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With winter nipping at Toronto’s heels, it is natural that thoughts turn to fireplace – specifically gas fireplaces. Although wood burning fireplaces used to be the gold standard when it came to cachet and mood enhancement, they are now banned in many municipalities and most new construction will only include gas fireplaces. The reasoning is simple: wood is very polluting and much less efficient than gas.
 
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the classic wood fireplace and the contemporary gas ones.
 
Wood fireplaces, aside from their charm release far more pollutant emissions particulate per MMBtus than gas. They lose a lot of heat up the chimney and if not vented properly will actually suck the air out of a room instead of warming it up. Wood fireplaces will also require an annual cleaning of your chimney to clear it of creosote and other undesirable residue. Such cleanings are essential as any build is a fire hazard. On the pro side, wood burning fireplaces can be very fragrant depending on the type of wood you use.
 
Gas fireplaces are far more efficient and much easier to maintain that wood burning ones and even cost less in the long run. A gas service will fill your tank up as needed and service it as well ensuring that you are always stocked for winter. They also lose far less heat up a chimney and can include fans that blow heat directly into the room thereby increasing their effectiveness.
 
Fireplaces will always have plenty of appeal and are consistently ranked among the top three features that home buyers look for. Regardless of the kind you have in your home, you will certainly get years of enjoyment out of it.

Exterior lighting can really enhance your Toronto home, your land and your lifestyle. A good lighting design will take into consideration how you use your space and whether you like to entertain. If your family is very active and use the yard after dark to play sports you will require very different lighting needs than if you simply want to relax and enjoy the view.
 
The first thing to do is look at your layout and plan your lighting design accordingly. You will need lights to help you navigate pathways, you will need them to highlight interesting features in your yard and to accent your overall landscaping.
 
A few things to keep in mind are:
What the view from inside the house is like. While it might not sound relevant, you definitely want to look outside from any window and see a pleasing scene.
Determine what your focal points are going to be – things that you want to highlight such as a water feature or mature trees.
Creating atmosphere – this is one of the biggest considerations as you will want to create the kind of ambiance that will draw people outside and make them want to spend time in the yard.
 
There are three main ways of lighting something outside – downlighting, uplighting and crosslighting. Downlighting is great for spaces where you want people to mingle and converse – such as patios, under trees, etc… Uplighting is used to create drama and bring attention to something while crosslighting eliminates all shadows and is good for outdoor kitchen areas and for focal points in a landscape.
 
Not sure what to light? Well, there are some areas that are typically good to light-up. They include: pathways, patios, trees, water features, architectural elements and driveways.
 
Lighting is great for creating a wonderful mood for your landscaping, but it also offers security and keeps pathways safe in the dark.

If you love the look of pavers for your Toronto home, then you will probably be wondering whether you need to seal them. The short answer: yes! Pavers are made out of concrete, which is a porous material. If you don’t seal them they are more prone to staining and fading. A good sealer will help stains wash right off and will help to preserve the colour of your pavers.
 
There are different sealers that you can use depending on the look and level of protection that you want. The two basic types are filming forming and non-film forming. The filming forming sealers provide the best protection as they create a physical barrier on the paver while the non-film forming sealers are still very good and also last longer.
 
Within the two types of sealers you can also choose between having a Wet or Clear look and having Natural or Colour boost product. The Wet and Clear looks are obtained from film-forming sealers.
 
If you are using non-film forming sealers you should wait for a week before sealing your pavers – and you should wait for at least a month if you want to use a film-forming sealer. Prior to sealing your pavers, you must be sure to clean them thoroughly with one of the many products available for this purpose. It will not only remove dust and debris but will open the pores up to the sealer providing better protection in the process. Be sure to let the pavers dry sufficiently before sealing them! If it’s sunny out, then a few hours should be enough, but if it’s overcast and rainy, then you should definitely wait for at least 24 hours.
 
Once done you can rest comfortable for the next 3-5 years before having to worry about sealing them again.

Protecting your car from Toronto winters is a very important consideration. While some folks are fortunate enough to have a garage in which to park their vehicles others have only a driveway. While it is always possible to purchase a temporary carport such as a tempo to tide you over during the winter, it is also worth looking into investing in a sturdier more permanent structure. A permanent carport can be a very versatile addition to your property. Not only would it provide protection for your cars from snow and rain, but it could also serve as a place to do repairs, store items you wouldn’t store in a house and can provide shelter for outdoor activities.
 
If you do decide to build a carport on your driveway, you will have to check your municipality’s bylaws to find out what permits you will need. Whether you are building something small or something big, you will definitely need to get permission to do so beforehand.
 
Next you will have to decide on a number of different elements before finalizing your carport purchase. Depending on the uses to which you are going to put it, you might want to consider a single, double or triple-width carport, an extended or regular size and you can also choose to add a side wall or two. The shape of the roof is another element you will need to decide. Currently there regular, boxed eave or vertical roofs from which to choose. Regular carports are the most economical, but will require a lot more maintenance to ensure that snow and water don’t accumulate on them. Boxed evase basically look like an A with legs and the vertical roofs are at the top-end of the spectrum as their design encourages snow and rain to just sluice right off.
 
You will also want to decide on whether to install a permanent or temporary carport. Naturally the beauty of a permanent structure is less work – once it is up, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
 
The finishes of your carport will also be something to consider – after all, you want something that is going to enhance your home, not detract from it because it sticks out or doesn’t blend in properly.
 
Getting a carport is a smart investment if you are worried about your vehicles being exposed to the elements, don’t necessarily want to dig them out during the winter and want a place to store items you wouldn’t normally keep at home.

Cutting back perennial flowers at your Toronto home really depends on the kind of flowers you have and also the kind of philosophy you follow. While it is clear that some plants benefit from being cut back, there are others that thrive overwintering with their spent foliage and prefer to be cleaned up in the spring.
 
Some of the reasons for cutting back include:
Keeping the garden clean
Removing potential safe harbors for insects and fungi
Reduces the spread of self seeding plants
Lessen work required to get garden ready in the spring
Some reasons for not cutting back include:
Provides protection for new growth
Provides visual interest during the winter
Provides food and protection for birds and wildlife
Helps seed new plants (where wanted)
 
Some plants that can overwinter really well include echinacea, sedum and hostas. Echinacea is a hardy plant and the flowers/seeds provide an excellent food source for birds and animals during the winter. Sedums hold winter frost and snow really well and provide plenty of visual interest during the cold weather when everything else is bare. Hostas aren’t visually pleasing during the winter and don’t provide food for our furry and winged friends but the foliage protects the crown during the winter and promotes growth during the spring.
 
The one time you would definitely cut but a plant is if it has sustained visible damage due to fungus or insects. In that case, you would want to cut it back and get rid of it entirely. Don’t let those infected leaves/stalks compost or fall into your flower beds as it can continue the cycle of disease/pests.
 
Keeping your plant healthy and happy during the winter does require a bit of effort, but seeing their beauty awake in the spring makes it all worthwhile.

If you have lovely evergreens or shrubs on your Toronto property, then you would definitely want to protect them from the damages of cold, wind and snow. Protecting them from the elements is a very useful way to ensure the health and well-being of your green friends and one of the best ways to do this is to wrap them in burlap or one of the newer materials available at your local nursery or garden supply centre. However – beware of plastics as they don’t allow plants to breathe properly.
 
Wrapping your Toronto shrubs is not necessary – you can also cover small shrubs with mulch or leaves, but it is the best solution for delicate plants and for plants that have been meticulously landscaped. Covering plants protects them from winter burn, which is the result of sunlight and not enough moisture in the soil.
 
It is very simple to wrap your plants. The first thing to do is to plant wooden stakes into the ground around your plant so that you can wrap your protective material around them – try not to let the material touch the foliage. Although not terrible, it is best to leave room for the plant to breathe. If you are using plastic then it is necessary to keep it away from the foliage as any freezing that occurs can damage the plant.
 
You should wrap your plants just ahead of the cold season and remove the wraps as soona s the weather moderates. The plants that need protection most are the new shrubs and trees.
 
With just a little care you can have your green bushes and trees looking healthy for many summers to come!