As a parent and homeowner the last thing I want to think about when I am relaxing at home is the work that needs to be done to keep the house in tip top shape.  In my last installment we discussed creating a backyard that was safe.  Safety is of course the first and most important aspect to your home inside and out with maintenance being the second.  Landscaping options that help you avoid expensive repairs and extensive cleanup limit the time and money that you need to spend to maintain it.

Thankfully, some of the same landscape options that are installed to keep your children and pets safe are also easy on homeowners to maintain.   What you are looking for in landscaping that is simple to maintain is how easy it is to clean up spills, repair damage and prevent costly repairs.

Installing a fence around the perimeter of your home or in-ground swimming pool is crucial to keeping your family, friends and pets safe.  A fence keeps unwanted people out while keeping the ones you want in.  Many different materials are used to create fences that are ideal for both pool safety and backyard perimeter fencing.  Out of the materials you can choose none are as maintenance free as aluminum is.

Aluminum fencing never needs to be stained or painted.  In fact to clean aluminum fence panels all you need is a regular hose and maybe a wet rag.  Spraying the fence to get rid of excess dirt and algae buildup is all the maintenance this fence needs to look as beautiful as the day it was first installed.  It is also one of the easiest materials in fencing to install.  Aluminum fence comes preassembled in pre-drilled, pre-measured sections.  All you need to do to install it is to dig some holes for the post and put it all together.  Aluminum fencing basically installs and maintains itself making it an ideal choice for homeowners looking to be free of the hassles involved in keeping up on the look of their fence.

Artificial turf over natural grass is also a great choice not only safety but for ease of maintenance as well.   Not only does artificial grass never needs to be mowed it also never needs weeding, fertilization, pesticides and other time consuming chores.  The turf is easily rinsed if a spill occurs and can easily be repaired if a section is to become damaged.  Artificial turf is ideal for pets as well. Cleaning up both solid and liquid waste is easy to manage on a regular basis whereas natural grass is easily damaged by pet waste.  Dog urine often burns large brown patches in your lawn that can’t be easily remedied.  As long as you have a pet that uses the space as a bathroom brown patches will occur in your natural grass. This is not true of artificial turf.

Using pavers to install non-skid, non-slip surfaces makes maintenance easy.   The non-skid, non slip surface is family friendly and the individual sections make it simple to clean if a spill occurs or replaced if damaged.  When you use pavers instead of pouring a concrete slab repairing a small section is inexpensive, convenient and time friendly.  Replacing one, two or even a few pavers can be done in less than an hour with results that will appear as if nothing was ever damaged.

Safety and maintenance are key issues to look at when designing a backyard.  A backyard is nothing however without using it.  Our next installment will look at creating an environment that focuses on fun and entertainment while incorporating what we have learned about safety and maintenance.

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