Ideas for front yard

[Alfredo Aguirre]

My wife and I, bought a house. Long term plan is to eventually rent it out. So for the first couple of years we are trying to upgrade it, but still keep in mind that this will be a rental. 

First thing on the list is the front yard. Right now it’s basically dirt. We thought about grass, but that requires water and maintenance(Ongoing costs). Turf is another good option. We also considered Rockscaping with some cactus.  

What has worked for other for low maintenance, nice looking, tenant friendly, with a long term approach to a front yard. Home located in Riverside county. Lake Elsinore, CA. Yards around the neighborhood vary between grass and rockscape.

[Alfredo Aguirre]

I started to remove the weeds to have clean start. 

[Rick Albert]

Look at the rental comps and see what they did. If they all have grass, then there is your answer. Grass tends to look the cleanest. If it is a single family residence then the tenants ultimately pay the water bill. You just need to factor in the gardener.

[Alfredo Aguirre]

Quote from @Rick Albert:

Look at the rental comps and see what they did. If they all have grass, then there is your answer. Grass tends to look the cleanest. If it is a single family residence then the tenants ultimately pay the water bill. You just need to factor in the gardener.

Great answer! Thank you Rick. 

[Steven Foster Wilson]

Quote from @Alfredo Aguirre:

My wife and I, bought a house. Long term plan is to eventually rent it out. So for the first couple of years we are trying to upgrade it, but still keep in mind that this will be a rental. 

First thing on the list is the front yard. Right now it’s basically dirt. We thought about grass, but that requires water and maintenance(Ongoing costs). Turf is another good option. We also considered Rockscaping with some cactus.  

What has worked for other for low maintenance, nice looking, tenant friendly, with a long term approach to a front yard. Home located in Riverside county. Lake Elsinore, CA. Yards around the neighborhood vary between grass and rockscape.

 I used to do a decent amount of landscaping for all of my rentals but as time has gone on, I feel just mulch and a tree or two is good. That is for the Ohio weather at least. I would do the rockscaping with some cactus. Low maintenance and it looks good.

[Nicholas Coulter]

@Alfredo Aguirre I would look into a desert style landscape. Crushed rock and some drop system for small desert plants would be cost effective and low maintenance. 

[Lewis Vine]

@Alfredo Aguirre I ran a landscaping franchise in San Diego for a few years before moving. We mostly did installs focusing on artificial turf and xeriscapes.

I would not do artificial turf. Cheap companies install crap and good companies are expensive. You could end up spending $20 a square foot or more. I would not go with anyone charging less than $10.

Plus turf gets hot and not everyone likes it. Clear 3" around the edges of the lawn, mound to crate some contours with the excess, throw down some heavy landscape fabric, and bring in some nice desert looking rock. Plant some cacti or over low water plants, install some drip irrigation, and move on.

Or install irrigation and get some sod in.

Each of those two options should cost roughly the same. IIRC, we typically did both for around $5-8 a foot. But three contractors will have three different prices.

Do not do artificial turf.

[Theresa Harris]

Look for a native shrub and put one or two in the front yard. They won't need as much water.  Keep the rest simple.  Most things will need some maintenance.  A small patio area can cut down on the grass and if there is a cover, it can provide some shade and an area to sit outside.  It can also look nice for staging with some deck chairs.

[Lewis Vine]

If you end up going low maintenance with drip irrigation, there are tons of options for making it less "deserty" as well: lantanas, salvias, ceanothus, rosemary all should do well. Just have a little island in your sea or rock. A bunch of three or four larges bushes or cacti with some small stuff on the border.

You'd be surprised how quickly the stuff grows too. Buy small and don't overplant.

[Alfredo Aguirre]

Quote from @Lewis Vine:

@Alfredo Aguirre I ran a landscaping franchise in San Diego for a few years before moving. We mostly did installs focusing on artificial turf and xeriscapes.

I would not do artificial turf. Cheap companies install crap and good companies are expensive. You could end up spending $20 a square foot or more. I would not go with anyone charging less than $10.

Plus turf gets hot and not everyone likes it. Clear 3" around the edges of the lawn, mound to crate some contours with the excess, throw down some heavy landscape fabric, and bring in some nice desert looking rock. Plant some cacti or over low water plants, install some drip irrigation, and move on.

Or install irrigation and get some sod in.

Each of those two options should cost roughly the same. IIRC, we typically did both for around $5-8 a foot. But three contractors will have three different prices.

Do not do artificial turf.

 I love all the answers and ideas. Big shoutout to Lewis for the thorough breakdown. I am definitely going the desert style and like the xeriscape look.