Tag: Outdoor Lighting

Beautiful Lush Front Yard Landscaping with flower beds and trees - custom lawn care program | Burkholder Landscape

4 Front Yard Landscaping Ideas to Keep Your Yard Beautiful

Written by Burkholder on March 14, 2023. Posted in Blog, Landscape Ideas & Design.

Front yard landscaping is an excellent way to enhance the beauty and value of your home. An appealing front yard adds curb appeal and makes the home more inviting. A welcoming front yard is your opportunity to make an impression on all who see your home. Thankfully, you have plenty of ways to enhance your front yard. To help inspire you, below are a few ideas to transform your front yard.

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1. Softscaping

Updating and maintaining your front yard landscape is always a good option. Trees make your front yard more visually appealing. Mature trees can add property value and reduce cooling and heating costs. Colorful, vibrant plants and thoughtful garden design keep your front lawn looking lively and attractive. A manicured lawn also increases a front yard’s value and beauty. Adding softscaping features and maintaining them can significantly improve your front yard’s natural beauty. Our sister company, Burkholder PHC can help keep your valuable plants thriving with plant health care programs.

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2. Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor residential lighting can brighten up your front yard landscaping in several ways. First, you can use lighting on specific plants or trees in your front yard, making your foliage stand out more and adding atmosphere during the night. If your front yard has shrubs or flower beds you want to act as focal points, uplighting can help highlight them.

Landscape lights can show off your front walkway’s design and make the walkway safer. The right outdoor lighting design will create a welcoming ambiance and add to your home security. Let us show you some outdoor lighting options if you are looking for a simple, effective way to add beauty and safety to your front yard.

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3. Walkways

Another excellent idea for improving your front yard landscaping is to incorporate custom walkways. Walkways provide both value and functionality to your front yard. Paved walkways give yards a cohesive, beautiful appearance, which enhances your enjoyment and the front yard’s attractiveness to potential buyers or neighbors. In addition, walkways can connect points of interest in your yard and protect your grass and plant beds. A walkway made of stone, brick, or other materials also improves safety by evening out rough or steep terrain, allowing you and your guests to traverse your property easily.

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4. Smart Irrigation Systems

One of the best methods for keeping your front yard healthy is irrigation. An automatic irrigation system helps keep your lawn lush and green and your plant beds vibrant, even during scorching hot summers. Smart technologies such as rain sensors can help prevent overwatering, saving you money and water while keeping the lawn beautiful. Wi-Fi sprinkler control apps on your mobile phone provide even greater flexibility. Irrigation is crucial for a well-maintained front yard and a smart irrigation system will maximize curb appeal by keeping your front yard looking superb.

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Contact Burkholder Brothers for Front Yard Landscaping Services

Make your front yard more appealing and beautiful with Burkholder Brothers. Our team of experienced, passionate landscapers has served Main Line area residents for decades. We provide a full range of landscape design services, including outdoor lighting design and installation of outdoor structures. In addition, we work with you to create and maintain a beautiful, immaculate landscape. If you are interested in front yard landscaping, contact Burkholder Brothers today!

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Residential Outdoor Lighting Adds Value to Homes

Written by Burkholder on October 3, 2022. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

Have you worked hard to create a vibrant, functional yard just for everything to go unnoticed once the sun sets? Are you frustrated that the welcoming exterior of your home seems to lose its appeal at night? Adding residential outdoor lighting is a practical and relatively easy way to add value to your home and create an enjoyable space you can during all hours. In addition, when installed correctly, outdoor lighting options increase curb appeal and make your house safer.

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How Outdoor Lighting Options Provide Value

Landscape lighting can add value to your home, mostly in how others perceive and value your property.

Outdoor lighting makes your home more secure at night by helping you and others see what is going on around your home. More lighting around your property deters burglars or trespassers by making them more visible and by indicating that you are home and will catch them.
The proper outdoor lighting can increase curb appeal and make your home more attractive and desirable to potential buyers. Outdoor lighting makes a home more aesthetically pleasing and indicates owners are willing to or have already invested in their home’s condition.
You can use outdoor lighting to create a warm, inviting environment at night, making it safer for guest to visit, and providing a space for your guests to enjoy your property at night.

Residential Outdoor Lighting Options

Many potential outdoor lighting options exist today that will upgrade your home’s exterior. Some of the options that we suggest are the following.

Spotlights

Spotlights help light up any outdoor space. Often, spotlights accentuate your home, trees, or any architectural feature you wish. One of the strengths of spotlights is highlighting a particular object and showcasing the best parts of your home.

Flood Lights

Like spotlights, though with a broader beam, flood lights offer maximum security by illuminating large areas of your lawn or driveway at once and can be motion-activated. In addition, flood lights are ideal for lighting up whole yards and are eco-friendly.

Outdoor Hanging Lights

Outdoor string lights or lanterns can light up front doors and add warmth and charm to your porch or deck. In addition, hanging lights enhance curb appeal and create a welcoming ambiance in front of your home or an outdoor entertainment area in the backyard.

Pond Lights

Often referred to as water garden lights, pond lights are submersible and are designed to be placed beneath the water of a pond. Pond lights make the water sparkle and are a great way to highlight the many colors beneath the surface.

Path Lights

Pathway lights are a common and excellent way to light up a driveway or a garden pathway or highlight an element of a yard, such as a pond or a fountain. These types of outdoor lights can easily be spread through out the property and are multi-functioning in nature.

Step Lights

Employed as a means to illuminate a stairway, sidewalk, or deck, step lights add warmth to your space and light the way to safety at night. In addition, step lights accent the architectural features of your property while establishing a secure, definitive pathway.

Well Lights

Well lights operate as in-ground lighting fixtures that can light up trees, structures, or any exterior architectural feature of your home. These lights create a sleek, minimalist look.

Pool Lights

Like pond lights, pool lights can be installed on the ground or underwater and are a great way to showcase the vibrancy of your pool. In addition, pool lights create a welcoming atmosphere, come in all colors, and help ensure safety during night swimming.

Burkholder Brothers Landscaping Designers Offer Customized Outdoor Lighting Systems

At night, lighting enhances your home and provides a stronger first impression. These features are just some outdoor lighting options you can use to ensure your home looks inviting and vibrant at all times. Residential outdoor lighting offers safety, extends the entertaining hours of your yard, and adds value to your home. Contact Burkholder to light up your home today!

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Top 5 Landscaping Projects with the Highest Return on Investment (ROI)

Written by Burkholder on March 21, 2022. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

Homeowners considering home improvement projects often think about whether they will get the value back when they decide to sell their homes. Of course, kitchens and bathrooms are usually high on the list of popular renovations. However, homeowners may overlook that many outdoor landscaping projects can yield 100% or more of their investment in a home sale. In addition, the outdoor home improvements will enhance their family’s enjoyment with the upgrades to the outdoor living space.

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Landscaping Projects that Add Value to Your Home

Burkholder Brothers Landscape does all types of outdoor home improvements. We have collected information about which ones give you the best value for your hard-earned dollars. Some of the enhancements are so simple that they might surprise you.

1. Lawn Care

One of the most significant ways homeowners can increase their ROI on outdoor landscaping projects is to maximize curb appeal. Prospective buyers look carefully at landscaping when inspecting different houses, so the landscaping needs to be attractive and pristine. For example, suppose a buyer is looking at 2 different houses: one only has foundation planting in the front yard, while the other has more vibrant front yard landscaping with flower beds, window boxes, and other landscape features.

As a result, the buyer is far more likely to be attracted to and willing to pay more for the second house, allowing you to recoup more of your investment by listing your home at a higher price.

Essential lawn maintenance and upkeep improve curb appeal, but did you know that simply controlling weed growth and fertilizing can yield a ROI of nearly 270%? That is what a 2018 joint study by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found.

2. General Landscape Elements

In addition to improving your landscape, you can also add various landscape elements to your property to increase your ROI.

Walkways or stepping stones make traversing your yard easier (and cleaner when mud is present), and they also make a yard appear more cared for.
Large planters are visually appealing and relatively inexpensive.
Outdoor lighting adds greater security and more time to enjoy your outdoor living spaces.

The NALP and NAR study found that these types of upgrades can yield approximately an 80% ROI, and outdoor lighting can return 50% of the costs, primarily if you use the lighting to accentuate other aspects of your property, such as showing off the nearby plants or highlighting the architecture of your home.

3. Patios & Decks

Other types of landscaping projects that can make your outdoor space more usable and provide a high ROI are patios and decks. The addition of these exterior structures adds much value to a home in the eyes of homeowners and buyers. For example, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2021 Cost vs. Value Report, a new deck can return around 60-70% on your investment, depending on the materials used. This feature adds usable living space for your family. In addition the addition can complement your landscape and architecture while increasing your living space and making room for entertaining options, like eating or cooking areas and even a spa.

4. Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens have become increasingly popular landscape features for homeowners over the past few years. An outdoor kitchen can be a landscape project that helps seal the deal when convincing prospective homeowners or buyers to buy your house. Some of the most common outdoor kitchen features are grills, dining areas, and outdoor bars that include built-in coolers and sinks. Other elements that you can consider adding to an outdoor kitchen that might help set your property apart from others in the eyes of buyers are firepits and pizza ovens. Based on the NALP and NAR study, you can expect a return on investment of approximately 70% if your outdoor kitchen project is relatively simple.

5. Softscape Upgrade

Adding upgraded soil that better nurtures grass and plant growth is one of the relatively simple landscaping projects that improve the overall look of your lawn. Lush shrubs and trees lend privacy, shade, and beauty. According to the University of Washington, larger trees in yards can add around 3% to 15% to your home’s value while increasing your pride and pleasure in your landscape.

Call Burkholder for all of Your Landscaping Projects

Burkholder Brothers landscaping has been designing, implementing, and maintaining home landscapes and landscape features for over 25 years in the Main Line area. Our designers will help you determine which landscaping projects will add the most value and enjoyment within your budget. Contact us today to get started on your landscaping.

Burkholder Brothers Highlights 2021 Landscape Lighting Trends

Written by Burkholder on September 28, 2021. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

People love to spend more time outdoors in the summer and fall, having a refreshing swim in a pool or hosting an outdoor barbeque. With outdoor lighting, homeowners can create a pleasing atmosphere to enjoy their outdoor space day or night. Thanks to new and advancing technologies, your outdoor lighting can be more customizable, atmospheric, and safer than ever. Here are a few of the 2021 landscape lighting trends that can enhance your landscaping.

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Top 2021 Landscape Lighting Trends

These 2021 landscape lighting trends highlight new landscaping technology developments and homeowners’ changing interests. For example, smart lighting gives homeowners more control over their lighting, while LED bulbs save money.

Smart Lighting

Outdoor lighting has gotten “smarter” over the years. Smart lighting gives you greater control of how your property is lit through control systems in your home or on your mobile phone. With a few smart bulbs and switches (or an app for greater convenience), you can create a unique atmosphere and mood in your backyard by doing the following:

Dim or brighten specific lights as needed
Sync the lights to music for a pleasant party atmosphere
Use motion sensors to create unique lighting effects

You can also program smart lighting systems to activate at certain times. For example, you can turn them on while away from home for added security. This feature is handy when the house has lighting zones that you can control individually.

LED Lights

LED lights have become another of the more popular landscape lighting trends. LED bulbs are energy-efficient and long-lasting, saving you money and maintenance in the long run. You also have a variety of bulbs to choose from.

Color-changing bulbs: Color-changing bulbs help create atmosphere for any event, such as a romantic dinner, backyard sports party, or a family get-together.
Retro bulbs: If you prefer the glow of halogen lights but still want the efficiency of LEDs, some LED lightbulbs can provide a vintage glow like incandescent bulbs.

LED lights can be used in a wide range of lighting designs, such as festoon or string lighting (especially popular with structures like pavilions or decks), accent lighting to draw attention to particular landscape features, and other outdoor light fixtures.

Pathway and Stair Lighting

A common outdoor lighting use is pathway lighting. Pathway lighting helps illuminate paths to make them safer by highlighting tripping dangers such as icy patches or uneven ground.

New exterior lighting designs around entryways or stairs have been growing in popularity in 2021. One specific trend is hiding lights in plants or underneath entryway stairs and pathways, or even built into the ground. Installing lights under the stairs or in stair walls provides enough light for safety while giving your house a contemporary look. Also, hiding the lighting sources keeps the landscaping feeling natural while maintaining safety and aesthetics

Other kinds of outdoor lighting that have become popular trends over the past few years include the following:

Outdoor lanterns for walls or entryways
Various wall lights
Pendant lights or string lights
Floor lamps for decks, patios, and gardens

All of these options are great ways to add character to a home while also getting all of the other benefits from outdoor lighting.

Contact Burkholder Brothers for Outdoor Lighting Services

Enhance your outdoor residential lighting with Burkholder Brothers. Burkholder has a team of experienced, passionate landscapers who have served Main Line area residents for decades. We provide a comprehensive set of services, such as outdoor lighting design, outdoor kitchen and fireplace installation, landscaping, and more. Our team works with you to create a beautiful, immaculate landscape and ensure that your landscape will be maintained and continue looking great. If you want to implement landscape lighting trends into your home, request a free consultation with Burkholder Brothers today!

The Benefits of Outdoor Lighting

Written by Burkholder on September 30, 2020. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

When days begin to get shorter and the nights become a little longer, homeowners start thinking about adding landscape lighting around their homes. Homeowners also need to think about what their biggest needs are and the potential benefits of outdoor lighting, such as safety illumination of all the beautiful plants and landscape features throughout your property.

Upgrade Your Outdoor Living Space with Outdoor Lighting

Written by Burkholder on October 1, 2019. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

Your outdoor living space adds so much value to your home. Those outdoor spaces add livable areas for you to enjoy, either with guests at a party or with children playing outside. One of the most effective ways of making that space more welcoming is to upgrade your outdoor living space with outdoor lighting. Here are a few tips that will help take your outdoor enjoyment to the next level.

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How to Choose Outdoor Lighting Options for Enjoyment and Safety

Written by Burkholder on August 29, 2019. Posted in Landscape Ideas & Design.

Interested in increasing the safety of your home without compromising aesthetic appeal? With outdoor lighting fixtures, you can add security and supplement your home’s natural beauty! From large metal torches and pillar lights to subtle porch lights, the options for outdoor lighting are numerous.

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