Once upon a time, landscaping was easy. We threw down some grass seed, poured a concrete sidewalk, planted a couple of bushes, and added some petunias in the summer for a splash of color. Today, it's simple for our senses to be overwhelmed by the multitude of choices we have to extend our living space outdoors.
Just take a look at what your nearby lawn and garden center is stocking these days. Yes, there are plants, but also bricks, pavers, pottery, arbors, fences, edging, outdoor fireplaces, and koi pools.And do not forget the decorative fountains, birdbaths, swings, gliders, gazebos, and patio furniture.
"It utilized to be 4 shrubs on the left and four shrubs on the correct," says Don Woods, president of Stonehedge Landscaping and Garden Center in Newington, Connecticut."Most people don't want that anymore." According to Woods, as the average size of homes has grown in the past 30 years, so has the budget and complexity of most landscaping jobs.
Whereas three decades ago, a homeowner may spend a couple hundred dollars on landscaping, these days many professionally created landscaping projects begin about USD 3500 and can rapidly balloon to USD 10,000 or more.
Just what is driving the boon in landscape spending nowadays? Woods says it's property owners who are anxious to update their "hardscapes," the inanimate elements of their landscapes, like brick pathways, decks, porches, and patios. Property owners are tearing out their old concrete and asphalt sidewalks and driveways having a vengeance. They're replacing them with colorful pavers, complete with "soldier courses" flanking the outer edges, giving them an oldfashioned appearance much like cobblestone.
The explosion in the popularity of pavers can be witnessed at any home improvement and garden center. Piled on pallets correct towards the rooftops, pavers come in many different shapes and sizes along with a rainbow of colors. Stone pavers that are tumbled to give them a distressed appear are particularly in demand.
Pavers are enjoying widespread appeal because today's products are very durable, says Woods. The density of pavers exceeds conventional blacktop so they are able to be utilized in driveways that are plowed in the colder climates-as long as the base upon which they sit has been adequately prepared. "The base will be the whole success of your walk," says Woods. The property owners who run into trouble with their paving project are those who don't prepare the base deep sufficient and subsequently encounter problems with water or frost heaves.
Pavers price from USD 2 to USD 7 per square foot, and labor to install them can range from USD 6 to USD 18 per square foot.You can save on labor if you are willing to do the job yourself and do it the right way, which means adequate project preparation.Woods recommends:
While some may say that excavating the base to 12 inches deep is excessive,Woods remains unfazed. "We don't get a lot of callbacks," he says simply. And no matter how stunning your new front walkway looks when the last paver is set in location, it won't add any value to your house a year later if the pavers are all pushed up or you will find large gaps between them.
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