Curb Appeal Equals Equity

There are a number of reasons the average homeowner decides on a landscaping project for their home or garden. One of the major advantages of considering home improvement by means of landscaping is for the equity it provides to their property. For the DIY home gardener, a landscaping project represents a challenge and a pleasurable experience to them in creating lasting beauty for their homes. The pride they take in accomplishing their goals and the respect they obtain from their neighbors is most gratifying.

Homeowners who are not quite as industrious or experienced at performing landscaping techniques as their DIY counterparts, still see landscaping as being a worthwhile venture to help add curb appeal to their residences. These homeowners must approach the task of landscaping from a somewhat different angle. Whether it is for the simple enjoyment of the landscaping experience, or the aesthetic benefits it provides for the homeowner, curb appeal equals equity for the homeowner.

Even with the fact of the housing market and the overall economy being in a downturn, homeowners can still benefit and add value to their property by improving the outside appearance of their homes. This is accomplished for the most part by landscaping design elements. Landscaping, as it applies to the average homeowner, incorporates two of the three major landscaping concepts. The three concepts of landscaping are Landscape Design, Landscape Architecture, and Garden Design.

Those most beneficial to the average DIYer are landscape and garden design. Landscape Architecture is a concept that is a little bit out of the realm of the average consumer, thus rendering it not as relevant. Some of these landscaping design elements are flowers, shrubbery, trees, and plants. Other design elements include some architectural components, such as ,brick or stone, fountains, ponds and concrete pottery items .

There are a couple of ways consumers can approach the task of improving their home's curb appeal. First, for the DIYer, they can ask questions and get tips and advice from many of the fine home improvement or local gardening centers available to them. The staff and management of these centers are very knowledgeable and have plenty of resources available to assist the homeowner.

For those homeowners without the experience or knowledge to undertake such a venture, there are usually a number of excellent landscaping contractors available locally who provide wonderful services. One piece of advice to those consumers contemplating hiring a contractor. They may need to consider taking advantage of companies such as Angie's List to help them make informed decisions on which contractor(s) to enlist. They have ratings and recommendations on contractors nationwide, based on input from members of the list. These ratings include such criteria as quality of work and the customer service(or, lack thereof) these members have received from the companies and contractors they had hired.

The DIYer has, as stated earlier, a few options available. The advice and tips from home improvement centers, and also from the many books available on the subject. There are also a number of companies available who either produce, or offer at retail, excellent landscape design software. This design software is in the form of CD-ROM, or in some cases, in a down loadable format online. Either way, it is an excellent resource available to the DIYer. The homeowner who desires to hire a quality landscape designer or contractor has the resource of ratings companies, such as Angie's List, from which to turn to for valuable advice. Those consumers that are eventually going to hire a professional, can still benefit from the software programs available. They can design a template of their preferences to present to the contractor during the initial planning stage.

In closing, there are few home improvement techniques that deliver more aesthetic beauty and lasting value than landscaping. The investment made in improving the outside appearance of a home, adds tremendous long term benefits to the homeowner. Whether this is accomplished as a DIY project, or contracted out to a professional, it is a very worthwhile venture indeed. In the midst of an economic downturn and a housing market slump, it is still possible to increase the value of ones home. Landscaping equals curb appeal. Curb appeal equals equity.

Landscaping Ideas