There are no more trees there. Sorry I don’t have an updated picture but pretty much those trees are not there anymore.I think I should put some nice trees/plants there… something that doesn’t require maintenance for Iowa climate and that doesn’t grow that long because of those power lines. What do you guys think?Also as you can see the one road I have, what do you guys think I should do to make it look good. Anything really worth it? Or just stick with the trees/plants for the better bang for my buck for landscaping.
Crepe Myrtle trees grow well, look good, and don’t require too much attention.-jl-
If the park were mine I would pave a two car wide road down the center, place top soil and grass on each front yard, provide each home with a two car long and one car wide gravel laneway then plant a small box type hedge from laneway to laneway across each front lawn about two feet back from the road. Parking along the road would not be allowed and each home would be allowed a maximum of two vehicles.
Ideally at the rear of the park would be trailer and extra visitor parking.
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Greg, I like your ideas, estimate how much it would cost?
The biggest cost would of course be the paving but you could simply leave it as gravel if you added the grass and hedges to define the side of the road.
Paving up here for that area of road would probably cost a minimum of $30,000 for base prep and paving but your area may have different rates.
Each lawn with hedges and gravel laneways probably $600-$800 but again that would depend on local rates and how much work you do yourself.
In total possibly more than you would want to spend but it costs nothing to get estimates.
I am not a guy that adds stuff I need to take care of. So- I would put up a fence, with some nice entry posts and maybe a integrated sign. If you do not have much heavy traffic in the park, a favorite of mine this time of the year is recycled asphalt. If you can find a local contractor that is grinding it up to haul it away, they might just deliver it very inexpensively. As for along the fence, I would round up the grass, and lay down weed fabric. Again- here is a little thing we do. Say we have a tree trimmer that does our park. We tell him if he ever needs a place to dump mulch we are ready for it. So every now and then he will dump loads of tree mulch. We use it all over the park, we have piles and let the tenants get it to landscape their yards.
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Jim,
Does the recycled asphalt get heated up and compressed
or is it just a gravel substitute?
Does it keep the dust down better than gravel?.
It get put down in the heat of the summer, and rolled with a … steam roller? Anyway, a big machine with huge solid wheels that levels it. It is not heated prior to being put down. It is not so good if you have trash trucks on the roads, they will leave ruts. General cars though, it works great. When it is finished, it looks much like any asphalt street and it is not dusty.
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Greg, your ideas are great but way too expensive for my budget of $2k.I was thinking of the crepe myrtle also from a post I saw Frank made but he planted those in Texas I’m trying to find out if they will survive in Iowa as well… From what I’m reading that tree is not designed for that zone. Jim, good idea on the tree mulch and recycled asphalt… I will keep those in mind.I’m thinking of a white vinyl fence also, but am debating on picket style or ranch style…I like the ranch style more… should I go for it? Or would it make the tenants think they are farm animals? lol
Narf,Without knowing your area, or the city requirements I could not comment concerning what kind of fence. I have seen 6’ fences look great- and also ‘split rail’ type. Your city will have a say, or at least most do. Also check your mobile home park act, as some states outlaw wood fences as a fire hazard and insect nesting hazard. Fence is not inexpensive, but if put in correctly it sure can look good! Also- remember if your putting it in a grass area, you will increase your budget for mowing, as your adding a lot of edging…
Exactly, I want to get rid of all the grass and just use tree mulch instead.