24 March 2015 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com
Landscape design and construction
Creating Curb Appeal
Starts at the Curb
Imagine, for a minute, what sets one house on a street apart from the
rest. During the day, conventional wisdom would suggest that a con-
trasting front door will give you a real "wow factor," while at night,
dramatic lighting can be used to play up the front of the house.
One opportunity for a landscaping professional would be to
go more permanent than a coat of paint and setting out a few
exterior lights.
Choose instead to install a walkway — or walkways — out
front, made of genuine clay pavers.
Laura Schwind, a registered landscape architect on the staff
of Pine Hall Brick Company, points out that today's clay pavers
come in a wide variety of colors beyond the classic reds. That
means they can be incorporated easily into the landscape design.
"You can look at the trim color or at the roof color," said
Schwind. "Sometimes, people will go lighter to simulate concrete.
Sometimes, they will match it to the roof, if they have a roof that
lends itself to that. Sometimes, they will go with the traditional
red colors, because that's what they have seen most often. It really
does depend on the person, on the homeowner more so than the
designer."
Schwind said that landscaping professionals should not be
afraid to use their imaginations. To start, go big. Laying out a
walkway that is, at minimum, four feet wide — wide enough for
two people to pass — or even wider, will make a statement. Every-
body else's walkway on the block will look tiny by comparison.
"It makes even an economical house look like a million bucks,"
said Schwind. "It adds so much to curb appeal — it makes it look
richer and more impressive — it just makes your house a step up
from all the neighbors."
■ by WaLt steeLe
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