Summertime

...and the living is easy! Well, just when you think summer is here, it goes and snows. Welcome to the May long weekend in Alberta! Of course, we chose this weekend to build our deck, so we will be choosing next weekend to do the very same thing. The reason I am blogging about our deck(insert inappropriate comment here) is because it shows the evolution in our ecological thinking and our attempts to use our consumer power to affect change. Sounds monumental, doesn't it?

Well, we decided to go with a composite decking instead of treated lumber. Environmentally speaking, less waste will go into the construction of our deck mostly because it will outlast a traditional wood deck--not to mention the harsh chemicals involved in pressure treated decks and the process of continually staining them. So, we looked around, wrote down all the names of all the composites that were readily available to us and looked to see which one used recycled materials. Now, when I asked the young punk sales guy at Home Depot if Brite composite was made from recycled material, he looked at me like I was from another planet. Of course, I am, but we don't want to be telling total strangers that fact. So, my only option of really knowing was checking out the websites. I had wrongly assumed that all these composites would be made of recycled material--in fact, Eon, proudly claims it is the only one made of 100% virgin plastic. Now, while you would still be cutting down on material, it would be more ecologically minded of us to keep looking. Our neighbour pointed us towards Trex decking. In my research, they were the only ones that claimed to use primarily recycled material--that being recycled plastic grocery bags(they had to be good for something), recycled pallet wrap and waste wood. At least, the only ones that I could easily purchase at one of the large hardware stores. We got ours at Totem at McLeod Trail. Since we are still installing it, it's hard to rave, but I am already loving the idea of never having to paint or stain it again. It was considerably more expensive than traditional decking--around 3x's as much, but lasts much longer so it is more of an upfront cost as the cost of maintaining a traditional deck doesn't really factor in to our comparison. You can now find a link to their website here on my blog.

Anyone up for margaritas and chips when it's all done? We can't wait. In fact, we have had a landscape designer who specializes in Xeriscaping plan our front and back yards. We expect it to look great and need very little maintenance once it is completed. It's just that whole getting it completed thing. Xeriscaping is a type of low water, low fertilizer landscaping using local plants and shrubs. No, we are not just putting down rocks...in fact, you can find lots of beautiful examples of xeriscaping in Okotoks(you should see our neighbour's yard--Jen and Joanne--it's well on its way to being completely gorgeous). Check back to hear more about it as we get it in...and possibly some photos!