Latest Years Home Show

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For homeowners interested in increasing the value of their property, landscape improvements are an excellent means for adding both beauty and worth to your home. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal Magazine of Personal Business article entitled “Fertile Ground” by spending just 5% of your home’s value on improving your landscape a typical homeowner can expect a return between 8-15% or higher on investment. To maximize this investment and the future enjoyment of your property, selecting a qualified and professional landscape contractor is the most important decision you will make when deciding to landscape your home.

1. What are landscape improvements?

Landscape improvements are those things that add “curb appeal” to your home and include both “softscape” and “hardscape” elements.

Softscape – refers to plant material, including evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, ground-covers, and perennials. A well-designed landscape has a choreography of plants that blends together different specimens and varieties in varying quantities based on colors textures and growth habits.

Hardscape – includes (but is not limited to) natural stone accent walls, brick paver walkways, overhead garden structures (trellis’ or gazebos), and fountains. Additional considerations include outdoor lighting to brighten and accent your evening landscape and irrigation systems to help maintain health planting and lust lawns.

2. How do I select a Landscape Company?

Once you have decided to invest in landscape improvements, the most critical step will be in locating a landscape company capable to meeting your needs. Your best bet will to hire a design build landscape company. Design build companies are able to handle all phases of your project, from concept and design through actually installation. Because these “one-source” companies have both professional designers and labor crews on staff, communication is enhanced and installations are seamless.

In selecting a contractor, it is a good idea to ask for references and even for specific addresses if installed jobs in which you can see first the quality of a company’s works. It is also a good idea to talk to friends and neighbors for referrals. And lastly, once you have selected a company, it is helpful to create a checklist that includes everything that you would like to have done. Not only does this list give you added control over the project but it actually helps the designers to produces a design that is particular to your needs.

Deciding to install a new landscape can be daunting…5% of your home’s value is, after all, no small investment. And if he images of sitting on a wrought iron bench amongst the butterflies in your new garden, sipping lemonade and admiring the beauty of the new landscape, isn’t enough to calm your nerves, simply remember back to that magical 8-15% number cited in the Wall Street Journal!

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A privacy fence at the bottom of the hill has the sprinkler system, installed by Tepe Environmental Services, hidden from view on its backside. The sprinkler heads pop up to water the landscape. This leaves Terri free to dig anywhere in the garden without inadvertently damaging sprinkler parts.

Terri also worked with Tepe to design the unique, Japanese-inspired pavilion. There is a fan in the pavilion, and speakers with surround-sound, too.

The statuary is lighted, and lights on pillars have a dimmer for romantic evenings. “It looks like Disney World when you turn the lights all of the way up,” laughs Terri.

This is the most amazing landscape,” acknowledges Meyer. “In spring, there are azaleas. As soon as the weather warms up, she’s got flowers. Her combinations of colors and textures are better than most of the professionally designed gardens I’ve seen.

To view the entire spread please follow the source link.

Source: HouseTrends Magazine

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What is hardscape? The definition of hardscape is “the nonliving or man-made fixtures of a planned outdoor area”. So in a sense, hardscape is anything manmade such as walls, patios, landscape beds and other landscape features. Hardscape is very important for landscapes today becuase it can bring together an entire yard.

1. Stimulate your hardscape senses – A waterfall feature pond or fountain can often tie an entire landscape together, though one aspect that few people appreciate is their sound. Sometimes the splashing sounds from a soft streaming water can offer a relaxing ambiance often taken for granted. These types of hardscapes are probably the most rarely used, but add the most beauty to your landscape.

2. Rockwalls and large boulders – Boulders and rockwalls are great both visually and functionally. From a visual standpoint, no other type of hardscape is more as the dry stone rockwall. Used correctly, it can add pleasantness to a garden by making it seem like your private sanctuary.

3. Other Hardscape Ideas – While fences and waterfalls are more permanent solutions, temporary items like old rustic wagons and benches also can be attractive in some cases. A good way to provide the items you use is to consider the design of your home and keep the theme consistent.

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1. A great way to add more color to your yard is to plant colorful trees. Some of the most popular trees are honey locust, butternut, birch, beech, ash ginkgo, sugar maples, and the red bud tree. Planting any of these trees in your yard will add the color you desire, and will give your house great curb appeal.

2. Grasses are excellent for planting in fall they make a great addition to your yard and the best thing is they are maintenance free. They even come in a huge variety of colors and can be dwarf or regular size grasses.

3. Mulch is a great way to add texture and color to your fall landscape. Around 1 inch of mulch can give you some added protection to your plants.

4. Pansies can give your yard a brightness that’s just pops in the winter, and the color of the pansies will be bright even under snow and will be ready for the spring months.

5. A good fall fertilizing will strengthen your lawn the most and give your lawn the color you want.

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