Handy Man Fix Home Repair

Landscaping can be done by anyone, but the results will depend on the amount of time, planning and your ability to carry out your goals. If you feel more comfortable paying for professional landscaping services, by all means use that route. However, there is nothing like the feeling that comes after you’ve finished the last planting and step back to view your handy work.

So, here’s a crash course in Landscaping 101 that will have you designing your dream yard, just like the pros, in no time at all. Before you get started, we recommend working off a photo of your home. It really works to be able to see everything right in front of you and can be very beneficial in your planning.

There are many different types of homes, the first rule of thumb to remember is that your landscaping should add to your home, not detract from it. While you may love soaring trees, they’re only going to make a small house look smaller. Little tiny shrubs are cute, but when placed in front of a large home, they look a bit silly. Size does matter when it comes to landscaping and you need to make sure that your house is not over or under whelmed by your plantings.

Let’s start out with trees.

They have numerous benefits to your yard and can provide some terrific shade. Pick a few trees that you really like and mark off the spots in your yard where you would like them to go. Symmetry is a bonus with most landscaping plans, but if you like a free wheeling style, go for it! Remember, do not place trees where they will interfere with sewage lines, concrete or your home’s foundation.

Next, you can move onto plants.

Again, you want to add to your home, not take away. Plants can be used to creatively camouflage areas of your home that may need a little work. Look for foliage that is evergreen for this use so that you won’t have the bad areas showing all throughout the winter. Creeping plants are terrific when used along the front of your home and can help you cut down on struggling with a mower in complicated spots.

You can use plants to line walkways, around trees, or basically anywhere in your yard. Don’t forget that potted plants are also very useful landscaping tools and can really make that old front porch look a lot better. Pick plants that will be able to survive your winters, or find a way to bring them inside during the winter. Plants can also be placed around “ugly” areas to mask any pipes.

Lastly, lighting is an essential part of any landscape design.

Once your plants and trees are in place, you can formulate a lighting plan that will show off all of your hard work throughout the night. We recommend solar powered lights since they are more environmentally friendly and a lot easier to install. However, electrical lights have their purpose, but should only be installed by a professional electrician.

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When it comes to focusing on curb appeal, many homeowners get caught up with plantings and fixtures, but fail to find ways to highlight all of their hard work. Whenever you add something new to the outside of your home, you’re going to want to show it off! Simple lighting fixtures can add a lot of nighttime drama to your home and make it look like a million bucks. This greatly enhances your home’s curb appeal and adds to the overall value of the home.

If you’re completely new to landscaping, it can be a little tough to decide where to put these lights. Instead of just buying a few and placing them willy-nilly, we’re going to show you how to design and implement an exterior lighting plan. It’s well worth the time and effort and you’ll be amazed by the results. Let’s get started!

First, you’ll need to work out a budget for how much you want to spend on your lights. This can dramatically impact your overall design, so this is the best place to start. Keep in mind that if you are installing hard wired lights you’re going to need to spend extra money having an electrician hook them up unless you are comfortable doing it yourself.

Once you have your budget figured out, you can move to the next step. Go outside and take a photo of your house. Sounds silly, but it’s a lot easier to work from a photo. The camera will pick up on things you may miss with the naked eye. If you’re using a digital camera, you can use your computer to help you with light placement. Either way, either get your film developed or print out your picture so that you have a hard copy to work from.

Figure out which areas you want to highlight and which areas may need camouflaging. If you’ve got some nice plants alongside the front of your home, but the paint is peeling, it’s not a good idea to throw a spotlight on them so the world can see that your house needs a coat of paint. Likewise, if you’ve got a spectacular flower garden, you need to show it off!

Once you have an idea of the areas that you want to highlight, you can fill in the rest of your idea with secondary lights. For example, if you have a walkway up to your front door, it is a very nice tough to line it with small lights that make it easier to see at night. This gives your home a very cozy and welcoming feel. Several homeowners also like to put a light fixture at the entrance of their drive. There are some fabulous old style lanterns that are perfect for this use.

Draw everything out on paper first. Once this is done, you can purchase your lights and install them according to your notes. While you can install lights without having an idea of where they should go, you’ll get a much nicer end product when you take the time to plan everything out.

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