Slope With Tree Bark Landscaping

This slope with tree bark landscaping can become quite messy with a strong wind or rain. If you look at the sidewalk you see quite a bit of debris. I put this picture in to give homeowners an idea when looking for properties to purchase what kind of problems you could be looking at later on down the road.

There is a simple fix to this problem and that would be a simple border next to the sidewalk. This could be a small three inch plastic lawn border you can purchase at any home improvement store quite inexpensively. Another way to prevent some of the debris from going onto the sidewalk would be to remove some of the dirt next to the edge of the sidewalk. This would let the sidewalk stick up about 3 inches from the landscape, creating a nice barrier.

You could always plants shrubbery next to the sidewalk to create a border. As a home inspector this will not be a major problem but could be something to suggest in your report to the new homeowner. This is a public sidewalk and creates a safety hazard for people walking as well as riding bicycles.