Ugly House Front
Zee Moo
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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oklouise
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Overgrown UGLY front yard
Comments (3)Truthfully, it is easier to lay down a thick well-overlapped layer of newspapers or corrugated cardboard over the native soil, then cover this with several inches of new screened topsoil or (if you recently won the lottery) of soil-less mix, such as pro-mix. The newspapers/cardboard will eventually rot away, but before they do, the underlying weeds and vines will be killed. In the meanwhile, whatever you put on top of the new soil (or soil-less mix) whether it is grass seed or sod or annuals and perennials in a flower bed--whatever it is will have gotten a good start with no competition from the overgrown jungle. A couple of things to watch for: MOWING: Mow or string trim the existing vegetation until it's as LOW as it will go, before you start laying. WATER:You have to frequently water ANY new planting into the new soil/soil-less mix. For the first year, the roots of the new planting will not penetrate the underlying newspapers/cardboard, so the roots will be shallow and will require more water than if they were growing in deeper soil. By the middle of the second summer, you can dial down the watering, but until then, you really do have to water more frequently. (I myself would rather water than weed, however, I live in Wisconisin, where water is not rationed). If you are making a flower bed, you can cut down somewhat on the watering by adding a thick-ish mulch on top of the new surface, but for a lawn, you cannot mulch. ENOUGH THICKNESS: For this trick to work, you need a LOT of newspapers or cardboard. You can probably get the amount you need at a recycling center, or by going around and collecting from your neighbors on recycling day. You want at least 6-8 sheets of newspapers over each spot, and at least 2-3 inches of overlap. Corrugated in a single layer is enough, but the overlap will need to be more as the cardboard is stiffer. Watering the newspaper/corrugated helps stop if from blowing away, and helps soften it to assist with conforming to the local bumpyness of the ground. But, lay soil on top asap, anyhow, because even quite wet newspaper will dry faster than you think and take flight at even a small wind. AMOUNT OF SOIL: You want to add at least 1.5 inches, and 2" are better. This is a LOT of soil, so you might want to do this in sections, a little every day. QUALITY OF THE NEW SOIL: If the new soil delivered is of low quality, you are simply trading one bad soil for another. If your local landscaper offers different grades of soil, get the one with most compost already in it. That way, even if weeds do get started, they'll more easily pull out of a loose and fluffy soil than a crusted low-organic- matter soil. Or, if you can afford soil-less mix (easier to afford for a flower bed than a lawn) you will have no weed-seed problem. TIMING: Do all this AFTER tree-seed drop next spring, or you will be pulling out a million baby maples, elms, ash trees, whatever, out of your newly delivered soil. Some weed seeds will blow in on top no matter what you do, but by waiting until after tree-seed drop, you'll cut your weeding chores substantially....See MoreWould it be ugly to have a septic tank in FRONT of the home?
Comments (8)The tank at our old house was in front of our house and we just made a landscaped island over it and no one knew it was there. In Wisconsin you can't bury the access points (size of a manhole cover)to the pump chamber and one other chamber (we had three chambers and were allowed to bury one of the access points), but you can cover them with mulch. The reason that you can't bury the two access points is that you need to be able to access them in winter when the ground is frozen in case you have a problem with your tank or system. A friend of ours had their septic field fail in the winter so they had to use their septic tank as a holding tank and get it pumped often until spring when they were able to put in a new septic field....See MoreUgly - Ugly house
Comments (15)Your house is not ugly, but if you feel that way no one here should be invalidating your feelings. I am sure you ARE thankful to have a home. Not liking how the exterior looks has nothing to do with being ungrateful or not feeling blessed to have a home. It simply means that the way it looks is distressing you. You should feel happy every time you pull up in your driveway. Think about what colors make you feel happy, and then find a tone that will accent the brick. Paint or new siding can do amazing things.Shutters in the right color and/or style may look nice, but if you don't like them at all, by all means remove them. Frankly I feel the windows on the back of your house could use some accenting. Maybe not each and every one, but they do look plain which may be part of what is making you feel your home is "ugly". It doesn't have to be shutters either. There should be a way to frame the windows so they look like trim has been put on them....much like we do inside. On a stucco home there are ways to make the windows look trimmed out and painted an accent color. Not sure about the type of siding you have, and whether you can achieve the same effect, but I would think someone could. Landscaping with shrubs, flowers, and trees will transform how your home looks. Done correctly they will bring areas that look out of proportion in scale with the surroundings. Plant trees first and go from there. If you sit outdoors and study your home, your instincts will tell you what you need. Find a friendly nursery and have fun with the process. Just don't plant the trees too close, and choose varieties that will fit the space. There are big trees, and there are smaller trees....See MoreIs my “ugly” house just ugly landscaping? Help needed!
Comments (10)Do you know the name of the shrub that's between the windows? What is behind the brick raised bed with the hedge? I like the suggestion to remove those bushes. What you do next depends on what is on the other side, next to the house. If you have a porch the same elevation as the front entry then I would buy some easy care annuals each spring, such as pansies, petunias, french marigolds. Creeping thyme will help control weeds. If the other side is more lawn or wanna-be lawn, then I'd put something in there that will get about a foot taller than the planter bed. Maybe an ornamental grass. To replace the shrubs I'd put something that will trail over the edge such as creeping thyme, moneywort, trailing petunias. As for the space between the windows I think you've made a good start with the shrub or small tree you have. It needs friends, something that is a bit shorter, one on each side. Maybe nandina, or camelia, depending on your climate zone. Neither needs much care and rare pruning. There are some roses, particularly floribundas that need very little care. When I lived in Bakersfield, California and in the Sierra foothills I cut them back to about a foot high each winter and that was it. I didn't fertilize, spray, nothing. They grew and bloomed just fine. The yellow and peach colored ones were the toughest and most reliable. Floribundas are generally smallish, about 3'-4' tall and have many small rose blooms....See MoreZee Moo
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