Chinook Landscaping and Design – Landscaping Calgary Specialists
Calgary, Alberta
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Chinook Landscaping Calgary

Category: Landscaping

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13 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david General, Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary, Renovation, Wood landscaping features , , , ,

Transform your pillars with stone or wood cladding

Calgary has many older neighbour hoods with older homes built in the 1960’s and 70’s.  Many of these homes are located in communities just outside the city core.  They include Lake Bonavista, Acadia, Haysboro, Lakeview and many other communities.  Many of these homes have old style pillars built at their front entrances or straddling their front steps.  If you want to look at other options besides simply painting over the steps then you may want to considering cladding your pillars with wood, stone or both.  You can transform your pillars with stone or wood cladding and it will totally change the look from old and dated to new and fresh.

Wood cladding for your pillars

Wood cladding for your pillars is a great choice for existing pillars that need a quick makeover.  Cladding your pillars with would can quickly change the look of the pillars to something bold and fresh.  Your pillars may be located in the front of your property, straddling your front entrance or porch.  Pillars can also be found bordering back yard patios.  For wood cladding you can choose from various kinds of wood but the most popular choice for wood cladding around pillars is cedar or Meranti hardwood. Both Meranti and cedar cladding will require annual staining or oiling to keep the rich wood tones looking vibrant.  There are various style options to choose from including shaker style as seen in the photo to the right.  Using wood cladding for your pillars will be a less expensive option than stone cladding because wood cladding is much less labour intensive.  Make sure to have a qualified professional or journeyman carpenter install your wood cladding to guarantee you will have great looking pillars as your finished project.  Wood cladding compliments patios and walkways
and many front step ideas work well with this application.  IF you have arbors and pergolas on your property the rich wood tones of your pillars will match nicely with those components as we

Stone Cladding for your pillars

Stone cladding is another way to transform your pillars.  Stone cladding is a more costly option than wood because it is more labour intensive.  There are endless possibilities when it comes to stone cladding.  These include natural stone and cultured stone, often called artificial stone. Some high end cultured stone can looks as authentic as natural stone.  If you want to insure the look remains the same for many many years then natural stone is the way to go.  Natural stone will not fade or change colour over time. Cladding your pillars with stone will give your pillars a bold and rich look and the stone matches very well with natural wood cladding.  Stone cladding goes extremely well with paving stones  exposed aggregate or concrete patios.  Stone cladding can also be installed on the facing of your actual house in the front or back area.  If you have some front walkway ideas you could consider matching your new front pillars with the new ideas.  Both natural wood and natural stone cladding will go very well with any natural stone you have on your property.  The two are meant to be together!

Chinook Landscaping and Design works with a number of great natural wood and stone suppliers.  You can visit their websites by clicking on the links below.

Amico stone
Stone Concept
Kayu Canada

 

12 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david Gardening, Landscaping

Landscaping ideas for Calgary gardens

Garden beds can become overgrown, tired looking and outdated if you don’t keep on top of the plant growth. We would like to offer you some landscaping ideas for your Calgary gardens that will help get your gardens looking great again.  There are some basic and inexpensive things you can do to spruce up the look of your gardens.

Define your borders!

Defining your borders is one of the most important landscaping ideas for your Calgary gardens.  Grass from your lawn over time will grow into your garden beds and/or your garden bed plants will encroach on your lawn.  We see this everywhere in Calgary gardens and often one of our first tasks as a landscaper is clean the borders up.  The simplest and least expensive method to define your borders is of course by using a natural spade edge.  This is done by simply taking a spade and edging around your border.  Make sure to dig the full depth of the spade ( about 5 inches ) in order to have a long lasting border. Remove the old sod or plant material from the area you edged and discard.  A spade edge is a great option of you are on a budget.  A big draw back to a natural spade edge is that over time the grass or plants can grow back into your spade edge.  In order to prevent this you will need to re-edge annually.  If you are looking for a more permanent solution, you can consider installing a vinyl edge, mowing pavers or a raised garden wall.  These are more expensive options for landscaping ideas for Calgary gardens than a natural spade edge but this solution will last much longer over time.  It will also save you a lot of labour.

Thin out overgrown or unwanted plants

Overgrown plantings are nut unusual if your garden has not been maintained properly.  In order to thin out overgrown or unwanted plants you will will need to decide whether to just prune them back or to remove the plant in its entirety.  Start this process by first establishing if your plant is healthy or not.  If it is unhealthy then it is probably best to remove it from your garden.  Some types of plants look great when they are compact but when they are overgrown they can tend to look ragged and weed like.  You can start by pruning them back then step back and take look to see if that creates a nicer visual appeal.  If they still don’t look good then simply remove all of the plant.  After you thin out overgrown or unwanted plants you may be left with larger open areas than you initially envisioned.  If you like you can choose to plant some replacement shrubs in these areas.

Group your new plantings

We have found that most gardens look best if we group our new plantings.  Grouping you new plantings means using several plants of the same variety in your garden.  So, for example, in a garden bed you could plant three Karl forester grass, three Cherry bomb barberry and two Calgary carpet junipers.  This looks better than eight plants of different varieties.  If you group your new plantings you will notice they look more orderly and natural and grouping will draw your eye to these areas where the colour is concentrated. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course so grouping plants may not be for you.  The vast majority of our customers prefer plant grouping and it is one of our favourites for landscaping ideas for Calgary gardens.

Plant perennial gardens separately from shrub gardens

Mixing perennial and shrub gardens is not always a good idea especially if you are going to use a weed barrier for your garden areas.  Perennials require much more maintenance than shrubs.  Perennials come up again from the soil each spring so you do not want to restrict their growth with the landscaping fabric.  We often recommend that customers have separate beds for perennials and shrubs.  This allows you to work your perennial garden including weeding and cutting back perennials. Shrubs do not require as much room to work around and often they won’t require maintenance for many years.  Shrubs can be left alone aside from watering and occasional pruning.  So you can apply a layer of landscaping fabric to your shrub beds and enjoy a mainly weed free garden.  If you want a very low maintenance garden then you may want to choose only trees and shrubs at your plantings.  If you enjoy working your garden and pruning, weeding or turning the soil then plant perennials.

 

Give your garden beds a fresh topping

Adding a wood, rubber or stone mulch to your garden beds can make all the difference in the overall look.  If you are going to add a mulch topping of any sort you may want to include a weed barrier around the plants before adding the topping. This weed barrier or landscaping fabric will greatly reduce the amount of weeds you have in your garden. Make sure to tuck your fabric in around the base of the shrub so weeds will not encroach on the base of your shrub.   You can choose a wood mulch with options such as cedar mulch, bark mulch, bark nuggets or black mulch.  There are endless options for stone mulch.  Some stone mulch include 20 or 40 mm Rundle rock, rainbow rock, limestone and tan washed rock

Visit these pages for more landscaping ideas for Calgary gardens

Shrubs Calgary – Pictures of shrubs that grow well in Calgary
Trees Calgary– Pictures of trees that grow well in Calgary
Yardsmart and the Calgary Horticultural Society
Garden bed edging

Download our handy materials calculator app at the apple app store

ChinookLandscaping by ZealousWeb Technologies
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/chinooklandscaping/id786154404?mt=8

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Call us for your free consultation and estimate
 Ph: 403-452-8552

 

11 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david front step ideas, Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary ,

Front Step Ideas

Front step ideas are often not talked about much in the world of landscaping.  You can create a beautiful new landscape but forgetting about your old, cold, concrete steps can make for an eyesore in the middle of your Oasis.

Boring broom concrete is not a pretty site

The term most commonly used for the standard front step in Calgary is broom concrete.  This means a simple grey concrete mixture is poured and then broom finished.  Boring broom concrete is not a pretty site and often the concrete is stained, faded and chipped.  Dressing up your front step does not have to be costly althoughthere are some more expensive front step ideas we will get into later.  There are many inexpensive ways to spruce up your step that should be within the budget of most Calgary homeowners.

Pour dyed concrete over your step

You can choose to pour dyed concrete over your existing step.  The least expensive option of a pour over would be to have the concrete dyed before it is poured.  Concrete dyes for steps are usually some shade of grey.  A darker grey definitely looks better than the traditional light grey concrete look and it will hide stains much better than a light concrete step will.  In order for the new poured concrete to last and not chip or crack you will need to make sure you have at the bare minimum one inch between the existing step and your front door jam.  Any less than one inch and the concrete will chip away in no time and you will be left with no inexpensive options in order to have it repaired.  This is our first choice for front step ideas if you are needing to watch your costs.

A pour over with stamped concrete or exposed aggregate

One of our favourite front step ideas is a pour over with stamped concrete or exposed aggregate.  This is not a very expensive option and it will basically look like you have poured an entirely new step from scratch.  You can choose to have your concrete stamped in many different patterns that imitate natural or modern looking stone work.  A dye is also included with stamped concrete to help give it a rich finished look.  Exposed aggregate is another great option and works especially well if you have existing exposed aggregate walkways.  Exposed aggregate steps also look very good with paving stone walkways or traditional broom finished concrete walkways.  As with the dyed concrete option you will need to make sure you have enough clearance above your existing step in order for a pour over to work and last for many years.

Installing tile over your front step

Of all the front step ideas to choose from installing tile over your front step is one of our top picks. You need less than a half inch of clearance below your door jam for this option so it means you won’t need to break out and haul away your old step.  So, although the costs for tile are higher than a pour over you will at least save on the break out and haul out of your old step. In most cases, unless your step is crumbling you will be able to install tile over top.  You can choose from a vast array of natural stone tile for your front step and most of the natural stone tile is suited for Calgary’s climate.  As well as being suited for our climate, the tile will not be very slippery at all and certainly not more slippery than a traditional concrete step.  Installing tile over your front step should always be done by an experienced tile setter. Tile setting is an art and if you aren’t careful choosing your installer you can end up with poorly installed tile that becomes uneven or cracks over time.  Tile is one of the most costly options for your front step but the finished look is well worth it.  Tile matches very well with patios and walkways of varying styles

Break out the old and bring in the new

Maybe it is time to start from scratch and break out the old and bring in the new. Removing your old concrete step may be the only option if you have limited clearance between your existing step and door jam, making a pour over impossible.  If you want to start from scratch with an entirely new front step you will need to first have the existing concrete jackhammered out and hauled away.    Once that has been done you can choose between the poured stamped concrete or exposed aggregate we talked about earlier in this article.  Or you can choose to have a new step built out of either paving stones or wood.

Paving stones for front steps

Although paving stones inset in stone retaining walls are often used for steps in Calgary this is not an option we typically recommend.  This usually our last choice for front step ideas.  The reason for this is simply because there are more components to this method and therefore the chances of your steps lasting for a very long time are minimized.  Poured concrete of some form is in our opinion the best option for a front step.  Front steps get a lot of use over time and therefore a very solid structure is imperative.  In order to have paving stones as part of front steps retaining walls will have to be built.  These retaining walls will then need to be filled with compacted gravel and then sand and paving stones are installed.  These multiple steps mean there are many areas that can become weak over time.  If your retaining walls settle even a little then your steps will be uneven and start to be a tripping hazard and a headache to shovel.  There is no question that over time a solid poured structure will out last paving stones inset in retaining walls.

 

 

 

 

 

09 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary, Outdoor kitchens Calgary

Modern Landscaping Calgary project

Many of our Calgary clients are looking for more modern landscaping components for their Calgary landscaping.  In this video David Abbott from Chinook Landscaping Calgary discusses some of these components including:

Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens are becoming more and more popular in Calgary.  Even though our winters can be long and cold don’t let that stop you from enjoying outdoor cooking.  For this landscaping project we used a Techo bloc outdoor kitchen The Techo bloc outdoor kitchen is made of precast stone and includes a electrical outlet, double burner and granite counter top.  Granite counter tops are ideal for outdoors in Calgary because they can handle the cold and stay looking great year round.

Kayu hardwood deck

We installed a beautiful kayu hardwood deck next to the outdoor kitchen.  Kayu is a beautiful mahogany type hardwood that is much more durable than cedar.  Natural woods like Kayu can really warm up your outdoor space and are especially important if you have a lot of cold landscaping components like concrete or paving stones.  Placing the deck boards on a forty five degree angle gives your deck a sleek modern look.

Basalt bubbler water feature

Basalt bubbler water features are low maintenance water features that don’t require much for winterizing like ponds or waterfalls.  These subtle yet soothing water features give you a realizing calming element to your landscaping.  The water flow can be adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of water coming out of the top of the basalt bubbler.  This in turn increases or reduces the volume of the feature.

Cedar Pergola

This simple cedar pergola creates a cozy feel to the back yard and compliments the kayu hardwood deck very well.  It is built with basic cross beams that are not too ornate and therefore they don’t take away from the rest of the landscaping.  The cedar pergola provides some shade but not too much to block sunlight to the plantings underneath the Pergola.   Cedar Pergolas are a wonderful addition to any modern landscaping project.  Both the pergola and the deck will require annual staining each spring for fall in order to maintain their rich natural wood tones.

Learn more about our modern landscaping wood structures by visiting Pergolas and arbors .

You can also visit our arbors, pergolas and privacy screens page

Ask us about what components to use for your modern landscaping Calgary project.

 

07 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david Gardening, Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary

Chinook Landscaping Calgary

In this video David Abbott discuss various key components of landscaping in Calgary. Chinook Landscaping and Design has been involved in and created some unique and interesting projects.  Landscaping is our passion and Chinook Landscaping Calgary loves to landscape and it shows!

In this video we discuss:

Front steps, more than just something to step on

Typical concrete front steps are everywhere in Calgary and quite frankly they can be quite boring.  Considering the front step is the entrance to your home it is important to dress it up a little and welcome visitors with something other than boring cold sterile concrete.  The front steps we built for this project were built with tumbled roman Pisa stone.  Inset in the steps are roman euro paving stones.  The front paving stone patio approaching the steps where made with similar matching materials as the steps.

Roman Euro mowing pavers help define your borders.

Using a paving stone border around your garden beds is a great way to define your borders.  Defining your borders is key to a great looking landscape.  Mowing pavers make it easy to mow right over your lawn without the hassle of having to trim around raised border edges.  Our paving stones are installed with a compacted gravel base that helps prevent frost heaves in the winter time.  It is very important to have a proper base under your paving stones or you will end up with uneven pavers in a very short time.  We install polymer sand in-between our mowing pavers to help keep the weeds and grass from growing in between the pavers.

Trafalgar Paving stones make for a great looking paving stone patio

A beautiful paving stone patio is the focal point to most back or front yard landscapes.  Paving stones are more costly than concrete and exposed aggregate but the look is much more attractive.  For this project Chinook Landscaping Calgary installed Trafalgar paving stones and implemented a unique application of cutting the paving stones around the beautiful backyard tree.  The trafalgar paving stones have a classic timeless look that will not become outdated in the future.  Again, we used polymer and in between the paving stones to prevent weed growth.

Fences are the back drop to your landscape.

Many people focus on their landscaping and forget about one of the key components to their landscaping.  The backdrop of your landscaping is your fence so make it a beautiful, long lasting fence that will compliment your existing landscaping.  Most landscaping companies use 4 x 4 fence posts for their fence installations but at Chinook Landscaping Calgary we insist on either 4 x 6 or 6 x 6 posts.  The fence posts are the spine of your fence and installing flimsy 4 x 4 posts will mean you have a weak fence, especially in Calgary’s freeze and thaw climate.  Installing 4 x 6 or 6 x 6 fence posts will insure your fence will stay upright and solid for years to come.  Fences are a very important part of your landscaping both for aesthetics and for security.

Chinook Landscaping Calgary is your one stop for unique, long lasting and beautiful landscapes.  Call us today for your free onsite consultation.  Ph: 403-452-8552 or visit our estimates page.

 

05 Mar 2019
0 Comments By david Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary Awards, Uncategorized

Chinook Landscaping awarded Best Landscaping Company by Build Magazine

Chinook Landscaping and Design is proud to announce they have been award Best Landscaping Company In Calgary by Build Magazine.  Chinook Landscaping works very hard to make sure all of their clients are completely satisfied with their landscaping.  It is a great honour to be recognized by the industry for this prestigious award. Have a look at other rewards Chinook Landscaping has won.  Landscaping Calgary Awards

03 Nov 2018
0 Comments By david Gardening, Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary

Chinook Landscaping and Property Brothers

HGTV’s hit television renovation show Property Brothers chose Chinook Landscaping and Design over hundreds of landscaping companies in Calgary to design and install a new landscape for an upcoming episode. Working with Jonathon and Drew of the Property Brothers was a lot of fun and a great experience for all our staff.  We can’t show you any photos until the show has aired but check out HGTV for news on Calgary episodes coming soon.

See the TV episode here:  Property Brothers 

Oakridge Property was the site for the home renovation project

The property is located in the community of Oakridge and the lucky homeowner was thrilled to have Property brothers and Chinook Landscaping completely transform the exterior and interior of her home.  We completely redesigned her front yard.  Oakridge is an older community located in SW Calgary.

Lots of tree and shrub removal to start with

The front yard landscaping was a real mess when we started as it had not been landscaped for many, many years.  We needed to do a lot of tree and shrub removal and garden bed clean up to get things underway.  The haul out for the project was enormous and left as with a clean slate to work with.

Landscaping components we used in this makeover

We installed a new creative curves paving stone walkway utilizing Techo bloc Blu paving stones from Burnco Landscape with matching mowing pavers as borders around the garden beds. A large Autumn Blaze Maple tree was installed in the centre of the yard and we planted numerous shrubs in the garden beds then added a mix of 20mm rundle rock and black mulch. To warm up the landscape we installed a cedar privacy screen at the side of the yard.  The privacy screen also created a subtle divider between the two properties.

Watch for Chinook Landscaping and Property Brothers coming soon!

16 Aug 2018
0 Comments By david Gardening, Landscaping, Uncategorized , , , ,

Artificial turf or real grass for your landscaping

07 Apr 2018
0 Comments By david Landscaping

What is the best deck material to use in Calgary?

There are several options for materials when it comes to building your deck.  Calgary has some extreme weather that can go from very cold to very warm.  This extreme weather can be hard on decks so choosing the right material is very important.

Here are some deck material options to consider:

Pressure treated wood.

Pressure treated wood is the least expensive option when it comes to deck material in Calgary.  Pressure treated wood can withstand Calgary’s extreme weather quite well and the smooth surface of pressure treated wood allows you to shovel it easily.  Pressure treated wood can be left without painting or staining but you can also choose to paint or stain it if you like.  Pressure treated wood is quite a common material used on Calgary decks.

Cedar Wood decking

Cedar wood decking is a very attractive option to use for your deck material. It’s beautiful, natural wood tones are enriched when you add a semi transparent stain.  The stain really brings out the wood grain so it is highly recommended to use the stain both for appearance and to protect your deck.  If you choose to use cedar wood decking you will need to stain it once each season.  This can be a lengthy process so some of our clients choose to go with a composite deck material so they do not need to worry about annual maintenance.  Cedar decking is more costly thanpressure treated wood but if you don’t mind having to stain it then it is well worth it.

Meranti hardwood decking

Meranti hardwood decking is a rich mahogany hardwood that is extremely durable and the rich wood tones are hard t

beat.  Many of our clients choose this decking material because it last for a very long time and is very resistant to Calgary’s ever changing climates.  Meranti hardwood has a dark brownish red colour that is typically darker than cedar.  Meranti hardwood decking does cost more than cedar or pressure treated and labour costs to install the decking are also higher.   This type of decking can be left raw without stain but it will turn to a faded grey colour after a few seasons.  Meranti is much more attractive if you protect it with a stain that brings out the amazing wood tones.

Composite Decking

Composite decking is becoming more and more popular for use as a deck material.  Composite decking used to be less reliable because it was made of recycled material.  Most quality composite decking is now made with virgin material so that means it is less likely to warp or fade.  Composite decking can still fade over the long term and its rich wood like tones may not be as realistic after several years.  Composite decking can be hot to walk on as it absorbs the heat. There are very many great options for composite decking now and many of the higher end decking products look identical to wood.  Composite decking is one of your more costly deck options but with zero maintenance many of our clients choose it over natural wood.