by Christy Heitger-Ewing | photos by Graham Photography


How Landscaping Adds Color, Texture & Joy to a Home

There’s no doubt about it – landscaping completely transforms the exterior of a home.

“Grass up to the house would be so boring,” says Wesley Addington, owner of Wesley’s Landscape & Lawncare. “We give life to a home by adding colors and textures, which makes the homeowner smile.”

That’s precisely why Joe Garcia, owner of G&G Custom Homes, hires Addington and his crew for his builds. Addington reaches out to homeowners several months in advance to walk around the house, look at terrain & elevation and begin brainstorming possible designs. He encourages them to think “big picture” by asking what’s important to them. For example, do they have kids or pets? Do they envision adding a pool or pergola down the line?

“I get their mind expanded to the thought that we are putting in more than boxwoods,” says Addington, who stresses the importance of creating a future roadmap so that there is a plan in place moving forward when the time is right. “It may be five years from now, but we want to get it all captured in one spot on a piece of paper.”

He notes that while a lot of folks outside of the new construction industry will want to pull the trigger without a design, his crew won’t work without one.

“It all starts and ends with a design, which provides clear instructions for everyone,” says Addington. “If I know you want to install a pool in a year or two, then we’re not going to put irrigation and a big tree in the middle of your yard because we’d have to tear it all back out. If, however, you plan ahead and start mapping out irrigation and landscaping around that, the process is more seamless.”

Some folks have burned through their budget before getting to landscaping. While they can’t make their ideas come to fruition now, they’d like to complete different landscaping projects every year or two. There again, a master design plan comes in handy.

Oftentimes homeowners have a hard time visualizing what something will look like so Addington, whose mission is to enhance his clients’ properties while exceeding their expectations to the point of a referral, provides either 2D and 3D design renderings or even fly-through CADs with drones.

The Gill family, who recently built with G&G Custom Homes, has a lot that sits atop a hill with a drop-off, so Addington’s team built mega walls all the way around the backyard and elevated it. Since the family has small children, they created green space and also added steps down to a lower level that houses the golf cart garage and firepit.

“Again, it’s not just landscaping we’re doing,” says Addington. “We’re giving life to a house and giving homeowners something to enjoy over many years.”

G&G Custom Homes believes in building homes that are built for living, and that all starts with a conversation, with your builder, your landscaper, and the other teams that will bring your home to life. Get connected today, visit ggcustomhomes.com to get your conversation started.