New artificial turf is installed for a maintenance-free, green lawn.
Basement Finishing and Family Space Project
Low-Maintenance Landscaping, Gutters, and Pantry (BV0217)
Bob is in Melrose, where seamless aluminum gutters are extruded and installed to pitch the water toward the front of the house and away through storm drains. A Norway spruce is limbed to bring air and sunlight to the tree, making it sturdier in wind and snow. In the front yard, the focus is on low-maintenance landscaping with pachysandra that will spread to cover the ground, holly, rhododendrons, spring bulbs, and a red Japanese maple. In the backyard, low-maintenance solutions include reclaimed granite steps, built-in sheds for gardening, toys, and tools, and a field stone and pea stone terrace that backs up to the stone retaining wall, plantings, and white cedar fence. Bob learns about no-pesticide weed control under and around the fence with a durable rubber weed inhibitor and admires the craftsmanship on the tongue-and-groove, lattice-topped gate. The final outdoor touch is the multi-stranded, soft, artificial grass that is installed for a lush, no-maintenance side yard. Bob shows us that the tiny back door has been replaced by a triple slider and the cluttered mudroom has become an organized pantry space with a counter, storage, recycling, and drawers for snack bags, utensils, and lunch gear.
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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
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
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 ... Watch video and view full description
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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