Anyone ever had professional landscape design? - Page 3

nyc1 · ‎03-19-2010

We had our front yard landscaped and had them put in a bluestone walkway as well. It's gorgeous and we are really happy with the way it turned out. We were planting things on our own for years, but were never happy.

In our back yard we had them plant some blue spruce on one side of our yard and another type of spruce on the other side, and a gorgeous pink crabapple as well. We back to wetlands so have a lot of privacy. We already had lilac bushes planted.

Many years ago, shortly after we moved into our house and prior to all the other work, we had a different contractor come in and put in a beautiful stone patio. We put in boxwoods and astillbees around it. So pretty. I would definitely recommend using a reputable landscaper if you don't have that knack! You can work with them on their recommendations regarding plants you prefer and don't.

Good luck.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@ccassadaywrote:
@151949wrote:
@ccassaday our realtor just called us - get this.They are backing out of the deal because they just found out from the bank they won't be able to deduct the mortgage interest from their taxes, due to the last federal budget that was passed. So now they have decided not to buy a house. (sigh).
We got another ridiculous offer - $50,000 under our assessed value plus they want us to replace all the floors in the house with porcelain tile. We told the realtor it was a flat out NO. They can try again when they are ready to give a reasonable offer. Who knows - maybe they will find someone somewhere that will give their house away , but not us.
We have 2 people looking today and I just told my DH if it doesn't sell - THAT's it for me.I'm done! I'm perfectly content to stay right here. Of course I'll be sad to lose my pretty new house but it seems to be God's will.

That is really crazy. I can’t believe some of the stuff people ask for. Hopefully after realizing how ridiculous they are they will come back with a better offer.

What changed with the interest deduction? We will be in that same boat when doing taxes next year. We didn’t have any with our old house since it was paid off. But will have for the new house next year.

I don't honestly know anything about mortgages and taxes. We don't pay taxes because by the time we get our personal deductions our income is below the tax limit, so we haven't paid income tax since we both retired.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

When we built our home, we interviewed thee different landscapers. We chose the one we wanted and he did a beautiful job. Everyone complimented the landscaping in front of our home.

Fast forward to 20 years later. We hated it. The landscaper put four Nellie Stevens holly TREES right against our house foundation We had two on either side of the door and the other two were on the extreme ends of the house.

Those trees got so big that we had to do extreme trimming at least three times a year, or else you would not be able to get to my front door. It was always a hassle and a full days work each time. These trees grow to 10ft wide and 25ft tall. I think mine would have been bigger than that. They grew at least 3 feet wider every 6 weeks.

Last summer, I mentioned to my DH that we should have them removed. I was getting tired of doing most of the work on them and I,mentioned that we are not getting any younger. He immediately got out his chain saw and cut three of them down. He rented a stump grinder and removed the stumps that were a foot or more around and the roots that were 4 inches wide and woody.

We also removed four bird nest hollys and two yews. My DH put in a beautiful new stone walkway and last fall we put in some new landscaping. We didn’t remove all of the older stuff, just the invasive plants that were way too big.

The landscaper we used is now the most expensive and popular one around. People brag that he did their landscaping.

Today, if I had to do,it all over again, I would pay the nursery’s designer to come up with a plan that I liked and suggest plants that would work and have the nursery explain how big the plants get and how much upkeep they require. I would buy the plants and do the work myself. I would also save thousands of dollars.

No matter which route you go, always do research on the plants before they are put in. They are expensive to purchase and not easy to remove them when they get too big for the area where they are planted.

The nursery where I purchased my plants last fall were very helpful. I am pleased,with the service and plants I got from them. It took me two visits to decide what I wanted and they didn't rush me. There was no charge for their recommendations, suggestions or information.

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

The new tax law caps mortgage interest deductions at $750,000 for new purchasers.

For an existing homeowner with a mortgage it caps mortgage deductions at $1M for a 1st and 2nd home.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@nyc1 Your yard sounds lovely. I have always loved Pa. Bluestone walks & steps.

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

@Snowpuppywrote:
The new tax law caps mortgage interest deductions at $750,000 for new purchasers.

For an existing homeowner with a mortgage it caps mortgage deductions at $1M for a 1st and 2nd home.

Then they were using that reason to back out as a excuse.

Teddie · ‎03-10-2010

We hired a professional landscaper and designer. We live out in the country and had our home built. I wanted the rustic, modern look and that’s what we’ve been told it looks and feels like. The front area and off the side is a slate walkway and steps going down to our firepit area. We’ve had some nice family times there. We used a lot of the different sized rocks on our property, some of them quite large. The slate and the rocks all have a bit of burgundy color running through and it looks quite nice. My husband and the designer created a beautiful water feature that runs down toward the firepit area. We used a lot of plantings that are native to our area and require no watering on our part. We have spruce trees and other plants that all look so pretty together. We have landscape lighting that automatically turns on at dusk. When you drive up it makes such a difference in combination with the house. It would not look near the same if we didn’t have it. It was a big investment but so worth it.

I also want to share that we have a large deck facing east so when you want to use it in the afternoon or evenings the sun is on the other side of the house. The deck looks out over all the landscaping area. You can sit on the deck and turn the water feature on and it’s very calming.

Probably more than anyone wants to know.