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Stories Tagged - landscaping

Courtesy the Landscape Artist Inc.
News

April 18, 2018 | Gerald Vander Pyl

The great outdoors

Embracing the possibilities of outdoor living

Given Calgary's sometimes seemingly endless winters, it's important to make the most of summer.
That's why people have embraced landscaping trends that create outdoor living spaces in their own backyard.

Kitchen and bathroom renovations provide some of the highest returns on investment when it comes to increasing the value of a home. 
Getty Images
News

July 27, 2017 | Geoff Geddes

Renovation returns

Will a home makeover make you money?

There are many motivations for renovating a home: expanding the space, upgrading the look or even making the neighbours jealous. While they're all valid, the hope to enrich a house's value along with its appearance is one reason that's often cited. And though there's nothing wrong with that on the surface, it's important to dig deeper to see if a higher home value is really in the cards before taking the renovation plunge.

"It really depends on the type and purpose of the renovation," said Greg Macdonald, president and founder of Sage Appraisals in Calgary and a 23-year veteran of the appraisal business.

"I stress to people that the cost of improvements won't always equal the increase in market value. Developing your basement might give you a 50- to 75-per-cent return and the payoff for landscaping is minimal. With certain unique items, like pools, your return will be next to nothing."

When building your deck or patio, experts suggest thinking about how much privacy you want before you settle on a design. Photo courtesy of The Landscape Artist
News

April 27, 2017 | Gerald Vander Pyl

Material insight

Whether building a patio or deck, new materials are expanding creative possibilities


Summer is coming and Calgarians are once again preparing to soak up as much good weather and outdoor living as possible. There's no better place to enjoy a warm summer day than on your very own deck or patio. So, if you're thinking about building or enhancing, it's a good time to consider your options.


Peter Van Seggelen, owner of The Landscape Artist Inc., says a patio or deck should be viewed as part of an overall landscaping plan, which can include benches, pathways, or features like an outdoor fireplace.


Curb Appeal will be based on feedback from real estate professionals and house stagers on how and why landscape influences home sales. Photo courtesy Donna Balzer/For CREB®Now.
News

July 25, 2016 | Donna Balzer

Curb Appeal in Calgary

Your chance to get involved in new local book

newDonnawebCalgary real estate professional Lori Olijnyk remembers a particular home home in Calgary's hot inner city: "It had a large 50-foot lot with a dilapidated picket fence that might have been white at one time. Rolls of chicken wire actually had a bird in it. [The] grass was overgrown and the walkway was crumbling."

In other words, it was a mess, and it failed the curb appeal test. The curb appeal was so bad it was hard to get prospective buyers out of the car and into the home.

"A bad first impression is difficult to overcome," said Olijnyk.

Homes and gardens alike require updating.  Donna Balzer, guest columnist offers  advice on keeping the garden relevant to the modern home.
News

March 24, 2016 | Donna Balzer

What is your garden style?

Not everything is timeless when it comes to outdoor design
Do you have a high-end ultra-modern home with striking features that looks like it came out of a recent copy of Architectural Digest?


What about your yard? Does it look like it came from a Home and Garden magazine circa 1985?


This jarring contrast of cottage-style garden with modern home seems hard to understand until you think of the process. Homeowners do not design homes – builders and architects do. Yet homeowners are the ones often design their own gardens.


Home + Garden Show
News

Jan. 22, 2016 | CREBNow

Calgary Home + Garden Show releases full lineup

CREB®Now presents 'No Guff Gardener' Donna Balzer

Calgary's 35th annual Calgary Home + Garden Show has announced its full list of personalities that will be on hand for this year's show at the BMO Centre.

HGTV star and landscaping expert Carson Arthur, master craftsman André Chevigny of HGTV's Timber Kings, along with Calgary's top gardeners and design experts, will be on hand for this year's edition, as well as more than 650 exhibitors and local vendors.

Also on hand will be Calgary's "No Guff Gardener" Donna Balzer, presented by CREB®Now. A self-described farmer's daughter, army brat and university graduate in horticulture, Balzer co-hosted the award-winning "Bugs & Blooms" segment on HGTV, and answers Alberta-wide garden questions on CBC radio. She is currently a regular communist in CREB®Now.

News

June 03, 2015 | CREBNow

Living with lovely landscaping

How making some adjustments to your yard can spur home sales

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to buying a new home, curb appeal is often everything.

Dandelion décor and weathered wood decks won't work in your favour to draw buyers to your property, said Donna Balzer the gardener, speaker and TV personality behind www.gardenguru.net. Balzer cited a seller in Scarboro who contacted her after potential buyer's commented on his home's outdoor esthetics.
News

Feb. 26, 2015 | CREBNow

Keeping it fresh

Calgary Home + Garden Show garden features prepping visitors for spring

They say you can't judge a book by its cover. Yet when it comes to purchasing a home, first impressions can be everything.

"What's really exciting for me right now, especially when it comes to home value, is that landscaping has replaced the top five best return-on-investments according to Remodeling Magazine 2015," said Carson Arthur, co-star of HGTV's Critical Listing and founder of Carson Arthur Design, who will be among a dozen celebrity presenters and more than 650 vendors at the 34th annual Calgary Home + Garden Show, running from Feb. 26 to March 1.

Arthur, who grew up on a farm two hours outside Toronto, said there are a couple simple tips for home sellers when it comes to grabbing the eye of potential buyers.
News

Sept. 17, 2014 | Cody Stuart

Added amenities

*CREB®Now real estate news luxury feature*


Today's luxury homes boast more than just curb appeal


With the ability to purchase a home priced at more than a million dollars, most luxury homebuyers also have the ability to add even more amenities to their new homes.


With the kitchen, living room and backyard serving as the main entertainment areas in the home, CREB®Now asked some local businesses what they're seeing in the city's luxury renovations industry.

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