‘Consider your front garden too, if you have one. If you have open fencing, enclose it to create a separate garden that adds privacy and can increase your overall property value. There’s no Photo courtesy Lawn need to invest in expensive landscaping either – opt for established trees that won’t take long Solutions Australia to mature to provide screening and greenery.’ Annie Reid, Atrium Media will improve the market value of the property. Lovely lawns Research by Holcim – including a study of 407 Fresh green grass goes with every home and garden homeowners from Western Australia and South style, from sleek townhouses to weatherboard Australia in December 2016 – found that homes cottages. Large family homes can invite the eye with a driveway made of exposed aggregate towards the backyard with stepping stones in a neat concrete will attract higher sale prices than a paved lawn down the side path, while modern cubist homes or plain driveway. can benefit from a sharp strip of green across the front. Gorgeous gardens Sir Grange is a premium home lawn solution to It isn’t just a building façade and driveway that suit front and back yards, small courtyards or nature strips. It provides an excellent fine-leaf turf surface contribute to street appeal. The front garden can that looks magnificent and will complement any high- THE BUNKER TURF add a splash of colour to dress up the front of any end construction. HASN’T BEEN MOWN home. An attractive garden area will actually add to Lawn goes with everything, from heritage-styled IN NINE MONTHS the value too. homes, modern units with a tidy front strip, or the ‘A home which sits comfortably on the block weatherboard with a row of roses and a circle of and allows for green space and garden is very grass. All of these front gardens will add to the street appealing,’ says Tanya Wagner of Heritage. appeal of a home. A current trend in gardens is for low-water Getting good results with Sir Grange is simple, options with easy-care natives. But whatever your and care is easy. It uses less water and fertiliser than style, from lush and tropical to manicured hedging, most other turf varieties and needs a lot less mowing. all front gardens will benefit from a swathe of cool The turf in the picture [top left] hasn’t been mown in green lawn. nine months. Sir Grange has a beautiful fine leaf and grows very well in the shade. It can also handle the Photo courtesy James Hardie wear and tear of dogs, kids and foot traffic. This is a brand-new turf variety that is the result of years of turfgrass research and development. The result is a beautiful fine-leafed turf grass that is extremely low maintenance. Sir Grange has very high wear tolerance, shade tolerance and drought tolerance and can be maintained at a variety of heights. Sir Grange is available from all Lawn Solutions Australia members Australia-wide and comes with the Lawn Solutions exclusive 10-year product warranty. Wonderful weatherboards Behind those lovely lawn areas, and lush gardens, rises the all-important home façade. The front elevation really starts with the walls. After all, they form the greater part of almost all frontages. With all that visual space to play with, you want to make sure it looks its best, so don’t let that big blank canvas be boring or bland. We know that when it comes to a home, first impressions are everything. The exterior sets the tone for the rest of your house, and there’s nothing that says Hamptons like a classic weatherboard façade. Linea weatherboard from James Hardie’s™ ™ Scyon Walls™ range is made from a fibre-cement composite, which means your home can have all the distinctive features and classic charm of weatherboard without the maintenance of traditional timber weatherboards. For Queensland homeowners Nathan and Melissa, Linea weatherboard helped them achieve IT’S THE FINISHING DETAILS THAT REALLY BRING a timeless Hamptons look in a suburb of classic NATHAN AND MELISSA’S HAMPTONS HOME TO LIFE timber-weatherboard homes, making theirs an instant standout. 80 HOUSING SEPTEMBER 2018