Photos By: Unsplash

No matter how nice a home appears inside and out, it won’t look great if the garden or yard is in a state of disrepair. Some people instinctively know how to create a good garden. They understand what to buy, and what styles and colors to choose. For most of us, however, a little help is in order. That’s what this article is all about. 

Ask the Professionals

Sometimes there’s no substitute for other peoples’ advice and experience. California has some very wealthy locations. They feature beautiful homes and yards, and exciting street parties. According to some landscape contractors in Pleasanton, CA, many people like to have their yards designed and created by professionals. They want their gardens to fit in with their homes and neighborhoods. There may be special considerations like making the yard pet and childproof, or being eco-friendly and conserving water. 

Declutter and Remove

Remove unwanted and unused items. Throw away what is broken, and if there is a lot, get it hauled away. Even leaves can make a yard look untidy. Whilst a few here and there are good for the garden, if there are too many it can invite decay, mold, and disease. Weeds are clutter too! They shouldn’t exist in a person’s garden. Tackle them in early spring to get a head start. If they are a particularly aggressive weed, they must be removed quickly before they take hold. 

Think About Light and Shade

For a yard to look bright, everything needs to be clean. You need pressure wash the house and apply a fresh coat of paint if the colors have become dull. There are many ways to gain shade from the heat of the sun. Trees and shrubs are a natural solution. Alternatively, spend some money on a gazebo or awning. If an area is too dark, plant white flowers and plants. Native bracken ferns can apply a pleasant splash of light to dark areas. 

Choose Good Garden Furniture

Don’t just fill a garden with trees, flowers, and shrubs. Provide a space to sit out and enjoy the sunshine. Decorative tables and chairs can add character to any yard. Some people buy second-hand benches for the garden. Those that have been previously used may need a bit of sprucing up, but they will look good in most gardens. Hammocks are great for resting and reading. Some folk install a summer house in their garden. This can create a shady area, or somewhere to enjoy the garden when the weather turns colder. It can also provide extra space for children to safely go and play. 

Boundaries are Important

Many people like their privacy while they relax in the yard. They may choose walls or plants to achieve this. It’s important to think about this in advance, however, as some people end up blocking out all the light in the process. Fences look best when they fit in with those used by the neighbors. If a boundary line needs to be enforced, a hedge can provide a natural alternative. Whilst it will need more maintenance than a fence, a firethorn hedge can look more natural. 

Provide Color

Why not feature shrubs in the front yard so that visitors will encounter nature as soon as they arrive? Evergreen plants will look rich and green no matter what time of the year it is. People can choose their plants based on how much gardening time they are prepared to spend. A real benefit of filling the area with flowers is the way it attracts birds and animals into the garden. A bird table or birdbath can also be used to encourage your feathered friends. Some people view moss on stones as an enemy to be removed. They may not like to see ivy on fences or climbing vines. Actually, these things can all contribute to the natural effect of someone’s garden. 

Consider Pruning and Fragrance

Do the pruning in winter and early spring. The time to do this for flowering shrubs depends on when they bloom. If this occurs in summer, perform the pruning in winter and before the new growth of spring. Spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after the flowers have lost their color. A garden or yard may look great, but it will be even nicer if there is a beautiful fragrance in the air. That’s where such plants as vanilla-scented heliotrope or orange marigolds come into their own. These flowers give your property a fresh look and a dash of color into it.

This article has supplied some key things to think about. There are also such things as grass care and water features and ponds to consider. When it all comes together, there is nothing better than sitting outside with family and friends, enjoying the world around you. 

Photo By: The Laurel Group

Whether you’re planning to put your home on the property market or you want guests to be wowed from the moment they pull up to your place, keeping your driveway looking attractive is crucial. To minimize the risk of repairs, here are five tips on how to maintain your driveway.

Prevent Cracks

For your driveway, it’s crucial to increase your curb appeal you need to take preventive measures to ensure no cracks begin to form, therefore, you will need to seal concrete annually as well as seal asphalt every couple of years to stop water from penetrating, cracking, and freezing. Cracks can also appear from shrub and tree roots, so make sure that you remove trees near to your drive.

Fill Cracks

If holes and cracks do occur in your driveway, you will need to patch them immediately. To do this, you can use a masonry chisel, which will brush out the debris and remove loose materials, before using a patching compound and crack filler. Once the compound has dried, you will need to seal the whole driveway. Making sure your driveway is level and smooth may help to reduce tripping accidents when family members and friends visit your property.

Photo By: Sensitive design inc.

Don’t Salt Cement

Chemical de-icers and cement salt can penetrate surfaces and cause cracks. Instead of using cement salt, use a shovel or snow blower to get rid of snow, and make sure to use alternatives such as coffee grounds and sand, which can make surfaces less slippery. If you have ice on your driveway, consider spraying it with sugar beet juice, which will lower the melting point of ice.

Clean Your Driveway

When it comes to how often you should clean your driveway, there are several factors that need to be taken into account. The amount of pollutants in the air, and how much traffic it receives will determine how regularly you should clean the area. While you can go down the route of hiring a professional cleaning company to power wash your driveway, you can also use an at-home pressure washer every few months, which will help ensure it stays clean.

Photo: Highgate Builders

Replace Your Driveway

If you have the cash to splash and want to transform the exterior of your property, you may want to consider replacing your driveway. Richfield Asphalt is a company based in Minneapolis, St. Paul, who specializes in asphalt driveways, concrete driveways, and commercial paving.

No matter who is coming to your home, you will want them to not only be impressed with how your driveway looks but give them the convenience of parking right outside your property without any problems. If you don’t look after your driveway, stains and cracks can occur, which can cause damage to your vehicle and be a health and safety hazard, therefore, maintaining your driveway can minimize the risk of repair.

Photo: Sears Architects

The best time to sell a home is in May, so if you’ve got your eye on late spring to put your house on the market, you’re likely in a mad rush to get a few last-minute projects done. Fortunately for you, you don’t necessarily have to go for that entire kitchen or bath remodel, as there are easier and less pricey things you can do to make your house more desirable. Need some inspiration? Read on for five inexpensive fixes you can make before selling your home this spring.

A Bombastic Bathroom Update

Anyone who knows anything about real estate understands that bathroom and kitchen remodels are going to give you the most bang for your resale buck, but you don’t need to revamp a whole bath or powder room to make a good impression. Replacing fixtures and mirrors is one easy and relatively inexpensive way to give the bathroom a clean and updated look. Putting in new flooring will also go a long way with potential buyers, as everyone loves new tile, hardwoods, or carpeting. Unless you know how to clean carpets like a pro, replacing them is a must. Plus, carpeting in bathrooms is a no-no!

If the vanity is in bad shape, you might consider replacing that as well, and you can find some wonderful freestanding ones at many home improvement stores. Thankfully, because most bathrooms are fairly small, the price of this project won’t be over the top.

Photo: JDP Interiors

Give Your Kitchen Some Love

Again, it’s not necessary to go for the whole kitchen remodel to get the “oohs” and “ahhs” you’re looking for from prospects. Much like with the bathroom, new fixtures and handles will create a cleaner look. Evaluate which appliances can still make a good impression, and replace any that will scream, “This kitchen hasn’t been updated since the 1970s.” For example, you might consider splurging on a new stainless steel refrigerator while sticking with your oven. Keep the cupboards but give them a fresh coat of paint. Make sure everything is clean and polished, as this can make old appliances look new. As with any room, replacing the floor is a huge win for potential homebuyers.

Give Everything a Fresh Coat of Paint

There are very few home fixes that are easier (well, somewhat!) and less expensive than giving each room a fresh coat of paint. You especially need to do this if some of your paint colors are a little bit “out there.” You want prospects to be able to envision themselves in your home as they walk through, so that bright neon green you went with in the bedroom has to go. Stick with neutral colors like white, off-white, taupe, and gray. It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to the look of the interior of your home, and lighter colors in particular can really brighten up darker areas.

Photo: Lisa Petrole Photography

Create Killer Curb Appeal

What prospects see as they pull up to your home is particularly crucial, and you can really wow with this in the spring. Make sure any grass that you have is freshly cut, bushes and trees are trimmed, and weeds are pulled from your gorgeous garden. Play up the season with fresh potted plants on the porch and/or hanging from trellises. If your prospects are coming at night, make sure you’ve got spotlights on your best front lawn features.

If you live in an area that has not gotten rain in what feels like months, you might consider replacing that brown grass with turf or drought-resistant plants. Many people are going with a mixture of succulents and rocks to avoid this issue, and many potential buyers will love the fact that they won’t have to mow the lawn. In fact, as We Buy Houses CEO Nick Evans says of buying homes in the spring, “We love houses with grass-free lawns, as they not only look neat and clean, but we also know future owners will appreciate the lack of maintenance.”

Photo: Via Houzz

Clutter Be Gone

This fix has two benefits—it will help your house look sleek and clean in order to sell it, but it will also help you to purge for your move. If you’re selling your home, it’s time to get rid of the inevitable junk you have in every corner. We all do it, thinking we will “get to it” at some point. We never do. Unless you can honestly say with confidence you’ll use said item, throw it away. If you decide to keep something, make sure you put it in storage that’s out of sight (such as in fashionable baskets, in under-stair storage, or in containers under the bed). If you’ve got children, decluttering can be particularly challenging, but it’s well worth it. Your prospects want to walk through your house and feel like they’ve got plenty of room to move around, which won’t happen if your house is filled with “things”.

Make these fast fixes to your home and you won’t believe how little money you’ll have handed over to get your home primed for purchase!

Photo: Huff Post

There’s a noticeable discrepancy between the kinds of interest people show in decorating the interior of their homes versus decorating the exterior. It is noteworthy that exterior doesn’t just mean the walls of the house but actually the yard or the real estate that surrounds the actual construction. The size of this space differs from house to house, of course, and some are fortunate enough to have bigger yards than others. With that in mind, it doesn’t really matter how big or small the yard is as exterior design can help raise the value of any property.

There are numerous ways in which the home exterior can be enhanced significantly so passersby will have no choice but to admire the beauty of it. In this article, we will be exploring some of these choices   and how some implementations can completely re-design the vibe houses give off.

Water Fountains

Photo: MisterLandscaper.com

Water fountains have been around for a very long time, but they haven’t always been so widely spread. They are a fantastic landscaping idea that makes a huge difference to the ambience of your backyard. The pinnacle of outdoor water feature ideas, water fountains are able to completely change the way in which people perceive a garden or front yard through the simple fact that it incorporates water, which is the element of life. That naturally translates in making everything look livelier.

Plant A Garden

Photo: Narofsky Architecture

A garden involves quite a bit of work, indeed, but the results are definitely worth it in the eyes of many that invest in growing a garden right in the front of their houses. It can be any kind of garden the homeowner wants. They can pick what kind of flowers will grow, and additionally they can invest in vine-type plants that bloom while spreading across an area of the house itself, for the extra effect.

Create a Relaxing Spot

A yard or garden can benefit tremendously from the existence of a spot dedicated to relaxing. This spot can be any number of things, from a little den in which you can read or play cards for example, to a swinging bench. It heavily depends on what it is that the owners like to do in their spare time and how they envision lazy Saturdays at home. If the yard benefits from the existence of a big and sturdy tree, you can also install a swing for the kids, grandkids or even yourself.

Photo: Elle Decor

These are some of the most popular solutions for renovating and improving the appearance and functionality of the exterior space surrounding the house. As many start just now to discover the importance and impact of a beautiful yard, more and more people are looking into adding these features to their own homes.

Photo: Country Living

Before You Begin, It’s Best to Get an Estimate of Your Home’s Value

We know you’re rushing to the closest gardening store, but wait just one second!

Like any other home improvement project, updating your home’s curb appeal makes a big difference on its appearance. Those big changes mean fluctuations in the value of the home, which means that you need to get a baseline estimate before you begin. How else will you know what your return on the investment was when all’s said and done? Just plug in your address into an online home value estimator tool to find out your home’s worth.

Step 1: Keep it Green

According to the National Association of Realtors’ Remodeling Impact Report, you’ll recoup 417% of what you spend if you seed your lawn. That means your return on investment for that project is 317%. That’s a massive number. Seeding the lawn makes it look lush and full, which signals a front yard that is healthy and well-cared for.

Photo: Angie’s List

Make sure, once you’ve seeded and grown your lawn to be a wonderland of green, mow it yourself or get the job done professionally.

Step 2: Trim Bushes to Below Window Height

Top 1% Washington real estate agent Jenah Mahan advised us to make sure that all bushes should be trimmed to below window height as to let light into the property, make the home look like it is in good condition, and to avoid being called out by a home appraiser.

Step 3: Power Wash Everything

You could repaint the entire exterior, but a good power wash should make the hose look just as fresh and clean as a new paint job would. You can buy a pressure washer for as little as $150, but there are also companies that will come in and power wash your house for you.

Photo: Window Works

Step 4: Clean and Change Out All Light Fixtures

If your exterior light fixtures are broken or outdated, switch them out for modern alternatives. If you can, salvage your existing fixtures and clean them from top to bottom. No cobwebs here! Switch out bulbs for white, bright alternatives. Great lighting illuminates the best exterior features of the house, and according to the National Association of Home Builders, 41% of buyers view lighting as an essential part of outdoor living.

Step 5: Check on the Roof

 You (hopefully) should not have to replace your whole roof even if it’s damaged. Get a roofing company out ASAP to take a look and swap out only faulty tiles.

Photo: Cool Spec Gutters Perth

Step 6: Focus on Small Scale Cosmetics

Switch out cracked or dated house numbers to freshen up the exterior, scrub mailboxes and mail slots free of grease.

Now, plant in-season flowers along the base of your house, and grab two potted plants to flank your front door. Get the front door repainted in a bright hue to welcome in buyers, and refresh your welcome mat.

These Curb Appeal Tips are Low Cost and Make a Big Impression

There you have it! Every step of this curb appeal process is be something you can do yourself or hire a professional for for minimal cost. By the end of our checklist, the home should be light, bright, and inviting to buyers. Have they seen your lawn? If you are still having troubles selling your homes there are companies like Apex investing in houses as is. That means they will purchase your home and give you cash in as little as a week.

Photo: Best My Nest

Don’t forget to get a home value estimate from your real estate agent after all is said and done. Remember the estimate you got online at the beginning of this post? You should be able to see a real difference in value now that you’ve made so many improvements. Congratulations on a job well done!