Will revamping the landscaping around your home have a positive impact on the value of your home?
If you are asking this question, you are likely considering other home improvement projects alongside landscaping redesign. But there is a very good reason to choose landscape redesign ahead of other home improvement projects; a beautiful yard is universally appealing.
Redesigning your yard is one of the few home upgrades where you don’t have to worry about how potential buyers will view the additions. When you upgrade your kitchen or repaint the home, you must think of what is trending and how people will receive the changes.
But almost everyone loves to have some greenery around the home. Landscaping design has the highest likability factor of any home improvement project. Additionally, the benefit of good landscaping is immediate because the improvement is instantly apparent and accessible.
Furthermore, landscaping is a home improvement that gets more valuable with time. As Pinnacle PMC explains, other home improvements diminish in value because the material deteriorates through wear and tear or it becomes outdated due to shifts in the dominant home design trends.
The question you should actually be asking is not if you should design your landscaping but how you should do it. That’s because the impact of good landscaping on the curb appeal and market value of your home is not fixed. All landscaping designs are not equal. Some are more valuable.
How much value can landscaping add to your home?
When you redesign the landscaping around your home, you can expect a 5.5% to 12.7% increase in its value. On a $450,000 home, this is between $24,750 and $57,150. Overall, a well-landscaped home will be valued 1% - 10% more than a home with no landscaping.
The amount of value you derive from the landscaping will depend on the quality of your design, the original value of your home, and the location of your property. Some of the factors that determine how potential buyers value the landscaping around a property are:
A manicured lawn – The majority of buyers will choose a manicured design over an untamed and unkempt yard. Even though a manicured lawn requires more work, it delivers a clean and uncluttered finish that buyers are willing to pay more money for.
Age of plants – Buyers look at plant size and maturity. A yard with adult trees will draw more attention than one with saplings. Moreover, the age and condition of the trees are an indication of how well the yard and, by extension, the home have been cared for.
Plant diversity – Landscaping design that features trees, cover crops, hedge plants, and the grass is more appealing. In addition to plant diversity, variety in the non-living elements of the design matters such as walls, planters, rock gardens, etc.
Design sophistication – The biggest factor in how much value a landscape adds to the property is design sophistication. Landscaping that was clearly planned and implemented by a professional will fetch a lot more money than a simple design.
How to create landscaping that adds value
1. Plan the landscaping
The biggest mistake homeowners make with their landscaping is failing to plan it. Even when they do try to plan the design, most homeowners cannot do a good job because they simply don’t understand the most important factors to take into account.
Landscaping design that is unplanned will leave you with an incoherent layout because you will make your choices on impulse rather than strategically. For the best results, hire an expert landscape designer; the money you spend will be easily recouped by the value you create.
2. Keep it low maintenance and beautiful
No matter how lovely the landscaping is, potential buyers don’t want to spend all their time or a ton of money looking after it. Low maintenance means the plants don’t need a lot of watering or fertilizing. It also means you don’t have to do a lot of weeding.
Strategies for creating low-maintenance landscaping include choosing indigenous plants, using xeriscaping, and more use of hardscaping.
3. Increase privacy and reduce noise
The landscaping should serve as a sound barrier between the home and the busy streets or noise from outlying areas. Good landscaping can create an oasis of calm around the home.
In addition to filtering out the noise, the landscaping should add soothing sounds of its own. Including a water feature is a great way to add white noise. Good landscaping should also shield the people who live in the home from prying eyes.
4. Design for your budget
The more expensive your home and the wider the outdoor area, the more money you will need to spend on your landscaping. As a rule, you should plan to invest around 10% of the value of your home on landscaping. This is as per recommendations by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
The more diverse the features in your design – water features, fire features, updated patio, etc., the greater the value the landscape will add to your property.