Your front entrance serves as the introduction to the rest of your home and, just like any good introduction, it must leave visitors eager to see more. One way to enhance and improve your front entrance in Hollis, NH, is by furnishing it with a beautiful staircase that leads to your home. Homeowners with sloped entrances are often unaware of just how lucky they are, as steps are one of the most extravagant ways to introduce a home. Here are a few landscaping tips for the kind of steps that will turn heads.
Make Them Wide
It’s a good idea to have your steps wider than you think they need to be, as they might need to accommodate a pair or group of people who have decided to ascend them side by side. The classic staircase is narrow and straight, creating a clear-cut path from one level to the next. Consider opting for rounder, fanned-out steps instead. They tend to offer a more extravagant look and feel, as they taper to a narrow point at the very top to signify that you have reached your destination. It is also a wonderfully open and inviting layout that is perfect for entrances.
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Plant Strategically
Using ground cover to frame your steps is an excellent way to soften their design and make them appear more harmonious in conjunction with the rest of the landscape. However, keep in mind that any surrounding plants will most likely approach your steps eventually and that you will want a good amount of open space between the two. If you have shrubs and groundcover planted snugly beside your steps, you risk narrowing your staircase to an uncomfortable width. Consider separating your steps and plants using natural edging options such as medium-sized boulders or a dense layer of pebbles. These rugged edging options will add a fairytale-like look and feel to your steps too.
Opt for Grass
The most classic and essential component of any front yard is the kind of lawn that could win awards for beauty. The greenery out front serves to make your home look more inviting, homely, and impressive. Extend your lawn by creating grass steps with stone risings. These steps are wonderfully versatile and manage to suit traditional and contemporary homes alike. Keep in mind that this design may require more frequent landscaping maintenance and mowing to look its best.
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Make Them Comfortable
Clarify how high you want each step to be and give it a good deal of thought, as this will determine how pleasant the experience of ascending your front steps will be. Outdoor steps are typically shorter than indoor steps. Part of the reason why shorter steps are best lies in the fact that ascending these steps should be a savored experience. A guest is expected to take in all the sights, smells, and sounds surrounding them as they approach your home. That is why many homeowners create shallow front steps even when they are not vital and a pathway would suffice. They add dimension and interest to the landscape and are far more valuable than many homeowners may realize.
