While it might seem counter intuitive, the outside of a home is just as important to maintain as the inside. Keeping an eye on beautiful landscaping is worth both the aesthetic and the monetary value. Proper landscaping done by a professional landscaping company speeds the selling of homes as far as six potential weeks in advance and brings the recovery value to double its normal percentage. The interior of a home is where the potential buyers will be living but the outside of the home is the first they’re going to see. It’ll be the lasting first impression they will get of the home and a major factor in their final financial decision. Aside from the monetary implications, a well-maintained outdoor sphere can be a huge influencing factor on mental well-being and sound feeling. The environment, while an external factor, quickly becomes a backdrop for internal setting. Homeowners who take care of their outsides are setting themselves up for taking care of their insides. This benefits everyone in the neighborhood, solo occupants or whole families. With all that in mind, here a couple specific areas that homeowners should focus on.
- Lawns
Most landscaping companies provide lawn care services that can keep a lawn looking fresh and natural. They also manage trees on the property, keeping the branches trimmed and safely away from the home. Many of them will even plant trees at the homeowner request which can have all sorts of unexpected benefits. Well placed trees can cut the unshaded home’s air-conditioning costs from 15%-50% in the summertime. This is good for the home and excellent for the larger environment. The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that trees can also mask unpleasant noises and generate a more pleasing atmosphere for the home as a whole.
- Driveways
A landscaping company can also serve to keep this crucial part of the outdoor sphere safe for vehicles and pedestrians. The U.S. Department of Energy has reported that proper and efficient landscaping can help lower heating bills by up to 30%. This fact stands doubly true for driveways which can act as heat traps in the summer. This will occasionally lead to a raise in the home’s internal temperature, costing the homeowner more in air-conditioning than necessary. Experienced landscapers will be able to decide the right shape and material of the driveway, eliminating potential for excess heat. They can also manage the smoothness of the driveway which is an important safety factor. While it may seem trivial, keeping the driveway even eliminates the possibility of dangerous falls for older homeowners and young children.
- Patios
Patios are similar to driveways in that they need to be maintained for safety purposes. Wooden patios need to have their boards checked periodically for rot and seepage. There’s nothing worse than an expensive grill being damaged or destroyed by a fall through broken boards. A landscaping company will be able to suggest the right wood-seal for any patio, keeping it protected from rain and snow. Some patios will have benches or swings on metal chains. The chains should be checked for periodic rust, liable to wear through the links every couple months with repeated use. The patio, just like the lawn, is the area most prone to parties with large groups of people. This is why its imperative to keep it up to standards, for the sake of homeowners and guests.