Lawn Turning Brown and What to Do About It

Crab Grass, JoAnna Levenglick

The Hampton's is a place where everyone has a beautiful lawn. It is part of the scene to keep your place looking just as nice as the neighbor next door. My lawn was beautiful all summer long for I had installed sod and it was just gorgeous. It was only one week ago when I had looked at my lawn and I saw brown spots all over the area around the pool. I could not believe my eyes how a lawn that looked good all summer would look so bad in on week. What happened?
These are the steps I took to resolve the problem:
1. I looked online to see what was written about brown spots.
2. I went to Home Depot to get advice about products and what may be the problem.
I lucked out because the sales person really knew what he was talking about.
3. He had asked me the following questions:
1. Is there a dog peeing on the lawn?
2. Are there birds present eating on the lawn?
3. Is there crab grass?
4. Do I see little worms in the soil?
5. Is there a sprinkler system?
6. What time does the sprinkler system go on?
4. My answer was "yes" to questions 2,3,4 and 5.
HIS ADVICE:
1. I should remove all of the crab grass or it will come back next year...even though it will die this winter.
2. I should use a insecticide to kill the grub worms.
3. One week later the lawn should be fertilized and new seeds should be planted all over and and extra amount where the crab grass was pulled.
4. The man at Home Depot did say that the sprinker should go on in the early hours of the morning and not at night. My sprinkers start at 9 pm every night.
5. The grub worms were apparent in the soil under the crab grass.
I will keep you posted on the impovement of the lawn in weeks to come.

Grub worms, JoAnna Levenglick

Beautiful White Cotton Dress for the Hamptons

This dress was in a store on Madison ave. It is such a nice example of a dress that can be worn to many places in the Hampton's this summer. I love the neckline and the flowers on the front of the dress and the brown belt. White cotton dress, JoAnna Levenglick

White cotton dress, JoAnna Levenglick

Lawns and What it Takes to Get a Good One

It is springtime and time to think about how your lawn is going to look this summer. I am new to this and found the whole project very exhausting. I bought this house that came with a really bad lawn. It is close to the beach and had no sprinkler system. I leaned that time and soil are the two main things to consider when trying to get a nice beautiful lawn. Since I lived in the city most of my life I had no idea regarding what to do. I found myself reading online tips on getting a good lawn and I would ask the same questions to as many people to see how many came up with the same answer.
This is what I learned.: If you have a bad lawn and want to plant seed that you must do it in the fall, because the ground is still warm. You should not wait till the frost though. In New York October is about the latest time to consider, unless we experience unusually warm weather. If you want to do sod, then you can do that in the fall or the spring. I took the route of doing sod because I had surgery in the fall and I missed the deadline of getting seed planted. Here are the steps that I took.
1. Cleaned the area with weeds, tilled the old lawn, cleaned it, then leveled the area off.
2. I added top soil and peat moss that was to help level the area and add to the sandy soil that I have being near the beach. The sprinkler system was installed after the soil was delivered and spread out.
3. Lime was added to help balance the PH and fertilizer was used.
4. The sod was put down. It must be installed the same day that it is cut for it dries out very easily.
5. Sprinkler system was turned on to provide water beginning at 9 pm every night until 7 am with 1 hour intervals.

As for pricing. I got 4 quotes, and 3 were in the same ball park and the fourth was much less. I gambled and took the lowest price and am very happy. The guys were professional. They showed up every day and had several guys working all day long for over a week. It was not easy to do this job. I had no idea of how many people told me the wrong thing about doing a lawn. It is very costly and time consuming. I do recommend that you stay every day watching over the workers to make sure that they are doing what you want them to be doing. Good Luck!
Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Southampton Dump

The Southampton Recycle Center, also known as the dump is a pretty popular place these days for those who do not want to spend 30 dollars per can to have their trash picked up. The garbage must be divided between; bottles and cans in one bag, paper products in another and food must be put in green bags that cost 3.50 per bag. There is never a line, and it is very easy to use. Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Hermes Beautiful Dishes for Your Hampton's Home

These plates are gorgeous, and would be wonderful in your home in the Hamptons.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Ralph Lauren Home Store is Very Different From Any Other Store

Located in Southampton, this store is very different from any other Ralph Lauren Store. You have to walk through a small garden and gate before you enter the store. How creative is that?

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Adorable Baby Turtle Found in my Backyard

Not sure what kind of turtle this is, but he sure is cute! I found this turtle today while working in my yard doing some gardening.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Getting Deals in the Hamptons

The Hamptons is not a place where you get deals. No matter what you buy, you will pay the price. There is no reason why the prices have to be as high as those in Manhattan. The local business owners think their customers have money so they are going to take advantage of it. During these hard times with real estate down both in rentals and sales, there should be no reason for such high prices, but they still exist.
The way I deal with the prices is to take my business elsewhere. I discovered Riverhead which is not that far from Southampton. It is not more than a 15 minute drive, and a very pretty one with little traffic. Riverhead has everything; Home Depot, cheaper gas, and the Tanger Outlet Mall. I took a little time to check out the outlet mall for the very first time. I had been to the one in the Poconos, Orlando and in Westchester, New York. All of them are very good, and if you are a good shopper, you can get some really good stuff at really good prices. I do think when you shop at an Outlet store, the prices should be at least 75 % off retail, or it is not a good deal.
As for the Tanner Outlet Mall in Riverhead; I think it was OK, but not great. There was very little traffic, so that was good that you don't have to deal with the crowds. However, some stores merchandise is old and out of date. I did find the Armani store as very good. The Fendi was bad..the stock appeared to be very old. As for Saks 5th Ave. It was pretty good. I did not look at the men's wear but there was a good selection for women. I do think it is worth taking a look at if you want to get some good deals. Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Ralph Lauren Tennis Wear for the Hamptons

This is what guys will be wearing on the tennis courts in the Hampton's this summer. Designed by, Ralph Lauren and no one does it better! The double V design with the large Polo logo works very well together in a dark navy blue. The shorts are a nice length for any guy; short, but not too short. This outfit can be found at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Quiet Time in Southampton on Jobs Lane

This picture was taken on a Monday around 7 pm in Southampton, and there was no one around.
I am not sure how business is these days with the tourist, but I do recall days of Summer in the Hampton's when there was no place to park. If you look at this picture, you will see that all of the parking spaces are available. Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

2 Veggie Floats for the Fourth of July

These two floats were made by Schmidts Market in honor of the Fourth of July. They are very colorful, and creative! Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Southampton Gets a New Post Office

The new Post Office is located on North Sea Road on a 2.2 acre lot which was purchased by the USPS in 1998 for about 1.2 million dollars. The construction started about a year ago, and is supposed to open on July 13, 2009. The estimated cost was about 3 million dollars for the construction alone. It has been reported that the postal service plans on saving some money in the long run on this new location. Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Madoff's House in Montawk

It was announced today that Ponzi, Bernard Madoff will go to jail for 150 years. Madoff would only look forward in court, and it also has been reported that he looked like he lost a lot of weight. Weight is not the only thing that Madoff lost. He also lost his three home. The New York City apartment, Palm Beach home and the one in the Hampton's. See picture below of house in Montawk. The house was estimated to be worth about 3.3 million dollars and is right on the beach.

Photo, Google

Paris Hilton Has a Nice Place to Stay in Water Mill

Located in Water Mill, which is part of Southampton, this 10,000 sf house is situated on 2.4 acres. This house belongs to Richard Hilton who is the father of Paris. She gets to stay there when she comes to the Hampton's. It was reported that his house was once part of the Henry Ford Estate, and was purchased in 1999 for 2.4 million dollars and that it was listed on the rental market for 400,000 from Memorial day to Labor day.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick when Paris was on the Tyra Banks Show

Privet Hedges Make Your Yard More Private and Beautiful

Most recently, I had the fence that was around the pool removed. It was a real eye sore. The fencing was referred to as Stockade, and certainly was not good. The town of Southampton has a zoning ordinance that you must have a fence around your pool All of my neighbors have fencing around their homes. There is not uniformity. People decide what they want based on budget and how much thought they want to put into their yards. Some have a green wire to blend in with the hedges and many people use Stockade fencing. Fencing is like the mailboxes in the Hampton's, people don't really care much on how it looks.
I came to realize that you need Privet Hedges and you must double them up to look good. They are work, because you have to keep trimming them. I heard that they grow fast, but I still may want to get some that are larger. The larger they are the more privacy they will offer, and they will make the house look much more elegant.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Will You Be Wearing Will Ferrell's Suntan Lotions on The Beach This Summer?

Will Ferrell is in the suntan lotion business. Yes, that is right! The former SNL comedienne, actor is now becoming a business person,but for a very good cause. Inspired by his close friend, Craig Pollard who had cancer since 1993, Will has decided to manufacture a 30 proof line of suntan lotions with 3 different names. Sexy Hot Tan, Sun Stroke and Forbidden Fruit are the 3 choices. Each cost 11.99 and all of the proceeds go to http://www.cancerforcollege.org/.
Way to go Will! Photo, cancerforcollege

Craigslist For Renting Your Home in The Hamptons

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

If you are looking to rent or sell your house you can easily upload picture files on Craigslist and within seconds you will see your ad. That is the easy part. The hard part is dealing with the people who respond. I have been listing my house for some time now dealing with vacation renters, and I have never come across so many unreliable people who think that you will allow a group of 10-20 people in your home for 1000 dollars. That is just one problem, is that many people don't want to pay. The other problem is that many people who say they are going to do something fall through, and don't. One example was just this past weekend when I got an email from a woman in Manhattan who booked days in advance to come out and see the house on a Sunday. She told me 1 pm and I planned my day around her time preference. Once 1 pm rolled around....no woman in sight. I finally called her after 45 min. and she told me that she was just leaving Manhattan and would not be at my place until 3. I told her fine. She had emailed while in transit and confirmed that she was coming. To make a long story short after numerous emails back and forth, and me setting aside my day to meet with her, she never came. Just today I had a guy who confirmed a rental and said that payment would be made on Monday. When Monday rolled around, he said Tuesday for sure. Finally on Tuesday he called to tell me that he could not do it. Why do people have to be so irresponsible? I also notice that most people who respond to my ads do it while at work using the email address from their office. I wonder what the boss would say if he/she knew.

Photo, JoAnna Leveglick

My Impression of the Real Estate Market in the Hamptons

I took a drive into the town of Southampton today and noticed that there were people everywhere. There is no doubt that people cannot live without their time out in the Hampton's. The difference this year is that people are changing their outlook to a more budget mode. They come in groups, and take less time when they rent a house. The thing that most people who want deals should understand that the cost of having a home has not declined in line with the economy. Taxes are the same with no discounts, electric, propane gas, pool man and gardening is all the same. I had contacted one man who owned a local nursery and wanted 30,ooo plus dollars just for some trees and doing the lawn. I had asked my pool man how business was, and he said don't believe what you hear on the news. Well, only time will tell. I do think that people will continue to take their vacations in the Hampton's for a lot of reasons; tradition, location, the beaches, the scene, beauty and much more.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

Kelly Ripa is One of Many Celebrities Who Has a House in The Hamptons

Actress, and talk show host on, "Live With Regis and Kelly'" likes to spend her summer time out in the Hampton's. There are celebrities everywhere, and I guess that is one of the many things that make the Hampton's a popular place for people to go.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick

A Nice Mailbox Goes A Long Way!

It doesn't take much to make your mailbox look more attractive. I had to look for a long time online and locally in shops to find a mail box that is a bit unique and nice. Once I found one, I had to take it one step further and add flowers to it. It is a simple notion, but goes a long way. Your mailbox is one of the first things you see when you drive up to your house. The real estate brokers always point out that your house should have curb appeal. I mentioned earlier that most homes in the Hampton's have very basic, and in some cases really unattractive mail boxes. Someone did tell me that the local kids like to throw balls at them, but I find that a bad reason for not making an effort. This is the mail box that I chose and help design. I hope you like it.

Photo, JoAnna Levenglick