Landscaping that Increases Property Value
To increase your home’s value through landscaping, start by clearing the property of weeds, debris, and anything that detracts from the property’s potential. Focus on creating usable flat spaces, such as patios, retaining walls, and functional lawns. Adding simple, low-maintenance plants and features that complement your home’s style is key. Avoid complex gardens, oversized pools, or mismatched materials, as they can reduce property value. While some additions, like water features or large gardens, may be personal preferences, they might not add value for future buyers.
This is actually not a very complex question. When I purchased my home in Snoqualmie Pass, within short walking distance from the ski lift, the landscape was completely absent. The lot at some point, I found out later, the lot was surrounded by barbed wire to hold cattle in as they exited from the railroad nearby. The entire landscape was a mix of gravel and dirt with tall weeds and scrub plants growing through. The driveway was not much better. The backyard had a small slope and was unusable. Level usable space is one of the most important elements of landscaping that increases property value.
Step One: Clean-Up and Subtraction Comes First
When you decide to do a landscape projectthe first step is to do a major clean-up, extensive pruning, and select what plants to remove or transplant for my home. It was addition by subtraction to start.
Remove What Doesn’t Belong
When it comes to landscaping projects that increase home value, start by removing anything that detracts from the property’s potential. This includes invasive plants, weeds, old debris, and any structures or materials that don’t fit the overall vision. Clearing these elements will create a clean slate, making it easier to envision and implement a more cohesive and valuable landscape design.
Prune or Protect Valuable Existing Plants
Not all plants need to be removed for backyard improvements that add value. Identify and protect the ones that have value or add character to your property, such as mature trees or established shrubs. Proper pruning can help them thrive, and relocating certain plants to better spots can increase their longevity. Be careful not to damage roots or over-prune, as preserving the health of your plants will contribute to the overall value and appeal of your landscape.
The Power of Usable Flat Space
Now I had a blank slate, my next priorities were a usable flat backyard, so I removed a large amount of the poor soil and gravel, changing the topography to allow for the construction of a wall. I used a mixture of different-sized Montana slate boulders, which are iron-colored and black colored, matching my log home.
Then I imported planting soil for my new planting beds in the back and for the lawn. For the back, I installed a dimensional bluestone patio to exit my office to my patio and swim spa. After a couple of years of realizing the lawn would never grow well in the back, I switched to artificial turf. The front yard was a plain gravel driveway with a mess of a landscape. I excavated the poor gravel base, installed matching walls to the back, and installed a quality concrete paver driveway matching the rustic style of the log home. I finished off the front with durable, brightly colored deer-resistant plants. The final touch was to install a large second-story 2×6 cedar deck off the front of the home for additional usable space and to capture the mountain view.
How to Increase the Value of Your Home
How did I increase the value of my home? First of all, a major clean-up, get rid of all the damaged and unsightly stuff. I forgot to mention that my backyard was full of rolls of barbed wire and other metal debris that I had to remove. The first phase of adding value was to remove all the plants, poor soil, debris from the property, but too often clients that don’t have good guidance with this phase end up either removing valued plants, damaging them with improper pruning, or driving large machinery on their roots.
The second most valued landscape improvement is usable flat space. This included the construction of the retaining walls, the back lawn and patio, replacing the gravel driveway with a paver driveway, and the second-story deck. Simple planting can add value to your home, but sometimes overly detailed plantings can be viewed as a maintenance issue for the next potential home owner.
What Brings Down Property Value
Some items can add very limited value to your landscape, such as irrigation or lighting. Irrigation is an item that may be important maintain the value of your planting or lawn, where lighting may either just add aesthetic or safety for your landscape, but neither irrigation nor lighting will increase your property value. There are items you may want to include in your landscape that may even decrease the value of your home, but they might be worth it.
Water Features and Pools
A water feature or pool is one of the two items many believe decreases the value of a home. The reason is the possible care a pool or water feature may need.
Large, Complex Gardens
Another item that can decrease the value of your home is large, diverse gardens, especially veggie gardens or gardens full of flowers to cut. The same reason is the possible care these spaces may require. A major mistake I see people make is installing or building items that do not match the value or aesthetic of your home or neighborhood.
Possible items could be a large amount of paving, such as a driveway disproportional to the size of the home, or a patio that does not fit in with the scale of the home, such as paving an entire backyard for a basketball court.
Design Discrepencies
Another major item I see installed that decreases the value of a home would be a mix of a large amount of different materials that do not match or have a theme.
An example of this would be a driveway mixing concrete and pavers, then a third material for the front walkway, and a fourth non-matching material for the front walls. Finally, if you are going to stay in your home for many years, do consider the value of the home, but at the same time, do some items you enjoy. At my home, I added the swim spa, the small water feature, and the veggie garden that may add no value ever to my home, but it is something my family and I enjoy.
Ready to Transform Your Landscape and Increase Your Property Value?
While some landscaping features can have limited or negative effects on property value, it’s important to weigh your personal enjoyment against potential resale considerations. Contact us at Adam Gorski Landscapes today to learn how we can help you create landscaping that increases property value and fits your lifestyle!
