With all the do-it-yourself projects to be found online and in magazines, it’s easy to forget that a challenging dream project often goes smoother with the help of a professional. Because we’ve been turning ideas into a reality for almost twenty years now, Five-star Landscaping has the expertise, skills, and equipment to help manage big projects with ease. We’re do-it-yourself people ourselves, so we understand wanting to rise to the challenge of perfecting your little patch of paradise, but here are a couple projects we really recommend you get help with.

Outdoor Luxury: Nothing says luxury like the ability to lounge in the shade of a tall tree in your backyard kitchen. In Alberta, it gets hot in summer. Often it gets too warm to want to turn on the oven indoors, but cold meals or barbecue every day can get a bit boring. An outdoor kitchen can solve the problem. There are several ways to create an outdoor kitchen; at the beginning, it might just be adding a bit of counter space with some drawers or a cupboard close to your barbeque. For true luxury though, things have to get a bit more complicated.

There’s figuring out the perfect location: against a wall or fence for a compact galley-style kitchen, or would a corner of the yard suit your needs better? Does it need a dining space? What sort of lighting do you need over the kitchen area and over the eating area? How close should the table be to the kitchen for convenience but to prevent too much smoke lingering in the area? You’ll need to figure out the plumbing for a sink, the electrical for the lighting and maybe for a small fridge or other appliance. When you factor in the huge variety of materials to choose from – some good for dry, hot climates like Calgary, some not – and the guidelines necessary to keep everything safe, this project quickly leaves the realm of do-it-yourself.

Landscaping with Stone: When it comes to building stone patios, trails, walkways, and stairs we generally suggest leaving it to the professionals. We say this for a couple reasons. The first is that a professional will be able to take your ideas, wants, and the natural shape of your land to form a design that will work for you and your yard. Without the proper know-how, you may leave out a necessary retaining wall or spend a bundle in time and supplies to find your creation just doesn’t sit right on the property. Since we’ve done work on so many other projects, we may be able to make a suggestion for which type of rock to use or how to make a certain effect that you just weren’t aware was possible.

Another reason we suggest giving us a call when landscaping with stone is that rock is heavy. Really heavy. Without the right equipment and knowledge, it is so easy to make a simple mistake that could end in grave injury. There are safety regulations that are a part of working with these materials and the equipment that can lift them. It’s never a good idea to cut corners when health and safety are at stake.

Here at Five-star Landscaping, we’re very excited to begin transforming properties this summer. We encourage you to look online, to discover ideas and creations from all over the world. But, if and when a project grows too large to be easily and safely handled, we implore you to give us a call, so we can help make your dreams a reality – the right way.