It can be challenging to build an outdoor living space that is cool and comfortable, especially if there aren’t shade trees casting their cool shadows over your space. Instead planting trees and waiting twenty years or more, a simpler approach is to install a pergola, pavilion or gazebo that can provide shade as well as style.
PERGOLA
Pergolas offer a unique approach to defining outdoor living spaces. They have just the right amount of sophisticated elegance in an enclosure without feeling too closed-in. Pergolas allow fresh air to waft through your outdoor living room and can be customized to fit any aesthetic. You can incorporate a pergola into an existing deck or patio, or spread this beautiful natural wood structure over your flower garden. And these days, pergolas can be built from more than traditional wood. Low-maintenance vinyl, movable canopies, pendent or recessed lighting, and even ceiling fans are all options you can choose from to accentuate your canopy structure over your outdoor living area.
When you are ready to create that perfect focal point and gathering place in your backyard, give us a call. Our team here at A+ Landscaping would love to help you turn that dream into reality.
There are many benefits of having outdoor lighting installed, some of which you’ve probably never even considered. Here are just a few of them:
Safety And Security
Adding lighting to your yard significantly decreases the chance that your house will fall victim to a break in. When your yard is well-lit, thieves are much less likely to burglarize it. Instead of risking being seen in your bright yard, they’ll skip your house and move on to the next dark one.
Increased Home Value Unless you’re planning to live in your current home for the rest of your life, you’re probably concerned about how much your house is worth. A simple and highly effective way to increase the value of your home is to have outdoor lighting installed. This small addition will make a huge difference to prospective buyers and allow you to get more money for your home when it’s time to sell.
Prevent Your Guests From Tripping or Falling
If you’re hosting a party or having visitors over at nighttime, it can be hard for them to see where they’re going in the dark. Don’t risk having your guests trip or fall and hurt themselves! Eliminate this hazard by adding lighting to your walkways and yard.
A Better Curb Appeal It feels good to know that your home looks as great on the outside as it does on the inside. By adding exterior lighting, you’ll revitalize the appearance of your home and impress everyone in the neighborhood.
Highlight Your Landscaping
Landscaping requires a lot of time and money, and it deserves to be seen in both the light and the dark. Whether you’d like to emphasize a particular section of your yard or the whole thing, anything is possible with landscape lighting.
If you are located in Lancaster, Berks or Lebanon counties in Central PA, give us a call for your hardscaping and landscaping needs! Call A+ Landscaping at (717) 315-5347 for a free consultation.
If you are considering selling your home, the first feature potential home buyers will see is the exterior of the home and the landscaping. What is your home’s landscape design telling people? Does it say “here is a well cared for home with tidy garden beds and neatly trimmed bushes”? Or are the overgrown hedges and bare patches in the lawn screaming “stay away, the current owner simply doesn’t care!”.
Getting the Landscaping Basics Right
Most studies show that landscaping can add as much as 12-15 percent to the value of your home. If you have the basics down, like a well maintained lawn and garden beds with fresh mulch and thoughtfully arranged flowers and shrubs, that’s a great start. Depending on your neighborhood though, a patio, deck, fire pit, outdoor kitchen area or other hardscaping features can really make a difference when selling your home. The challenge is choosing landscaping improvements that will be what prospective buyers are looking for. If the feature you’ve added to your exterior landscape design is a sought-after home feature, the value of your home is guaranteed to rise.
When to Hire a Professional Landscaper
There are many DIY landscaping projects you can do yourself like aerating, over-seeding, and fertilizing your lawn along with keeping it mowed throughout the growing season. Planting annual flowering plants each Spring in the garden beds and adding fresh mulch is something anyone with a bit of a green thumb can handle. But, when you’re looking to completely change the current layout of your home’s landscape or add an outdoor hardscape feature, it’s best to find a professional who can help you create a design tailored to your specific home and neighborhood. Like any other home improvement you make, your home’s landscaping and hardscaping is a major investment. A professional landscaper will help you make the best choices for this investment, and will also likely know what outdoor features are currently trending with home buyers. Get at least 3 quotes from qualified local professionals when undertaking a major landscape or hardscape project for your home. This will help you identify the cost and also the potential return on your investment when it comes time to sell your home.
Finally, don’t make all your landscaping decisions around the re-sale value of your home. Your home should be personal. Enjoy your home’s landscaping and the features that are unique to your home’s outdoor areas.
If you live in the Lancaster, Berks, Chester or Lebanon County areas of southeastern PA, call us at 717- 335-1690. We’d love to help you with your next exterior landscaping project!
In the blink of an eye, Spring will be here! The warmer weather will be perfect to host family and friends outdoors on the deck or patio. This is a good time of year to look ahead and make plans for beautifying your outdoor living space. To inspire you, we’ve included some photos of recent landscape and hardscape projects that just might catch your eye. When you’re ready to transform YOUR backyard into a beautiful entertaining area for friends and family, give us a call for a free consultation: 717- 335-1690.
Outdoor Fire Pit and Patio installed for a client in Harrisburg, PA
Materials:
– Blu 60 Slate Paver
– Mini-Creta Wall
– York Wall Cap, Onyx Black
– Gas Fire Feature
Pergola and outdoor seating area installed for a client in Gap, PA
Materials:
– New English Cobble Paver
– Onyx Black Bull-nose Border
– Traditional Wood Pergola
Pool, outdoor seating area and fire pit installed for a client in Lancaster, PA
Materials:
– Diamond Pro Retaining Wall
– Architectural Cap
Patio and outdoor grilling area with custom granite countertop installed for a Client in Ephrata, PA
Materials:
– Mini-Creta with built-in grill
– Granite Countertop
Beautiful Outdoor Living Space with Pergola, Patio & Outdoor Kitchen installed for a client in Reinholds, PA Materials:
– Borealis Slab
– Aberdeen Slab
– Richcliff Paver
– Courtstone Border
– Capthorne Border
– Mini-Creta Seat Wall
– Prescott Fire Feature
– Traditional Wood Pergola
If you are located in Lancaster, Berks or Lebanon counties in Central PA, give us a call for your hardscaping and landscaping needs! Call A+ Landscaping at 717- 335-1690 for a free consultation.
