Landscaping Tips & Advice
It’s the room that requires the most upkeep – your yard. The front yard is your reflection to the neighborhood, and your backyard is your personal paradise. Take pride in your outdoor sanctuary! Whether you just built a home and your grass is still in seed form, or if you’ve achieved complete Zen, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind any time your project involves a remodel of your front yard and back yard.
First and foremost, let’s keep everyone safe. If you are digging, make sure to call a digger’s hotline or your local utility companies to mark all live wires and pipes. Your neighbors will never let you live down the time they were evacuated because you axed the gas main. Don’t forget the overhead lines either. You’d be surprised how many accidents occur when people are swinging a shovel or ladder around and hit a low strung power line.
Think long term. If you are planting flowers, bushes, trees, or anything else with roots, keep in mind it will keep growing! Read the plant information tags and measure out your space. If it helps, get a piece of paper and draw a little picture of your yard now, and your yard 10 years in the future. Do you see some big overlapping bushes? Space them out captain green thumb!
Landscaping your home is easily one of the most expensive project areas, with a nearly unlimited possible budget. It’s very easy to go overboard on the most expensive stone, retainer walls, flowing waterfalls, goldfish, and exotic plants. It is true you get what you pay for, but keep in mind that like any household project, it’s an investment. Do the extra research to see which materials, plants, and landscaping techniques provide the longevity you desire. The best landscaped yard ideas are those that look great on day 1, and look even better 10 years later with only normal upkeep.
Speaking of landscape maintenance, don’t forget the water. If you are standing on fresh dirt from a new home construction, now is the time to install an in the ground sprinkler system. For those of you with aged to perfection backyard paradise, don’t be afraid! A good landscaping contractor can install an underground sprinkler system and you’ll never know he broke earth. Automatic sprinkler systems are ideal because you can regulate the timing, watering amount, and when setup correctly, they won’t miss a single blade of grass. No hoses, no rusty nozzles, and all you have to do is make sure the paper boy doesn’t land the morning paper in the watering zone.
These tips are barely touching the surface of landscaping tips and tricks, and yard remodel do’s and don’ts. Check back often and see what other information we’ve got updated.
