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I have tried 2 different products for this and while they helped some, the deck is still very slippery. Don't put on too much, it'll start to show white-ish on a darker deck. Sand may work... maybe I'll try that next time. My folks had a similar stamped deck put in but did not have it...

Thank you -- I have not been on in a while, but things have grown in nicely. I put a patio cover similar to the one next to the house on the high patio above the pool. I put shade cloth on it and it works well. I tried some 'outside' shades to keep the sun out or our eyes in the afternoon...

Thank you Chakara, Cobra46 and dd50! I will try some CLR, can't hurt at this point (unless it takes the sealer off the patio...) The staining is from before patio and before gutters. The rain would splash dirt (with some staining clays) olto the stucco. I have tried to pressure wash it with...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project - Almost Final Pics! Ok, it's been 3 months since hte last pics and things have grown in nicely. The patio cover was finished (fans installed) and the pool is being used again this year. I thought I'd post a few updated pictures now that there isn't as much...

Be careful of smaller rocks like pea gravel, as a leaf-blower will fling them into your pool when you are cleaning up the trimmings from nearby grass or bushes. Steve

We bought a Costco Uniden set with an outdoor handset also (probably the same one). Does not work that much better than the previous technology, but is just fine for us. I think it has a lot to do with distance and what it's going through. Does not go through refrigerators well and stucco...

Update: We're swimmable now! :-D (though still a little cold). With the help of a heat wave over the last 3 days and solar (and the cover), we have the pool in the upper 70s (78 afternoon and 75 morning). We avoided the pool and went in the spa Saturday and Sunday. With solar we were able...

I don't know for sure, but as the product makes things waterproof, I'd be worried about it making your filter waterproof! I'd hate for things to get gunked up in the filter and have the water flow restricted. And how easy would that be to clean? I guess it might come down to the amount that...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project - Almost Final Pics! Thank you Pieces & XTremelyTropical! Now that it's spring, it's starting to grow in quite fast now. The bushes at the back of the grass will take all year to form a manicured hedge. I wish I had more shade trees, but I'm a bit obsessed...

We're 66 today. It's been at this temperature for a few weeks now. Cools to 63 at night. I think it got down to 49 a few months ago, so we're certainly heading in the right direction. We'll swim once it hits 78, but prefer 82 and higher. I'll be adding 4-5 more solar panels this year --...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project - Almost Final Pics! Thank you DD50 and Casey! It's been a long time coming, and we are very happy with the results. Not that it has always gone as planned, but -- nothing always goes just right. Half the fun is figuring out how to overcome a problem and...

Looks really good! I never though of using light gauge, but it's working out well for you and will last a lifetime. I've seen a lot of light gauge construction by people who do it for a living that doesn't look this good -- great job! Steve

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Ok, the Patio Cover is all (mostly) done! :-D The pictures are from before the crilingn fans were installed, but they were installed today. Pictures will come later. All members are painted con-heart redwood except the two 4x10 beams on the top. These...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project The next project is to get some shade before summer. I played around with Sketchup again and have a few pictures of what I have in mind. Nice to be able to see where the shadows will be different times of the year and times of the day -- nice program. (note...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project As mentioned above, here are the 'wet' pictures and an overall pic. I wanted a mat finish sealer (sometimes contractors don't listen...), but the 'wet look' looks really good also. drops of rain on sealed deck: Overall Patio: Grass (I can't get enough of...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project It is a lot less slippery than plan smooth concrete, though acid-washed concrete isn't too bad either. I was worried about it once it was sealed, so had a texture stuff added to in the areas around the pool and on the steps. You can really feel the sandy...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Thanks! We like it. Amazing how we lived without a backyard (just dirt) for 5 years before we could get this all to happen. It takes a lot of planning (and a swift kick from the wife!). Steve

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project OK, better late than never. Here's the pictures of the patio after it was poured and acid washed 2-3 times. I'll get it sealed in a week of so. From the upper lawn: From Below: Grassy slope right behind pool: The whole back yard: The circular area...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Sand is on top of the compacted soil -- it can help keep moisture from weeping through from the bottom and aid curing of the concrete. For a deck, though, just make sure whatever is below the concrete is well compacted. Don't use wire mesh -- you will regret...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Sure thing. The coping is a travertine stone. It's 'tumbled' not the honed. At first I liked the honed as it was very uniform, smooth, and, well -- perfect looking. But I felt it in the showroom and figured it would be very slipprey wet because it was so...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project The back patio was poured today. Same color and texture as the pool deck. It's a load of concrete, but that's wat we wanted -- space for chairs, parties, etc. The grass is just above. I'll have to wait until the weekend to see it during the daylight and get...

Goodandyou, Thank you -- sounds like useful features. I'll have to check if the Rainbird has these. Hunter is a really great brand -- I would not be surprised if they were the first w/ the remote. I figure worst case I could set up a wired 'rain sensor' that is just a togle switch inside the...

Hello, Is there anybody out there who knows anythingn about RainBird LMM-DTC IQ irrigation controllers? The controller our landscape put in is the ESP-LX controller that can be upgraded to a computer controller. Being the tech-loving-guy I am, just wondered how much this expansion module...

The best way I've heard to get rid of skunks is to close-off their home while they are out at night. Might be hard here... A friend had skunks in the crawl-space under their house and closed off the vent they were getting into. They scratched at it for a night or two trying to get in, but...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Ok, here are the (almost) finished landscape pictures. The patio below (up against the house) is yet to happen, but except for that and some planters in that area, we're pretty much done. Pictures of the grassy area: Taken toward the pool: From the pool...

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Thanks! I'll get some pics with grass posted over the weekend. Steve

Re: Backyard Landscaping Project Ok, Pictures for the masses: A little History: The back yard was very difficult to get a pool into because of the slope. The yard was at about a 20% slope. We build a five foot retaining wall for the pool and have terraced an area for a lawn. The...

Re: Need Help With Tree Selection Kevin -- I graduated in '92 -- loved that city. My backyard landscaping (at least the first phase) is coming along well. The gravity walls are in, the sprinklers finished and most of the plants planted. The grass should go in this week. I need to get the...

Re: Need Help With Tree Selection Oh, I forgot to mention -- if you're looking at trees, a great resource is: http://selectree.calpoly.edu/ (from my college) you can sort by leaf size, color, zone, size, latin or common name, fire resistance, root damage, etc. Steve

Re: Need Help With Tree Selection Thank you both -- it's hard to know what is to be avoided looking at a little tree at the store. My wife likes the ornamenta purple-leaf plum tree -- I like it also. it does lose its leaves, but any experiencfe with how messy it is? We have a carrotwood tree...