Buying your first home is a crowning achievement and a milestone that many won’t reach for several years into adulthood. The experience of selecting a property, or building a home from the ground up, is a celebrated experience for anyone, no matter what stage of life you might be in.
As a homeowner, you’ll want your property to look its best from every angle. In order to make this happen, most homeowners begin by working on the exterior of the home. This is what everyone will see first when viewing your property, and your home’s first impression will be a defining factor when you choose to rent or sell your home in the future.
In order to get the most value out of your home, landscaping is one of the most affordable methods that will get the ball rolling and allow you to modify your property to suit your tastes.
The following are a few landscaping tips that are sure to get people looking at your property.
Pavers and Borders
If you like the feel of wide-open fields and prefer the free growth of native vegetation, installing pavers and building borders might not suit you the best. But, if you like to add a little creativity to your landscape, these are the best tools for the job.
Pavers are simply stone pathways, and they come in numerous shapes and forms. Individual stone pavers are actually a cheap alternative to building sidewalks or pathways, and you can wind these paths around your home in any direction you like. Pavers are also great if you change your mind about their placement. These are light enough to move on your own, which aids in their diverse applications.
Borders are easy ways to create clean space around your property, and often these are constructed in the form of planters, fences, and walls.
Planters also act as borders and can be easily assembled using railroad ties, posts, stones, and many other materials. These give you smaller areas that you can cultivate for herb and vegetable gardens, florals, and even rock gardens to add that element of style to your property.
Gardens
Depending on where you live, a garden is ideal both for the sustenance they can provide, but for the added beauty they lend to your property.
First, you’ll want to identify the native species already present in your yard. This information is crucial to know which type of plants to add to your garden. And, this is important because without knowing the native species of your region, you may inadvertently plant invasive species around your property which will ultimately kill or crowd out native plants.
Many homeowners use herbicides when this occurs, but with the rise of lawsuits regarding Paraquat and other harmful chemicals, the use of chemical herbicides is beginning to be met with scrutiny.
Once you have your pavers and borders in place, it’s time to get your garden growing. And, your options are plentiful.
Many homeowners enjoy lining their home front with floral shrubs. These are also a great alternative to building fences, as floral shrubbery can be used for natural border separation.
In addition, strategically placing trees and shrubs around your home can help optimize the amount of shade near your home, reducing your electric bill during the warmer months. They can also help shield the walls of your home from harsh, cold winds in the colder months of the year.
Get Creative
The options you have as a homeowner are only as limited as your imagination, and the size of your bank account. Though we’d all love to build a lavish garden complete with a rock grotto and a fountain of sculpted cherubims, sometimes you need to start small and work your way up.
The smallest elements of landscaping can actually increase the value of your home by thousands of dollars. This is as simple as planting a flower bed or fixing the broken sections of a fence. And if you’re unsure of where to begin, consulting a landscape professional will certainly lead you in the right direction.
Think big, but start small. Soon enough you’ll be looking back at the home of your dreams, and it’ll already be yours.
The smallest elements of landscaping can actually increase the value of your home by thousands of dollars. This is as simple as planting a flower bed or fixing the broken sections of a fence. And if you’re unsure of where to begin, consulting a landscape professional will certainly lead you in the right direction.
Think big, but start small. Soon enough you’ll be looking back at the home of your dreams, and it’ll already be yours.
POSTED BY 
