Basement Finishing and Family Space Project

Creating a Low-Maintenance Front Yard Video

In the last couple of weeks, the landscape on the front of the yard has been replaced. It used to be somewhat scruffy and sloped right to the sidewalk. A beautiful recycled stone curb has been installed along the front of the house and acts as a retaining wall. Bob talks with Ruth Foster, a landscape designer, and Nick Christy of Atlantic View Landscape Construction. A low-maintenance garden was put in place because this a busy household with two young children. The lawn was taken out because mowing lawns requires a lot of time. Pachysandra is being installed as ground cover because it does not require a lot of care. Pachysandra takes a year or two to develop but once it does, the ground will be completely covered. The pachysandra grows by sending out roots and sending up little plantlets. The plant requires no fertilization or watering. The front yard was filled in with eighteen inches of loam to reduce the slope to the curb and enrich the plant bed. A red Japanese maple that can grow to around 30 feet in height is at the center of the new yard. This tree will also need limbing in the future. Holly and rhododendron were also added to the front yard for low-maintenance bloom ing bushes. Daffodils and blue muscari were also put in, providing a blue and yellow accent in the spring.

Featured Bob Vila Showrooms
• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - Real Cedar for Siding, Decking and Outdoor Projects
• NewGrass - Natural-looking, natural-feeling synthetic grass for artificial lawns

Additional Bob Vila Showrooms
• DR® Power Equipment - DR® FIELD and BRUSH MOWER – Take Control of Your Property!
• WARN Works - PullzAll – Lift or Pull 1,000 pounds anytime, anywhere.
• Radiantec - Radiantec Solar heating systems for home heat
• Owens Corning - Basement Finishing System™

Carpentry, Construction & Materials
• California Closets - Pantry with counter, recycling, shelves, drawers, and tray storage

Decks, Fencing & Outdoor Living
• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - Fascia board behind gutters - View Bob Vila Showroom

Doors & Windows
• Therma-Tru - Three-panel glass sliding door

Lawn & Garden
• Architectural Fence - Northern white cedar fence, wing-wall sheds, and lattice-topped gate
• Atlantic View Landscape Construction - Reclaimed granite curbs, steps, and retaining wall; fieldstone paths
• Bruckman Rubber Co. - Weedseal—Heavy-duty rubber weed barrier for fences, posts, and hardscaping
• Monrovia Nursery - Holly, hydrangea, clematis, rhododendron, arbor vitae, Red Japanese Maple, magnolia, and azalea
• NewGrass - Artificial rye grass turf for residential application - View Bob Vila Showroom
• Ruth Foster - Landscape designer
• Tree Tech, Inc. - Full service tree care

Roofing & Siding
• New England Gutter Kings - Seamless, extruded aluminum gutter system

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	Other Video Clips from this Episode

	Replacing the Gutters The Melrose home had only one gutter left on the front, which had been neglected and was clogged with muck. In the back of the home, a vinyl gutter had ... Watch video and view full description
	Limbing a Potentially Dangerous Tree Many of the projects in the Melrose home fall under the category of safety. The big Norway Spruce tree on the left side of the front yard was limbed by ... Watch video and view full description
	NOW PLAYING Creating a Low-Maintenance Front Yard In the last couple of weeks, the landscape on the front of the yard has been replaced. It used to be somewhat scruffy and sloped right to the sidewalk. A ...
	Creating Stone Steps with Recycled Granite The side of the home has been fenced in with a white cedar fence from Architectural Fence. This fence has been designed with attached sheds to create a bin for ... Watch video and view full description
	Hardscaping the Backyard Moving to the backyard, the hardscape material in the backyard changes. Natural flat field stones were used because of the relaxed feeling. The loose retaining wall in the backyard was ... Watch video and view full description
	Selecting Flowering Plants for the Backyard All the plants in the backyard were from Monrovia, one of the largest plant suppliers to local nursuries in the country, and they grow some very specialized plants. Ruth Foster ... Watch video and view full description
	Preventing Weed Growth Along the Fence On the other side of the backyard garden Weed Seal was installed along the perimeter of the fence to control weeds along the fence line and around fence posts. Bob ... Watch video and view full description
	Installing Artificial Grass in the Backyard Bob talks with Greg Goehner of New Grass. Because of the amount of shade in the backyard and the two young boys in the house, the homeowners could never grow ... Watch video and view full description
	Creating a Lattice-Top Gate Bob talks with Jay Triandafilou from Architectural Fence. An elegant gate is being added to the fence as a finishing touch. The gate features a board bottom and a lattice ... Watch video and view full description
	Converting a Mudroom to a Pantry The entrance to the back of the house has been modified by removing the small back door and installing a triple-panel sliding glass door that looks onto the newly landscaped ... Watch video and view full description