Loading
A property on a corner lot in Ladner Village, Delta had a frontyard that was dragging down the entire street's curb appeal. The lawn was 80% moss and the remaining grass was thin and patchy. The concrete walkway from the sidewalk to the front door had heaved and cracked. There was no defined garden bed — just scraggly shrubs planted at random along the foundation. The homeowner was getting ready to sell and needed the front of the house to make a strong first impression for listing photos and showings.
Corner lots in Delta get more street exposure, which means every angle matters for curb appeal. The existing walkway had heaved 2 inches at one section due to tree root intrusion from a boulevard maple — removing the root risked damaging the city tree, so we had to work around it. The soil beneath the mossy lawn was acidic (pH below 5) from years of decomposing organic matter, which would kill new sod within a season if not corrected. The timeline was tight: the listing agent wanted photos in 10 days.
We removed the old concrete walkway, excavated around the intruding tree root without damaging it, and installed new interlocking pavers on a compacted gravel base with a slight routing adjustment to avoid the root zone entirely. For the lawn, we stripped the moss layer, applied agricultural lime to bring the soil pH up toward 6.5, added 2 inches of amended topsoil, and laid fresh sod. A small Allan Block retaining wall defines the new garden bed along the foundation, planted with low-maintenance evergreen shrubs and bark mulch. The entire front was cleaned up and photo-ready in 8 days.
Timeline: 8 days
The listing agent got their photos two days early. The frontyard went from the weakest property on the block to one of the strongest. The homeowner said the real estate photographer specifically commented on the curb appeal. The home sold above asking — and while we can't take all the credit, first impressions carry weight.
