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Unique Exterior Home Ideas
Exterior home
often neglected. Actually, this is the first
door 'to your home. So, you need to treat
outside the home and in the same house.
Outside the house of ideas is as important
as interior decor. This is a noble reason to
quit, breathe fresh air and relax! But to
relax you must plan the surrounding
environment to enjoy them. Front page design
is a good place to start. This is the first
thing people see when they buy a vehicle,
other than the home, of course.
You can spend as much or as little as you like
on exterior home ideas. Your home’s exterior
itself is probably not the best place to skimp
when thinking about exterior home ideas. But,
there are places it won’t hurt the eyes or the
pocket book a bit if you do. Here are a few tips
if you find yourself regularly left with more
month than money.
1. Instead of paving a driveway, use pea gravel.
Here in the Midwest we can get a large dump
truck full for about $300.
2. If you need a walkway through the garden or
from the house to the garage, use circular
concrete stepping stones. You can purchase them
for around a dollar each in the garden area of
most home improvement stores.
3. Another of the many exterior home ideas is to
buy large bags of cypress mulch and scatter
generously around trees, bushes and flower beds.
Cypress is quite inexpensive and it does wonders
for keeping those annoying weeds down. It makes
it much easier to trim the grass too. Sometimes
you can find free mulch at your local brush
facility. You may have to load it yourself, but
what's better than free?
4. Mosquito netting is a great exterior home
decorating idea. It is a see-through fabric and
comes in rolls or you can use a precut umbrella
mosquito net. You can trim to size, sew a pocket
and hang from curtain rods that have already
been attached to your patio roof. It’s a good
way to extend your living space out onto your
patio without all the bugs!
You can find more ideas on decorating a patio
here.
5. Draw a sketch of your exterior home ideas.
Choose the best drawing or combine them all.
Plan every detail from color to heights of
plants. The more you plan, the less you will
spend on miscellaneous stuff you just don’t
need. Go shopping with a list and stick to it. A
good place to research flowers and other
plantings is Garden Web : Gardening Community
6. Be sure not to cut the crass too short. When
done mowing the grass should be finger length.
“I’ll have to mow more often,” you sigh.
Unfortunately that’s the price to pay for green
grass. This will avoid the browning in late
August that you see, at least here in the
Midwest.
7. Let the kid in you loose. Allow the path to
the back yard to wind a bit. Create nooks along
the pathway sheltered on all sides by bushes or
trees. Hang a hammockin one nook. Place a Wind &
Weatherin another. Inspire the feeling of a
secret hideout.
8. Apartment living is great time to experiment
with window flower boxes. At my first apartment
I bought flower boxes that come with brackets
you can hook over a deck railing, etc. I
received my first lesson in gardening when the
snap dragons I planted grew up and not down.
Needless to say, I recommend a more cascading
type of flower. Petuinas are an excellent
choice, low maintenance and very colorful!
9. When decorating for a patio party place
numerous jar candles outside in unusual places
for an exotic way to greet your guests. Place
them on fence posts, on each stair rung and
along garden pathways or sidewalks.
10. In early August keep your eyes peeled for
trees and perennial flowers to be heavily
discounted. Stores will be clearing inventory
and making room for fall and winter items. I
landscaped my whole front yard for under $200
with inexpensive plants and shrubs!
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