Curb appeal puts your home in big demand

(NC)—In a market where sellers are in competition to make the most out of their largest investment, improving your home's first impression is one of the best ways to set it apart from the rest of the pack.

When prospective buyers or renters drive through your neighbourhood, what do they see? This is a really important question that you need to answer because it will help understand what your buyer is going to be looking for in a new home. Once you've answered this, ask yourself objectively if the front of your home is in keeping with the rest of the houses on your block. The first impression is critical in setting the mood for prospective agents and buyers. If your home's exterior looks like it needs work, then people immediately assume that it's a 'fixer-upper'. The opposite is true if your front yard is manicured, the roof is in good shape and the driveway is in good condition. Having a potential buyer walk into your front door in a positive mode can translate into big dollars for you.

Both Virginia Tech and the University of Guelph did studies in 2011 that measured the effect of landscaping on property values, and they both came to the same conclusion. To improve curb appeal, basic landscaping increased the home's value by 5%, but more extensive landscaping including decks and patios increased the homes value up to 15%.

So where do you spend the money?

Set your budget and be realistic about what you're trying to accomplish with it. Keep in mind that you are trying to create an excellent first impression to attract potential buyers. This isn't the opportunity for you to realize your landscaping dreams. Consider a new paint job using a colour scheme that highlights the character of your home. Install a new front door or at least update your door's hardware. Even something as simple as full and healthy planters can make a favourable impact.

One of the easiest ways to improve curb appeal is to have a clean and tidy front yard with a manicured lawn. Maybe this is the opportunity to invest in some new tools to help do the job properly. The best part about this type of investment is that not only will your plants and lawn look better with edging, pruning and cutting, you also get to take your new tools with you once you've sold your home.

The technology for landscaping tools has made the purchasing task much easier as well. Now you can get a hedge trimmer, string trimmer or sweeper & vac all in one system. With the Black & Decker 36V Lithium system, for example, you can use the same battery and charger for all three of those tools. A quick prune of the shrubs with the hedge trimmer, followed by a 'one-around' with the string trimmer and then tidying up with the sweeper will help you to maintain the front yard as short as 10 minutes per day.

The goal is to create an emotional connection at the first glance of any prospective buyer, so before you put that sign on the lawn, be sure to spend enough time at the curb.

www.newscanada.com

Tips for a Greener Edmonton Lawn

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There are a few tips to mowing lawns correctly. Done right, mowing can reduce the need to use any additional herbicides in your Edmonton yard. Growing a good stand of healthy grass makes it more difficult for weeds to sprout. Mowing too seldom or too short can cause the yard to turn brown and permit lawn diseases to attack the already stressed grass.

Preserving a proper height is essential. Most varieties of turf ought be cut when the blades grow to four inches high. Allowing a lawn to grow higher than this may cause a lawn to go into shock when it's finally cut. Using mulching blades return the grass clippings to the soil where they become their own fertilizer.

Except for a few short southern grasses, the mower height should be set to three inches. Many home owners clip the grass too short, thinking that they will not have to mow again so soon. But trimming it too short can also shock the grass. Taller grass will stay greener. It shades the soil and prevents weeds from germinating.

Grass grows at different rates throughout the growing season. Differences in the amount of rain, light, and temperature all influence the rate of growth. Your mowing schedule needs to adjust to the height of the grass and not be scheduled to conform to a calendar. When the lawn grows most quickly in the spring, it usually needs to be cut more often. During a dry season, it may require cutting only every other week.

Maintaining the lawn properly and on a regular basis will save work in the long run.

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Preparing your home for spring

(NC)—The beginning of a new season is the time to inspect your home to help flag potential trouble areas and identify opportunities to freshen up its look. To help take the guesswork out of home maintenance this spring, the team at Canadian Tire has the following maintenance checklist for the interior and exterior of the home.

• Inspect furnace filters to assess if the filter should be replaced. Filters should be changes every 90 days or sooner. As a tip to remember – write the date on the front of the filter when installing it so you know when it is due to be replaced

• Replace batteries and check all smoke detectors, CO2 monitors and fire extinguishers. Also re-assess your planned fire escape route to ensure it is still the most convenient and safest option for your family.

• Check that home security alarms as well as interior door and window locks are in good, working condition.

• Adjust thermostat for seasonal temperature changes. The honeywell 7-day programmable thermostat, available at Canadian Tire, is a great option as it can be programmed to provide optimal comfort and energy savings for each day of the week.

• If your home has a basement, walk from corner to corner of the room, looking for any signs of cracks or leaks.

• Spring is the perfect time to do some cleaning and organizing. Canadian Tire has an entire assortment of garage organization products to help organize any garage and maximize space.

• Inspect the driveway for any cracks. Paving the driveway will keep it looking new and protect against weather-damage. While there many options for re-paving the driveway, asphalt is a more cost effective option, making it one of the more popular choices.

• Check the exterior of the home for peeling paint. The average exterior paint job lasts five to eight years, but can be prolonged with annual touch-ups. Scrape, sand and repaint any patches that are peeling before the wood deteriorates.

• Trim bushes, shrubs and plants back at least 18 inches from the house, as they can cause moisture damage.

• Clear the roof of all debris. Look for missing, slipped, sagging shingles on the roof and replace as necessary. Also, be sure to clean out the eaves trough as this is a popular spot for leaves and twigs.

Don't let rodents rule your home

(NC)—Rodents remain a year-round threat to Canadian homeowners. Unfortunately, your home provides everything a rodent could ask for – ample access to food, water and shelter.

During the colder months, warm-blooded rodents head indoors just as humans do. Once inside for the winter, they loathe to head back outside, where accommodations are not so cozy and meals not so easy to come by.

Known disease carriers, rodents can threaten the health of your family by spreading Salmonella, Hantavirus and other disease-causing germs. They also have been known to cause fires by gnawing through electrical wiring.

“Rodents can reproduce rapidly once inside your home,” says Bill Melville, a 35-year pest management veteran and quality assurance director for Orkin PCO Services (orkincanada.com). “Just one pair of mice can produce up to 200 offspring in four months.”

To help prevent rodent infestations, Melville suggests the following:

• Seal any holes around the exterior of your home with copper wool and weather-proof sealant. Rodents only need a hole the size of a dime to enter.

• Trim back landscaping. Rodents don't like to be out in the open and will use overgrown shrubs as cover when trying to enter your home.

• Store all food in re-sealable containers and cover trash receptacles with a tight fitting lid.

• Vacuum regularly to eliminate food debris and never leave dirty dishes in the sink.

“By eliminating pests' access to food, water and shelter you can significantly reduce your chances for an infestation,” says Melville. “Prevention goes a long way in keeping rodents out of your home.”

Think you already have an infestation? Melville points to these signs indicating rodents are in the home:

• Chew marks – Rodents gnaw constantly, so keep an eye out for chew marks around baseboards and door frames.

• Droppings – Rat droppings are the size of a raisin while mouse droppings are the size of a grain of rice.

• Rub marks – Rodents have poor eyesight so they tend to rub against a wall while traveling and use the same path repeatedly. Look for greasy rub marks along the wall.

If you spot any of these signs, call a licensed pest management professional to evaluate the problem and determine the best treatment options for your home.

Outdoor room trends

(NC)—This summer, many Canadians may be considering staying closer to home and enjoying more time with family and friends right in their own backyard. With a wide assortment of affordable yet stylish products, the outdoor room team at Canadian Tire has the following trends to help homeowners create the perfect relaxing and stylish backyard.

Comfortable furniture is vital to creating a relaxing outdoor space. When choosing outdoor pieces, approach the selection the same way you would with indoor furniture. Look for items that are both stylish and comfortable. Available at Canadian Tire is the enso daybed - ideal for curling up with a good book or for using as a couch for guests.

Due to its versatile seating options, modular furniture continues to be a popular trend in patio collections. The enso conversation set, available at Canadian Tire, includes pieces that can be separated or combined with other sets to fit any size and shape backyard. Made with a resin wicker base, the enso conservation set features brightly-coloured thick, red cushions that inject colour and life into any space.


An emerging trend in outdoor rooms is conversation sets that can be used for both relaxing and dining. They often have cushioned seats for optimal comfort, while still conveying a contemporary and stylish look. Canadian Tire has some great conversation sets this season, in particular, the jameson la-z-boy collection which allows for superior comfort and relaxation.

Whether it be solar LED's, battery-operated lights, string lights or candles, creating ambience is essential for outdoors. Use lights to illuminate a pathway, create a fun visual for a party or set the mood for an intimate dinner party. Candles or lanterns can be grouped together on tabletops, placed about the yard or deck, by the poolside or staggered down a stairway. Solar lighting is a particularly good option as it not only helps homeowners save money on their electricity bill, but is also convenient, turning on and off automatically.

Add that personal flair to your outdoor space with accessories such as lawn ornaments, and stepping stones. Complete the look for dinner parties by choosing a coordinated, acrylic dining set complete with tableware, stemware, placemats and napkins.

Outdoor art such as wall plaques and ornaments also add interest and personality to any space. While you don't want to clutter your look by choosing too many pieces, selecting a couple of unique signature products will help bring out your personality and take your stylish backyard to a whole new level.

Finally, if you are decorating on a budget conscious wallet, choose furniture with timeless frame colours such as taupe, chocolate brown or black and update or refresh the look by adding colour with new throw cushions.

Build the ultimate outdoor retreat

(NC)—When renovating a home, people often forget one of the most important components: the outdoor space. If done right, your yard can become more than an extension of your home - it can be your very own private escape! An outdoor space needs to be designed and decorated with the same care and attention as a kitchen or bedroom. From choosing the right furniture, to adding the right decorative compliments, here are a few key considerations to keep in mind when creating an outdoor retreat.

Do you want to use your space to host parties, relax in a zen-inspired garden, or give your children a space where they can play? How you plan on using the space will determine what type of furniture you need. And with outdoor furniture, you can be a little more creative: chairs can be replaced with recliners, swings, loungers or even hammocks. Decorative accents are also essential: throw a few colourful pillows on your outdoor furniture or put an area rug under your outdoor patio set. As long as fashion meets function, almost anything goes.

While you don't have to worry about rain resistant finishes on your living room couch, the same cannot be said for your patio furnishings. It is important to keep the climate in mind when choosing your outdoor furniture. For example, if you live in a windy area, select heavier furniture as lighter plastic chairs are likely to turn up on your neighbour's lawn! If you experience heavy, regular rainfall, try to stay away from materials like rod iron that are more likely to rust. And to lengthen the life of your outdoor pieces, make sure to store your patio furniture when weather isn't in your favour.

The days of hiding outdoor pillows in a boring and old plastic bin are long gone. If you build storage needs into your outdoor design, your weather sensitive pieces – such as pillows and tablecloths – will have a home all season long. And today you don't even have to worry about finding the perfect match as many outdoor furniture sets include beautiful deck boxes that help pull the look of your outdoor space together.

Like any room in your house lighting is key and when it comes to the outdoors, solar powered lights are a great option. Solar lights are environmentally friendly – which is great news for the green-minded consumer who's looking to save on their energy bills. Installation is also easy as there is no wiring or plugs to worry about! And with so many styles to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect one to brighten up your own outdoor space.

With the right tools and tips, setting up a fun and functional outdoor space doesn't need to be an overwhelming project. For more tips on how to create the ultimate outdoor retreat, visit www.homedepot.ca.

Mark Cullen battles the myths of green gardening

(NC)—Coast-to-coast, Canadians are searching for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Springtime provides an opportunity to extend environmentally-friendly practices to the outdoors, but many homeowners question whether they can achieve lush results without pest-fighting chemicals.

“There's a myth that eco-friendly gardening equals sparse lawns and feeble plants,” said Mark Cullen, Home Hardware's gardening expert and author of The Canadian Garden Primer. “Homeowners can create a healthy and natural environment by focusing on eliminating toxins through pesticide-free solutions and incorporating robust native and indigenous plants that do not need an abundance of water to survive the summer heat.”

Mark Cullen gives gardeners the facts when it comes to gardening:

False. Conserve water by using mulch to keep soil moist, capturing rainfall in water barrels and placing soaking hoses in your garden to uniformly soak the soil. For best results, install hoses beneath a layer of mulch to further reduce moisture loss.

False. Think local and cultivate native and indigenous plants to increase natural biodiversity cycles. Best suited to survive local weather conditions, native plants also have a greater tolerance towards local pests.

False. Cultivate an organic food source and grow vegetables and herbs in your garden or in a container. Not only is this a practical approach, but the plants will complement your overall garden and ease the pressure on your bottom line.

False. Use compost materials to help cultivate your garden by naturally enriching the soil with nutrients that will enable your plants to thrive.

More information on how to create an environmentally-friendly garden is available online at www.homehardware.ca.

Lawn care the natural way

(NC)—More Canadians are looking for natural and healthy alternatives to cosmetic pesticides for keeping weeds away. The lawn and garden team at Canadian Tire has the following helpful tips and steps to help get Canadians on the right track to a healthy lawn and garden.

• Set mowing height to 7.5 cm (3 in.) for stronger roots

• Use a manual or cordless lawnmower and trimmer to reduce harmful greenhouse-gas emissions

• Water thoroughly once a week to grow deeper roots

• Check for signs of weed and insect infestations


• Mulch grass clippings to shade soil, reduce evaporation and naturally fertilize your lawn

• Water lawn and garden during morning (7 a.m. – 10 a.m.) to avoid midday heat and evaporation. Look for an oscillating sprinkler to ensure good coverage as well as a unit with a timer to prevent over-watering and to promote water conservation. Available at Canadian Tire is the yardworks oscillating sprinkler with timer that is easy to use and delivers ample coverage

• Feed 3-4 times per year with a slow release fertilizer

• Use a composter to reduce your household waste and create a natural humus that your garden and plants will love

• Over-seed every spring or fall to thicken turf naturally

• Aerate your lawn to improve air, water and nutrient uptake

• Top dress stressed areas of lawn with organic lawn soil

• Check soil pH, add lime to correct acidic soil conditions

• Repair lawn damage and bare spots promptly with quality grass seed and lawn soil

• Use weeding tools to remove isolated weeds. An excellent product available at Canadian Tire, is the fiskars telescopic weeder. It is extendable for easy height adjustments and is great for dandelions, thistles and other invasive lawn weeds

• Top-quality outdoor tools are a good investment as they incorporate high-grade materials, ergonomic design and durable steel heads and blades

• Save your back by investing in a good quality wheel barrow to haul your supplies, soil, mulch and plants around the yard

How to select the right lawn mower

(NC)—Mowing may seem like a chore, but with the right equipment you can get a manicured lawn without too much effort. Whether you need to mow a small yard or tend to 40 acres, The Home Depot has the right equipment for every lawn size and budget. Selecting the right mower for your outdoor needs may seem daunting at first, but here are some helpful tips to help make the process easier.

Understanding what your lawn needs is an important first step in helping choose the right mower.

• A push reel mower (cuts with a scissor-like action of rotating blades passing over a stationary knife) is perfect if you have a small lawn.

• A gas or electric powered rotary mower (cuts with a circular blade that rotates under a protective housing), is the most popular type of lawn mower, and is great for medium to large lawns.

• Self-propelled mowers are easier to use if you have a hilly yard or a large lawn.

• Choose a riding lawn mower if you have a large property.

Whatever the size of your yard, buying a mower that's large enough and has enough power to handle the job will make lawn mowing easier. Things to look for and compare when purchasing a mower include: weight, power, cost, safety features, ease of starting, handling and maneuverability, and ease of clipping disposal.

Did you know that a standard gas mower can emit the same amount of common air pollutants in one hour as driving a new car over 550km? If you are in the market for a new lawn mower consider some of the greener options available. Push reel, electric, rechargeable and solar powered mowers are all great eco-friendly options that will help you have a green mowing season.

If your lawn mower is so heavy that you can hardly push it, with an engine so loud your neighbours complain every time you turn it on, it might be time to invest in a new mower. Visit www.thehomedepot.ca or your local The Home Depot store for more tips on finding a mower that's right for you.