Help! How do I boost my home's street appeal?
wellham1
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Curb appeal indecision... advice please!
Comments (91)Sorry I am so late coming to your site - you are an inspiration to all, homeowners and advisers alike. For your planting advice, I suggest you call Merrifield Garden Center to see if they will come out your way. They currently have wonderful garden centers in Merrifield and Fairfax (both in Fairfax County) and a new one in Gainesville, but they may come further south to wherever you reside. (www.MerrifieldGardenCenter.com) Even if they don't send designers to your area, they are worth a trip to see their huge selection for a day of pleasure and inspiration, or to pick up some plants. Most of my clients are in the Fairfax and greater Washington area, but I am currently living out west below Front Royal, VA on the Shenandoah mountainside - wonderful views. cascio.offsite@gmail.com...See MoreNeed help: Amateur creating new lawns and landscaping from scratch
Comments (2)Hi, you have a number of questions I can answer a couple. As a starter, how do I find out 1) how much top soil I will need The amount of soil you need you can work out by multiplying the size of the area you are going to turf by the depth you want the soil. I think they put on around 2-3" of top soil on our lawn and levelled it off. The amount you need will also be determined by how bumpy your lawn is as they will need to remove lumps and bumps and then add the topsoil and level. I would advise getting a no obligation quote from a reputable landscaper. Ask them how much soil it involves. You can then make a decision whether you do it yourself or get in a pro. 2)Can I level out the top soil prior to building a deck - Or should I wait until the deck is finished before landscaping You should definitely build your deck prior to landscaping, it will also give you a better idea of what you are left to work with regards to lawn and garden beds. 3) for this amount of land should I be using the services of a bob cat person to level out the top soil I recently had my rear lawn re laid. It was a job we could have done ourselves as it is only tiny. It meant removing at least 4" off the top and then replacing with garden top soil (weed free) which was then levelled and packed down prior to ready lawn being laid over the top. The outcome is amazing but I don't have a photo yet. Word of warning, when working with garden soils, always wear a mask as my husband contracted Legionnaires disease from shoveling two trailer loads of soil into a retaining wall a few months ago. It is a very serious disease he was hospitalised for 8 days. They do have warnings on bags of compost etc at garden centres but never mentioned it to us at the landscape place where we purchased the soil. I noticed that our landscapers didn't take any precautions either. 4) do I need to destroy the lawn that is currently there before I add top soil on the lawn...Or can I buy soil and spread it on the existing lawn. You need to have the old lawn killed off as there will be weeds among it. I am anti sprays so we dug around 4" off the top of the garden, removing the weeds and roots, but there has been a few weeds coming up through the new grass now it is established so I would say for your large space to have it killed off in some way, then you need to remove the top layer and make it reasonably level for your top soil. With regards to ideas for your garden, you want to think about curb appeal, lead the eye up towards your entrance way. I know your entrance is off to the left so let your border follow the drive way on either side and up to your entrance. Make your entrance stand out with symmetrical pots I can't really advise a specific plant as I don't know your style. These are simply ideas to inspire you. You could fill the pots with white flowers that you change with the seasons or topiary to add some height. With regards to your fence boundary, it would be lovely to have some hedging although it can be high maintenance with trimming twice yearly. I am really into Ficus Tuffi (pleached) which is like topiary grown into each other forming a hedge. I am not familiar with what you can grow where you live but here are some border ideas. There are actually so many ideas, I could be looking for images all day for you, I suggest that with the great space you will have that you create a few garden rooms and focal points that lead the eye. I have added a link to my Landscaping ideas on Houzz. I am pretty sure they will inspire you. And although I am not a professional landscaper, I do have a passion for all design and when it comes to landscaping your garden you need to think about the style your house is inside. Also layering of planting is very important for example I have used box hedging then behind that a layer of star Jasmine and behind that an espaliered citrus tree which is against my studio. I don't have any photos yet but will try to get some up later this week. It is a brand new garden so you can see how a newly established garden looks like, not a five year old plus one as most of my saved images are. http://www.houzz.co.nz/ideabooks/63878109/thumbs/landscaping Layering.... Also think about height, plant some really lovely trees in areas you may want shade and something beautiful to look at. I love Magnolia Little Gem but there are some beautiful trees, I would use a mix of deciduous and evergreen so you get those beautiful autumn colours too. With regards to the front of your house you have some soil area in front of your fence. I would do some planting in front to soften the fence. Are you going to paint the fence? Plants will depend on the style you are looking to achieve in your garden, those above are more contemporary but you could go cottage but seems I cannot add any more photos so I suggest you look at my landscape Idea book (link above). Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you more :)...See MoreHow to modernise the exterior?
Comments (13)With any post war house built in the 50's the connection from in to out is non existent. Depending on where living rooms are located i would take some of the fantastic windows out and replace them with French doors, or bi folding doors and connect the house to the site. The colour scheme from Karen is perfect to lift the kerb appeal and give it a modern twist. With land costing more than houses these days and the fact that you seem to have quite a big block, after looking at paint colours, opening up the living dining kitchen areas to the outside with a roofed area. Even combining a flat roofed carport which will widen the house to the street making it seem a bigger house, can carry the new look with say an enclosed section for garden equipment, to the opposite side to the house, and if you are lucky enough to have that near the living area it can be used as both car cover and outdoor living. I always think a good landscape architect is worth their weight in gold, to give you a landscape plan, to suit the soil type, your skills level and your preference in planting. Divide up the exterior space to provide outdoor rooms under a tree, paths that lead to some special spot for kids, maybe even a veggie patch with a chock run, and make sure that you use the entire yard, front and back by enclosing part of the front yard in fencing which suits the style of the house, while providing some planting to the street. If allowed a gate structure to blend in with the house, a dedicated pathway with planting each side to the front door, fantastic fencing and consider natural materials like a hand laid stone fence with timber or powder-coated aluminium inserts, to give this house an entry, not sure where the front door is now, so that is not a good look. Gardens always enhance a house, they are never a wasted effort, and if you are not gardeners, make sure the landscape architect knows that and he will be able to select low maintenance plants. All the paint in the world will not give the desired effort that the garden will do to that paint work....See MoreNeed inspiration for newly-bought home – help!!!!!
Comments (11)Yes to all those ideas. I believe your cladding is unpainted concrete bricks (is it called Summerhill Stone?) in that (boring) fawn colour. My house is same but was painted by previous owners. It looks so much more up to date and the surface is lasting very well; no signs of peeling or flaking. So despite needing to maintain a painted surface, I think painting is the way to go. Alternative is a costly plaster job. Then the entrance - yes, wide generous steps onto a wide deck or patio, some vertical or horizontal slatted panels for protection or privacy as needed, clear roofing for protection and to allow light to the rooms. And paint the front door a vivid color to indicate the entrance. Just make this area feel generous! Dependent on the adjacent rooms and which direction the house faces opening up one or more of those windows into sliders or stackers would be great. Plants in big pots are good too, add colour and texture - and you already have some there. Good luck - I love the idea of turning an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan!...See Moreoklouise
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