A well-maintained garden can add a lot of value to your home. Following the global pandemic, us Brits have realised the importance of our gardens and having a nice outdoor space to spend time relaxing and entertaining. Gardens have become so much more important to home buyers, so creating an attractive outside space is vital if you’re trying to add value to your house in the UK.
Here you can find out how much value your garden can add to your property, and ways you can transform your garden into a beautiful area that you are proud of, and perhaps others will be too!
How much value does a garden add to a property?
Transforming your garden has been known to add significant value to your property, The AA found that owning a house with a garden can increase the value of your house by up to 16% and studies by the post office have found that having well landscaped garden could add up to 70% onto your property value.
Rightmove also support this, explaining that houses with south-facing gardens are more likely to sell faster than homes without. These homes are also priced higher than homes without, making homeowners think about investing in their gardens.
Owning a property with a garden can also add value to your life with a place to relax and can also keep you active and improve your health.
Does the size of your garden affect the price of your house?
Just like the size of your house, the size of your garden can directly affect the price of your property. The larger a garden, the more space people will have to plant, or to entertain.
Acorn Gardening found that:
A large garden can add £22,026
A medium garden can add £18,084
A small garden can add £9,854
Gardening Etc also explain that the price of the average home is valued at £209,525. Amazingly, homes which are the same size and have gardens were priced at an average of £220,525! That calculates to slightly over eleven grand more than the average house without a garden.
With these statistics, it is clear why homeowners are investing much more money into their gardens since lockdown, and the rising interest in gardens.
How much value does a south facing garden add?
South facing gardens could be considered as the crème de la crème of gardens. With the garden being in full sun throughout the entire day, it gives more value as it can be used more often. Rightmove have shown that properties with a south facing garden can add up to a 7% premium on asking prices.
Properties with south facing gardens have also been found to sell faster that houses without. In some areas they are selling on average up to 8 days quicker. These facts create a promising argument: if you invest in a garden for your house, you will be entitled to more money when selling your home.
Why does a garden increase the value of a house?
Sources tell us that the reason for this large demand of gardens is due to COVID-19, when Brits spent basically all day, every day in their gardens. For example, Martin & Co discuss how buyers who enjoy having guests, and sitting out in the sun will be wooed by your home if you have a garden that allows a space for guests to have fun. This can be created by understanding which spaces in your garden receive the most sunlight, then creating a decking, shed, patio or perhaps even an outdoor kitchen if you really want to impress!
How much does a garden renovation cost?
Garden renovation costs depend largely on the size of the garden and how much of the work you want to do yourself.
Typically, it can cost between £5,000 and £10,000 for a large garden, but this figure can go up to a much as £30,000, depending on how much you are wanting to invest into your garden.
The best garden improvements to add to a value?
- Add some architecture – such as a shed or garden room.
Sheds can create a great place for storing tools and machinery to use in the garden. It is also perfect to store things like bikes and garden furniture during the winter months. Sheds have also become a great place for people to run small businesses, whether it be repurposing old furniture or tending to people’s eyebrows.
Garden rooms are ideal multipurpose rooms, they can be used to entertain or as a home office for those who do not have the space indoors. They can even be the best place for a home gym for those who enjoy exercising. During lockdown they became a favourite for garden bars, with lots of people adding décor or brewhouse pumps to make it look just like a pub.
According to https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/backyard-improvements-that-add-value-to-your-home, people in Britain will pay over £5000 more for a house which has a shed/outside space for a home office. So, if you’re looking to get the value of your house up, or simply improve your garden, sheds and garden rooms can be the perfect way to go about it!
- Privacy
Privacy in the garden is extremely important to house buyers. It gives owners a chance to escape from reality and avoid being overlooked by neighbours.
There are numerous ways to improve the privacy in your garden, our favourite way is to extend your fences with our pleached trees, these trees can create a green screen and valuable shade in the summer. By choosing a variety which is deciduous such as Hornbeam or Beech, these will provide shade in the summer but will also let in light in the winter.
Alternatively, you can make the use of taller fencing, or trellis’ to extend your privacy. If you want to tie them into the garden more, you can use climbing shrubs like honeysuckle or clematis. These plants create a greener area for you and your family to sit out and relax in, without having to worry about neighbours overlooking!
- Seating area
Adding a seating area into your garden can be a great way to add textures or change up your garden’s vibe. By adding decking or stone flags, it can elevate the look of your garden compared to concrete flags. If you have a traditional Victorian house and want to continue your décor outside, you could try using colourful ceramic tiles which can also add some value to your garden.
A built-in pizza oven or barbeque area can give your garden some added value to help you stand out in a competitive housing market. By simply adding some stylish garden furniture and colourful pots, you can help potential buyers to picture their own items in the garden. This is why the staging of the house is an extremely crucial part of the house selling process!
- Focal point
Having a focal point in your garden can really add value to your property. Water features, statues and fire pits are all examples of added charm to your garden. A children’s play area which is sectioned off from the rest of the garden can be more appealing to families with young children too!
Another focal point could be by adding a new plant by the sitting area, people love greenery, so whether you are selling your house or simply want to spice up your garden, a bright and eye-catching plant could do the job.
- Outdoor lighting
Something that has become much more popular in recent years, is attractive lighting through the garden. The perfect way to brighten up your garden could be by adding some fairy lights, spotlights or so much more.
Solar powered lighting has become much more popular due to its energy efficiency, which can brighten up your garden whilst being efficient. However, there is still a demand for mains powered lighting in the form of security lights.
How to add value to your house through garden features
- Hedging
By adding hedging plants to your garden, you can help bring wildlife into the area. Birds, bees, butterflies are common with hedges such as Hawthorn or Alder.
You could even add curb appeal with tidy hedging at the front, perhaps box hedging or an alternative type of hedging to make your house feel greener!
Our best selling hedges are currently: Cherry Laurel, Photinia Red Robin, English Yew, Portuguese Laurel, Privet- Green, Spindle ‘Jean Hugues’, Griselinia Iittoralis, Beech- Green, Box and finally, Lavender- Hidcote.
- Pleached Trees
Pleached Trees are referred to as ‘hedges on stilts’ by many. They can help to keep privacy, block out unflattering views and taking greate care of your garden can bring up your house value by £2,000. Why not start your garden renovation with Pleached Trees?
At Hedges Direct, we offer Pleached Trees all year round, if you choose to plant your Pleached Trees in the autumn or winter, fresh pleached or mature pleached trees are both available on our website!
- Instant Screening
Instant Screening is a great option for creating natural fencing. Hedge screening is highly low maintenance, especially for smaller spaces. It can be used to create a secure perimeter around your home in place of a fence, or to divide portions of your garden, creating a garden with something a little different in it.
- Topiary
Topiary can be used at the front of your house to give it a grand entrance and a more interesting front garden. Topiaries should be watered once a week to keep them looking bright, green and fresh. Topiaries are both eco-friendly and bring curb appeal to your property, which could result in the price of your house going up and helping it to sell quicker!
- Shrubs
By planting shrubs in your garden, you are adding more money to the value of youur property, as stated on Sold.com, a garden can increase the price of your house by 70%. Therefore, the more greenery you invest in and plant, the more the value of your home is likely to go up.
To conclude, there are so many things that can be done to make your garden excel. Whether it’s new plants, architecture, water features or simply hedging, any of these things can bring your house up in value. A lot can depend on the scale of your garden, though, unique things will stand out much more in comparison to someone with a very plain garden.
Get growing your gardens this summer, and if you want even more information, take a look at these blogs: https://www.hedgesblog.co.uk/get-a-show-room-garden-on-a-budget, https://www.hedgesblog.co.uk/__trashed
