Is your home’s exterior looking drab and boring? Does it look like it needs a makeover? If your home has lost its curb appeal, it might be a good idea to take a look at your landscaping.
Here are 10 signs that you should invest in new landscape design.
My Entrance Is Not Inviting
Your home should feel warm and inviting to guests. With proper landscape design, you can create an inviting entrance that makes your guests feel comfortable and welcome as they approach the house.
Create safe, well-lit walkways and pathways to your front door.
Select a pathway material that compliments the style of your house and landscape design. There are many options such as brick, stone, tile, pavers, flagstone and gravel.
Choose a shape that fits the walkway area and a texture that works well with other adjoining architectural materials. Make sure that walkways and pathways are well-lit for safety. Use pathway lighting and porch lighting that provides adequate illumination to your entrance. For additional light and safety, motion detectors can be added to your landscape lighting.
My Neighbors Homes Look Better Than Mine
If you notice that all your neighbors’ houses look better than yours, take a serious look at your landscaping. Of course, your home’s architectural facade plays an important role, but your landscaping can quickly increase or decrease your home’s curb appeal.
It’s a good idea to take a walk through your neighborhood to look at other landscape ideas. If you see homes with incredible curb appeal, you’ll probably see homes with great landscaping. Take notes or photos of ideas you like, then come up with a plan to create a similar look. You don’t have to copy your neighbor’s plan, just draw from ideas that you like and create a landscape design that works for your home.
My House Is Too Dark at Night
It is true, without sufficient exterior lighting, your house will be dark and undefined at night.
Outdoor lighting is a great way to add curb appeal, value and safety features to your home. Good landscape lighting can enhance your home’s architectural details, define walkways and pathways and spotlight landscaping features.
Use uplights to spotlight interesting architectural features and landscaping details.
Lights can be placed at ground level and directed upward to highlight trees and shrubs, or placed in trees and directed downward for softer illumination. For best results, use a variety of fixtures that will cast light in different directions, but stick to warm white light that resembles natural lighting. Place your outdoor lighting on timers to control on and off cycles for visual effects and home safety.
No Place to Entertain
If you like to entertain friends and family, you need an area that’s attractive and comfortable for guests. Consider upgrading your outdoor area with a new landscape design that makes outdoor entertaining easier.
If you have a deck or patio area, create a great outdoor kitchen that includes a cooking area and dining area. Include a backyard fire pit that will keep your guests warm and cozy. For added ambiance, include low-level lighting and outdoor music speakers. For privacy, surround your patio with trees, shrubs or potted plants. Tall ornamental grasses like zebra grass, cattails or bamboo can create a nice privacy screen while adding beautiful natural appeal to your deck or patio.
I Have Dead Grass
If your lawn is looking shabby with dead grass or bare spots, it may be time to replace it. Cold winters in northern New Jersey can contribute to problems with your lawn, but dead grass can be caused by other factors including:
- Pets or animals urine will burn the grass.
- Lawn diseases caused by fungus, bacteria or insects can kill the grass.
- Insufficient sprinkler coverage can cause areas to turn brown or go dormant.
- Misuse of fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides can damage the grass.
If you feel that it’s best to replace your grass, talk to a professional landscaping company about the different types of grass that grow well in Bergen County, New Jersey. Select a grass that grows well in your location and that may be more resistant to problems with pest and fungus.
I Have Weeds and Thatch
If your lawn has developed weeds or thatch, it can quickly ruin your landscape design.
Weeds and thatch are fast-growing and can spread across your lawn in no time at all.
The main cause of weeds, crabgrass, thatch and other lawn culprits is poor lawn care.
Thatch is the buildup of dead grass. If it gets more than 1/2 inch thick, it creates a problem for your lawn. Thatch will prevent your grass from getting water, air and vital nutrients. Your lawn needs deep, full grass roots to stay thick and green. Adequate maintenance and water is necessary to promote new growth and prevent weeds and thatch from popping up in your lawn.
For healthy grass, you should give your lawn about ½ inch of water twice a week or 1 inch of water weekly. If weeds develop, take care of them right away and prevent new ones from growing with proper weed killers and fertilizers. If you have an automatic irrigation system, make sure it is programmed correctly for your specific landscape needs and adequately covers all landscape areas.
My Home Lacks Ambiance
Waterfalls and ponds can add wonderful ambiance and peaceful sounds to your property. Place them in areas such as flower beds, accent areas or around sitting areas in the garden.
For a beautiful effect, consider adding low-voltage, solar or LED pond lights that will give off a warm glow in the evening.
If you’re creating a new landscape design for your home, consider building a custom waterfall within the new design area. Plant shrubs or flowering plants around the waterfall or pond to create a natural looking landscape. It’s a good idea to install a timer that can turn the lighting and water flow on and off at certain times. This will also conserve electricity and water.
My Neighbor’s House is too Close
If your neighbor’s house is situated close to your property, consider adding a decorative fence for more privacy. There are many options for styles and sizes that will compliment any style of house.
You can select from beautiful woods like cedar, teak and redwood that will weather naturally and create a natural looking barrier. For contemporary homes, you can create a more modern style fence with steel or iron. Take a look at landscape design ideas and talk to your landscape professional in northern New Jersey about building a fence that will add value and privacy to your home.
I Have Overgrown Trees
Overgrown trees and hedges can block the view of your house from the street. They decrease your home’s curb appeal by making your property look like it’s not well maintained. Overgrowth can restrict light and warmth into your home and prevent you from seeing clearly outside.
Overgrown trees, shrubs or hedges, especially near windows and doors, also present safety issues. It’s been proven that burglaries and break-ins occur more often in homes that are partially hidden by overgrowth which provides a great hiding place for thieves. If you have trees, shrubs or hedges that are overgrown, cut them back or replace them with new varieties that don’t get too large. Proper landscape maintenance is an important part of good landscape design.
My House Needs Color
If your house is lacking color, you don’t have to repaint it with a brighter color. You can add color to your home by planting flower beds in different areas of your property. Choose several flower varieties that will grow and bloom at different times for a colorful landscape design all year.
Combine flowers in beds with trees, shrubs and hedges to create interesting depth and texture in areas throughout your property. Create colorful borders along driveways, walkways and pathways that lead through the property to garden areas or to your front entrance. If you have a deck or patio, create a colorful border with flowers or flowering plants in pots, decorative containers or hanging containers. Before you begin, check with your landscape professional on flower varieties that do well in your New Jersey area.
Good landscape design will add a lot of curb appeal and value to your home. Talk to a professional landscape contractor and create a plan that will compliment your home and property.