Are you planning on investing time, effort, and money into making the outside of your home look beautiful this year? From landscaping, to re-paving your driveway, to updating the look of your home, there are so many different ways to revamp your home?s exterior. In the past, this may have been a project you put on the back burner in order to focus more attention on home improvements inside the house. Now is the time to go ahead and commit to all those exterior projects you have been wanting to do for so long.
Interested in learning more about a variety of different home improvement projects you can do on the outside of your house? Keep reading to learn more about types of topsoil, uses for river rock, and how to create a pathway.
Two Exterior Home Improvements Projects to Invest in This Year
If you have spent the past few years working on the inside of your home, it is time to turn your attention toward the outside of your house. There are so many different ways that you can upgrade your home?s exterior to make it even more beautiful than it already is. Not sure where to begin with your home improvement projects? Here are two different options involving landscaping and updating your driveway or pathways throughout your garden.
1. Learning about landscaping
Whether you are hoping to sell your house in the near future or you simply want to upgrade your home, landscaping is a great way to go. Statistics show that you can increase your home?s resale value by up to 14% when you invest in some amount of landscaping. This can vary from adding gardens throughout your front yard or backyard to laying down better soil and growing better grass throughout your yard.
If this is the home improvement project you select, it is important to learn as much as you can before you begin working. One aspect that you should focus on is learning all about soil, specifically topsoil. Topsoil is crucial to growing anything in your yard. It is the uppermost layer of soil throughout your yard and can be anywhere from two to eight inches thick. Generally, there are three types of topsoil you could find in your yard. These are sand, loam, and clay. When evaluating your topsoil or looking for ways to improve it, you should always consider its fertility and texture as good indicators of whether it is quality topsoil or poor topsoil.
2. Adding pathways or a driveway
Another way to upgrade the exterior of your home is with added pathways throughout your garden or by upgrading your driveway. A pathway in your garden can provide a way for people to safely walk through your yard to admire it without stepping on any of your plants. It also adds dimension and character to your yard. An updated driveway, on the other hand, has a very practical use in that it makes it easier for cars to access your home.
For any type of pathway or driveway, you need to research, learn about, and consider what types of materials you will use for the home improvement project. You do not want to commit to any type of task without first knowing exactly how you will accomplish it. One of the best types of materials to use for a driveway or pathway is river rock. Uses for river rock usually include creating a type of smooth gravel. This gravel varies from one to two inches in diameter for driveways and pathways. Many people find uses for river rock in creating driveways according to the 2017 Houzz Landscape Trends study that reported 38% using crushed rock and crushed gravel. Since there are a variety of landscaping rocks to choose from, make sure you speak with a professional before selecting one.
Do you plan to commit to one of these exterior home improvement projects this year? What have you learned about soil uses or the uses for river rock? Share with us in the comments.
