Home interior and gardens

The right landscaping choices can increase the value of your property by tens of thousands of dollars. In fact, landscaping is one of the few improvements that you can make to your property that will increase the value immediately, but also the value will continue to increase as time goes by. Interior design and décor may go out of style over time and mechanical systems will begin to wear out, but plants will only continue to grow more robust and full year after year.

Horticultural research indicates that a property that is well landscaped has a considerable price advantage over those that do not have any landscaping. In some cases, the difference was as much as 12%, which translates into an additional $36,000 in value on a property valued at $300,000.

Landscaping is more than simply sticking a few shrubs and flowers in the ground. The primary attraction for people interested in purchasing a home is landscaping with a sophisticated design. Plant size and maturity run a close second. Finally, the diversity of plants within the design is also something to consider.

The number one mistake that many homeowners make is not creating a comprehensible plan for their landscape design. A homeowner may decide that they want to plant a tree on the property, and then later on a few years down the road they want to add a couple of flower beds, then perhaps a shrub or two and them maybe even another tree.

However, a landscape design that is assembled in this piecemeal manner will appear disorganized, turning off prospective buyers. Therefore, it is crucial to come up with a good plan before you take the first step in landscaping.

A long-term landscaping plan is ideal if you are planning to remain in your home for a while. If you intend to sell the property within the next year, you will want to take a number of steps immediately in order to dress up the landscape and increase the selling price.

If you do not have the money, or if you are just not willing to spend it to hire a professional landscaping company to architect and construct the project, all is not lost. You can at least draw up a master plan for the landscaping project on your property and commit to small chunks each season. Even if you are nothing more than a mere amateur, it is possible for you to create a professional landscape on your property for as little as $500 to $3,000 depending on the on landscaping company, plants and materials you choose for your project.

Once your beautiful landscape is in place, all you have to do is keep it maintained. A landscape that is full with lush, mature plants lets prospective buyers know that the property has been taken care of well over the years. Proper landscape maintenance shows how well you care for your home on the outside, and signals to people that the home is also well maintained on the inside. This may attract more potential buyers should you ever decide to sell your home.

Landscaping is the icing on the home. It reflects the owners style, hides flaws, creates interest and overall gives a finished appearance to an otherwise bland exterior.

When home owners are contemplating their new front or backyard in the desert, they need to think beyond pretty flowers and green lawns. They need to think about water usage and cost. The big question: is it worth the cost of an irrigation system, the cost of the water, buying and installing the sod plus maintaining a green lawn in the grueling heat of the desert summer? If the answer is yes, the home owner wants the look of a green lawn then the idea of artificial turf might need to be explored. While it costs more to install, the long-term cost benefits may make it a practical solution to the need for a focal point and the soothing color of year-round green.

As desert landscaping usually includes rock as the ground cover, a focal point is a necessity. The focal point is the center of attraction in the yard. The focal point adds interest, draws the eye into the setting, and sets the mood. Whether it is a water feature, large pot with flowering plants, or a spot of green, the focal point needs to reflect the home owner’s style and be manageable.

It is best in desert landscapes to avoid formal landscapes as plants stress in the heat and can die easily resulting in an uneven look; a good reason to think about native plants. A formal desert landscape is also often complicated, and difficult to maintain in rocky soils that have very little nutritional value. Formal gardens often require weekly maintenance to keep looking nice and home owners need to think about how much time they want to devote to the care and upkeep of their landscaping.

When planning a landscape try to use native plants. These are plants that have lived in a particular environment for many years and have adapted to the unique conditions of their surroundings, such as being drought resistant, insect resistant, heat tolerant and cold hardy. These plants will thrive where others dare not live. If you live in the Las Vegas area, the Spring Preserve is a good place to check out native plants but most cities have arboretums with native plants on display. The time spent researching native plants is very cost effective by reducing the number of replacements, lowering the watering needs, and by grouping plants by their watering and maintenance requirements. Plus, many native plants are showy with colorful flowers that attract birds, bees and butterflies to come hangout in your yard adding another dimension to your desert landscape.

When using rock for your landscaping think of color, texture, and design. Straight lines tend to belong to formal gardens, while curvy lines tends to convey movement and informality. There are many different colors and sizes of rock. A yard doesn’t need to look or feel unfriendly because of the rock but rather the rock can enhance the colors of plants, the colors of the home, and add texture and interest to the overall feel of the yard. This is accomplished by mixing large and small rock, by mixing different colors of rock, and by using the rock to direct the eye to the focal point and the path to the front door.

Planning is the key. Most important is the home owner’s expectations of time spent maintaining the landscape. If the home owner likes gardening, the plants can be more time consuming but if they want to spend their time elsewhere, low maintenance plants are a must. The time spent researching native plants, watering needs, size of grown trees, maintenance requirements and ground covers will save untold hours of frustration when trying to make all of the elements come together into a beautiful landscape design that shows off the beauty of a home while fitting into the lifestyle and interests of the home owner.

Do you think your garden is getting a bit too old and boring? The once lively scenery is now very drab with plants growing out proportion and without any real practical or aesthetic purposes. If you agree to this then it is about time that you do a home garden landscaping project.

You should not take a beautifully, and professionally, landscaped garden for granted. It can do a lot of wonderful things for you. For starters, it would be a great and lovely place for you to unwind. Just imagine going out to your garden one morning with a cup of coffee in one hand and your favorite book in another. You can just sit there, relax and look at the beauty surrounding you in your own property.

And not to mention that your house will be ten times more attractive and memorable because of your garden. Visitors and even those who just happen to pass by your block would surely notice it, admire its beauty and tell others about it. You can be the talk of the town as the homeowner who has the perfectly landscaped garden of all.

And for all of that to happen you will need to start working on your garden. Here are some quick tips to help you.

Do not assume that you can do all home garden landscaping activities by your own. Unless you really know what you are doing, you might end up doing more harm than good to your garden. If you have the money to spare, just hire the services of professional garden landscapers. They are more skilled and knowledgeable in designing a really good garden. Aside from that you can get a guarantee that you will be satisfied with the results.

Whether you hire someone to do it or you do it yourself, one important thing that you should do is think of an overall theme for your garden design. Do you want it to have an English garden look so that you can spend more aptly some daily tea breaks? Maybe you want a swan theme and in lieu of real live swans, you can have swan decorations all over the place. The possibilities for your garden design is limited only by your own imagination.

Create a draft design. You do not have to be as good as Picasso to draw a working layout or design for your dream garden. Especially if you are still going to hire a landscaper, you should have an actual design blueprint to guide him on the exact things that you want to happen to your garden. And your draft or blueprint do not have to be too elaborate or complicated. A professional landscaper can get the whole idea behind it just by looking at it and asking you some questions.

And lastly, work within your budget. Or even better, set your budget early on and promise yourself that you will not go over it. This is because many homeowners sometimes can get carried away with their own project that in the middle of doing it, they realized they want to add more to their garden or they wanted to buy the more expensive stuff. Set your budget and do not spend a dime more or else you can go broke just by landscaping your garden.

These are some of the tips that you can follow for your own home garden landscaping work. Again you can do it yourself, especially if it is not too big of a project, or better yet just hire a landscaper. If you go for the second option, the work will be smoother, faster and more reliable.

Planning is an essential part of any activity. From the smallest task to the largest one planning can make your life easier and get the desired results faster.

Home landscaping design is not an exception to this. If planned with definite guidelines landscaping can be a fun activity. Here are some important points that can help you to plan out the landscape activity for faster results.

1) The first step is to get a clear idea about the purpose of your home garden. The purpose of a landscaping garden can be different for everyone. Some of the possible causes to grow a garden around home can be

• Adding value to your home.
• For maintenance purpose.
• For yourself so that you can enjoy quality time with your family.

2) Write down your requirements or the elements that would like to see in your garden. This may include

• Outdoor Patio
• Fishponds / Rock gardens / Fountains
• Statues
• Walkways
• Sandpits for kids to play

3) Once the purpose is finalized it’s time to make observations about your home yard. This required writing down all the existing elements already present in and around your home. Here is a sample list of existing landscaping elements for your reference.

• Existing big tree and their positions from home building
• Sunlight directions and their intensity
• Wind flow and it’s direction
• Presence of tall buildings around your home building (because they will obstruct sunlight)
• Presence of street traffic/railway lines etc.
• Presence of Lake/seashore/flowing River etc.

4) Once these simple observations are done it becomes easier to draft out a simple plan or layout using the requirements and the existing elements. You have a choice to completely remove some of the existing elements or even use them in the new design. You can create a number of alternatives or design options and then finalize one.

5) There are number of ways to execute your design on ground. The first method is to simply hire a landscaping contractor to do this job and pay him for that or you can even do it yourself using some simple methods.

Home Landscaping is a method of creating an environment that improves the lifestyle of a person and improves the area of a home. Beneficial landscaping or sustainable landscaping is a way of designing and maintaining beautiful yards and gardens. Landscaping has so many benefits first is energy conservation. It is a known fact that garden landscaping by professionals and gardeners can reduce the utility bills and can conserve energy. This is because during winter months, the garden grasses and shrubs can protect ones home from harsh winter winds. Landscape reduces the heat of the sun from striking and heating up the surfaces of the home. That is why this is a natural and beautiful way of keeping your home cool and reducing your energy bills also. The hardest part is coming up and thinking about what unique landscape ideas to follow and what landscaping designs to use.

One can search online and check on magazines in looking for any landscaping ideas. Adding trees, flowers and shrubs to your garden can also attract wildlife like birds, insects and squirrels. Natural landscaping acts as a haven for wildlife because it offers shelter from predators and a natural food supply. Landscaping also increases property value. Agents and experts have been pointing out that well landscaped garden increases the value of the home.

In some cases, the trim and beautiful garden can increase the value of a home compared to a newly designed home. So it is worth hiring a landscape gardener before putting your house up for sale. A landscape garden also improves the artistic quality of your home that makes it a more pleasant place to be. If one is not planning to sell your home having a landscaped garden will give a person the time to enjoy the beautiful garden surroundings while knowing that your house is worth more than it was before. Landscaping has also a lot of environmental benefits. The trees, shrubs, flowers and hedges offer a substantial environmental benefit because it protects water supply, provides food and also decreases air pollution from occurring by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Having a landscaped garden also reduces noise pollution by blocking surrounding noises.

Home landscaping is an art and a science. It entails good observation and design skills. Everybody can do landscaping but be sure to think about the climate of the region, the person’s individual design and preferences and most importantly budget skills. Doing your own landscaping for the first time needs proper management and prioritization. Landscaping is just one of those best ways to customize a home to meet the person’s needs. If landscaping is done properly, added benefits of beauty are added to a home and thus increasing its real estate values as well.

Home makeovers are not just for the inner recesses of your house. In many cases, the exterior of a home can be in desperate need of an alteration. The exterior is the most evident part of your home, but too frequently it can also be the most neglected. The home exteriors are subject to wear and tear by the elements of nature, so caution must be taken to lay the exteriors skillfully and with excellent materials. It is a glorious excuse to go out, breathe the fresh air and unwind. But in order to unwind you have to plan your surroundings in order to enjoy them. The outer surface is a significant part of any house. Appropriate maintenance and remodeling can enhance the efficacy and efficiency of the house and at the same time adding value to your home.

Update your Front Yard

It is good to employ a professional to carry out an exterior home improvement project. The front yard is a good place to start. It is the first thing people see when they drive by your house. The entryway of your home is the first thing people notice when they come for a visit. In a sense, it’s like the face of your house. That face could be cheery and cordial, or it could be scowling and turning guests away, depending on how it’s designed.

Painting the Front Door

One of the biggest improvements which are practically simple to do is to paint your front door. Putting a fresh coat of paint on the front door will give it an immediate and polished decorative touch, and at the same time shield your door from the elements of nature. Renovators and home designers concurred that your front door is the most spectacular exterior feature of your own home which creates the utmost effect to potential buyers.

Update Porch Light

Another excellent way to make your front door welcoming and inviting is to update your porch light fixtures. The front porch light is something most homeowners seldom replace. Porch light globes are easy on the pocket and a simple way to change the entire outlook and ambiance of your front door. Excellent porch lights fixtures oftentimes is your initial sign of welcome to everyone who visits your home.

Build a Deck

A small number of home enhancements can equal a wooden deck for expediency, exquisiteness and improved value to a home. Decks are exterior living areas used mainly for entertainment and dining as well as for sunbathing. They are also utilized for kids as a playing area.

In most cases your outdoor space should compliment your existing house design and this is remarkably true for any space that’s viewable from the distance. Making sure your outdoor living space is attractive from the street is only half of the design consideration. Your new outdoor living areas should also look eye-catching and appealing from inside your home otherwise it will eventually start making you exasperated whenever you peek at it from inside the house. Remodeling is not always just about maintaining your investment, often remodeling and renovating are emotionally dictated. Our homes are personal places that reflect our personality and individual outlook in life. Also with gas prices and economic recession, many are doing more entertaining at home instead of going out.

Brick Home Basics

Brick homes built prior to the 1920s are true brick homes. That is, their exterior walls are 3-4 courses of brick thick and provide the load bearing structure of the house. Homes of more recent vintage are actually of wood construction and the brick is just a single layer facade. The brick is held away from the wood construction by a 1″ gap to prevent the porous brick from touching and damaging the wood structure.

Water Penetration into the Home

Brick and mortar are porous materials that quickly absorb water into them when it rains. The water gets into the brick and goes in several directions. The first direction is downward. The force of gravity causes the water to flow down. Your home should have gaps in the mortar several courses above the soil to allow this water out. Some masons will also put in a cotton cord in these gaps to let the water out. It is possible for the water to enter cracks in the foundation and show up as leaks in the basement. Or water can leak around windows and doors at it flows downward.

The second direction is inward towards the house. The brick absorbs the water from rain and if enough gets into it, the liquid water can migrate to the inside surface of the brick. If there is no gap between the brick and wood structure, it is possible for the water to damage the home by causing rot and providing insects a home.

Until the brick dries out after the rain has stopped, it is continually releasing water vapor into the home. This water vapor can also damage the structure of the home.

Sealing the Brick

Sealing the brick prevents water penetrating into it. When it rains, water will be repelled and stay out of the brick. But be sure to get the right kind of sealer. Many brick sealers are designed for patios or the interior of a home. These are not the types you want for your brick walls. Many of these have a gloss finish and sit on the surface of the brick.

A homeowner wants a non-gloss finish so that the home doesn’t look like it glows in the daylight. The sealer also needs to be breathable to let out any water vapor coming out from the house.

Siloxane brick sealers penetrate up to a 1/4″ below the surface of the brick. Once they are applied they are invisible to the viewer. The siloxane works by filling the microscopic pores of the brick and forming a hydrophobic barrier against water. After curing the barrier is invisible to the eye and will not yellow from UV rays. The texture of the brick will be the same as before the sealing process. Any water vapor coming out of the home’s interior will still get vented. This will prevent any spalling to the brick caused by water being trapped inside and freezing in the winter.

Applying the Brick Sealer

Application of siloxane brick sealer with a pump-up garden sprayer is a fast and easy process. Begin at the bottom of the wall to prevent streaking. Be sure to read the manufacturers instructions carefully. The sealer will not harm plants but any that gets onto metal or glass should be cleaned immediately with soap and water.

Usually, when we think of renovating or remodeling our home it’s the inside of it that first springs to mind–after all, we spend most of our time inside, rather than outside the house, so it’s the thing we most want to be comfortable. The exterior of your home also deserves attention, however, and there are several jobs of varying degrees of difficulty that you can do to really make the outside of your home sparkle. After all, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and the best way to do that is with a beautiful home. From pergolas to planter boxes, and from water-features to window treatments, this article is jam-packed full of ideas to apply to your home’s exterior!

Flower Power

Never underestimate the power or a few strategically places flowers and shrubs around the front of your home. Most people leave the real gardening for the backyard, but planter boxes and small shrubberies are an incredibly welcoming touch at a home’s entrance. Depending on the amount of space in your front yard and the style of home you have, select an array of flowers and ground-coverings and plant them in boxes or alongside your front path and in no time your house will have undergone an instant makeover!

Hey Presto-Alfresco!

With the warm weather we experience in most of Australia, eating outdoors has become part of many households’ ritual in the Summer months. If you like eating outdoors and feel you’d like a sophisticated twist on the good old Aussie barbie, why not consider installing a wood-fired pizza oven? These are available in varying sizes and price ranges, and create that smoky Tuscan flavour in all of your home-made pizzas. You’ll fell as though you’ve been transported to Italy on those steamy Summer’s nights when you and your friends are dining on gourmet wood-fired pizzas!

Windows that Pop

If you feel like adding a little sparkle to the outside of your home but don’t have the time or cash to make a big change, a relatively inexpensive and easy job is to paint all of your window frames. Pick a contrasting colour and go around the metal or wooden frames with a few coats—the difference will be remarkable but what’s more, people won;t quite be able to put their finger on why your place looks so fresh!

The Outdoor Room

Adding a pergola or veranda to your home instantly creates extra room in which you can entertain, the kids can play, or you can simply sit back and watch the world go by. Not only do these additions make your place look fantastic, but they’re a functional feature that adds value to your house.

Aquatic Accessories

Pools, water-features and fish ponds are all excellent ways to pretty-up your home’s exterior. Depending on your budget you can decide how big you want your wet addition to be, but there’s something about the look, sound and smell of water around your home that makes it feel instantly more fun! A simple water feature will add a sophisticated touch to any landscaping, while a pool will not only add significant value to your home but will serve as an attraction in itself!