Outdoors make house more like home

My husband and I purchased our home with the plan to fix it up a bit and move quickly. Three kids, a dog and almost 11 years later, we are still fixing it up. It's now the home we never expected it to be.

The outside has been long neglected and is the one spot we wish we could spend more money and time on. We love having friends and kids over for barbecue, but it's become a sore spot over the years with neglect of the landscaping and patchy grass, which also causes major bug problems. We'd love to have professionals help us get it to be a place of which we are really proud, just like the rest of our home!

Design by Mosquito Hunters

Expert: Nick Sorgani, www.mosquitohunters.com

This family has grown to love their home, but the yard has become a sore spot because they have devoted little time or money into landscaping over the past 11 years.

Budget: $3,000

Suggestions

• Lay down fresh sod so water will not pool. From there, keep the grass cut short regularly to minimize the bugs on the lawn.

• Trim all the bushes and shrubs to reduce shady, resting areas for mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.

• Ensure the gutters and downspouts on the shed are cleared and flowing properly away from the structure.

• Hire Mosquito Hunters to treat all of the bushes, trees and shrubs on the property to keep the mosquitoes, fleas and ticks away for three weeks at a time.