Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

December 29, 2023   Matt

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Buying a home for the first time is very exciting – no more renting, you are now paying and investing in yourself by paying your mortgage. However, through all the excitement of a mortgage and buying a new home, it’s easy to get carried away and to forget some important things you should be looking for. It would be awful if your first home buying experience turned out badly and you bought a house that was a money pit because you didn’t take a few moments to look at all the aspects.

One of the key things first time home buyers should do is look into home warranties. A home warranty works similarly to warranties that you have on your vehicle or your appliances. You wouldn’t buy a new car or an appliance without a warranty, so why would you make the biggest purchase of your life and not get a warranty? Home warranties cover a variety of major repairs that may happen after you purchase the house. Home warranties are available for both new homes and older homes.

Either the buyer or seller can purchase a home warranty. If the seller has purchased the home warranty, it’s because they are trying to secure their pricing on the home and sell their home faster. As a buyer, you would purchase a home warranty as a safe guard against any major reparations that need to be done to the home that you couldn’t see, or tell, when you purchased the house.

Regardless of who purchased the home warranty, it is important to look at the coverage that is offered by the company. Coverage varies from company to company and state to state. When you talk to a home warranty agent, or look at the sellers’ policy, be sure to ask what is and is not covered on your home warranty specifically.

Most home warranties will cover:

  • Air conditioning system
  • Built in dishwasher
  • Built in microwave
  • Built in trash compactor
  • Ceiling fans
  • Central heating unit
  • Duct work
  • Electrical systems
  • Garbage disposal unit
  • Plumbing systems
  • Refrigerator
  • The oven or range
  • Washer and dryer
  • Water heater

Most of everything else is not covered. This includes:

  • Outdoor sprinkler systems
  • Outdoor water systems
  • Faucet repairs (unless otherwise stated in the policy)
  • Spas (you can request/add this coverage in some cases)
  • Pools (you can request/add this coverage in some cases)
  • Hot tubs (you can request/add this coverage in some cases)
  • Permit fees
  • Hauling away debris
  • Hauling away old appliances

It’s also important to find out when a request would be denied. There are plenty of reasons why a home warranty would be considered void, including:

  • Improper maintenance
  • Improper installation
  • Code violations
  • Unusual wear and tear

It is a good idea, when you buy your first home, that you have an inspection done on the house to ensure that it is properly up to the building codes and that there are no code violations and that the major systems and appliances in the house are properly installed and that they’ve been properly maintained.

Buying a home can be so exciting that you may jump at the first house that meets your needs and your budget – many people have been there. It’s always a good idea to take a step back from the situation and really look at the house – is this where you want to live for at least the next three to five years? Is it what you hoped it would be? Are there other homes that you are considering?

In some cases, having a home warranty can make or break the decision to purchase your first home. Most often, first time home buyers aren’t entirely up on what they are taking on – there’s no landlord to call if the pipes burst – that’s for you to handle. No heat? No hot water? You have to pay to replace and fix those items. These items cost up to thousands of dollars – do you have the money to fix and replace these major items, such as the electrical system, major appliance, hot water heater or furnace if they should stop working? This is why it’s always a good idea, especially for first time home buyers, to purchase a home warranty to protect them from the sometimes incredible expense that is associated with owning your own home. When you look for a home warranty, be sure to ask lots of questions and get a few quotes so you can compare the coverage on the home warranties and the rates that you will be charged.

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Is Landscape Fabric Even Necessary In Landscaping?

December 24, 2023   Matt

Is Landscape Fabric Even Necessary In Landscaping?

Landscaping fabrics are by no means an answer to a no maintenance landscape. I know a lot of folks are under the impression that they can simply buy it, place it, cover it, and forget it. Forever.

First. There is no such thing as a no maintenance landscape. In many instances landscape fabric can make your life a lot easier. However, there is an upside and a downside to using it. And as with most everything else, proper installation and maintenance is required if you intend to use it.

Landscape fabrics have their applications. They aren’t necessary in all applications but might be preferred in regards to the type of groundcover you use.

Our company uses weed barrier in 95% of the designs we create. It’s the nature of our business as we use decorative rock as the preferred groundcover around here. When using rock for groundcover and path work, it’s necessary to have a separator between the soil and groundcover. Otherwise, you’ll have mud rocks by the first rain storm.

In theory you should be able to use almost anything as a separator. I’ve seen do it yourselfers use anything from plastics to newspapers and cardboard boxes to old carpet remnants. Of course, as a professional, I can’t use or even suggest something like this to my clients. You’re on your own there.

Now personally, on any given project, I would much rather do away with fabrics altogether. I prefer to create living soil planting areas that are mulched and tended rather than being covered and forgotten. However, some areas are simply too large to apply this method and some folks just outright prefer to cover an area with decorative rock.

Both mulched living beds and rock beds underlain with fabric will require some work to keep them beautiful. Neither is maintenance free. As long as there is wind, rain dirt, and blown in seed, there will be something for you to do in your yard.

When we create a design using landscaping fabric and rock, I make the client aware of a few things. 1) There will be blown in seed and dirt. 2) Something will have to be done about it to keep it from accumulating. I assure them that with the quality of fabric we use, nothing will grow in from the bottom. However, we have no control of what blows in on the top.

Spraying the unwanted weeds with herbicide will take care of the weed problem. However, this does nothing for the dirt, leaf, and plant particles that are hiding under your rocks. And if you allow these to accumulate, they’ll continue to accumulate and you will never get rid of them. So periodic maintenance is required even if you do use landscaping fabric.

Periodically using a blower on your bedding areas will slow down the accumulation of dirt and in some cases eliminate it altogether. How easy and thorough this is depends a lot on the type and size of rock you use.

Small pea gravel accumulates and holds onto dirt, and is harder to clean than rock of a 1 ½” + nature. Not only does it hold onto dirt but has a tendency to be blown all around when being cleaned with a blower. Pea gravel works well for paths, walkways, and smaller areas but I don’t recommend it for covering larger areas.

As far as using landscape fabric under bark and mulch covered beds? In many cases this can actually be easier to take care of than living beds or rock covered areas as it can easily be picked up and replaced every few years. This will keep your landscape always looking new without having to blow dirt or mulch beds.

Remember. There’s no such thing as a no maintenance landscape. Landscape fabrics can make things easier in many applications but like everything else, they require a little bit of keeping up. No, they aren’t necessary in all landscaping applications. However, I believe you’ll find them to be your best choice for many groundcover applications.

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