GROWING YOUR HOUSE VALUE IN THE GARDEN

So you think you’ve done everything possible to make the most of your home. You’ve redecorated your old 80s-style bathroom, fitted that granite counter in your new kitchen, and changed the worn settee your mother gave you back at college to a fresh leather one with matching widescreen television.

Well what about outside of the house? Gardens are an often-overlooked area of home improvement yet proper landscaping not only creates a more pleasant living environment; it also adds real value to your property. If you’re thinking of selling, for example, your front garden is what will greet potential buyers and we all know you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The benefit

Not only will you attract more potential buyers and get a quicker sale (not to mention being the envy of your neighbours) you’ll probably get a welcome boost to your asking price. By spending five per cent of the value of your home on landscaping you should recoup all your costs if you sell up and you might even make money.

If your landscaping is on the low end for the area bringing it up to par with your neighbours could increase the value of your property by as much as 15 per cent. And academic studies are proving the point. One university study found that consumers valued a landscaped home up to 11.3 per cent above its base price. Another consumer survey in Ireland found that hedges raised property value by 3.6 per cent, a landscaped kerb by 4 per cent and a landscaped patio by a staggering 12.4 per cent.

Where to start?

With the front of the home being the first point of contact for visitors and potential buyers, the order of the day is mowing, weeding, trimming shrubs and re-turfing if necessary. If you have a budget it is important to focus your landscaping around key areas that are going to be seen – such as the front door.

Acheson & Glover make things easy these days by offering a landscape design service through their Outside Room centres located across Northern Ireland. At the centres, you’ll also find beautiful paving and flags and garden walling to help stimulate your imagination.

Hot trends at the moment include stunning pathways created using concrete pavers winding from the street to the front door.  You can add real character to your scheme by making paths slightly curved or staggered or by adding paving circles, for example, to define an entranceway easily.

The backyard sanctuary

Once you’ve completed the landscaping at the front of your home, your next point of attack is the backyard “sanctuary”. More and more people want to create a peaceful haven to relax in. A patio at the rear of your property could be just what you need but choose the colours and finishes of the paving and flags carefully to blend in with their surroundings.

Bringing the indoors outside is also a great way to enhance the value of your living space. A brick barbeque can increase your usable space, providing a great way to entertain in the summer and show off your culinary skills!

Once you’ve come up with your design and given your garden the makeover it deserved, there’s only one thing left to do: sit back, relax and give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve just made what could turn out to be the best property investment decision you’ll ever make.

For more ideas log on to www.outside-room.com or visit any of Acheson & Glover’s Outside Rooms (locations on their website).