Low Maintenance Privacy Landscaping

Privacy. Its a hot commodity in a world where we're pushed ever closer in proximity to one another.  It almost seems like a diabolical developers' cruel joke to see how many houses they can cram onto a couple of acres. 

You don't have to put up with feeling like you live in a fishbowl. There are a number of creative and low maintenance landscaping techniques that, in some cases, provide almost-instant privacy. If you do your homework before choosing landscaping materials, you can get the solitude you crave and keep the work on it to a minimum.

Baby Steps to Privacy

One of the first things you need to determine is if your Homeowners' Association has landscaping rules. Many of them do, so dig out the paperwork and pore over the CC&Rs to figure out what you can and can't do with your property.

Next, determine the amount of privacy you desire. Dense privets block most prying eyes, whereas a mix of trees and tall perennials provide a lighter touch and look more natural.

The size of the space you need to fill plays a large role in what to plant, so take measurements before heading off to the nursery.

Finally, make sure that the plants you purchase are suited to your growing zone. The United States Department of Agriculture provides a Plant Hardiness Zone Map based on the lowest temperature in a region.

In some areas of the country, such as California and Nevada, homeowners can also consult Sunset magazine's climate zones. Unlike the USDA map, Sunset uses rainfall, high and low temperatures, the length of the growing season, humidity and wind to determine plant hardiness zones.

Finally, you're always safe going with native plants that are adapted to your region and typically require less maintenance than the non-natives. Many larger cities have native plant societies that you can consult for ideas on what to use in your privacy landscape plan.

Landscaping Narrow Side Yards

Newer homes in subdivisions across the country tend to have tiny slices of vacant property between houses. There may or may not be a fence. If you don't like looking at your neighbor as you wash the dishes, choose some fast-growing columnar trees to fill the space.

Italian cypress is an ideal plant for this situation. It grows quickly (up to 3 feet per year), remains slender and requires little maintenance. The best time to plant Italian cypress is in the spring, unless you live in a warm climate. In that case, plant anytime. For a good, dense screen, plant the trees 5 to 6 feet apart.

Privacy Landscaping for Front Yards

If the front of your house is open to the world, you have options to provide privacy. Privet hedges are commonly used to screen out prying eyes, but they require a good deal of trimming and pruning to keep them in shape. Instead, consider planting evergreen shrubs and trees. If you must use deciduous plants, the experts at Colorado State University suggest you choose those with lots of stems and branches to help provide a privacy screen even after the plant loses its foliage.

Plant the trees closer to the house with the shrubs in front. To make a more natural vignette, throw some low maintenance perennials in front of the shrubs. Ideal plant choices, according to Richard Jauron of Iowa State University's Department of Horticulture, include butterfly weed or salvia for sunny locations and hosta, ferns or bleeding heart for shady spots.

Blocking the View From Above

When your neighbor has a bird's-eye view into the home or onto your deck or patio, privacy landscaping becomes a bit trickier. Large deciduous shade trees with broad spreading canopies should provide enough cover.

An arbor, or overhead latticework, allows sunshine to penetrate but blocks most of what the neighbors might be able to see. For better coverage and to soften the hard lines of the structure, plant a vine at the base and allow it to grow up and over it. Quick-growing vines that require little care include clematis, ivy and trumpet vine.

While it may be true that good fences make good neighbors, privacy fences make good neighbors disappear – at least from sight. And that is a good thing.

Elmhurst IL Foreclosure List

View all of the foreclosures listed for sale in Elmhurst by clicking the image above or simply click here. Not looking in Elmhurst? Simply visit WheatonHomes4Sale.com and search throughout Chicago land, the suburbs of NW Illinois and parts of Wisconsin and Indiana. Service and data provided by Katie Oakes with Keller Williams Premiere Properties.

How to Buy Vacant Land

Click here to view all Wheaton and Glen Ellyn Land/Acreage For Sale

The decision to actually purchase real estate is just the first of many decisions to come. When buying a home you need to decide on the what, where, when and how. Decisions to make include finding the right neighborhood, the right house, the right loan, real estate agent and home inspector. The process of buying land demands answers to the same questions, plus a lot more.

Do you want raw land or vacant land, or do you even know the difference? Raw land, since it typically lacks services, such as water, power and sewer, is typically more expensive to build on. Vacant land or vacant lots, however, still require that you perform plenty of due diligence: easements, zoning, land-use restrictions and utilities, to name a few. All that "stuff" that the developer did prior to building the homes you'll find in a subdivision, is now up to you.

Then there is the cost to build a home, if that is your plan. The cost to build will vary, according to several factors, with the following three at the top of the list:

• House design
• Quality
• Price of materials

According to C.J. Hughes, of This Old House magazine, the cost of the land and the cost to prepare it for construction shouldn't make up more than one-fourth the total cost of the construction budget. Just how will you determine that budget? Use anonline calculator to get a rough estimate of construction costs in your area.

Like most real estate transactions, if you're a property virgin, the entire process may seem like information overload. Let's break it down into bite-sized chunks.

Visit Appropriate City and County Offices

Government agencies offer a wealth of information that will speed you on your way in your due diligence. Here are a few places to start:

Planning Department

Look at the long-range land use plan to determine if anything unpleasant is in the works, such as a landfill, prison, electrical substation or a poultry or pig farm if odors bother you. Check traffic counts and ask about any upcoming road improvements. Your country property may be slated as highway-front property, so don't skip this step.

One of the most critical pieces of information will be the zoning. This will, among other things, let you know if you can even build on the land. Also, ask if the land is in a recorded subdivision as this will bear on how you can use your land.

Does the parcel have municipal water and sewage? If not, you'll need to factor in the cost of installing these items when determining the total cost of construction. Check with the health department about local sewer and water codes.

Access to the parcel is crucial. Don't assume any road is public – ask.

Assessor's Office

Here is where you'll find tax records, flood-zone boundaries and the proximity of any wetlands or other restricted use areas. You may find more information about easements and whether or not you'll require one to gain access to the property and whether someone else holds one over the property.

Financing Land

The most unpopular part of any real estate transaction has to be obtaining financing. Fortunately, you'll find a lot more owner-financing deals in the land arena than that of the single-family residence.

Other ways to finance the land purchase include obtaining a home equity loan on your current house, community banks and the government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers loans for vacant land, provided you are building a single-family residence on the land right away, according to Elias Askins with the USDA Rural Development office in Clark County, Nev.

If you're stumped about where to go for financing, ask your real estate agent or the title insurance reps in your area.

Choose a Qualified Real Estate Agent

When it comes to choosing a real estate agent, interviewing several is critical when you want to purchase land. The process is entirely different than buying a single-family home and requires a different set of real estate skills and knowledge.

Look for an agent who specializes in and has lots of experience with selling land. A bonus is finding an agent with construction credentials; he or she will be better able to counsel you about the building aspect of the land purchase.

The most important thing to remember during the purchase process is to not fall in love at first site with any parcel. You never know what lurks behind the public records until you peruse them, so, no matter how ideal a property seems, try to remain emotionally detached while lot shopping.

The Wheaton and Glen Ellyn area currently have 76 pieces of land for sale. To view land for sale in these and other areas, click on the image below or head to WheatonHomes4Sale.com.