Now you see it, now you don't

Now you see it, now you don’t

Diversity is a good thing, right?  Different views, cultures, a melting pot of ideas and innovation that creates a stronger whole.  This is especially true in community design and execution, where the mixing and matching of styles, colors and themes can add interest and desirability to a community.  Ok.  You know this is a set up. 

In planned communities, this whole concept falls short when talking about mulch.  Now, of all the aesthetic concerns regarding a master planned community, why, you ask, am I concerned with mulch?  The answer is simple.  It is visible.  Actually, if you start messing with different styles of mulch, it is very visible.

In a perfect mulch world, you typically don’t want to notice mulch.  You want to notice the trees and ornamentals, the color and varied styles of the plantings.  They add interest and desirability to a neighborhood.  However, once you start mixing different styles and colors of mulch to the mix, it suddenly seems to not work.  It seems off, like mixing stripes and plaids. 

The problem is that there are so many different choices for mulch.  Excuse me for a moment while I indulge my inner Forrest Gump.  There is pine bark, pine needles, cypress, wood chips, straw, river rock, lava rock, red mulch, brown mulch and so on.

In master planned communities, where homes are typically 10 to 15 feet apart, it just does not look good when different mulches are used among the homes.  It diverts the eye to something that is really meant to act as visual filler.  That does not mean that mulch styles cannot change in a community.  It just means that there needs to be a consistent application if a change is to be made.  It also does not mean that occasional exceptions are not warranted, such as using small amounts of color blended river rock in areas where wash outs may occur from rain sheeting through roof valleys.  However, as a whole, setting architectural guidelines requiring a consistent application of mulch is a visual win-win for most communities.

Real estate by nature is a very visual form of expression.  Most of the time, the focus is placed on the major elements such as elevations, amenities, entrance features and community landscaping.  However, it is important to not forget the smaller details, like mulch.  While much smaller in total dollars spent, these complimentary items often have the ability to make or break the visual integrity of a master planned community.  Like they say, the devil is in the details.

Until next time…

Keep kicking the dirt!

Jeff Gersh is President of Gersh Consulting Services, a real estate advisory firm, headquartered in Orlando, FL.  He may be reached at jsgersh@gmail.com or 407-468-9328