COARSEGOLD — Manicuring your property is not only rewarding, but it can also increase the value of your home and helps keep your home safe during fire season. The recent storms have brought a lot of water, which means lots of growth on your land, and high winds that have caused major tree damage. It’s not too early to get ready for spring outdoor projects. It’s time to remove all unwanted weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches, and vegetative debris.
Clearing your land is the best way to keep your home safe during the fire season. California law requires that homeowners in State Responsibility Areas clear out flammable materials such as brush or
vegetation around their buildings to 100 feet (or the property line) to create a defensible space buffer. This helps halt the progress of an approaching wildfire and keeps firefighters safe while they defend your home.
Do it yourself, or hire a crew? Living in the country, you most likely own or are thinking about owning equipment to maintain your land. If you are going to maintain your property yourself, now is the time to think about the equipment you will need for the job. Chainsaws, weed eaters, and riding mowers are homeowners’ most common maintenance equipment.
With the high cost of fire insurance, it is important to understand both brush clearance requirements in your county and maintenance requirements in your homeowner’s policy. If you doubt either, give your insurance company a call.
Suppose you are lucky enough to live in an area where you can burn yard waste and debris and get out your chainsaw. Learn before you burn by following the safety steps and checking with your local regulations.
Are you having problems with pests? Dense areas with many trees and plants provide natural shelter for pests. This increases a higher risk of pest infestation. This is another good reason to maintain your property.
Your land is a very valuable asset, especially in high-growth areas. By clearing your land, you make your property accessible and, therefore, more valuable.
Landscaping can add tens of thousands of dollars to the value of your property. In fact, it is one of the few home improvements you can make that not only adds value immediately but also increases in value as the years go by. While the interior decor and design concepts regularly go out of style and mechanical systems wear down, plants grow fuller and more robust as the years go by.
Now is the time to plan for the spring.
