Garden Statues Can Give Your Garden That Exclusive Look

Gardens have lawns, gardens have flowers, and gardens have exotic plants and complicated landscaping. They also have the one thing that gives it an identity of its own - garden statues. People believe that the garden is the first thing a visitor would see and first impressions are always lasting impressions.

The history of garden statues dates back to the Garden of Eden. Those that belonged to Renaissance Italy were actually classical sculptures found amongst the ruins of Rome and Greece and were displayed here. A good example is the statue of Venus De Milo belonging to the 2nd century BC. Post Restoration in the year 1660, the concept of garden statues had reached England where the Victorian bent towards exotic art and a thirst for knowledge inspired this art to reach great heights. Italy was in a way responsible for the spread of garden statues to European countries. Ideas were represented in the new sculpture of the late 19th century art world.

Garden statues give the garden its uniqueness and a distinct of character. They compliment the picture, so to speak. They emphasize the flowers, the plants and the landscaping that grace its surroundings. There are all types of statues to be found. There are statues that are religious or mythological in nature where some Gods are known as the defenders of evil. There are statues that are whimsical like fairies or cupid, pixies and little bird houses. There are people who have a very artistic bent of mind so they would like to have statues that depict some altruism or a deeper meaning of life and living in general. If your theme is nature then you can have animal statues. Waterfalls of many types, colors, shapes and sizes can be added to garden statues to give it a hint of the lyrical.

The materials that can be used for garden statues are generally those which can handle the wear and tear of weather well. Stone is most commonly used and resin is now gaining popularity. There are marble and bronze statues to be seen also but people are hesitant to leave these at the mercy of the Elements. Concrete and cement are cheap options but they are not long lasting options. Fiberglass loses its color when exposed to UV rays of the sun over a period of time and steel, unless galvanized or painted, will not last long. Ceramic, on the other hand, is very durable and so is stainless steel. Wood has a tendency to decay and change with time so if your garden statue can adapt itself to the new weather oriented design then you may have something unique on your hands.

If you are a garden lover and want to do something different for your garden then go in for a simple theme and put in garden statues to emphasize the idea. Keep your budget and durability of the material in mind. Let your imagination and your creative instincts rule, the sky is the limit and the possibilities endless.

A Guidline on Restoration Properties in Italy

Undertaking a renovation project in Italy can be very challenging but can also be plenty of satisfaction. Putting your own sign on a property to restore means to bring back to life a home and it is also very important to keep the region's architectural traditions, resulting into a home that reflects your own identity and expectations and at the same time can also fit into its natural surroundings. Restoring is not for everyone, it means time and money. Undertaking a restoration project, of course, is time and energy consuming. For a standard home, assuming the building structure is sound, a complete renovation with a supervision service takes between 6 months and a year.

A good way to save money is to do some of the physical restoration work yourself, but before starting to restore a home make sure you have the necessary technical skills, in order to avoid expensive setbacks, loss of time and poor results. For example, could you restore the roof of your Italian ruin by yourself? Are you able to check the condition of the existing foundations? Don't worry, in case you need some help you can always ask your Italian Real Estate Agency, which usually works with a network of selected partners and professionals, such as architects (Architetto) or Geometra (surveyors), which you must have to sign any restoration projects. We suggest you use an architect, especially if you have particular requests to realize your dream home. However, the use of a Geometra is usually enough to satisfy any standard needs.

The expenses of restoration for an Italian property depend on several factors, mainly on the size, on the structural conditions of the house to renovate and on the quality of materials that you choose. Italy has a very wide variety of great materials and a long tradition of their skilful use. If you have a generous budget, you can restore your dream home using local traditional materials like terracotta floors, wooden beams, travertine, etc. If you have a more modest budget, you can use medium-priced materials that still have very good standards and will allow you to have a high-quality result.

Labour costs and sometimes even prices of materials vary from one region to another. For example costs in Tuscany can go from €1000/1500 per square metre for a renovation that keeps original features using standard quality materials, to €2000/2500 using luxury materials. Umbria is a bit less expensive and prices go from €1200 to €1400 per sq. m.; Sardinia from €700 to €1000, about €1000 are needed in Liguria, from €700 to €1500 in Le Marche and from €400 to €750 per square metre for a restoration in Sicily.

You should also be aware that renovation estimates usually refer to building work alone and do not include plumbing, electrician's fees or finishing costs. You should ask for these separately or at least ask whether they are included. Moreover, a good way to avoid contingencies putting you over your budget, is to choose a property with an agreed fixed-price contract on its restoration work. Finally, you can obviously save a considerable amount of money in the long-term by following the principles of green building that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly. 

Green building incurs higher initial costs, but will save you money in the long run and will reduce the overall impact on the environment. To give you an idea, a restoration using green-building materials that incurs a 15/20 per cent increase in costs on normal restoration, can save you up to 50/60 per cent on utility bills; whereas if we consider reconstruction with an upfront investment of 30% more, you can almost forget your bills and save in the region of 90%. At any rate, once the project of your restoration property is done, you will be for sure the proud owner of an Italian home that fully reflects your taste and your identity.