Landscaping ideas for front and back of house

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Real Estate

Hi friends, I'm Nagaraj Annaiah, your trusted realtor from the Bay Area. Welcome back to my channel. Today, I'm going to show you my before-after landscape story of turning an empty lot into a beautiful landscape.

I bought this lot for 200k and turned it into this! The lot size is 12,000 sq ft or quarter of an acre—it's a lot of space for experiments. I'll share more details about the project once it's complete in a month's time from now, but for now let me show you what we've done so far.

You know how the story goes: you find a place you love, you go in for the tour, and there's just something about that one room that stands out. The pool! The yard! The driveway! It all seems so perfect—but then comes the moment when you realize that it won't be perfect until you add your own special touch. But what if that special touch could be a whole new look? In this video, I will share my landscaping remodel story. Stay tuned till the end. And if you have not subscribed to my channel, this is the time to do so.

CREATIVE OUTLET

I found a home I loved, but I knew it wasn't quite right yet. I wanted to add my own personal touch to the place—and I also wanted to make sure it was done right. I didn't want to hire just any old landscaper designer—I wanted someone who would listen to my ideas and create something unique and special for me. That's why I reached out to several landscape architectural designers who specialize in helping people design their dream spaces by working with their existing features and adding their own creative touches!

WHY REMODEL?

So, first of all, let's talk about why I did this. Here's the thing: we have a big driveway and four car garage in the back. But when we started looking at our plans and talking with architects, it became clear that we could use that space better. The problem was that there were three really big palm trees in front of the house—and they were right over the driveway. So if they fell on our house, it would be bad news for us and our neighbors.

So I decided to get rid of those trees—and you know what? It cost me around $4,000! But I wanted to make sure my family was safe first and foremost—so I went ahead with it anyway.

After that, though… there was still a lot of space left over because of the driveway! So I started looking for an architect who could help me design a new look for our landscaping. When I first started looking for a landscaper, I was pretty excited. But then it became a lot more complicated than I expected.

TRIAL & ERROR

My first landscaper charged me $500 to design a basic look of my house, which was of no use. Later, I approached other landscape architectural designers on Fiverr and got some 3D renderings. These were nice designs and cost me around $200. I took some of their ideas and modified them. In all, I spoke to some 6 designers before finalizing the look.

If you look at my front yard 3D renderings, there is a fountain in the middle with nice pavers around it. After checking out different pavers, including concrete, and stamped concrete, I opted to go with porcelain pavers as they ooze luxury and durability.

Lighting was next. I chose led strip lights and regular lights around the pathway. The left hand side of the house has some nice small shrubs and trees around it. After some brainstorming with some landscapers, I decided to add some deer sculptures, rocks and a fountain to keep some nature feel on one side of the front yard and added some drought resistant plants with benches on the other side of the front yard.

THE BACKYARD STORY

You know what they say: if you want to be a millionaire, you have to start with a million dollar backyard. And it's true! If you want to be rich, you need to make sure your backyard has everything.

But there's a problem: not all backyards are created equal. Some people just have small yards and don't have the space for all the things they want in their life. But not me! I'm lucky enough to live on a really big lot that gives me plenty of space for whatever I want—and I'm going to use it all!

I've decided to go back yard remodeling because there are so many possibilities. I'm so excited to show you the changes I'm going to make to my backyard. It's been a long time coming, and I can't wait to show you what the renderings look like. It will still be a month before all of this turns into reality, but I wanted to share my work in progress with you, guys.

It all started with me getting approval from the city planner to change my garage door entrance, and then pulling a permit with public works for the curb. Once that was done, I could start making some real changes!

I considered adding a swimming pool, but ended up dropping that idea because it would take too long to dig out all that earth. Instead, I decided to add a jacuzzi instead—because who doesn't love relaxing in hot water after a long day?

GOING GREEN ALL THE WAY

My house already had fruit trees like red guava, white guava, pomegranate, apple, fig and orange growing on it—but I wanted more! So instead of waiting 10 years for an avocado tree to grow up on its own, I got one from Moon Valley Nursery in Gilroy. It's fully grown now and ready for picking!

I got some more trees like mandarin and apple trees. And then I planted some privacy trees around the perimeter of the area so no one could see what was going on in my yard except me. Then I went ahead and built a fireplace with a water fountain in the middle.

And then I realized that my backyard needed something else—something calming and relaxing—so I decided that Buddha statues would be perfect for this area since they're peaceful and serene—just what you want from your fire pit area!

I also thought about how I wanted lighting in my backyard so that when guests came over at night they could see where they're going without tripping over themselves on the way back from using the restroom! And lastly, I decided to add a treehouse in the kids play area.

But it wasn't easy: we had to deal with all the logistics and planning that comes with doing landscaping on a bigger property. When you begin landscaping, you realize that it's not as simple as it seems! If you're going to do it right, there are so many things that need to be thought out and planned in advance.

CONCLUSION

My journey has just begun. Will keep you updated on how this remodeling story went in a month or two. If you want to buy or sell your home, I am the realtor you are looking for. If you are wondering if we are heading into a recession by Christmas, you should check out this video where I give you the state of the economy as it is today. Besides, I talk about how you should not buy any property with a leased Tesla solar system. I also try to figure out the logic behind Redfin's 'hot homes' rankings. It's a must-watch. Until next week, keep your frown upside down!