5 projects to top your list

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

April 13, 2006

REMOVE LEAVES

Each spring, outdoor yard cleanup at our house can be described in just one word: leaves. Ga-jillions of them.

They're all over, stacked along fence lines, cluttering up corners and invading plant beds. Luckily, my sons Matt, 16, and Adam, 14, and I team up to rake, bag and cart them to the curb. Each spring, it usually takes us the good part of three or four weekends.

Ed Innella agrees that I'm a lucky guy. Innella, who with partner Jay DeFeo has owned and operated Jack Valle Associates - a Glen Head company that has handled residential and commercial landscape design and maintenance for 18 years - sympathizes with homeowners facing the overwhelming task of cleaning their outdoor property. With more homeowners investing time and money in larger outdoor living spaces that can include pools, kitchens and entertainment centers, Innella says spring yard cleanups require more time, more manpower and more equipment than ever.

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"It's getting to be a bigger and bigger job," says Innella. "From St. Paddy's Day to around the second week in April, all we seem to do is yard cleanups."

Many homeowners can't rely on family manpower alone. And many find it difficult to find a reliable landscaper who is licensed and insured, and will do the job correctly.

The story of a neighbor, upset at being billed $300 for a spring cleanup that resulted in three small bags of debris, prompts a chuckle from Innella. "He did at least two things wrong," Innella says. "First, he should have gotten a recommendation from a friend or a neighbor for a reliable landscaper. Then, he should have gotten two estimates."

In households like ours, Innella agrees spring cleanup can be a do-it-yourself project. It's one of the first tasks we tackle each spring. Of course, we have a list. There's tuning up the outdoor power equipment. Cleaning the compressor for the central air conditioner. Opening the pool. Mulching the plant beds.

"A lot of people don't have the time or the manpower to do it themselves," Innella says. "Or they've grown older and need to hire it done."

Innella says a homeowner should expect to pay between $28 and $38 an hour for each worker assigned to the cleanup. In addition, landscapers also face dumping charges for debris and leaves.

"Get the estimates," Innella says. "At least two. And specify exactly what you want done. If it's tree-trimming and mulching planting beds, be sure to tell them.

"A good landscaper should be able to estimate the job properly."

As for recommendations, Innella says if a friend or neighbor can't help, try getting one from a nearby garden center or landscape supply yard.

After finishing with leaves and such, here are more spring tasks that should be priorities.

REGRADE SOIL

Low spots or sunken areas near the exterior foundation can form puddles after heavy rain and snow and be a source for basement leaks. Examine the ground next to the foundation walls. Low spots mean it's time to regrade. If you do it yourself, get a landscape supply company to deliver soil as close to the foundation as possible. Landscape contractors can do the work, too. The project is simple but labor-intensive: Grade soil so it slopes away from the foundation. If the depth of the soil is more than three to four inches, mix in some grass seed. In a few weeks, the graded soil will blend with the grass.

Tools needed: Wheelbarrow, shovel, lawn roller, rake, grass seed and top soil.

Tip: Measure the areas that need to be graded (length of foundation wall, width of area from foundation wall and depth of soil in inches). Provide this information to a landscape supply company, and you should be able to project the amount of top soil needed in cubic yards. For example, to regrade with 6 inches of new soil in a 6-foot-wide area against a foundation wall that is 12 feet long requires about 36 cubic feet of top soil.

TUNE UP POWER EQUIPMENT

Afew small maintenance steps before or after each season can keep your small-engine lawn and garden equipment running smoothly for years. Scheduling power equipment for regular tune-ups is a good first step. As a rule of thumb, my two major pieces of outdoor power equipment - a walk-behind mower and a snow thrower - are tuned up every other year. Figure on paying at least $65 to $75 for each item.