page 14 press & dakotan thursday, september 26, 2013 fall...

PAGE 14 PRESS & DAKOTAN ■ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

FALL HOME IMPROVEMENTHow to Prepare Your Yard for Winter

Changing seasons canbe tough on a lawn.Always exposed to the ele-ments, lawns can fareespecially poorly upon thearrival of winter, a seasonknown for its harsh andunforgiving weather. Eventhe most perfectly mani-cured lawn can suffer atthe hands of winter weath-er, causing homeowners tosit idly by and hope springarrives that much sooner.

But as punishing aswinter weather can be ona lawn, homeowners arenot without recourse.Much like homeownerscan take steps to helptheir lawns survive siz-zling summer heat wavesduring the warmer monthsof the year, they also cantake steps to help theirlawns make it through theoften stormy weather syn-onymous with winter.* Don't procrastinate.Putting off the process ofwinterizing a lawn can putthat lawn in jeopardy.Lawns will turn dormantthe closer you get to win-ter, and they may rejectthe nutrients found in fer-tilizer as a result. Thosenutrients will prove valu-able once spring weatherreturns, so start the win-terization process in earlyfall so the lawn has suffi-cient time to absorb nutri-ents and strengthen itselffor the seasons to come.* Treat trouble spots.Summer can be even hard-er on a lawn than winter,especially for those lawnslocated in regions whereheat waves and droughtare common. In suchinstances, certain spots onthe lawn seem to be hitharder than others, andthose spots should getspecial attention whenwinterizing the lawn.Check the soil's pH levelsbefore fertilizing or apply-ing any treatments. Such atest will reveal whichspots need the most atten-tion, and treating troublespots now will makespring lawn care thatmuch easier.* Aerate the property.Aerating can help a lawnrecover after a long sum-mer and help it survive thepotentially harsh monthsthat lie ahead. Aerating,which involves puncturingthe soil or removing coresof soil from the ground,can restore a lawn tohealth by improving its

drainage and allowingmore water and air toreach the roots of thegrass. Aerating also makesit easier for nutrients topenetrate the soil, whichencourages a healthierlawn over the long haul.Aerators can be pur-chased or rented, buthomeowners uncomfort-able with the process maywant to enlist a profession-al to tackle the job.Parents of small childrenwho spend lots of time inthe yard may need to aer-ate their lawn more thanmost, as heavy lawn trafficcompresses the soil, apotentially harmfulprocess that can bereversed via aeration. * Take steps to strengthenthe roots. Aerating pro-motes stronger roots, buthomeowners might alsowant to find a winterizingproduct with potassiumand phosphorous, both ofwhich can strengthenroots. Different types oflawns will respond differ-ently to certain winteriz-ers, so discuss youroptions with a lawn careprofessional who can helpyou find the right fit foryour property.* Remove debris from thelawn. Debris left on a lawnover the winter can provevery harmful. Piles ofdebris left scatteredaround a lawn can suffo-cate the blades of grass,leading to long-term dam-

age and a potentiallyunsightly lawn come thespring. In addition, piles ofdebris might make goodhomes for organisms thatcan damage the lawn. Asfall moves into winter,periodically remove alldebris, including leavesand branches fallen fromtrees. * Make the lawn off-limitsonce the temperatures dipbelow freezing. A lawnshould be off-limits oncethe ground freezes.Stepping on grass that hasfrozen will leave notice-able footprints, and walk-ing on frozen grass can killthe turf. When winterarrives, people shouldavoid using the lawn as ashortcut into and out ofyour home and stick todriveways and sidewalksinstead.

■ Metro Creative Connection

Removing debris, including dead leaves, from a lawn beforethe arrival of winter weather can help prevent suffocation.

Home Improvement ProjectsYou Might Want to Skip

While there aremany ways a personcan turn a home intotheir own uniqueoasis, some homeimprovement projectsmay not be worth theeffort, especially whenhomeowners decide tosell. Some projectsmay prove a little toopersonal, making themless attractive toprospective buyersdown the road.Though it's withinevery homeowner'sright to make adjust-ments to their homes(as long as thoseadjustments are inadherence to locallaws), the followingprojects might comeback to haunt home-owners down the road.

Sports ComplexSports fans often

dream of erecting abackyard basketballcourt or adding a ten-nis court to theirproperty. But suchprojects are amongthe more expensiveadditions a homeown-er can make to his orher property, costingmore than popularprojects like kitchenremodels or roomadditions. What'smore, real estate pro-fessionals note thathomeowners canexpect to recoup little,if any, of the cost ofadding a basketball ortennis court to theirproperties at resale,while more popularprojects tend torecoup a substantialamount of a homeown-er's initial investment.

Luxury ShowerInstalling a luxury

shower, such as amulti-headed steamshower, can add a

splash of resort-styleluxury to your home,but it likely won't addmuch to your saleprice. Though costsfor such additions canvary significantlydepending on howgrand you choose togo, real estate profes-sionals warn that aluxury shower isunlikely to recoupmuch of its initial costat resale. If you simply mustgive your bathroom amore luxurious lookbut still want to be aresponsible homeown-er, look for a low-costaddition. That cantake some of the stingout of not recoupingmuch of your invest-ment at resale.

Fully Furnished Home Office

More and moremen and women areworking from home,and some homeown-ers might feel thattransforming a roomin their home into afully functional homeoffice is a great invest-ment. But some buy-ers might be turnedoff by a room that canno longer function asan extra bedroom. Thecost of converting ahome office into amore traditional bed-room may compelprospective buyers tokeep looking or makea lower offer on yourhome. While a home

office might be a goodidea, avoid making anexclusive home officeroom during your ren-ovation.

Home TheaterFew homeowners

would scoff atinstalling a home the-ater in their homes,but the impression ofhome theaters as aluxury only the superwealthy can affordmight turn prospec-tive buyers away fromyour home. Potential buyers maybe impressed by afully functioning hometheater complete withsurround sound, light-ing, a big screen, andall the other fixingssynonymous withhome theaters, butwhen they go home todiscuss their options,they may feel thehome theater is a luxu-ry they can live with-out and opt for a moreaffordable home with-out a theater instead.

A dream homemeans different thingsto different people, sohomeowners shouldkeep in mind the reac-tions of potential buy-ers before adding toomany personalaccents and additionsto their homes if theyplan to sell down theline.

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