Landscaping
Unless installed by Classic Homes, the installation and maintenance of landscaping is the Homeowner's responsibility. In planning your landscaping, think of proportion, texture, color, mature size, maintenance needs, soft and hard surfaces, lighting, fencing, edging, and water requirements. A beautiful patio/garden area requires considerable planning and regular attention.
Depending on the community selected, you may need to obtain approval from the Homeowners Association before designing, installing, or changing the landscaping for your home.
Protecting Your Foundation
Backfill
We construct the foundation of your home beginning with an excavation into the earth. When the foundation walls are complete, the area surrounding them is backfilled. Soil in this area is not as compact as undisturbed ground. Water can penetrate through the backfill area to the lower areas of your foundation. This can cause potentially severe problems such as wet basements, cracks in foundation walls, and floor slab movement. Avoid this through proper installation of landscaping and good maintenance of drainage so that water drains away from the foundation.
First 5 Feet; Next to Foundation
Do not install sprinkler heads within 5 feet of your home's foundation. Sprinklers and other irrigation devices should not deposit moisture within 5 feet of your foundation. Plants installed within 5 feet of the foundation should be of a type that requires only minimal hand watering.
Downspouts
Keep downspout extensions in the down position to channel roof runoff away from the foundation area of your home. Your routine inspection of downspouts, backfill areas, and other drainage components will help maintain the integrity of your home.
Landscaping Edging
Do not install edging around decorative rock or bark beds that obstructs the free flow of water away from the home.
Erosion
Until your yard is established and stable, erosion will be a potential concern. Heavy rains or roof runoff can erode soil. The sooner the grade is restored to its original condition, the less damage will occur. Erosion is of special concern in drainage swales. If swales become filled with soil runoff, they may not drain the rest of the yard, causing further problems.
Correcting erosion is your responsibility. You may need to protect newly planted seed with erosion matting or reseed to establish grass in swales. It can take several years to fully establish your lawn in such challenging areas.
Planning and Installation
Landscape Contractors
You are responsible for changes to the drainage pattern made by any landscape, concrete, or other contractor that you hire. Discuss drainage with any company you hire to do an installation in your yard. We also recommend that you only hire local companies that are members in good standing with The Better Business Bureau.
Plant Selection
Install plants that are suitable to the local climate. Favor native over exotic species. Consider ultimate size, shape, and growth of the species.
Sod
Newly placed sod requires extra water for several weeks. Water in the cool part of the day (ideally just before sunrise) at regular intervals for the first three weeks. Be aware that new sod and the extra watering it requires can sometimes create drainage concerns (in your yard or your neighbor's) that will disappear when the yard is established and requires normal watering.
Sprinkler System
If Classic included a sprinkler system with your home, the installer will make final adjustments shortly after you move in. The installer will note and correct any deficiencies in the system at the same time.
The Homeowner or HOA is responsible for routine cleaning, adjusting, and repairing sprinkler heads as well as shutting the system down in the fall.
Failure to drain the system before freezing temperatures occur can result in broken lines.
Automatic timers permit watering at optimum times whether you are at home, away, awake, or asleep. The amount of water provided to each zone can be accurately and consistently controlled and easily adjusted with a timed system.
Trees
Classic values trees as one of the features that make an attractive community. Trees also add value to the homes we build. We take steps to protect and preserve existing trees in the area of your home. In spite of our efforts, existing trees located on construction sites can suffer damage from construction activities, which can manifest months after the completion of construction. Classic will not replace trees removed or damaged during the construction of the home.
Damage to existing trees can be caused by such things as compaction of soil in the root zone, changing patterns of water flow on the lot, disturbing the root system, and removing other trees to make room for the home. The newly exposed tree may react to conditions it is unaccustomed to.
Homeowner and HOA tree responsibilities:
- Caring for existing trees, including pruning dead branches or removing these trees altogether
- Watering trees during the summer or during warm dry periods in the winter
- Mulching and avoiding tilling or planting flower beds around trees — this is especially important while trees are recovering from the construction process
Trees and other plant materials that were on the lot prior to construction are excluded from the Limited Warranty.
Utility Line Trenches
A slight depression may develop in the front lawn along the line of the utility trench. To correct this, roll back the sod, spread topsoil underneath to level the area, and then relay the sod.
Before any significant digging, check the location of buried service leads by calling the local utility locating service. In most cases, wires and pipes run in a straight line from the main service to the public supply. All digging will be the responsibility of the Homeowner or HOA.
Related Topics
Warranty Coverage: See Landscaping Standards for coverage details.