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Conservation Tips: How to Save Water in Your Yard and Garden

According National Geographic, more than 60 percent of a household’s water use is from yards. Another brutal statistic? We can lose up to three gallons of water per day just from one leaky faucet or hose.

Never before, especially with the constant droughts in the western United States, has such an emphasis been placed on water conservation. We can all make changes to how we care for our yards and gardens. Here are some ways in which we can save on water—and not all of them have to do with limiting our use of water; there are many strategies to consider!

Find your baseline; in most areas, an inch of water per week is adequate to water plants and grass. But perhaps you don’t need to do this yourself; the rain might take care of it for you! Pay attention to rainfall counts in your area, and do an experiment yourself by putting a measuring cup in your yard. This will give you a more realistic view of how much water your property needs.

Think about xeriscaping—this somewhat new term (or at least in it being a widespread trend) refers to adding plants that can survive in extremely arid areas. By adding plants that can tolerate drought conditions, you’ll add to the variety of plants you have from an aesthetic standpoint too, while also reducing the number of plants that need water. Add a little Arizona to your Pennsylvania!

Recycle water. There are a number of ways to do this; a cistern (water barrel) can collect rainwater, which you can later use to water plants and your lawn using a hose attachment. Be sure the barrel is covered to prevent evaporation, and monitor closely for mosquitos; that’s the one downfall of having standing water. Other ways to recycle water is to get out of the habit of dumping unfinished water or leftovers from boiling water for vegetables—use that to water your greens!

Finally, remember that mulch locks in moisture and native plants require less water. 

Top Tips for Spring: Get Your Shed & Garden Ready for the Season

The pops of color in pristine gardens and the meticulous landscaping you see each spring and summer doesn’t happen overnight—there’s a lot of thought, preparation and hard work that goes into these projects. And it all starts about this time of year.

Here, we’ll provide a few top tips on getting your shed ready for spring, as well as some spring gardening tips.

Get Your Shed Ready

Your shed might sit dormant during the colder months—unless of course that’s also where you keep your snow removal equipment! But, either way, your outdoor structure and the items inside it might need a little TLC after winter:

  • Check for leaks; repair if necessary
  • Clean siding and windows; make necessary repairs/touch-ups
  • Check any hooks, inside or outside; secure/repair/replace if necessary
  • Check around foundation for debris/holes; clean and repair as needed
  • Clean and sharpen your tools; repair and replace items, if necessary

Early-Spring Gardening Tips

While there’s an exhaustive list of tips we could share about getting your garden ready for spring, here are a few that might require immediate attention:

  • Remove winter mulch; clean debris from around plants and trees
  • Clean repair garden structures/features (gates, fences, trellis, birdbaths, etc.)
  • Prune and trim plants and trees
  • Start a compost pile, and start with your debris from spring clean-up efforts
  • Revitalize soil and add mulch
  • Plan what you want to plant; order seeds

Conservation Tips: Adding Solar Panels to Your Outdoor Structures

Adding power to your outdoor structures, whether a shed, playhouse, gazebo or other features, allows you to enjoy them longer and more fully. Maybe some music will add to the ambience of your backyard entertaining, or perhaps you want to ensure your kids’ clubhouse can be used past dusk.

However, lights, speakers, and other tools and amenities require juice. Depending on your set-up and the distance from your home or other conventional source, getting power to your structure might not be easy or efficient. Instead of digging trenches and running wires, you can consider installing solar panels to your structures rooftop. It’s environmentally friendly, too!

Before you fully consider this option, be sure that enough direct sunlight hits your structure. If it’s a go, then you can decide if you’d want to hire a contractor or solar company to install and wire the panels for you, or if it’s a project you and some friends and relatives can tackle. There are many DIY websites out there with detailed information on how to do this—a web search will reveal plans, kits, materials lists and more to help you get started.

Solar power is a renewable energy source, and if you’re looking to learn more about harnessing that sunshine, starting with a smaller project like a shed our out-building could be a practical and fun place to start. 

Introducing Economy Sheds

We are excited to announce that we recently launched a new line of Economy Sheds. These buildings will offer you the same amount of storage space at a reduced cost. They come in the Barn and Cottage style. You will be able to add or change options if you would like. On the taller sided buildings, you have the option of placing your doors in the side of the structure. We anticipate this to be a very popular addition to our line up as people are looking for affordable backyard storage. Whether you're looking for a custom designed building or something from our new Economy Line, we are here to fill your storage needs. 

The Economy Line buildings are available in the Barn or Cottage style in sizes ranging from 6X8 to 12X28. The Barn is available in 3 side wall heights, 4', 6', or 7'. The Cottage is available in a 7' or 8' high side wall. All 8' wide Economy Line buildings will come with a single door, one window and a shingled roof. The 10' and 12' wide buildings will have double doors standard.

Standard options on Economy Sheds include:

Double Door (Single Door on 8' wides)

1 Window

Treated 5/8 inch T1-11 Siding

Shingle Roof

 

 

Valley Structures – Lynchburg Blog

Purchasing a Building from Valley Structures

February 10, 2016

We are very excited about people coming into the office looking for information about our buildings or looking to purchase one of our buildings. The process for purchasing a building from Valley Structures is pretty simple. When you come into the office, you will be greeted by Marilynn, Pete or Cathy. We will ask you a few questions about what kind of storage you need…. “Have you looked on the lot yet? Did you look at the Valley Structures  Web Site? “What do you need to store? What is your price range?” If you are unsure about size, we ask you to visualize what you want to keep in the building and the size of the items. At this time we will go outside with you and show you some of the Sheds that we have. We explain about the different options on the buildings. We will answer any and all of your questions. Remember, no question is a stupid question. We will explain the delivery and the leveling process done by Valley Structures. Once you have chosen a building, we go back inside the office and do the paper work. If you are buying a stock building the process should take about 10 – 15 minutes. If you are ordering a building this could take a little longer since we will be talking about different sizes, what kind of options you would like in the building and most importantly, the colors of the paint and shingles. These Valley Structure Buildings come down from the Shenandoah Valley All the information is written down on our invoice. We will also go over delivery information and get directions to your home. Before you leave our office we will put your building on the calendar for delivery to you. We ask for 20% down at the time of purchase and explain that the remaining balance is due on delivery. The process is very simple. We look forward to helping you with all your Storage Needs…

 

February 4  2016

This month we at Valley Structures are excited to announce that we have made some new and exciting changes to our Economy line of storage sheds. This line has been popular ever since we introduced it last year. These barns will offer you the same amount of storage space at a reduced cost. They are available in the Barn and Cottage style. You will be able to add, change, or move options if you would like based on your needs or backyard requirements . For instance, if you need a loft for additional storage or reinforced flooring, we can add these options to better suit your needs. On the taller sided buildings, you have the option of placing your doors in the side of the structure.

Here are just a few of the specs:

LP Smartside Silver Tech siding, painted to your choice of color, 5/8 plywood flooring, one window standard.

They will be available in eight, ten, and twelve foot widths and up to twenty feet in length.

As with all of our other sheds, we manufacture each one at our plant located in Dayton, Va in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Every Economy Shed is constructed with the same attention to detail that our standard sheds include. We have a large inventory at our sales office in Lynchburg, Va.

 

 

 April 14, 2015

A word to the wise from Valley Structures

Even though the weather is a little uncooperative at times with the business for maintaining and sprucing up our homes, that does not mean we can't go ahead and prepare for the times when we have nicer weather.  One thing that can be done in preparation is to go head and purchase  the shed you have been wanting rather than waiting for nicer weather to arrive.  If you go ahead and purchase your Valley Structures building while the weather is less than desirable that will put  you on the list for delivery ahead of the other customers who wait until the weather clears.  As  a result you will receive delivery of your shed that much sooner. 

Our goal at Valley Structures is, has been, and always will be to deliver your Barn, Cottage, Garden House, or ….. as soon as possible,  as safely as possible, and as minimally invasive as possible.

Pete the shedman

 

August 20, 2015

Chicken Coops

These days, when it comes to our food, more and more people are moving towards sustainable solutions for growing their own gardens and raising their own animals. We like to know where our food is coming from and how it was handled during the manufacturing process.

A lot of folks here in the Lyncburg are beginning to raise their own chickens for the eggs they produce. There are a wide variety of benefits to this and here are just a couple to consider. You get fresh, healthy, organic eggs right in your own backyard that are rich in color, taste much better, and are healthier than any store bought egg. Chickens are also great for your garden in lots of ways, especially during the off-season (who doesn't love a little help in the garden?). They eat the grubs and bugs in the dirt that aren’t great for your plants, and fertilize the soil. They are a low maintenance animal so you won't be spending a lot of time taking care of them.

Here at Valley Structures, we are now offering chicken coops to give you a helping hand in getting started with your own flock of poultry. The chicken coop that is pictured is a 6×8 and has nesting boxes and perches that you can easily access just by lifing the outside access door, a small chicken door and ramp, two windows, a single door, and a drop vent in the back. These units provide a safe shelter for the chickens to lay their eggs while staying protected from any outside predators and give you an easy way to gather the eggs daily.

Let us know how we can best serve you! 

 

August 20, 2015

Dog Kennels

Another new addition to our lineup this Spring is our Dog Kennel. Over the years we have had many requests for these units. We build these with the same quality and attention to detail as all of our other storage structures and as always, you are free to choose the color and size to complement your home and lawn.  The standard options on each kennel will depend on size, but options offered include single door, dog door, dog boxes, chainlink fence, and composite floor. 

A kennel allows you to keep your pet contained without having it on a chain while at the same time protect them from the dangers of the neighborhood. It also will keep the dog from running in to a busy road or encountering other potentially dangerous animals. It allows the dog to spend time outdoors while providing a source of shade and shelter when necessary. If constructed to suit the needs of the dog, it keeps the dog safely secured on the property while providing area for exercise.

Our kennels are already proving to be a customer favorite. Stop by and take a look to see how we might be able to suit your needs!

 

 

 

Garden Shed Tips!

Spring has sprung and this is when we all begin to get to work in our yards and gardens! Whether you currently store all of your tools in the garage or have them scattered here and there, we can help. A garden shed gives you a convenient spot to store all of your mowers, tillers, rakes, etc. 

There are a few things to consider as you begin shopping for your shed. Everyone has a different style, budget, storage needs, and backyard space. There is no "one size fits all" building. A taller wall allows you to hang rakes and bikes. A loft provides space for items you don't use on a regular basis. Shelves and workbenches give you a spot to work. On larger structures, having more than one door is often useful to give you another access point into the shed in case a mower or some other item is blocking an entry. Having a few windows will allow light and ventilation. We offer many additional options to allow you to customize your shed to fit your exact needs.

The easiest way to start is to stop by and browse all of our different styles. We keep our lot full of different sizes, colors, and options.