Taking care of and improving your home landscape design offers many benefits, including health and environment and improving the attractiveness of your home, especially when you take time to plan the structure of your home landscape design.
These benefits and the added landscaping aesthetics can cause your property to increase in value.
Compared to other types of home upgrades like bathroom or kitchen remodeling, many experts believe that landscaping provides the highest return on investment (ROI).
If you are looking to upgrade your home because you plan to sell soon or because you desire to be the envy of your neighbors, instead of investing in bathroom remodeling, your buck might do you more good by investing in landscaping your home.
Here, we will discuss how landscape design can improve your home value, list the top landscape design projects for maximizing home value, and share tips for maximizing the ROI of landscape design projects. Let’s dig in!
How does landscape design improve home value?
When looking to improve your home, landscaping is one of the first things you should consider. According to a report, landscaping can boost the value of your home by 5.5 percent to 12 percent, depending on the style of landscaping and the original worth of your property.
This equates to an additional $16,500 to $38,100 in value on a $300,000 property. This is a handsome return on investment, considering that most homeowners can improve their landscape design for 10% or less of their home value. Another study conducted in 2018 by Virginia Tech researchers found that a home’s value can grow by as much as 15% with a correctly executed landscape design.
Furthermore, landscaping can improve your quality of life, making your home look more appealing to potential buyers and enhancing its value.
That said, the following are some ways landscaping can improve your home value:
Improves your curb appeal
If you intend to sell your property one day, the first thing a potential buyer will notice as they drive up to the front door is your home curb appeal.
This is where a new buyer gets a sense of whether the house speaks to them or not. This is also when they might envision themselves sitting on the front porch or in the middle of a garden full of beautiful scented flowers.
By landscaping your front yard, you can make a fine impression and increase your home’s value.
Makes your home energy efficient
Landscaping your home can help make it more energy efficient. By planting trees and shrubs, you can provide a relaxing shaded spot that can serve as a place to unwind and entertain guests.
Also, the trees can give wind protection to your home, reducing energy costs.
Low maintenance appeal
Another plus with planting trees, especially when you have mature trees in your home, is that most home buyers want to see a well-established garden. For sellers, this means planning your landscape design before considering selling.
If you plan to sell soon and do not have a well-established landscape design yet, plan for at least a year ahead to allow the plants and trees to mature.
Conveying to the buyers the low maintenance involved in your aesthetically pleasing home is also a great bonus because it reassures them that they can adequately maintain the landscape with minimal effort.
Adding color with perennials, flowering shrubs, mulching, edging, and ensuring all weeds are pulled is a significant first step, with an overall landscape plan in mind.
The diversity of flowers and shrubs will also be a substantial feature buyers look for in the overall design.
Enhances the outdoor elements
Another element buyers are also interested in when viewing a landscape is its sophisticated design and the type of outside elements and greenery used.
You can improve the value of your home in the eyes of potential buyers with a welcoming paver walkway or patio, decks, or by installing the fashionable, low-maintenance, cozy fire pit.
How much should you invest in your landscape design?
If you’re looking to improve the outside appearance and attractiveness of your home, you may want to know how much is reasonable to spend on landscaping so that your investment adds value to your home and can be recouped when you sell it.
Questions like:
- What should your budget be?
- What is a reasonable amount to spend on landscape design, plants, concrete, stones, and a watering system?
- How much will you spend to hire a landscape contractor versus doing it yourself?
With these questions in the back of your mind, a figure you can consider is 10% of your home value in outside design space, as suggested by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
As a side note, not everyone can afford to invest $20,000 – $60,000 in landscape design.
According to experts, the best method to save money is to concentrate on the front of the house, the area surrounding the door, and the walkways.
Top landscape design projects for maximizing home value
As we have been able to establish so far, landscaping your home can be a business-savvy action. Small changes done to improve your home exteriors can significantly increase your home’s appeal and market value.
Here, we will provide you with a list of landscape design projects to help you maximize your home value.
1. Add a curb appeal
As previously stated, the first thing a potential buyer will notice as they drive up to the front door is your home’s curb appeal. Nobody wants to buy a house with a weedy lawn, ratty old mulch, and dry-looking shrubs.
One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to add natural curb appeal is by sprucing up what you already have.
Add new mulch to plant beds, prune trees and shrubs, zap weeds, fertilize your lawn, and remove struggling plants. Sometimes, small tasks like this can make a fantastic difference.
2. Add a paver walkway
Adding a paved pathway is a simple yet efficient way of improving your home appeal. A walkway provides a house’s façade with a well-maintained and cared-for appearance.
In addition, walkways are more inviting and can yield up to 80% ROI, depending on the type of pavers used.
We recommend opting for a flat and simple walkway; undulating or meandering designs are more challenging to maintain and can appear messy.
3. Add a deck or patio
Outdoor living areas naturally increase the value of your home. Think about it: wouldn’t you love to have an extra living space? Composite decking is popular among home buyers. It lasts longer, won’t decompose or be eaten by insects, and requires less upkeep.
They see a deck they can use without the trouble of staining and maintaining.
A composite deck can last 25 to 30 years and costs $30 to $50 per square foot.
Also, patios are excellent multitaskers, and home buyers may picture the lifestyle benefits that a fantastic patio can provide, including enjoyable family reunions, cookouts on the weekends, coffee and meditation in the morning, etc.
In addition to providing outdoor living spaces for socializing and relaxing, patios are a terrific outside spot for both warm and cool months.
A paver patio can range in price from $25 to $50 per square foot, depending on factors such as size, paver type, and level of detail.
4. Invest in low-maintenance landscaping elements
Nobody wants to spend their weekends caring for overgrown lawns. However, everyone likes visually beautiful landscapes. And everyone is concerned about water conservation these days. Investing in low-maintenance landscaping items purchasers would like can increase the return on investment.
This landscape style requires significantly less daily upkeep, saving homeowners money on water bills.
A few bold, low-maintenance native plants can make a beautiful effect on your home landscape design and appeal to house buyers looking for a fantastic look with less effort.
Also, you can add large boulders to provide a low-maintenance effect on your home exterior while also serving as a fantastic extra seat.
5. Install a sprinkler system
This may appear to be expensive, but it will provide you with a significant ROI. Sprinkler systems dramatically reduce the amount of work required to keep a green yard. They not only make life easier, but they also make it greener, which is necessary for a nice look outdoor spaces.
You may not be aware, but your yard’s curb appeal will be directly related to how green it is; no one will want to invest in a dusty, lifeless yard.
6. Install landscape lighting
Lighting serves numerous functions. For starters, well-placed lights can be visually appealing while also providing illumination for outdoor evening events.
Landscape lighting can also help to increase the security and safety of your house.
Landscape lighting has a high projected ROI of just about 60%.
7. Build a fire pit and patio.
Home buyers adore discovering a built-in fire pit in the backyard. If it’s gas-powered, they won’t have to bring firewood around. The most exciting part is that this landscape ROI is immediate.
Prices begin at about $12,000, and depending on how much you do yourself, the ROI of a patio and fire pit can range from 60% to 80%.
8. Add a water feature
Another top landscape feature you can add to your home exterior. More specifically, your backyard is a pond or other water feature. Setting up such a landscape design project will add to your home’s appeal while helping you maximize the expected ROI on your house.
Someday, if you choose to sell, such a feature will create a positive image in the buyer’s mind when they decide.
If you choose to build a pond or other water feature, consider where it will be positioned on the property, its size, and how it will be ornamented.
We recommend incorporating accent lighting on each end of the pond to help enhance its aesthetic appeal.
9. Spread fresh mulch
One of the most manageable landscape tasks you can undertake is putting down fresh mulch. This can help give a drab yard new, eye-catching appeal while also making the landscaping more affordable.
Incorporating fresh mulch around the shrubs and plants helps mitigate evaporation, control weed growth, moderate the soil temperature, and curb erosion.
Furthermore, mulching and aerating soil can enhance the soil’s ability to hold adequate water. This one task can improve your home ROI more than you may expect.
10. Build an outdoor kitchen
This may be the last on our list today, but it’s definitely not the least landscaping you can do to improve your home value. Building an outdoor kitchen can enhance the functionality of your yard and, depending on how well it was designed, also improve the attractiveness of your home exterior.
Many homeowners would love to spend the weekend having fun with family and friends or having cookouts in their backyard.
If this form of landscaping is something you have been thinking about, hire a professional to do it.
Pro tip: Ensure the kitchen is set up near a deck, patio, or in your backyard.
Tips for maximizing the ROI of landscape design projects
Now that you know the top landscape design projects for maximizing your property value.
Here, we will provide you with tips to help you maximize your ROI on your landscaping projects.
Keep the project simple and practical
Nobody wants to spend their free time doing yard work, so keep things as basic and practical as possible when planning your yard. More garden walkways and beds can imply a lot more effort.
Keep your social area adjacent to the house for convenience and upkeep.
Garden beds should be simple and few in number, minimizing work but allowing for variety and color. Potted plants are an excellent alternative because they may be relocated and do not require clipped verges.
Also, choose perennial plants that will not need to be replaced or pruned frequently.
Focus on the functionality of your yard
Your landscape should focus more on functionality to Maximize the ROI of your projects. For example, you can design your yard with space where children can play or where you can get a quick outdoor workout so you dont have to go to the gym every time you need to work out.
Also, consider social activities if you enjoy outdoor entertainment. An outdoor entertainment area will only cost a little but provide significant ROI.
Additionally, factor in your location and how that will affect what prospective buyers may be looking for.
If your home is near a school, for instance, open lawn spaces and minimal thorn trees will immediately increase the appeal of your home.
Consult a professional landscaper.
It is best to consult a professional unless you are confident in your design concepts and style. Landscaping can provide a mouthwatering return on investment. But if done incorrectly, it will devalue your home.
You may engage in DIY for smaller garden projects, but more extensive projects, like patios, decks, and fire pits, should be built with the advice and skills of specialists who know what will work.
If you are looking to improve your home value and aesthetics, CityScapes Landscaping can be your one-stop shop for all your landscaping needs.
Keep verges trimmed and lawn mown
A well-kept lawn is essential for your home’s overall appearance. Mowed lawns and neatly trimmed verges quickly convey a sense of order and care.
Prospective buyers are more willing to consider paying a greater price for a visually appealing house since it generally indicates that the property has been well-maintained.
Fortunately, keeping a lawn and verge is a simple task, and even a small bit of effort can yield a significant return on investment.
Plant trees
According to realtor.com, simply planting the right kind of tree in a well-planned yard area can vastly improve the value of your home by as much as 15%.
Trees not only improve the look of your property or increase the value of your home, they also enhance your well-being and help the planet.
If you need help getting the right kind of tree, we can help you choose the best plants and flowers for your planter beds and install them carefully. Feel free to contact us now.
Keep it green
It is critical to safeguard your landscaping investment and keep your property looking its best. A landscape designer or landscaper can assist you in developing an upkeep and maintenance strategy.
Be honest with yourself—if you don’t have the time or motivation to maintain your outdoor plantings, hire a landscaping maintenance business regularly.
Also, address care with your landscape designer, who might recommend low-maintenance plants if gardening and backyard tinkering aren’t your thing.
Takeaway: Improve your home value with strategic landscape designs
Homeownership comes with a lot of obligations. Not only do you have to maintain the interior of your home, but you must also maintain the exterior. This includes everything from painting the trim to keeping the lawn.
In this piece, we gave quality information about how landscaping can improve your home aesthetics and value in case you have plans to sell later in the future.
Remember, a neat and well-kept home can bring close to 10% more on the housing market than one without landscaping.
If you want to improve your home exterior, decorate it with attractive plants, a patio, fire pits, outdoor furniture, and appealing features and ornaments.
It is very reassuring to know that the time and money you will invest will give you pleasure and increase the value of your greatest personal asset (your home).
Ready to transform your outdoor living space with stunning landscaping features?
CityScapes Landscaping is here to assist. We will help you install beautiful, functional landscapes that will improve your living experience on your property and its value. Our team of skilled professionals can take care of every aspect of your landscaping project, including:
- Outdoor lighting installations
- Maintenance free deck
- Outdoor living space construction
- Landscape renovation and maintenance
