HUNTINGTON -- When it comes to selling a house or making your own house look more inviting, curb appeal is everything.
Don't believe it? Just turn on the TV; Home and Garden Television even has a show all about it, "Curb Appeal."
To figure out how to give your home a good boost of curb appeal, we tracked down George Kotalic, who celebrates 30 years in the professional landscaping business with his wife, Debbie.
The Huntington-based family-owned business and certified landscape designers provide planting, trimming, mulching, site planning, automatic irrigation systems, landscape low voltage lighting and upgrading existing landscape plantings.
George Kotalic said when you start thinking curb appeal, you must think holistically of all the elements that make that initial impression of a home.
"When we talk about curb appeal and landscaping, it's not just putting some bushes around your house," Kotalic said. "It is also the hardscape, where the entry is set, how the outdoors is a living space, how you set the lighting. There is a lot of facets that go into it."
Folks looking to build a home, Kotalic suggests, should be sure to plan for the landscaping and the home's curb appeal.
"We've seen a lot of places where they let the contractor just plan it and pour a straight sidewalk that's like 25 feet long," Kotalic said. "We've had to bust up concrete that's not even dry. That's fine, sometimes you've got to break some eggs to make some mayonnaise. It made a whole new environment."
Kotalic said be sure to think about setting a welcoming mood outside of the house.
"The idea to curb appeal is to get people to feel comfortable in their environment," Kotalic said. "It's how that circle drive can set an entry. The foyer actually starts on the outside -- that is kind of the concept. It's the same thing with the backyard, it can be a setting for an outdoors living room versus someone just having a lawn. That is attractive, but if they have a pergola, a water feature, some plants, maybe a table and chairs and a cover, you're still in a living room setting."
Out front, Kotalic said don't drop the ball and take people through an uninviting entrance.
"Be sure the door that you go into doesn't just go right into the laundry room," Kotalic said. "It doesn't matter if the next room goes into a dining room with $10,000 chandeliers; they just walked through the laundry room."
"We've tried to make an environment that is inviting from the moment you pull into the driveway," Kotalic said. "We've got pavers, so a person steps out onto pavers at both the front and back door. And we've used traditional plantings like boxwoods to enhance the linear lines as it all comes together."
Kotalic said adding outdoors living spaces has been a recent home landscaping trend that definitely adds appeal both to the homeowner and to a buyer.
The options outside are increasingly wide open with folks installing everything from outdoor speakers into the landscape, water features, as well as patios with a spa or Jacuzzi.
"We've seen it go from a grill to having outdoor kitchens with it all encompassed. There's maybe a sink and a grill and a built-in refrigerator," Kotalic said. "In the evening, there can be gas logs of actually wood to burn in a fire pit that also creates an environment that is inviting."
One way the Kotalics like to set a house apart is with some original art sculptures.
"Whether it is a contemporary sculpture or a traditional statue, it can set a focal point with lighting. And since it is unique to your house, it can really be a one-of-a-kind piece that really draws people to your house."
Although it takes a little bit of planning and investment, Kotalic said spending some thought, time and money on establishing curb appeal is always worth it.
"There is no question that plants, hardscape and landscape puts something on a house that is second to none," Kotalic said. "If you've got five houses and someone planned an environmentally friendly outdoor living space, that house is going to sell long before the other ones."
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