Betty

Front and Center

Betty in front of home.

Doesn’t it look great? Our front yard didn’t always look like this. Actually, it’s only looked like this since yesterday.

When we moved in about 8 1/2 years ago, we really like the landscaping. While we don’t have a backyard, the builder had nicely landscaped the front and side yard. Over the years, there’s been a few changes. A front flowering tree did not make it. Dan and I put in some stepping stones from the sidewalk to the street. One Father’s Day, Dan and I bought 17 bags of mulch. Dan laid the bags out throughout our front and side yards. I then dumped and spread out each of those bags. After that, I took a shower and spent the rest of the late afternoon watching golf. To me, watching golf is like watching grass grow, but that day – after the mulch – I was perfectly content to watch golf.

A year or two later, we replaced that mulch with rubber mulch – which I thought at the time was a more environmental and long lasting choice. And then over time, the borders with our neighbors became muddled as mulch mixed with rocks, rocks mixed with mulch, and two types of rock got all mixed up.

So, after 8 1/2 years, and maybe being home so much these days, I just thought it was time to spruce things up. How did we do it?

Basically, Dan wrote a check. I had seen a recommendation on our neighborhood Facebook page. I mentioned it to Dan, and we gave the guy a call. Now, I like to save money. I don’t mind hard work. I like to do things ourselves, but both Dan and I are older these days, and some jobs we now prefer to leave to those younger, industrious types.

We called Chad at Buchholz Outdoor Maintenance (the BOM), and we couldn’t be more pleased. Chad was pleasant to deal with, writing out a specific contract, and did the job in a timely and professional manner. At one point, he had me come outside to ensure what he would be doing was exactly what I wanted. It was.

Here’s our before and after pictures, so you can see the difference:

Front Before
Front After

Left side Before
Left Side After

Right side Before

Right Side After

After a couple years in our home, the center area between the houses began growing grass (nuts edge as per Chad) through a weed barrier and rocks. This progressively got worse. It was an ongoing battle to pull out the tall grass. Chad had the existing rock pulled up, put down a 20 year weed barrier, and then put back the rock. He recommended down the road, putting down a granular weed killer each spring. Here’s the pics:

Center Area Before
Center Area After

Here’s Chad hard at work and his company’s sign. He also has a home remodeling company. Please know, he’s not giving me any money now or ever, no discounts coming my way. I simply give my recommendation as his work and word was good. Don’t tell Dan, but I’ve got some more ideas for Chad down the road.

Chad

Click sign to go to his Facebook page.

One more look as I really can’t stop admiring our spruced up front. I love our home. Everybody should love their own home the best, and I hope you do, too.

Home Sweet Home

20 comments

  3. Looks great. Sometimes it is nice to have someone else do the hard work. Yes, there is no place like home. Your home looks very lovely. I must say watching golf is like watching the grass grow. Ha Have a nice day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you, Peggy. That hard work was too hard for us, and I have only ever watched golf once. 🙂 I hope you have a very nice day. Our weather is nearly perfect here – maybe yours is too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. Wow that is fantastic! Isn’t it nice when you can find a reliable individual to do the work. I mean the work he did is first class. You really have a nice home and all of the landscaping really sets it off. When if ever we decide to settle down I’ve already decided no grass, no much, no flowers, just gravel! Ah well, that’s just me. But we’ve got a few more years to go before we cross that bridge.

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    Reply

    • Thank you! Yes, sometimes you can hardly get someone to even call back. I like our neighborhood recommendations. The only grass we have is between the sidewalk and the street. And we are lucky because our neighbor cuts ours when he does his. We are sure to always thank him! Enjoy the day!

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