HGTV Backyard

In California, where summer never ends, it's all about outdoor living. Tarek and Christina focused their attentions on this neglected Torrance home's backyard, and the results are California gold.

BEFORE: The Front Yard

Despite the five-bedroom house's complete lack of curb appeal, Tarek and Christina saw an opportunity for a million-dollar flip.

BEFORE: Bird's Eye View

The house backed up against a sloping hill that proved challenging in creating an outdoor space that didn't feel cramped or confining.

BEFORE: The Back

The only eye-catching thing about the back of this home was the amount of dirt that covered it.

BEFORE: The Backyard

The outdoor space wouldn't allow room for a pool, so Tarek and Christina had to come with other ideas to turn this backyard disaster into a California gold.

AFTER: The Front Yard

A fresh paint job, new front and garage doors and extensive landscaping give this home by the beach the curb appeal it desperately needed.

AFTER: Bird's Eye View

Yes, your eyes do spy a new retaining wall along the hillside ... and a pergola!

AFTER: The Backyard

The pergola feature ties the extensively renovated house and backyard - which Tarek and Christina invested the most money into for this project - together.

AFTER: Seating Area

New pavers and a netural pergola help the new backyard feel much more spacious and inviting for outdoor entertaining.

AFTER: The Spa

In lieu of a pool, Tarek and Christina designed this modern, oversized spa with an accent fountain wall and fire pit right next to the water.

AFTER: Outdoor Dining

The seating area is in the middle of everything the backyard has to offer, with solid sight lines to the spa and the house.

AFTER: The Barbecue

The custom outdoor kitchen and barbecue area is especially handy for entertaining guests or just enjoying a quiet dinner outside on those gorgeous California evenings.

AFTER: The Putting Green

As an added bonus, Tarek and Christina installed a putting green on the side of the house for a unique feature home buyers will be hard-pressed to find on this block.

Source: www.hgtv.com

Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.