Uncategorized March 5, 2014

by w4l3XzY3

by w4l3XzY3

Uncategorized December 2, 2013

Home Projects – New Front Door

There are many home projects you can do that will increase the resale value of your home. One with a big impact is your front door and entry. The first impression you create to a potential buyer will flavor their whole perception of your home. That's why "curb appeal" is so often mentioned as a factor in valuing a home. 

Well, our home's "curb appeal" got a boost when we replaced our front door. The old door wasn't bad, but the single-pane, clear sidelights were dated and not energy efficient. And, there wasn't a proper threshold at the bottom, letting cold winter air in. Oh, and the paint was peeling off!

So, off we went to Frank Lumber in Shoreline. They have a huge selection of doors and accessories. We choose a new door, gave them our measurements and placed the order. These guys are pros so when they give you advice, take it!

We chose to stain and finish the door ourselves – wouldn't recommend it. The process took way longer than we thought it would and, not having a lot (or any) experience, we ended up with some trial and error redos. But, it turned out looking great. We had a contractor friend do the heavy work of replacement. Word of wisdom here:  unless you are really handy, hire a pro. You will spend a lot more time and potentially a lot more money doing it yourself unless you are experienced.

     

 

 

After having the door installed, we finished the trim on the outside and inside. Now we have a nice, new entrance to our house that's weatherproof. Definitely an improvement to the value of our house.

      

Next on the agenda is to take out the tile and add a new deck/front porch. Still in the design phase…..

 

 

Uncategorized March 26, 2013

Home Projects – Right Tree, Wrong Place?

When our aunt gave us a cute little Japanese maple, we had no idea of what it would grow up to be. So we tucked it in the planting bed outside our dining room. Years later, with it's top branches brushing the eaves it had definitely outgrown its space! Procrastinators that we are, it took awhile to actually get around to moving it to a more appropriate space.  First of all, we needed to make a space by removing a dying shrub. Then, we were in the wrong season (spring). So, it wasn’t until late fall of 2012 that we actually got around to the job.

We had our trusty landscape company tackle the job – which was a little more difficult than anticipated due to a recent heavy rain, our lovely clay soil and the large size the cute little sapling had grown into. But Reyes Landscaping did a great job.

 

          

The big, heavy root ball.                                     Dragging to the new spot.                                Happy tree!

 

Lesson learned: make sure you put the right plant in the right place. The City of Seattle has a fabulous website and resources for helping to figure it all out: http://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/MyLawnGarden/ChoosingtheRightPlants/index.htm

 

Need a quote for your landscaping job?  Contact Rodolfo Reyes at Reyes Landscaping, reyes.rodolfo@hotmail.com, 425-823- 0512.