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24 May 2017
May 24, 2017 By admin Lawn Maintenance Tips , , , ,

10 Tips to Boost Your Curb Appeal on a Budget

Regardless of whether you’ve decided to sell your place or just want to give it a makeover without spending a fortune, what you need to know is that it is not as expensive and impossible as the very idea may seem. The first impression is the single most important factor when it comes to selling your home. Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer: would you buy a house that is not well maintained and doesn’t excite you with anything but its price tag over a house that has your wows after the first glance?

Since first impressions are tricky and you get no second chance, it is of utmost importance to do everything within your power to boost your curb appeal and turn your home into the attraction of your neighborhood so your house’s first impression will count. Not only will your house get more attention by potential buyers, but your pictures for your online ad of your house will also look more attractive and will double the visits of interested new home-seekers. When they drop by to see if the house is really that beautiful and well-maintained, you need to have ensured that your home’s exterior – including the front entry, your yard, the home path, the driveway – are at their finest.

The best thing is that adding an extra oomph to your home doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend a lot of money to get it in top shape. Here are 10 tips we recommend to add curb appeal and increase the value of your home that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Renew or Add a Home Path

If your home has been missing a pathway that leads right to your door or it got old over time, it’s time to make sure your home path is on point. Make a statement by giving your home path a new style and make a warm welcoming entrance to your home. Clean off all the dirty spots on the pathway and splash a new color.

Do a Paint Job on Your Front Door

A simple paint job of your front door can draw a lot of attention to your home. Your front door can immediately make an impression that the interior of your home is also neat and well maintained. Painting your front door is probably the cheapest and easiest way to refresh your curb appeal. If you don’t want any paint job done, at least make sure to clean it thoroughly and make it shine. Keep in mind that, your entry reflects the home interior.

Manicure the Lawn

Feeding, watering, mowing and other typical lawn maintenance chores should of course be a part of your routine landscape maintenance check up. When it comes to selling your house, though, you will need to take extra caution and manicure the lawn so it will look like an emerald-green carpet. Get rid of the weeds, cut the grass to a proper size accordingly to the season and create clean edges. Unless you hire professionals like us at Sunset Landscaping to do magic with your lawn through lawn fertilization services, this is an absolutely free way to add an oomph to your landscape.

Pressure Wash the House

There’s more dirt than meets the eye, but there’s no dirt that can get away from the strong stream of a pressure washer. Pressure washing can boost your curb appeal by cleaning your house of grime, dirt, mold and dust that has been accumulating over the years without you ever noticing it. Renting a pressure washing if you don’t own one is relatively inexpensive and cleaning your exterior won’t take you more than a couple of hours. The results? A neat and clean looking garden that can capture everyone’s eye.

Clean Up the Driveway

Basic clean up of your driveway is another free tip, but it goes a long way in improving your landscape appearance. Take your garbage containers aside from your driveway (preferably where they are not visible) and make sure there are no cracks or visible damage anywhere on the driveway. If you can see these damages repaired by yourself, this won’t cost you as much as it would by hiring professionals.

Clean the Windows

Cleaning your windows is one of those tasks that may easily slip off your to-do list, while it can leave an impression of a home that sparkles. Wash out the windows both from the inside and the outside with products that can clean them off any dirt that may have been stuck on them for years and give them a shiny mirror-like look. This will, of course, cost you almost nothing, maybe even nothing if you use do-it-yourself cleaning products, like soda and vinegar.

Trim the Hedges

If you like your yard to be symmetrical and neat, then what better way than to trim the hedges. The hedges in your garden can easily go out of control and trimming is the only way to keep them in good-looking order. All you need is a hedge trimmer and if you don’t have one, don’t worry – it is both inexpensive to rent and purchase. Just grab it and shape up those hedges to boost your home’s appearance.

Add Some Path Lights

Adding some lighting around your garden or illuminating your pathway can make your property look much more desirable. Low-voltage, inexpensive lighting can not only make a huge impact on your curb appeal, but it will also make your outside space more secure and safer. You can also try installing lights on your trees to highlight some of your best landscape features at night. However, it is important not to overdo it and avoid drawing attention to some external flaws.

Get a New Mailbox or Do a Makeover of Your Old One

If your mailbox got old and rusty, then it’s finally time to do something about it. Your mailbox should complement your home and your personality, so it is kind of a big deal. Dress up your old one if you’re feeling really attached to it or get a new mailbox that perfectly meets your landscape and your home style. You don’t need to be an experienced designer or an exceptionally crafty houseowner – you just need a keen eye for detail and know what feels and looks best for your home.

Renew Your Planter Beds

Renewing your planter beds can greatly improve your curb appeal by giving your garden a fresh, colorful and stylish look. Pull out the excessive weeds, plant some new flowers and add vast amounts of mulch to create a beautiful contrast, as well as boost your plants’ health. You may also consider if your borders are adding onto the style of your landscape or are only wasting your outdoors space. If so, upgrade your borders by adding some decorative stones.

03 May 2017
Your Weekday Lawn Maintenance Checklist
May 3, 2017 By admin Lawn Maintenance Tips , , , ,

Here’s What Your Weekday Lawn Maintenance Checklist Should Look Like

A green yard is the landscapers’ dream and is almost as welcoming as a friendly dog. Besides boosting your landscape visual appearance, lawn that is green in color means it is healthy and strong enough to keep any weeds, pests and diseases at bay. Regardless of the season, your lawn requires your attention more than anything else in your yard, simply because it takes the largest part of it. Properly watering, regular fertilizing and weekly mowing are surely big musts, but they’re not enough.

Growing and maintaining a healthy and beautiful lawn does not require a lot of hours of landscaping work as much as it requires wise management. One great way to ensure your lawn is properly taken care of every week is to create a lawn maintenance checklist. The idea may sound a bit childish rather than efficient to you, but rest assured it will help you keep all things neat in your yard. Not only it is efficient and keeps you moving forward, but checking off the does you set for yourself can give you a sense of accomplishment too. If you decided to give it a try, here are 6 dos your weekly lawn maintenance must contain.

Watering: Watering is undoubtedly the most essential care tip for your lawn. Although it’s an obvious one, properly watering can be a bit tricky, as for how often and how much depends on multiple factors, such as your geographic location, your climate, type of grass and type of soil. If you live where the temperature goes beyond 100 Fahrenheit quite often, more frequent watering is of course required. The best time of the day to water an emerald-green lawn is early in the morning when the sun is still rising.

Mowing: Mowing is just as essential as watering and it is also known as a classical weekend activity. There are many different ways you can mow your grass, but usually it depends on the season. The ideal height also varies with each season. Over summer or during drought, you should allow any type of grass to grow taller, yet you should mow it once a week on a high setting. Over fall and spring, mowing once a week is also a must and over winter, weekly mowing is not necessary.

Eliminating weeds: Regardless of the type of grass, trees and shrubs you have in your yard, having a good control over weeds does a plenty of good for your lawn. A brief weekly walk around your landscape should be enough for you to identify any weeds that must go. Make sure to pull the weed off their root, because otherwise it will grow back. For the sneaky ones that hide among your lawn, you can apply a weed control product and wave them goodbye as well.

Edging Inspection: Any type of lawn starts showing some signs of wear when the summertime begins and that can certainly impact the curb appeal of your yard. The more often you maintain your yard’s edges, the better looking it will be. Look for any grass damage every week and take care of it right away. By putting the theory “Work smarter, not harder” into practice, you can greatly reduce the time you spend on landscape work per week.

Fixing Repairs: If you use to throw garden parties or gatherings often or you own a pet that enjoys digging spots of soil and grass, there must be some repairs that need to be taken care of. Remove the damaged patches of grass and reseed the area with the same type of grass. Although weekly check up for repairs and sorting them out immediately is efficient, you should think about reducing those lawn damages in a long run. For example, you could install stepping stones to prevent too much stepping on the lawn or choose a specific area for your pet’s playtime.

Insect Control: Chinch bugs, fire ants, fleas, mosquitoes, cutworms and similar types of pests could attack your lawn at anytime. What better and easier way to save your lawn than simply performing an insect control every week. Although in most cases grass can fight off these insects by itself, some can cause severe damages and affect your landscape’s visual appearance. A strong stream of water can help, chemicals too. The key is to take care of them on time.

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