Next door, additions and repairs show sloppy craftsmanship, of generations of repairs with a variety of building materials like a patchwork quilt. It may or may not be tied together with a single coat of paint. There is so-called gentile poverty, where an owner may struggle to keep up appearances despite all odds. Maybe there is no money to fix a sagging back porch, but the flower garden is immaculate. Speaking of paint, a classic treatment in the hobby is to represent a building getting painted.
Flowers are a neglected source of detail for even the most gritty areas.
In steam-days, hobby articles suggested a typical touch would be a flower box added to a grade crossing shanty. Flowers can bloom for years after they were given any care. In fact, suburban residents know all too well how easily golden dandelions bespeckle a lawn despite their best efforts to eradicate them. In this case, bright spots of yellow would represent the unattended house. Immaculate green lawns may be the suburban dweller's Utopia, but more than a couple on a layout can get boring.