29 May New Curb Appeal
Do you ever drive by those big and beautifully landscaped yards and wish that you could get your own yard like that?
Well, with a some seeding and a few bricks or stones it is possible! We are taking on the task with our own to see what it takes and give our corner lot a new look. New curb appeal can really change the way you see your home!
When you buy a home you have a yard that comes with it. But, what type of yard are you really buying? While the home is the biggest part of a purchasing decision, a good yard can’t hurt. You decide whether trees, flat lots, lakefront or corner lots are important to you. Curb appeal is something a buyer looks for whether the home has a wonderful lawn or one that needs a little love. Like ourselves. we seen one that needed love and have really turned it around. From a mostly dirt and moss lawn full of leaves, acorns, and fleas we brought it to life and free of its past.
Now that we have basically have a new yard it was time to tackle another project. Since the beginning we were itching to take up the old red stones around the flower beds and bring a little color back. This spring was finally the time for that! Lowe’s has recently put the stones we wanted on sale 5 for $10! Huge deal right? Not really, but it is a little savings.
Time to stock up on plenty of stones while we can! While it isn’t mandatory to put something around your flower beds we felt it was necessary because we like the “clean line” look around the house to define the area.
Now that we have basically have a new yard it was time to tackle another project.
Since the beginning we were itching to take up the old red stones around the flower beds and bring a little color back. This spring was finally the time for that! Lowe’s has recently put the stones we wanted on sale 5 for $10! Huge deal right? Not really, but it is a little savings.
Time to stock up on plenty of stones while we can! While it isn’t mandatory to put something around your flower beds we felt it was necessary because we like the “clean line” look around the house to define the area.
In the pictures you see they are all lined up but they are not in the final resting place. We did that so we know each placement and how many stones exactly we need. That came out to around 200 stones to go around the house completely everywhere we wanted. We had a lot of red stone to replace! Plus, we added on a little to a side flower bed we created. If you are a tad particular than that is the best way to figure out how many stones you need plus a little measuring beforehand too does the trick.
Adding some floral color makes a huge difference!
The new flower bed we created was already there but full of rocks. We revamped that with some dirt and really turned it up with a hand tiller we have (also great for garden use) called a Garden Weasel. A few trips to the garden section we had dirt and picked up the flowers we wanted. For this area we wanted annuals that I couldn’t kill too easily if I forget to water them one day. While there are so many pretty flowers most of them are perennials so they would die off and we didn’t want that. At the end we finally decided on some pretty pink smaller azaleas and multi colored lilies. One of the names of the lilies I know was lemon drop calla lilies. Why did I remember that? It is a very vibrant yellow!
Earlier in the season it was also important that our monkey grass be taken care of as well. I have always loved monkey grass because it’s pretty and it is basically indestructible! Every so often you have to trim the dead ends of it just like hair but that causes it to come back greener and fuller. Not everybody loves it because I had to state my case of why we should keep what little we have but now that ours has been properly taken care of I get to keep it!
To wrap up our curb appeal….
While we aren’t completely finished and plenty left to do I hope this inspires you to get out there and take charge of your yard to help give it a fresh new look. Believe me, buyers looking for a home LOVE a pretty yard because it is the very first thing they see. The simplest of things like a new flower can make someone want to look twice. But, imagine what a whole yard makeover will do!
As you will see we still have work to do on our walkway. In the beginning it was surrounded by the matching red stone with white rocks and the flat pavers. We plan to eventually have a matching gray paver laid to really make it all come together. Take a look at the work in progress and I will link the stones we used if our work in the yard motivates you to do the same for new appeal on your home.