Exterior Do’s & Don’ts Part 3
Do Give That Wonderful Deck A Great Body – Or At Least Great Legs! Maybe you’ve seen one of my personal favorites (she says sarcastically); the deck off the first or second floor of a home with spindly-looking four by four posts as its only means of support. They look like skinny “chicken legs” holding up an opera singer! Just because the deck is on the back/side of the house doesn’t mean its appearance doesn’t matter. Go the extra distance and make the deck a real stunner instead of an eye sore. The only difference between a good looking deck and a bad one is the time and effort taken to figure out how to make it work like an integrated part of the house; one which fluidly transitions interior living space to exterior areas and makes it look great while doing so! Otherwise the deck ends up looking like an after thought. Like I said, “Opera Singer with Chicken Legs”.
Search home/decor magazines and pictures online. You’ll quickly find a number of ideas for how to make your deck look fantastic!
This is an excellent example of a deck with “Chicken Legs”
Do Invest In Good Landscaping: It Makes All The Difference. Here’s where you can do one of two things. Learn about plants and the environment in which they’ll thrive or hire someone to do it for you. Do not throw a few “balls and cones” (as I like to call them) around the foundation of your house and think you’ve completed the landscaping. While shrub-like evergreens can be a good staring point, you’ll need to supplement with additional plants of different heights, colors and textures for your house to look wonderfully layered and complete.
Again, I refer to Do: Part 1. Let your site assist in determining what will look good and grow well near and around your home. If you’re unsure, bring in someone who knows, even if you want to do the designing and planting yourself. They’ll guide you as to what will work best in your climate and what won’t. Many garden centers have a complementary design service to assist you in planning your landscaping in return for purchasing the plants from them. This could be a great way to go if you have a green thumb but find an entire house site a bit overwhelming.
This landscaping is a bit too sterile for my taste.
Even the cloudy day can not dampen the beauty of this landscaping!
These are some of the more memorable dos and don’ts I’ve learned from my build experience. What about you? Please share your Do’s & Don’ts in the Comment Section!
