{"id":339,"date":"2015-02-25T23:56:12","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T23:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/Sabloni\/ZigZagWP\/?p=339"},"modified":"2015-09-18T16:53:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-18T16:53:25","slug":"home-design-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/25\/home-design-article\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Design Article In The Charlotte Observer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What are a few landscape improvements that can boost a home\u2019s curb appeal? What are few small, easy things? And what are some larger, maybe more expensive improvements that are worth the investment?<\/p>\n<p>Small \/ Easy improvements \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Clean up what you have. \u00a0First, be sure to remove all leaves and debris if you haven\u2019t done so already. Second, clear out any dead plants, such as annuals. Third, trim and shape your existing shrubs and trees. Fourth, replace ground cover in any natural areas. \u00a0Fresh, clean ground cover such as mulch or pine straw helps define those areas, control weed growth and bring out the green in the rest of your yard. Finally, edge your grass areas. Defining beds and edging your side walks and drive way are an easy and inexpensive way to improve the look of your landscape and increase curb appeal.<\/p>\n<p>Larger \/ More expensive improvements \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Replace your foundation plants with size appropriate shrubs and plants. \u00a0Many times homeowners do not prune or trim their foundation plants and they get too large for the home. \u00a0After too many years of growth and no maintenance pruning, you are unable to cut shrubs back to the appropriate size without harming the health of the plant. These can wind up not only looking unattractive and hiding the home\u2019s fa\u00e7ade but may also eventually die. We see time and time again some homeowners replace larger foundation plants with \u201cbuilder-grade\u201d plants to be cut costs. \u00a0This tends to cheapen the landscape value. \u00a0If you choose size appropriate plants for your foundation it will show off your home and you give you the most value out of your efforts.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>How does curb appeal relate to your home\u2019s value when it comes time to sell?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Curb Appeal is huge! There\u2019s no other way to say it. The street view is typically the first photo any potential buyer sees from their real estate agent and the first impression a buyer has when they drive by or visit your home for the first time.\u00a0A well done, beautiful landscape is something the potential buyer will not have to worry about once they move in. \u00a0A landscape that requires a great deal of work can give potential buyers another bargaining chip to lower their offer on your home.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>What\u2019s the benefit of hiring a landscape designer as opposed to DIY?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>What you may think looks beautiful may not appeal to the general public or work with your neighborhood. Plus, after living in your home for several years, you may not see the possibilities that even small changes to your design can make in the eye of a new buyer.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to bringing years of experience on what layouts are most appealing, good landscape designers know which plants work best in this region and in which areas of your yard. Installing plants in areas without adequate light and or water are common mistakes that a qualified designer can help you avoid.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>What are some common mistakes homeowners make when it comes to their front landscape?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Over trimming or incorrectly trimming\/pruning plants and trees can harm the plant\u2019s health or deform a tree or shrub. Also, many home owners choose plants that are not in proportion with their home. The landscape should highlight your home, not steal the show. Selecting low value, low quality plants to save money in the short term can backfire easily in the long run. And when it comes to color, keep potential buyers in mind. You may love a riot of color in your garden, but if you are looking to sell soon, keep it simple. Greens and whites are elegant and work with any home. We feel you should take as much pride in your landscaping and plants as you do on your interior design and furniture. Your landscape provides the important first impression for a potential buyer.\u00a0Plus, you will stay in good graces with your neighbors!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are a few landscape improvements that can boost a home\u2019s curb appeal? What are few small, easy things? And what are some larger, maybe more expensive improvements that are worth the investment? Small \/ Easy improvements \u2013 Clean up what you have. \u00a0First, be&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,8],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1556,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions\/1556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autreykemp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}