How about the curb appeal?
You have designed the best kitchen, bathroom, living room and basement recreation room but guests have to get into your house to see these. How about the first impression? How do we get the neighbours to notice?
Try sprucing up the landscaping around the house. Stand across the street and look at the house, get a vision of what you would like to see. In some cases, simply adding some rocks and plants can help create a beautiful visual to the front yard. If you have the money and would like to really get the neighbours talking then let’s add some interlocking blocks or concrete. Top it all off with pillars and lights and you would have a beautiful showcase.
Starting with the driveway, there are choices of either repaving or interlocking. Repaving would require resealing on a regular basis to maintain its look and reduce damage. Interlocking would require regular washing and possible sealing to protect it from stains. Interlocking does provide a better curb appeal but may be a little more costly.
When advising on Interlocking driveways or patios we always get the question about weeds. A properly done interlocking project would have a weed barrier fabric and finished off with polymeric sand. Contrary to popular belief, weed barrier fabric is not good for keeping weeds out of your plant beds. The fabric reduces oxygen to the soil around the plants killing all the microbes that help to nourish the soil. Yet, they are perfect for under pavers and stonework. Polymeric sand bonds itself between pavers, provides an excellent weed barrier and discourages insects.
Adding a wider curb to the side of the driveway (see picture above), whether in plain concrete, stamped concrete or interlocking pavers adds additional curb appeal. The curb should not be too high to cause problems with parking your car and can be curved to include the walkway to the front door or wrapped around the front patio. If using concrete for the front patio, ensure that control joints are used at least every 12 feet of slab. If the concrete should crack in the future, due to expansion and shrinkage caused by weather changes, these joints ensure that you control where and how the cracking happens.
That is, it does not crack in a random fashion but instead follows your lines. These joints should be straight lines, cut at least 25% depth and placed in strategic locations where they are less visible. For example, these can be placed under a wall or in a location that may have an outdoor carpet.
Adding pillars with statues, lights or planters (see picture at the beginning of this article) can greatly enhance a front yard with minimal cost. Yet these should be professionally done to ensure that they do not move or lean in the future. Lighting can either be accomplished using solar lights or direct wired from the house using a conduit underground.
For a patio consider building a low wall with stones, pavers or balusters. A generous sized coping stone should be used to finish the top. This would provide extra seating for guests and act as a place to rest drinks etc. It also makes the patio look more complete.
So now your front yard is the envy of the neighbourhood and your guests already have discussion points before they enter your house. Are you scared that they would peek through the window and see the nightmare you call a backyard? Our team can help to transform your backyard to a space of which you can be proud.
If you just bought a new house from the builder, then chances are there is no fence. Fencing can provide privacy, mark the boundary of the property, set boundaries for pets or kids and add architectural appeal to the property. Fencing comes in various styles and materials including wood, composite, vinyl and metal.
For most homes wood panels are commonly used. These are among some of the cheapest methods and provide decent privacy. Wood panels are generally pressure treated for outdoor, above ground use. When installing fence posts, the post should be at least 1/3 underground with concrete filled at least 3 times the width of the post. For example, a 4 inch post should have a 12 inch hole filled with concrete on a levelled 6 inch gravel base. The post should also be placed vertically with the use of a level. Fences are generally 6 foot high to provide ample privacy.
Composite or vinyl fences may look more appealing and provide years of maintenance free usage. Yet these can be a little more expensive and may not always provide as much privacy.
For entertaining, consider building an arbor, gazebo, pergola, deck or backyard patio. These do not have to follow typical geometric lines or shapes. Our team can help design the right backyard to suit your needs or dreams.
We are able to work around existing structures and plants, or to use the same to enhance the new addition.
For the frequent backyard entertainer, we can include an outdoor kitchen or barbeque station. Plant boxes, hanging planters, bird feeders and wiring for outdoor speakers can all be added to enrich the decor or add functionality.
Take a look at our Design pages to get better ideas for your Landscaping. New ideas would be added to our site periodically, so if you do not see what you are looking for please return at a later date for more options.