Consider yourself buying a house. Would you go for a home with an unkempt garden or would you be more inclined to buy a house tended to by a local landscaper? A well-kept yard adds value to your home just like a brand new coat of paint or a remodeled bathroom. Even if you’re not planning to sell your home, you should still think about getting a professional’s help.
Many people take up gardening at some point in their lives because it’s a peaceful hobby, and it improves the appearance of their house. However, you might not pay attention to it or can’t tend to your yard because of work, kids, errands, etc. Therefore, you can hire an expert with knowledge of landscape hardware and forget about it.
If you want to have something special, it might help to search for “landscaping ideas for lake house online” to give you ideas. It’s worth considering driveway island landscaping as well, because it’s one of the first things you see when you arrive home. You just need to decide what you want before telling your landscaper, because when a landscaper is shopping for landscaping materials, they need to know the entire plan, to buy what’s needed.
Let’s find out more about how landscaping can add value to your house.
Landscaping adds value to your property. You probably already knew that. But maybe you didn’t know that adding trees strategically to your yard and property can change things quite dramatically in a number of different ways. Looking at trees has been proven to reduce stress. In more practical terms, planting trees as windbreaks can reduce heating costs in the winter quite significantly. A professional landscaping company will be able to advise you on the best landscaping ideas – from underground sprinkler systems to adding a deck to your home – that will improve your home’s value as well as your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces.
Looking at trees makes you feel better
Most people love trees without quite knowing why. Maybe it’s the positive associations from childhood, from summer days spent in treehouses, to the winter beauty of bare branches lit up with icicles. Scientists bear this out, and researchers at Texas AandM University found that looking at a trees for just five minutes produces ?significant recovery from stress?.
There are more practical reasons to plant trees on your property as well: trees serve as windbreaks and help to moderate the local temperature summer and winter. Strategically planting trees for windbreaks and shade can decrease your winter heating bills by 15% and your summer air conditioning usage by as much as 75%. In fact the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that just three properly placed trees could reduce your annual energy costs by $100 and $250.
If you’re planning to add trees to your yard, you should consult a professional landscaping company. There are all kinds of considerations in choosing the right type of trees – growing conditions, the eventual height of the tree, proximity of power lines or sewers, and of course appearance – and a little expert advice will go a long way to ensuring that you pick the right trees for your home.
Landscaping adds value to your home
Good landscaping, that takes into account natural features as well as the character of your home and the location, can add up to 28% to the overall value of your home. A study conducted by Clemson University of homes in Greenville, S.C found that improving the rating of your home’s landscaping from ?good? to ?excellent? – ranked for design, condition, and placement – adds 6% to 7% to the home?s value.
So how much should you spend on landscaping for your home? Experts say that it depends on whether you plan to stay or to move and sell the house. If you plan to stay, you should spend 10 to 20% of the home?s total value on landscaping, say the experts. But if you’re planning to move, between 1 to 2% of the home’s total value is a reasonable amount to spend on improving the landscaping.
Adding decks, patios, and underground sprinkler systems add to the convenience of your home as well as improving its value. Some outdoor home improvements, like wooden decks, recover more than 80% of the cost of installation by adding to the value of the house. New garage doors, even in the mid-range, can recover about 88% of the cost of installation.
Hiring a landscape contractor
For most professional landscaping tasks, like cleaning gutters or installing underground sprinkler systems, it’s a good idea to hire a professional contractor. With their wide experience, of everything from lawn care, tree service, decks and siding, irrigation and underground sprinkler systems to ornamental iron, sunrooms, and windows, they have experience and the right tools and machinery for the job.
Landscaping adds value to your home and adds to your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces. With spring just around the corner, now is a good time to begin planning.