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Much of the home improvement information floating around out there is about the interior of the home. From drapes to carpets, kitchen appliances to furniture there is so much the interior of the home has to offer. But it is important not to exclude the exterior of the home when considering home improvement projects. Many times people fall short in thinking that a green patch in front of the house is sufficient. Yes, that bit of sod does reduce dust and provide some softening to the exterior lines of the home, but there is so much more. So lets take a look at what so much more may entail for a home.

Once a house is situated on a building lot the work is only beginning in many ways. Many contractors will only leave the area directly against the home clear and level. But soon the new homeowners eyes turn towards the ruts left from cement trucks, the furrows left by backhoes burying utilities, and the scattered pallets reminiscent of the many loads of material which were required to build the home.

One of the best beginnings for straightening out a yard and making it look like a small paradise instead of a war zone is to turn an eye towards planning. The first step might be to bring in a skidsteer and have the operator back drag the entire yard area with his bucket. Skidsteers such as a Bobcat can pick up rocks and move them, push brush, and give an overall rough grade to the land from which a yard and driveway can evolve.

Then, with a tape measure, a roll of string, a hammer, and some twelve inch long pieces of rebar, go to work. Plan out exactly how the driveway will approach the home, measure, and mark it off with the rebar stakes and string. Did you want a circular loop at the top? How about a half circle drive that curves in and then back out to the main road? These are design elements that set the tone for the whole area plus the tone for placement of other large things such as tress, a gold fish pond, or a deck.

Building a deck and roughing in the driveway should be the next things on the agenda. For a gravel driveway a base must be built first. Large 3B rocks may need to be hauled in by the truck load. A backhoe or dozer can be used to push the gravel and level it out. A good machine operator will want to trench along the sides of the driveway and provide a shallow channel for the water to travel in.

Once the larger road base rock is packed in, then lighter 2B gravel can be tailgated up the drive. Many times homeowners will choose to drive on this for a while before paving the drive. Once you have the driveway finished you can turn to details like landscaping and perhaps even building a deck.

Ruben is a writer who enjoys sharing information about a wide variety of subjects including, but not limited to, home improvement, arts and entertainment, and medicine at his article directory, The Community Brain Blog.

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