closer
What does your front yard look like?
nother
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our house are totally on opposite ends of the design spectrum so do i have any advice.....nnnnnooooooo; yours is quite lovely tho....:)
That's a beautiful shady yard there.:)
sun challenged for sure:)....or is it shade challenged for sure?
Well I don't know, but I do know that shade is a challenge in Texas. That is unless you don't mind watering alot. I haven't found a wide selection of choices for dry shade.
My house faces west and I have some shady trees about 12 years old, so I must be careful how much sun/shade some areas get, as it chages as the sun moves. I also look for dry shade plants. I am considering removing the Mary Nell that flank the front, but will wait and see how it all looks when other plants fill in. Most of this put in last fall.
Many of the homes in the neighborhood have curved sidewalks, some even have a walkway just along a small front garden , so there is no walkway. I would have liked a slender "S" curve, as I think they look nice.I probably will change the little bed that is level with the lawn. Either put in a small tree or remove the bed completely.Welcome any input.
The side with more sun.This has the questionable bed.
TNN
Here is a link that explains how to lay a brick path
http://www.cornerhardware.com/howto/ht023.html
Collin, thank you!
Banana, love the rock wall between you and neighbor.
Call me unneighborly but I like a dividing line of plants between neighbors....but nothing that will encrouch onto their property or be sharp etc....well pruned shrubs, nice rock wall, fencing (assuming they won't have to weedeat right up next to it to keep their yard nice, etc. I've got enough problems with a neighbors cat who runs loose, poops in my backyard and peed on the hood of my car. Sigh. Any plants for that? LOL.
Sticks, looks great! The "advice" is in the pictures where one can see how other Texans have and are mastering their landscapes. :) A curved sidewalk IS nice if you don't have a symetrical house like mine....I like many architectures---not sold on one, just chose this house because I liked it best of what I'd seen to buy up to then. :) Thinking I will bust out the old and redo the placing of the sidewalk, needs to be drive side not curb side.
I think even with a symetrical house you can do a curved sidewalk as long as it curves equally. In other words, you curve it one way and then the other way the same amount.
Agree with that curved sidewalk.
Silver, yes that's true...unfortunately mine isn't even nicely done as if intended really---just seems like they didn't know WHAT they were doing during construction! LOL!
Hmmm. Well, you're right, a sidewalk that's not done right can distract from an otherwise beautiful yard.
I have one of those stepping stone look molds, DIY mold, things that I used at my last house. It's an option for here. Still....changing location of sidewalk to drive still means it's not symetrical but at least then it's more practical. :)
If the sidewalk comes out from the house towards the street for a ways and then over to the driveway, you could balance that with a rock edged border for a flowerbed on the other side. I'm always trying to figure out a way to justify another flowerbed somewhere.
Tir, Something to consider is how much foot traffic will come through. Our old home had curved walk and sales people and post man always ignored the walkway and used the grass to make for a shorter walking distance...drove me crazy. We now have a boxwood lining the walkway, of course it make no difference now in the new home, no one uses our front door. You could use flower beds too, to discourage people making their own path.
I'm loving this thread. I've already got an idea from Bronc's home I want to use over at my Mother's house.
And Silver, I love your house and all that silver wood covered in roses, one of my favorite combinations. Would you be terribly upset if I took the design of your rose arbor and used it myself. We still need one more arbor as a focal point and I've been looking high and low for a design I like that is different from the ones we have. Of course, I'll give you and DH full credit!
Cocoa, exactly my reasons for starting this thread!!! IDEAS!!! Yes the foot traffic problem is always something I think about. The mailman almost never has to come to the door though. And I plan to use the boxwood idea on the driveway side and the far side of the house AND across the front (if HOA permits that one). :)
Cocoalulu. We're flattered that you like it that much.:) Use as much of our yard as you like.:) One thing about our trellises that's hidden by the roses is the pitch. Both of them slant up at the back. The trellis infront of the house is easier to see, but the top of the arbor is pretty well covered. We wanted the back to be higher so that we could see more of the rose. If it's flat on top you won't see as much from the house or if you're standing on the patio. Does that make sense?
Tir, I can't imagine dealing with an HOA, last night on the news was a gentleman that was fined 50 dollars a day until he took down his solar panels. His panels saved him 70 percent in energy costs and he spent 15 thousand on them. I know solar panels are not the most attractive addition to a home, but someday if we all have them, they won't be as noticeable. Gotta start somewhere. O.k. Sorry off my soap box! Can you tell I'm still fuming!lol
Silver,when you get the time, could I pester you for a photo of the top end detail, where the top rails are connected to the sides. I'm going to show DH the photo, but I know he needs details. When it comes to wood working My Dh is not as talented as your Dh, but the sweet man makes up for it by being very enthusiastic and willing, lol.
Sure Cocoa, I'll see if I can find a picture without roses. Or we can take one. There's one corner that is pretty bare, because the rose on that post died.
Cocoa, that's why I just ask where I'm at and they've approved everything so far---don't seem as picky at mine as some. I would think solar panels off just the back of your house wouldn't even affect curb appeal so he must have had them all over? I TRIED TRIED TRIED to find a neighborhood in Houston with no HOA just because it's one more form of regulation and it's sad on something you own yourself....but was told by many many many that they all have HOA's in Houston. My neighborhood is about 30 years old so that tells ya how far back they've been going on....perhaps longer? I had never HEARD of one growing up in Michigan....not til I moved down here did I hear about them. Just glad mine is amicable. :)
You are lucky indeed, yours is amicable. From what i've heard, I'd hate to get on their bad side.
Silver, thank you. I showed the photo to Dh and he really likes the design too. He would like a photo of the ends(I knew it,lol). He would also like to know the size of the posts and top rails.
Cocoa, I took some more pictures today that I think should be more helpful. I'll see if I can remember how to talk to this !@#$% machine.:)
This is the front center support of the arbor taken from the ground.
Right front corner of arbor from front.
right front corner taken from the side.
this is the center right post taken from inside the arbor.
this is the back right post taken from the inside
this is the back center support
this is an overview from the yard of the right side so you can see the pitch of the "roof". I would have made the pitch steeper but we had already bought the posts and couldn't really make them longer than they were.:)
If you have questions, just ask. Since I'm not a carpenter, I wasn't real sure exactly what you needed a picture of.
I have some pictures on my photobucket
it's not as fancy as yours ...
mine is sort of random.. with a formal house like that it seems like stamped concrete would be cool, i know a few folks that had it done and its wonderful.
my photobucket is un-manicreality pw-joykitty
Definately need some color
Can you provide the actual link...think I am doing it wrong...
http://photobucket.com/images/un-manicreality%2520pw-joykitty/
This is a little hazy. It was sprinkling rain last night when I took the picture. To the right out of sight of the picture is a double driveway and the garage door.....which is always kept closed. #2 coming up
LOVE the cobblestone sidewalk (is that the right name?)----did you install yourself? What do you have in between the stones?
#2
lou...very gorgeous....i can't wait for you to tell us about the walkway....keep um coming:)
#3 It is stone with very irregular sizes. Yes we installed it and it was not easy. Would recommend having it done. The lot is 85' wide. and the front door is approx. 50' from the street. No curbside sidewalks in my neighborhood.
