Mulch. I love mulch. It’s just the best. I love the way it smells, I love spreading it on the ground, but most of all, I love how it gives an instant visual improvement to any space it’s added. My husband didn't grow up in the midwest, and prefers to call it "Beauty Bark" but I like to stick with Mulch. Last month on social media and our blog, we talked about the importance of curb appeal – and give some easy ways to add color and value to any home. This month we are discussing getting outside. Get outside and finish that yard work!
If you follow our social media, you will see that Laura has been posting about her adventures in landscaping. I (Amy) have also been having my own adventures in our yard. At the beginning of the season, we chopped down and killed my nemesis (a 8 ft tall by 6 foot wide decorative grass patch). It was a full day project to rid it from our yard and prep to reseed over it. We now have baby grass growing that can be mowed with the rest of the lawn. It makes me so happy! We then decided it was time to paint the house! We chose a rich warm barn red color. It’s so pretty! I’ve also been mulching (of course) as well as reclaiming overgrown garden beds around our house. We’ve had so much brush piled up from trees and bushes we’ve cut back, that we recently took three van loads full of it to the city drop off – and found a snake nest in the process. We got loads of fresh mulch to spread around our patio after I buried new weed barrier.
I don’t consider myself to be a gardener by any means, but there is something so satisfying about tidying up the yard – pulling weeds, edging the sidewalk, mowing, etc. I do this a little at a time while my kiddos are playing outside. Doing these simple improvements can really clean up the outside of your home and improve the overall look and feel of your property. Adding potted plants creates a pop of color and interest. If you are thinking about selling in the next few years, keeping up with yardwork yearly is so very worth it – so it’s less of a big project when the time comes.
As far as house colors go, doing something as simple as repainting your front door can add visual interest and be completed in a day. If your home is a neutral color, have fun with your front door! An unexpected color is fun and memorable. If you hate it…you can repaint it at any time. One agent on our team chooses a different color every year. How fun is that?!
Curb appeal can be important for both resale and sell speed. Yearly maintenance of the outside of your home is crucial, but I’d also encourage you to have fun with it as well. Its your space and your view. So spend time figuring out what is doable and joy-bringing for your lifestyle!
Oh – and don’t forget to MULCH!