Archives for March 2012

Luxury Landscaping Part Two By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

March 29, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona

Here are some additional ideas for luxury landscaping:

Parterre Gardens
A large percentage of luxury landscapes tend to rely upon traditional European gardens for the organic symmetry and balance essential to creating a superior outdoor living experience. The parterre garden is one such form, and it works much better on a large property than it does on a smaller lot. In France, parterre gardens were originally intended for human traffic, being design around intersecting gravel pathways that allowed people to stroll through middle of the garden as they viewed it. This design is not always easy to replicate in the average Houston yard due to the size restrictions that smaller properties present to us. However, on larger properties in River Oaks and Tanglewood, for instance, there is often sufficient acreage for us to build a traditional parterre garden that provides both an aesthetic and a special area where guests can walk and congregate.

Rose Gardens
Parterre gardens are a specifically French form, however, and may not work with every type of home architecture. Custom home design today can be very eclectic, so not every property we call upon can be enhanced by a specific cultural form. Some large homes feature a blend of European styles and require luxury landscaping plans that support their overall aesthetic without relying too much on any specific European region or time period in history. These estates will always benefit from a simple, yet carefully planted and maintained rose garden. This is because roses, like fountains, have become symbolic of luxury and wealth in both canonical and popular culture. Virtually any style of home or landscape will greatly benefit from the contribution they make to the landscape.

Custom Hardscape Design
As essential as high-end aesthetics is to any luxury landscape, it is equally important that we always keep in mind that larger properties are developed for the express purpose of entertaining large groups special guests, family, and friends. Not only do landscape architects have to labor very hard to create impeccable forms and outdoor structures to please the sensibilities of these guests, but they must also make these forms and structures safe, easily accessible, and comfortable for the many people who will be attending functions that hosted at the estate. Custom paving and special hardscape design must be utilized to build such structures as motorcourt parking areas, pathways and walkways, and patio seating areas. These hardscapes require a skillful blend of special design and superior grade materials so as to compliment the surrounding terrain and the architecture of the house. The size of each structure must also be calculated on the anticipated number of guests attending specific types of events.

Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, [email protected] or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

Luxury Landscaping By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

March 26, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

A luxury landscaping includes everything people typically associate with an upscale home. Both organic and inorganic elements work together to create a sense of refinement, and functionality is designed with maximum creature comforts in mind. Home entertainment and private events also play a major role in luxury landscaping, because most clients who invest the large sums of money required for this high-end service are looking to share the experience of their homes with honored guests and close family members that they invite to their estate for special events, removed from the busy crowds and jostle of the nightlife abroad.

Custom Swimming Pool Design
Virtually every luxury landscape has a custom swimming pool that has been specifically designed to support multiple aesthetic elements and scaled proportionally to its surroundings. The shape and size of the pool should complement the geometry and symmetry of custom home architecture, and it should also aesthetically blend with surrounding outdoor structures and work in harmony with any organic elements that surround it.

Custom Fountain Design
Water fountains are iconic symbols of luxury and wealth. They add dimension to the landscape and create a sense of décor, regardless of how large or small they are. Larger estates typically have multiple water fountains built throughout the property. There can be one a larger, central fountain that acts as the focal point for a main gathering or seated area. Smaller fountains can be built to add dimension and form to custom gardens. Still other, more private areas, may have a small water fountains built only for the enjoyment the homeowner or a few very close friends. Such smaller, custom fountains are often used as centerpieces for private sitting areas and morning gardens where homeowners can quietly read the paper in the morning, and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the trees in the late evening when the sun goes down.

Enhancing Real Estate Value Through Home Landscaping Part Two

March 22, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, ScottsdaleReal Estate Team Arizona

In enhancing your real estate values, these items are important to consider:

Observe what other people are doing with their home landscaping designs. When possible, discuss with them the reasons behind their choice of home landscaping elements and the intentions behind them.
Magazines, books, television and the Web all provide an abundance of information on what kinds of home landscaping designs are currently “selling.”
Consult with a professional in the landscape design field.
If you don’t want to pay for a landscape designer’s advice, at least try to mine some ideas from your local nursery.
Real estate agents see the reactions of potential buyers to home landscaping day in and day out; consult with them on trends.

Remember, potential buyers may not share your personal tastes — that’s what necessitates all this research on your part, as the seller. For instance, you may not mind spending time puttering around outside, may have no desire for water features on your landscape, and may not care about winter color. But the trend has been for homebuyers to seek:

Low maintenance home landscapes. For instance, if there’s a choice between a dwarf version of a tree and a larger version, choose the dwarf tree– it won’t need to be pruned as much.
Artificial ponds, fountains and waterfalls. The most striking landscape designs have a focal point, or accent. A well-executed water feature is a focal point that can set your property apart from the rest.
Year-round visual interest. Evergreens and many berry-producing shrubs are excellent antidotes to winter bleakness.

Enhancing Real Estate Value Through Home Landscaping

March 19, 2012 szabogroup

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

An elegant home landscaping design increases real estate value. By how much? Well, the average figure yielded by studies over the years is a range of from 5% to 10%. Let’s just use the 5% number as an example, even though that figure is on the high end. Putting that percentage increase into perspective: for real estate valued in the $2,000,000 – $3,000,000 range (before considering its home landscaping), an effective home landscaping design could add $3,000,000 to its value. How often do you get to make a $3,000,000 decision? Get the idea? The home landscaping issue amounts to a major decision in your life.

It’s important that such decisions not be based on arbitrary ideas, or criteria overly personalized. This is not the time to get in touch with your inner self. In making a $3,000,000 decision about a stock investment, you’d want hard, objective facts to guide you, right? At the very least, you’d like to explore the ideas of others, wouldn’t you? Well, you need to seek the same kinds of guides in the matter of home landscaping design.
But what might those guides be? And how do you ascertain what kinds of home landscaping represent the current trends for the real estate market? Fortunately, the resources for home landscaping design ideas are so numerous that your challenge will be not in finding the ideas, but in sifting through all of them and prioritizing. In addition to the selling trends, you’ll always want to provide your home landscaping with as much potential as possible for fall color and beautiful winter scenes — because this never goes out of style. In our next blog there will be just a few tips for mining home landscaping ideas.

Considering a Copper Sink by Joe Szabo,Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

March 15, 2012 szabogroup

Joe Szabo Scottsdale Real Estate for Sale

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Copper sinks can be the lowest maintenance sinks on the market. They can also be the highest maintenance sinks on the market. It all depends on the manufacturer of the sink. Many require drying after each use and regular waxing. OneUSAmanufacturer requires only cleaning with dish soap – no drying and no waxing. So if you have heard that copper sinks are difficult to care for, it all depends on whose sink it is. Copper can be easier to care for than stainless steel, much more durable than fireclay, granite, composite and cast iron.

Did you know that recent laboratory research performed under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved protocols demonstrated that copper surfaces kill more than 99.9% of several bacteria known to be human pathogens within two hours?

Copper in a polished state is unstable. Merely touching it will cause the copper to turn brown due to the acids in your hands. Copper stabilizes through time by oxidizing the outer layer, which turns a medium to deep reddish brown. Take a look in your purse or pocket. Find an old penny. You will instantly see the natural color of copper. Now, you may have seen old buildings with copper roofing, or even the Statue of Liberty. Likely all of these are a greenish blue. Copper will turn this color only when subjected to the outdoor elements for a period of many years.

The timeline for copper patination in an outdoor environment is something like this: First 6 months – the copper will start out a pink color (like a new penny) and will begin getting spots of brown. 6 to 18 months, the copper will become a medium brown color. 1 year to 10 years – copper will darken to a deeper brown. Only after 10 years will the copper start to show the greenish blue patina. It could take as long as 20 years for the copper to turn completely. That being said, a copper sink should never turn greenish blue, as the sink is constantly getting used and the top layer of the patina is getting removed. Even if the patina is entirely removed, it will “grow” back in a matter of days. When you start to use the sink, the bottom (especially) will be abraded so that the original “finish” comes off and the copper begins to go through its natural aging process.

Ground Cover Plants by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

March 8, 2012 szabogroup

Joe Szabo Scottsdale Real Estate Team

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Ground cover plants are appealing for their variety of ornamental features that add interest to landscapes. They provide a variety of textures and colors, help to reduce soil erosion and can function as a transition between landscape spaces. They offer alternatives to turf grasses in some situations.

A ground cover should spread by itself. Species that produce rhizomes or stolons or that spread by offsets or tip layering are good choices for ground covers. Ideally, they will develop rapidly into a dense cover. Some grow so fast they can become invasive.

Ground covers also can enhance the beauty of shrub borders and break up the monotony of mulched areas. Xeric ground cover plants may be the answer for difficult landscape areas that are difficult to mow or water, require extra maintenance or are less suitable for turf grass such as:

landscaped medians, parking strips, traffic islands and rights-of-way along streets;
steep slopes that are impractical in lawns or a mowing hazard;
hot, dry areas on south and west exposures;
deeply shaded areas beneath trees or shrubs, along north sides of walls and fences, between buildings and in front of low windows.

Soils and Exposure

The key to successful ground cover establishment is good soil preparation. Some ground covers spread by offshoots or runners and are more apt to fill in quickly where the soil has good aeration and drainage. Improve soils with good quality organic matter before planting. Incorporate 3 to 5 cubic yards of compost or other organic soil amendment into 1000 square feet of area.

Weed Control and Maintenance

Prior to planting ground covers, make sure that existing weeds are hoed, pulled or killed with an herbicide. Perennial weeds can be especially troublesome later if not eliminated prior to planting. Glyphosate herbicide controls many weeds if applied a few weeks prior to planting. This herbicide does not leave a harmful soil residue, allowing planting in treated areas 10 to 14 days after spraying. Follow label directions when using.

Weeds can be discouraged by using weed barrier fabrics, anchoring with U-shaped wire pins. Plant through slits cut into the barrier. Apply mulch on top of the fabric. Avoid the use of solid sheet plastic as a weed barrier.

All ground covers require maintenance, some more than others. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance than evergreen ground cover.

Xeri-mulching Your Desert Landscape by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team Arizona

March 1, 2012 szabogroup

Joe Szabo Scottsdale Real Esate for Sale

By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

Properly selected and applied mulches in flower and shrub beds reduce water use by decreasing soil temperatures and the amount of soil exposed to wind. Mulches also discourage weeds and can improve soil conditions. They also help the ground retain water and lose less to evaporation.

There are two basic types of mulches: organic and inorganic. Organic mulches include straw, partially decomposed compost, wood chips, bark, and even ground corncobs or newspapers. Inorganic mulches include plastic film, gravel and woven fabrics. Sometimes a combination of both organic and inorganic is used.

If soil improvement is a priority, use organic mulches.

Wood chips and compost are most appropriate. As these materials break down, they become an organic amendment to the soil. Earthworms and other soil organisms help incorporate the organic component into the soil. Organic mulch is preferred because most soils in this area are low in organic content and need organic amendments to improve aeration and water-holding capacity.

Inorganic mulches, such as plastic film, effectively exclude weeds for a time, but they also tend to exclude the water and air essential to plant roots. Woven fabrics and fiber mats are preferred over polyethylene films. Fabrics and mats exclude weeds yet allow water and air exchange. Used in combination with decorative rock or bark chunks, they often outlast the less expensive but short-lived polyethylene films.