rates of fertilizers and pesticides are applied to a dense stand of grass, there is very little runoff or leaching. University of Minnesota studies indicate that nitrogen carried in runoff from turf areas is very low. This is because turf is comprised of many closely spaced plants forming a relatively closed canopy over the soil surface.
Turfgrass also helps reduce flooding. It is frequently used in storm water retention areas to sow the rate of runoff. Sod-covered aeas absorb rainfall droplet energy and reduce the velocity of runoff flow at the soil surface.
These are just some of your lawn’s ecosystem services. To learn more, visit www.thelawninstitute.org.
Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center

Fall: The Best Time To Rejuvenate Your Lawn From Turfgrass Producers International

(HIT) - Horticultural experts generally agree that proper lawn care in the Fall has greater impact than similar efforts in the Spring or any other season for rejuvenating a lawn throughout the year. Fall is the season when turfgrass growth begins to slow. According to the Lawn Institute, a Chicago-based non-profit group, it is also a good time to help your grass develop the stamina it will need to survive the stress of Winter and get a head start for the coming Spring.

Photo courtesy of The Lawn Institute

Early October is generally the right time to focus additional attention for cool-season (northern U.S.) grasses, while the latter part of the month is best for warm-season varieties found in the more southern locations.



To achieve maximum benefit for year-round results, Fall lawn care requires a number of different efforts, including mowing, removal or mulching lawn debris, aerating, fertilizing and watering. The sequence of these efforts is as important as how they are performed.

Mowing

In addition to the immediate beauty of a freshly cut lawn, mowing in accordance with the following guidelines can help generate and maintain healthier turfgrass plants.

• Make sure the mower blade is sharp—the ragged cut made by a dull blade tends to shred the grass blade tips, exposing a larger surface area to disease, pest and water loss.
  
• Set the proper cutting height—the higher cutting height used during the Summer (when the photosynthetic processes in the leaf tissues are at their peak) should have progressed to a lower cutting height late in the Fall when the plant begins to store food reserves. The lower cutting height, without scalping, helps harden and strengthen the plants’ roots and crown with increased nutrients that would otherwise have been used by longer grass blades.
  
• Lawn debris—up to one inch of leaves can be mulched to serve as a protective cover during the coming cold season. However, clumps or large leaves, such as often accumulate in low spots, could trap dampness and become a breeding spot for diseases and pests. If in doubt, remove the debris with a mulching mower and dump it the compost bin for recycling into nutrient-rich soil for future garden use.
  

Aerating The Soil

After a year of a being trampled upon by various activities that tend to pack the soil, the grass roots need a breath of fresh air (oxygen) for respiration that only proper aeration can provide. This helps the root systems better establish themselves for the coming Winter. Aeration should take place approximately two weeks before applying the year’s final fertilizer, or five to six weeks before the first frost. The most effective aerator has hollow tines that penetrate the ground and remove core plugs of soil that are expelled as each successive plug is removed, leaving a vent for true aeration. Although a freshly aerated lawn appears a bit unsightly with numerous plugs laying all over it, they will eventually dissolve, returning nutrients to the soil for use by the grass. The unsightly appearance can be reduced and the plug dissolving process speeded up by mowing with a low-cutting blade. Be sure to remove the grass clipping bag and then mow the entire lawn in a left-to-right pattern, followed by an up-and-down pattern to assure even break-up and spreading of the aeration plugs. After mowing, watering the lawn further helps dissolve the aeration plugs.

Fertilizing/Weed Control

The Fall application of a weed-and-feed type fertilizer provides longer lasting benefits to a lawn than that of any other time of the year, according to the Lawn Institute. Fertilizer should be timed about one month before the first frost. It is very important to read, understand and follow instructions on the fertilizer label. The following information should take the mystery out of how much and which type to fertilizer to buy, and how to apply it efficiently.

• How much—The fertilizer bag label advises how many square feet the product will cover (see sidebar for calculating square feet of lawn area); any portion not used will be just as effective next year, if stored in a dry area.
  
• Which type—Any reputable lawn and garden retailer will be able to recommend the best fertilizer mixture for a particular time of the year. In the Fall, turfgrass needs less nitrogen (N) but higher ratios of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) to encourage root growth and harden the grass plants for the coming Winter.
  
• Proper application—To assure uniform coverage with either a broadcast spreader or a drop spreader, follow these simple steps:
  

1. Adjust the spreader application dial to one-half of the fertilizer bag’s recommended setting and make the first application in an up-and-down pattern, covering the entire lawn.
   
2. Begin the second application immediately, in a left-to-right pattern, and continue over the entire lawn. (HINT: Use two small flags to mark the beginning and end of each row as you apply the fertilizer—small, brightly colored flags with stiff wire shafts work best.)
   

How To Determine Net Square Footage

To calculate your actual lawn area, use the following formulas to determine the total square footage of your property and subtract from that figure the total square footage of your house, garden, driveway, patio, etc. that is not covered by grass.
For more information and recommendations on lawn care, visit the following websites: http://www.TurfGrassSod.org or LawnInstitute.com. Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center