VANCOUVER, BC, February 10, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Although Ray's team of talented landscaping professionals (see our testimonials here) are more than capable of small projects like replacing your grass, or installing a deck or patio, they are also capable to taking you through a totally comprehensive consultation for a large scale landscaping project which could include a new concrete driveway, raised garden or lawn areas, or even fountains and waterfalls.

"Hardscape projects are really where it is at," advised Ray Evenson, owner and operator of West Coast Modernscape Landscaping of Vancouver. "A new lawn and freshly laid garden bed can make an immediate good first impression of your home, however it simply cannot compare to an all-out hardscape landscaping project utilizing natural stone products, retaining walls, walkways, concrete driveways and more. This type of landscaping project is what will make a direct impact on the financial value of your property," continued Evenson.

Although located in Vancouver, where property values are higher than average, the American Society of Landscape Architects advises "Spending 5 percent of the total value of your home on landscaping, and doing it wisely, you can add 15 percent or more to the value of your home. (http://www.asla.org/nonmembers/publicrelations/homeowners_guide.htm)." Evenson added, "this really is pretty close to the mark. On the high end, a landscape / hardscape project value of over $250,000 is not unheard of for us. That being said, we have also taken on many smaller jobs under $10,000. So five percent, from our experience is pretty accurate."

Although the ASLA mentions a 15 percent increase in property value for a noticeably upgraded landscaping job, some sources have mentioned as high as 20%. It does not require a mathematician to recognize a fairly easy 2 to 1 return on your landscaping investment. This also does not include your own personal enjoyment.

With continually rising real estate values in Vancouver, many landscaping companies recognize the financial value they are able to create for your property. West Coast Modernscape Landscaping changes the game and separates themselves from the competition in five key areas of landscaping & hardscape. These areas include water features and waterfalls, concrete driveways (interlocking as well, info here), fire tables, retaining walls and valuation. Value is not limited to reasonable cost, however quality of product and workmanship.

Kick back and envision all these elements brought together to create the most amazing and gorgeous look that your property has ever experienced. Combine this with the peace of mind that you have not only added value to your property but it is an investment as well.

About West Coast Modernscape Landscaping
West Coast Modernscape (www.WestCoastModernScape.com), a local Vancouver landscaping company has been catering to home and business owners in the lower mainland for over three decades. Specializing in all aspects of landscaping and hardscape including decks, patios, concrete driveways and paving stones we create outdoor living space that reflects your more casual side. As an award winning custom mason with over 30 years of experience, the team specializes in creating residential and commercial outdoor living space that incorporates first class, cutting edge materials and workmanship.

VANCOUVER, BC, January 27, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- At West Coast Modernscape Landscaping, the phones have already started to ring from home owners looking to book early appointments to enhance their outdoor living space. Some are looking for new concrete driveways (http://www.westcoastmodernscape.com/news/category/concrete-driveways-paving-stones), others are interested in a complete overhaul to work from a clean slate.

Ray Evenson, owner and operator of West Coast Modernscape advises "I think this is one of the earliest years we have started to hear inquiries due to the mild winter. It really puts everyone in the mood. Temperatures have been so mild that the local ski hills are in extremely rough shape. Something I have never seen in this city before. "

Once the weather starts to feel like spring, homeowners want to spend more time outside. With the fantastic mild weather brings early appointment bookings. West Coast Modernscape Landscaping are already booking into nearly mid February. "Typically, in Vancouver, landscaping estimates don't really get going until the end of February early March, so we are nearly a month ahead of schedule" continued Evenson.

When asked what people are considering for their landscaping projects, Evenson commented "most people that contact us right now are looking for retaining walls, decks & patios and concrete driveways. Some people are looking for waterfalls or water features with fire tables. Fire tables over the last couple to few years have really caught on. "

Evenson furthered, "This is a great time to look at your landscaping requirements because once we break ground and finish, you then have the whole rest of the spring and summer to really enjoy your new outdoor living space." He continued, "This year, it really doesn't feel like we had much of a break. This is in part because we had a couple of projects late last year carry well past our normal end date. Now with such an early start, we had just enough time to update our website with a few recent landscaping projects and testimonials." Evensons recent jobs and testimonials may be found at: http://www.westcoastmodernscape.com/news/category/recent-jobs and http://www.westcoastmodernscape.com/news/category/testimonials.

If this weather continues and you are considering a landscaping makeover for your property, you may want to act sooner than later with appointments starting to book up.

About West Coast Modernscape
West Coast Modernscape (WestCoastModernScape.com), a local Vancouver landscaping business has been catering to home and business owners in the lower mainland for over 3 decades. Specializing in all aspects of landscaping including decks, patios, concrete driveways and paving stones we create outdoor living space that reflects your more casual side. As an award winning custom mason with over 30 years of experience, the team specializes in creating residential and commercial outdoor living space that incorporates first class, cutting edge materials and workmanship.

VANCOUVER, BC, January 07, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- You had hired a professional landscaping company (like West Coast Modernscape) in the Fall to have them perform an overhaul on your outdoor living space. Now that the work is complete, does this mean you should just sit back? Yes and no. Although we would obviously encourage you to enjoy your new outdoor landscaping as much as possible, you do need to be aware of certain upkeep that may be required. Providing basic upkeep will give you years of enjoyment and extend the longevity of your investment.

All landscaping, including simple projects like a concrete driveway require basic up-keep. In Vancouver, Concrete driveways are susceptible to a lot of precipitation over the winter months. Where you reside will also make a difference on whether you are susceptible to green / brown algae.

Spring will be soon upon us and West Coast Modernscape, Vancouver Landscapers, have provided a small list of some basic maintenance tips.

"Typically, depending on what kind of year we've had weather wise, will provide indication on the timing and frequency of maintenance," said Ray Evenson, owner and operator of West Coast Modernscape, a landscaping business in the Vancouver area. "If the fall and winter months have been extremely moist, we recommend a maintenance in February (whether permitting) and another toward the end of June. If fall and winter have been fairly dry, a single maintenance around early April can sometimes carry you through the year," continued Evenson.

For owners of fountains and ponds, if the weather is warm in February, home owners may consider taking advantage of the good weather early and perform a pond clean out. Typically this involves removing all water from the pond via a syphon or bucket, then scraping out all of the debris which the pond accumulated over the Fall & Winter months. Normally, there is an odor (swamp type gas) associated because of the ongoing rot of biodegradable materials like leaves, grass etc. Although ozonisers are helpful and pills that can be dropped in to keep the water clean, ultimately they do not physically remove this debris.

For other landscaping areas like concrete driveways, wood decks & patios or granite we recommend a pressure washer. If you do use a pressure washer, one must be cognizant to go with the grain on wood and be careful not to use too much pressure. Always test in a hidden spot before doing your entire deck. As a word of caution, a pressure washer will remove paint which is why we always recommend consulting your manual before using it to ensure you do not damage your landscaping.

Maintenance for fire tables is fairly straight forward advises Evenson. "Typically, if a fire table is exposed, we would recommend covering it for the off season with a tarp or cover until it is used. In the spring time, when you remove the cover, ensure that all access areas (control areas) are dusted and free of any debris which may have accumulated over the Fall / Winter months when not in use. Other than that, as stated in a separate article (http://www.westcoastmodernscape.com/news/2014/12/19/vancouver-landsca ... -cert.html), fire tables are pretty low maintenance."

If your landscaping includes an aggregate or concrete driveway, West Coast Modernscape recommends a light cleaning in the spring and another one in the Fall. The Fall cleaning may be followed by a sealer with a shark bite type component to retain grit for traction when wet. Otherwise, using a sealer can become a hazard with kids when wet.

VANCOUVER, BC, December 16, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- You have seen the images, along with the presentation at a few of the Vancouver landscaping and garden shows. Now you are interested and would like to know about adding a little zing to your landscaping project with either a water feature, fire table or even both!

"If you are thinking about re-doing your landscaping project, you may also want to consider the upkeep that goes a long with it. Even a simple concrete driveway in the Vancouver area requires attention" advises Ray Evenson, owner and operator of West Coast Modernscape. "Concrete driveways should be power washed and sealed annually to help preserve your driveway. Even from a visual standpoint, with the amount of rain, it is nice to refresh it annually to keep up appearances" continued Evenson. More on concrete driveways may be found at our website at http://ow.ly/FVXdT.

When talking with Evenson at West Coast Modernscape, we quickly realized that having a wonderfully landscaped garden is delightful; however performing the upkeep can really be a task, depending on the size of the yard. "If you are considering a water feature for your garden, you need to be mindful of what type of trees may be in the vicinity. The reason for this is during the autumn months, the trees and leaves will fall into the potential water feature area. This will create slime and rot within the water feature that could potentially get into the pump. If it is a straight forward waterfall feature, we recommend an annual cleaning, usually in the spring before you start using your water feature. This will ensure the water runs clear along with prolonging the life of the pump" continued Evenson.

Fire tables can offer much pleasure during the spring and fall evenings when temperatures on the coast start to dip in the early evening hours. They offer a wonderful ambiance and atmosphere to enjoy at the end of a hard day's work. Aesthetically they are also very pleasing. The maintenance on a fire table is minimal. "Fire tables, relative to water features or concrete driveways are low maintenance. Evenson advises "they really are more like a barbeque, from a maintenance standpoint. Just ensure that the area is always kept clean, free of debris and that areas around connection points are also kept clean. Other than that, fire tables are very low maintenance, less than a barbeque because you aren't cooking on them."

So what would you look to budget to have these features worked within your landscape project? "Our fire tables typically start around $2,000 and water features usually average between $8,000 - $10,000, depending" said Evenson.

About West Coast Modernscape
West Coast Modernscape (WestCoastModernScape.com), a local Vancouver landscaping business has been catering to home and business owners in the lower mainland for over 3 decades. Specializing in all aspects of landscaping including decks, patios, concrete driveways and paving stones we create outdoor living space that reflects your more casual side. As an award winning custom mason with over 30 years of experience, the team specializes in creating residential and commercial outdoor living space that incorporates first class, cutting edge materials and workmanship.