(ARA) – How does a real-life home makeover with a celebrity designer play out when the television cameras aren’t rolling?

The Villaluna family of San Marino, Calif. found out when Chayse Dacoda, an L.A.-based author and designer on the home improvement television series “While You Were Out,” made a house call to help them transform their 1934 Tudor home.

A young, professional couple with two small children, the Villalunas bought a fixer-upper three years ago and have been working their way through a variety of renovations, but were stuck on the front of the house, and on a tight budget.

Before

After

“The ‘a-ha’ moment for us was seeing how minor cosmetic changes and a not-so-outrageous budget can yield big improvements to a home’s curb appeal,” says homeowner Doojduen Villaluna. “We weren’t pretending to do a $75,000 transformation on a $5,000 budget, but the results look like we spent that much.”

In fact, the makeover cost about $10,000. The budget included a new garage door (about $3,500), $500 in exterior lighting fixtures and $6,000 toward the cost of repainting and landscaping the home.

The Process

Villaluna and her husband are experienced remodelers, but they had never utilized a designer before. Even so, they had no problem letting Dacoda take the reins.

“Since we are avid home improvement enthusiasts, we were well aware of Chayse’s style from watching her transform homes on T.V. and very excited to see what her ideas would be for ours,” Doojduen adds.

The makeover was definitely a collaborative process, and in this reality re-do, there was no drama.

“At the very first meeting it was clear that Chayse’s vision for our home was going to bring out the cottage charm, yet stay true to its French-Country style, which was important to us. The only suggestion we elected not to do was to repaint the stucco, since that had been done less than a year ago, and the existing color was almost identical to the shade she recommended.”

That decision allowed Dacoda to reallocate some of the paint budget towards decorative accents like a wood fence, Adirondack chairs and a birdbath, which had a huge impact.

“Our house used to be one of the darkest and least welcoming homes on the block. Now it’s bright, inviting and a real standout in the neighborhood,” says Villaluna. “Without a doubt, people comment most often on the garage door. They can’t believe that simple change transformed the entire look of the house.”

The Plan

Chayse Dacoda turned the Villaluna home into a stunning French-Country cottage. While the makeover was dramatic, the plan was simple. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Replace the garage door: The old ribbed, metal garage door belonged on an industrial building instead of the front of this historic home. Replacing it with a Clopay Reserve Collection Redwood carriage house door added instant old-world charm.

2. Lighting: The wrought iron lights echo the decorative antique hardware on the doors creating a cohesive look.

3. Paint: To brighten the exterior, Dacoda suggested painting the front door light beige and the windows’ trim a brick red.

4. Landscaping and Decorative Accents: Lush greenery and accent pieces like Adirondack chairs, a stone birdbath and a redwood fence were installed in the front yard.

“You can achieve dramatic results on a realistic budget if you know where to invest your dollars,” says Dacoda. “When considering a makeover, I encourage homeowners to look at exterior details they can add or enhance. Some key areas to focus on are the garage door, especially if it faces the street, the front door, lighting fixtures, landscaping, the paint color scheme, and accent pieces like house numbers, porch furniture, window boxes or planters.”

If improving your home’s curb appeal is on your to-do list, Clopay is accepting entries until April 27, 2007, for this year’s “Transform Your Home Contest.”  To enter, mail or e- mail a color photo of your home’s exterior, including the garage, along with a 50-word letter explaining why it is the best candidate for an exterior makeover. Complete details are available at www.clopaydoor.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Plan before you make your purchases. Having a plan for your landscape will allow you to practice common sense and economy when making purchases. If you do not plan, you may buy something you do not need, and that can be a waste of money. Complete a rough sketch of what you would like to accomplish with your landscape design. Also find out exactly what you need to make it possible. There is a wealth of Web site that can help you get an idea of what you need to complete a project, and specialty stores and even some home improvement warehouses have experts on hand who can give you advice. Once you know exactly what you need, you can make your purchases without buying excess materials that result in money wasted.

Make your purchases in phases. If you make out a plan, you should also include when you will perform certain portions. Most people cannot afford to make all the changes that they would like to make at once. If you plan out phases of your landscape project, then you can buy what you need as you go along, and as you have the money. This can help you save on the interest and loan fees associated with home improvement loans or using credit cards to make purchases.

Cheaper is not always better. If there is little difference in quality, then buying the cheaper item is the best course. However, local shops often have true experts who will impart of the wisdom for free if you ask questions while making a purchase. Specialty shops can give you correct information on installing a water feature. If you are new to landscaping, it can save money in the long run to spend a little extra to get better service, help and advice. If you do buy at a “big box” store, be sure to carefully inspect plants for diseases and insect problems. These stores may not care if they take as good of care of the plants as a nursery would. Buying a diseased plant only means buying it over again when it dies, and this means that you are out some amount of money. Many nurseries offer warranties and guarantees free of charge on their plants.

Use common sense timing on your landscape purchases. If you plan to do some landscaping, think about when you would like to accomplish it. Buy lumber during the winter, when it is cheaper, and then store it until you are ready to use it. Buy things like trees, perennials, mulch, and soil late in the season. In most places, you still have time to winterize your landscape if you wait until October to make your maintenance purchases. Also, watch for plant sales at local nurseries. This is often a great way to get quality plants at low prices.

Use alternative resources. It is not always necessary to buy something at a store. You can order through catalogs or online. An inexpensive membership to a garden and seed club can yield very good prices on many items, as well as helpful advice. Also, you may be able to arrange a plant exchange in your neighborhood. Many cities offer low price or free mulch and compost, and you can get stones and bricks at many construction or demolition sites.

Share costs with neighbors. If your neighbors and you pool resources, you can often get a good deal on items bought in bulk. Likewise, share the rental fees for machinery such as chippers, tillers, and aerators. If everyone chips in a few dollars, you can work out a schedule where each neighbor gets to use the equipment before it is taken back. This is a great way to reduce the costs associated with landscaping.

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Just because a plant is cheap, however, does not mean that it is quality. Be sure that the plant you are buying is free of disease, and that it is in generally good health. Purchasing a plant for a rock bottom price may only result in you having to go out and buy another plant if your wilted or diseased “find” dies shortly after planting. Planting can be a traumatic thing, so you want a plant that will survive and then flourish. Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing inexpensive plants is to think about the maintenance costs on down the road. A cheap plant may in actuality end up having a great many care needs. You may spend more taking care of the plant than is worth the savings of an initial bargain.

Inexpensive plants can be found in a variety of places. Most people buy them at big box home improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot. There are even plants available at some WalMart and Kmart stores. These plants are often very cheap, but many of them have not received proper care, and may not be healthy enough to survive planting. One sliver of peace of mind that stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s offer is that these places offer guarantees of up to one year, so if your plant dies, you can be compensated.

Nurseries are great places to find healthy, professionally cared for plants. These are a little more expensive, but they are often of a higher quality. If you are looking for a bargain at a nursery, they can still be found, however. Many nurseries have a clearance table full of unpopular plants or plants that they plan to discontinue carrying. These are often discounted dramatically. Additionally, going to end of season sales can help you find good prices on the plants that nurseries have to offer. Most nurseries also provide plant guarantees, and you can receive expert help and advice if you are a novice.

The Internet also offers cheap plant deals. It is possible to order online and have your plants shipped. Online providers often provide a variety of seeds and starts that can be shipped without incurring too much damage, and that are very inexpensive. Check to see if your online plant provider has a guarantee, however, and make sure that the costs of shipping do not make the plants more expensive.

Other ways that you can reduce your plant buying costs is to choose plants that are seeds or starts. These are available online or in stores and nurseries. A packet of seeds costs less than a start, and starts cost significantly less than plants that are already growing. Choosing smaller plants not only reduces the amount of money that you pay up front, but it also reduces the amount of money you pay later in maintenance. Mature plants require more care when they are first planted, and they also require more water and maintenance. So, while you do not have to purchase tiny plants, you can purchase plants that are off to a good start but that have not reached maturity.

Related to the idea of choosing plants that are smaller, is selecting slower growing plants. While these may take longer to fill in your landscape, if you plan accordingly you can save a great deal of money and still have an attractive yard. Rapidly growing plants require more care and the maintenance costs are often much more than the costs associated with their slower growing counterparts. Choosing slow growing plants is a great way to save money in the long run.

Looking for cheap plants for landscape can be a fun adventure as you search for the best deal. Just remember that the best deal is not always the cheapest plant. The best deal is a plant that is reasonably priced, healthy, and has low cost maintenance requirements.

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When you make your budget, you need to take into account everything. This can be very annoying and tedious, but in the end it will help you out. You won’t be surprised at how much everything costs if you have estimates on costs and if you have stuck to your reasonable budget. It helps to think of each portion of the landscape as an individual project and create a budget for each project. Then add it all up to see if you can afford the total. You can adjust what you want for the flowerbed if that will bring your total cost down, or choose to forego one of the statues you had planned to place.

You need to figure out which plants you want, and whether or not they will look good in your landscape. You should come up with a variety of plants and then investigate their costs. Find out what types of fences are available and create a budget based on something that you like, but that does not cost a lot. Know what materials you will need to build a patio, deck, or arbor. Then figure out how much those materials will cost, and whether you can get them any cheaper.

When creating your budget, keep in mind the landscape that you want. Are there special fixtures you desire? What elements can you live without? You need to create your vision of the landscape and then alter it according to your monetary abilities to support the vision. Landscape design software can help in this, as you can easily adjust your plan and your ideas to fit with your budget. You can figure out the approximate costs of certain aspects of your desired landscape by talking to professionals or by looking online to find what is needed for similar projects. If something is going to be too expensive, you need to either get rid of it altogether, or adjust a few other elements to compensate for the increased price.

Plants are likely to be the main elements of most landscapes. When choosing plants, you need to consider size and growth rate. Many people choose cheap, fast growing plants and do not take into account future maintenance costs. Fast growing plants typically cost more in maintenance because they get bigger faster. They require more pruning, and if you are not careful can make your landscape look overgrown. Slower growing plants may force to adjust your initial views of spending, but will save you money over the long run. Part of your budget should include future maintenance costs, and you should get estimates on those, for a variety of possible plants, when planning your landscape budget.

Another decision you have to make is how much of the work you are going to do yourself. There are many landscape projects that can be done without professionals, and still look very nice. If you are worried about pouring concrete for walkways, construct your walkways out of flat rocks. Part of creating your landscape budget is factoring the cost of labor. If you do it, then it certainly adds to the feasibility of doing more for less.

Once you have created your budget, keeping everything in mind, and making a detailed list of how much you want to spend for each individual project, you can begin working on the projects. Try to save as much money as you can, making it a goal to come in at or below budget. If something looks to be costing more than you budgeted for that project, you need to scale back or adjust another project. Creating a budget does no good if you do not stick to it, and it can come back to haunt you later if you disregard the budget you made.

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Perhaps the most hidden of landscaping costs involves features that require lighting and water. Many people think only of the cost of the equipment, and the cost of putting it in (which is minimal if they put it in themselves). They fail to consider how much money they will spend in the form of paying for increased energy and water usage. With outdoor lighting, it is possible to mitigate this cost somewhat by buying more energy efficient bulbs, or by confining the use of outdoor lighting to times when there is a special occasion. There is no reason for the lighting if you only use it so that the neighbors can admire your landscape even at night. Reserve the use of your outdoor lighting for times when you are entertaining people out of doors, or when you are sitting in your yard at night, and may need the light. Water features are a double whammy, as they require energy and water. Using a feature that reuses its own water can cut down a little bit on your water usage (although there will always be water lost to evaporation), and it is now possible to find some features that use less energy. However, if you must have a water feature and are afraid of the costs you will incur, you can always choose a very small pond or waterfall.

Related to the issue of water features is paying for water use when you water the lawn. Setting up sprinklers on a timer will ensure that you do not have to rely on your memory to remember to turn them off. It is important to note that most people water their lawns two or three times more then they need to. The average lawn actually receives about the same amount of water as a tropical rainforest. This is not necessary for your lawn. Watering each part of your lawn for 15 minutes two or three times a week (depending on climate) is usually sufficient, if it is not new sod (which requires a good soak every day the first week). Additionally, it is a good idea to take into account the amount of extra water you will be using to help sod or a tree establish itself. This can add up to be quite a bit of extra water, and if you city charges more money once your usage reaches a certain point, it can be even more costly.

Also, you may not realize how much money you might spend if your soil is poor. Before being in raptures about a particular plant, determine what kind of soil it needs to thrive, this will make a difference in whether your plant lives or dies. The costs of adding fertilizer to sandy soil or gypsum to clay soil can begin to add up. This problem can be remedied, however, if you examine what plants grow natively in your region. By choosing plants that grow well in the soil you have, or in near conditions, you can save a great deal on soil amendment. Most local master gardeners will give you guidance on native plants for free, or for a very small fee.

Just as there are hidden costs in nearly everything, landscaping, too, has hidden costs. The key is to be informed about the various consequences of your landscape choices, and to be careful in what you decide to do. While the up front costs may not be too unreasonable, you may find that as you continue to enjoy your new landscape, the later costs may be more than your landscape is worth.

 

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