Boost Your Home's Resale Value With Landscaping

By:Ralph King

If you want to increase the value of your home, invest in landscaping. A Clemson University study found that landscaping around your home can result in more than a 100 percent return on investment.

Since the return on investment is contingent upon the quality of the landscaping job, it's important that you find the right landscaping contractor for your project and use high-quality materials like segmental retaining walls and interlocking concrete pavers.

Homeowners should consider the following factors when choosing a landscaping contractor.

* The scope of the project. Make sure that the contractor understands your vision and will be able to implement it. You may want to ask the contractor to design your landscaping project. Many landscape contractors have in-house design services.

* Proper licensing. Your contractor should be properly licensed, bonded and insured for the work proposed. Many regions require special licenses to conduct earthwork, grading and plumbing operations. The contractor also should have liability and worker's compensation insurance.

* Solid references. Check the contractor's references and make sure he or she has experience on projects of similar size and scope.

* Certification and training. Inquire about the contractor's experience with the products being installed. Ask if the contractor has been certified or trained by the product supplier or achieved recognition from a local or national trade association. Such credentials are provided by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute for paver installation and by the National Concrete Masonry Association for segmental retaining wall installation.

* Guarantees. Many landscape contractors or nurseries will guarantee plant materials for up to one year and hardscape installations for one year or more. Find out what is covered under the guarantee.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: Boost Your Home's Resale Value With Landscaping

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

For more information about segmental retaining walls, visit www.ncma.org. For information about pavers, visit www.icpi.org. - NU

Top Landscaping Articles
1). The Art of Energy Enhancement: Meditation to Remove Energy Blockages, Negative Emotions + Bad Luck By : Swami Satchidanand One is agitated by Energy Blockages. To come out of the agitation, one does not need to know the basic reason for it, the cause of the suffering. Only you need to know the Energy Enhancement techniques for healing Energy Blockages. In this way we can clear ourselves of all Karma and instead create good luck for ourselves and everyone around us.
2). Planning Your Herb Garden The Right Way By : Mary Hanna Planning Your Herb Garden the Right Way gives you a great outline on how to establish a herb garden. These are tips on growing an herb garden either inside or outside. All of the requirements from the planning stage, the growing stage and the harvest stage are addressed here for beginners or pros.
3). The Benefits of Landscaping By : David Dunlap Landscaping is lawn art and, like any other art form, it takes time, patience, and research to get your methods just right. But besides simply improving the look of a home, landscaping provide many other benefits, both personal and financial, that often go overlooked.
4). Are Robotic Lawn Mowers in Your Future? By : klc Robotic lawn mowers are going to be the next life-style changing appliance in America. Think about it, how many times have you wanted to get away for the weekend or go to some event but yard work kept you tied to the house? I can�t tell you how many golf outings I have missed. Robotic lawn mowers can mow the yard, go back to the charger, and go back out again on their own without human intervention.
5). Tips for Preparing a Planting Bed By : Michael J. McGroarty If you are preparing beds for landscaping around your house this article should simplify the process for you. I say that because of everything that is written about this subject, some of it is accurate, some of it is just plain wrong, and much of it is much more complicated than it needs to be. I like to think of myself as Simple Simon. I find the easiest, yet most effective way to do things, and they work.
6). Easy Landscaping and Curb Appeal for Florida Homes By : Kael The idea that an appealing outside is your best offense for intriguing potential buyers is based on the simple concept that first impressions really count. The great thing about learning some key elements of landscaping is that you can apply them to a home that you are just settling into, as well as one you are about to sell. For those who are selling or buying real estate in Tampa Bay Florida, some extra curb appeal advice will go a long way.
7). Arborvitae - For Privacy and Screens By : b hirst Arborvitae - For Privacy and Screens
8). Adding a Water Feature to Your Yard By : cynthia If you feel that your backyard is lacking a certain something, a water feature might be just the thing to bring new life to your outdoors. There are many different types of water features to consider, such as a pond or a waterfall. Flowing or still water has a peaceful relaxing quality to it, and water features allow you to bring this natural beauty right into your own yard.
9). How to Create Wildflower Gardens & Meadows By : TJ Hallinan How to Create Wildflower Gardens & Meadows
10). Growing Impatiens In Your Garden By : Lee Dobbins Learn how to grow lush healthy impatiens for garden borders and in containers.

New Landscaping Articles
1). The Environmental Benefits Of Water Gardens By : Christopher Byrnes Learn why water gardens are good for the earth
2). Chainsaws - Friends Or Foe? By : Dean Caporella Too often, non professional chainsaw users are throwing money against the wall by making hasty and ill-informed decisions about the type of saw they purchase.
3). A Self-sufficient Water Garden By : Christopher Byrnes Discover the steps to creating water gardens that virtually maintain themselves.
4). Tips for Choosing a Pesticide Treatment By : Paul Kleinmeulman A pesticide treatment may be necessary if your home is overrun with pests or if your garden is succumbing to invasive organisms. However, before choosing a pesticide treatment, it is important to make sure that you have performed your research and are prepared to use your pesticide treatment in a responsible manner.
5). Cheap Pond Liners By : Eric Morris Installing a garden pond is no longer a distant dream but an easy goal. Concrete ponds have been replaced with artificial, preformed and flexible Pond Liners which make the task of installing a pond easier and cheaper. When building on a budget, one can settle for a small water garden that holds less than 1,500 gallons of water or is less than 10� X 13� X 19� deep.
6). Online Florists By : Steve Valentino Flowers say you care. A gift of flowers brings about feelings of love, joy and contentment. Whether the occasion is a birthday, anniversary, or a gesture to tell someone you love them or are thinking about them --flowers are the way to do it. Flowers can really say it all in a very special way. Today, with Internet technology, sending someone flowers is as easy as sitting in your bedroom in your pajamas and surfing through various florists online to choose a gift.
7). Growing Hibiscus By : Kent Pinkerton Before growing Hibiscus, a fair amount of planning is required. Do you want to grow them in your garden, use them for landscaping or hedging or keep them pots that can be kept indoors or out? What size and type of plant do you want? Potted culturing has to be confined to the smaller varieties. For outdoors, the size is dependent on the use. Large types are ideal for landscaping.
8). Backyard Landscaping Ideas By : Sam Streubel No matter where you live, there�s nothing better than relaxing outdoors on a warm summer night watching your backyard landscaping ideas come to life. Unfortunately, re-landscaping your entire backyard during the course of one growing season can be back breaking, expensive and requires major planning. Here�s a simple solution: Break up your backyard into �rooms� and remodel one room each year.
9). The Truth About MTD Snow Blowers By : Robert Smith Ask anyone who lives in areas that receive snow, and they will tell you that it's shoveling snow more than the cold temperatures that they would list as the worst part of the season. Fortunately, there are options out there which will make your time outside shorter, and more importantly, less stressful on your back. Snow blowers provide a great solution for those who hate shoveling snow! One of the more popular snow blowers is an MTD Snow Blower due to the ease of use, durability and of course, power.
10). Finding the Right Landscaping Company By : Todd Dekkinga Hiring a good landscaper will make completing your landscape a much simpler process. If you create goals and properly layout your plans for your landscaping you will be able to get specific pricing. Here are some tips on how to hire a landscaper the right way. 1. What do you really want or need? Some landscapes are beautiful as they are, but the owners sometimes just want to add new appeal to their homes so they opt to have a landscape job done.

� 2006 articles2k.com - Privacy Policy