How Much Value Can Landscaping Add to My Home?
If you want to sell your home now or even down the road, landscape investments can help you get top dollar for your property. In fact, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects, professional landscaping can even increase a home’s resale value by more than 15%.
However, it’s important to note that not all landscaping projects will see a high ROI. For the most part, landscaping ROI tends to be higher when the projects focus on expanding livable or usable outdoor spaces like decks, patios, and gazebos. Even small changes, like routine lawn seeding and shrub trimming, can add value to your home and make a great impression on prospective homebuyers.
How Much Value Can Landscaping Add to My Home?
Unlike most indoor home renovation projects, landscaping projects often have more mass appeal. For example, a modern kitchen update may not attract those who prefer rustic kitchens with wood cabinetry. With landscaping projects, as long as you keep the upgrades simple with classic designs, you’ll improve curb appeal. Colorful flowers, trimmed shrubs, and a healthy, green lawn will never turn off buyers.
Before hiring a landscaping professional, perform simple calculations to determine if each project promises ROI. ROI calculations are pretty straightforward—divide the project return by the cost.
So, let’s say you spend $15,000 to install a new outdoor kitchen, which increases your property value by $12,000. When you divide the project return ($12,000) by the overall cost of the project ($15,000), you get an ROI of 0.80, or 80%.
Landscaping ROI averages change yearly, making it essential to research current costs. For instance, as of 2023, a wooden deck addition has an average price of $17,051 with a resale value of $8,553. The average cost recouped for the deck addition is 50.2%. In the prior year, the same project’s ROI was 64.8%.
Although there’s no hard rule on how much homeowners should spend on landscaping, the American Society of Landscape Architects advises budgeting between 10 and 20% of total home value on outdoor projects. So, if your home costs $300,000, aim to spend $30,000 to $60,000 on landscaping.
Examples of High-Value Landscaping
If you plan to sell your home soon, stick to projects that have demonstrated having a high ROI. The most expensive projects don’t always net the most considerable income when it comes time to sell. Something as simple as a well-manicured lawn has shown to have an ROI of 256%. The following are three bigger landscaping investments that can instantly increase your home value.
New Landscape Design
Hiring a landscape designer has the potential to make the most significant impact on your home’s value. If your yard has minimal trees, flower beds, and shrubs, a landscape designer will focus on improving the overall aesthetic of the outdoor space. Landscape designers make areas functional and beautiful. Moreover, landscape designers may focus on specific elements like adding mature trees or utilizing drought-friendly plants. The ROI for landscape design projects will vary depending on what is included in your design. For example, adding mature trees to your landscape could increase property value between 5 and 12%, while Xeriscaping may improve value by 10%.
Landscape Lighting
According to the most recent NAR Outdoor Remodeling Impact Report, landscape lighting averages a 59% return on investment and costs homeowners around $4,000. Landscape lighting improves curb appeal since it can make your home appear more inviting. Landscape lights also are considered a good security feature to have.
Decks & Patios
Despite increased material prices, decks and patios still offer a good investment when evaluating landscape projects. The same NAR report establishes that wooden decks will recoup over 89%, while patios will recover around 95%. And 74% of homeowners reported feeling happier at home with a new wooden deck, and 85% reported feeling similarly for new patios.
Start Your Next Landscaping Project With Design One
Increase your property value with a landscaping upgrade!
If you’re not sure where to begin or have questions about which project will add the most value for you, reach out to our professionals at Design One. We have decades of experience completing simple-to-complex residential and commercial landscape projects. Contact us today to learn more about our service capabilities or to schedule a project consultation with one of our landscape designers.
