Increasing the Value to Your Home Through Landscaping
Landscaping is, quite possibly, the most significant long-term investment that you can make in improving the overall value of your home.
Beyond pure aesthetics, a well designed landscape can improve privacy, reduce noise pollution, increase the security of a home and even save you money on your energy bills.
More than just adding monetary value to your property, it can actually improve your chances of finding a buyer when it comes time to sell.
However, not all aspects of landscaping provide the same return on investment.
It is important to understand the value of each aspect of your design, so that you can maximize your investment and come up with a landscaping scheme that you will both enjoy and eventually profit from.
Trees Unlike other home improvements that decrease in value over time, landscaping can actually increase in its worth as it matures.
The most valuable landscaping facets are the ones that are largest and most permanent.
As such, the most significant improvement that you can make to your property is to simply plant a few well-placed trees.
Trees offer much more than just visual appeal.
Placing trees around east and west facing windows provide shade and block direct sunlight from coming in through the windows.
This can have a dramatic impact during the summer months, keeping your house more comfortable and making a marked difference in your energy bills.
During the winter, trees can provide a wind block, protecting your home from damage and reducing ambient heat loss.
Shrubs Close on the heels of trees, as far as overall value is concerned, are shrubs.
The value of shrubs is directly proportional to their longevity and attractiveness.
Using long living flowering shrubs like camellias and rhododendrons provide the best return on value.
As with trees, shrubbery provides benefits beyond just visual appeal.
Shrubs along the perimeter of the property provide a buffer against outside noise, and increase the privacy of a residence.
Like trees, these plants can provide a wind block that can reduce long term damage to the home and help reduce heating bills.
Along the external walls of a home, shrubs act as an additional layer of insulation for the home and can also function as a barrier against potential intruders.
Grasses The type of grass you have in your lawn can also have an effect on your home's value.
Obviously, having a luxurious green lawn is going to be worth more than a arid patch of dirt.
However, the very type of grass you use can add value and have an impact on your ability to.
A lawn of low-lying, low maintenance, xerophytic grass can be a huge selling point.
Annuals and Perennials Though attractive to look at, short lived ornamental plants do little to increase the value of your home in the long run.
Such landscaping features should be incorporated into your overall plan as short term features, rather than long term.
They can do a lot to improve the overall appeal of the property at the start of your landscape project, but should play a less central role as the more permanent features, like trees and shrubs, grow to maturity.
Beyond pure aesthetics, a well designed landscape can improve privacy, reduce noise pollution, increase the security of a home and even save you money on your energy bills.
More than just adding monetary value to your property, it can actually improve your chances of finding a buyer when it comes time to sell.
However, not all aspects of landscaping provide the same return on investment.
It is important to understand the value of each aspect of your design, so that you can maximize your investment and come up with a landscaping scheme that you will both enjoy and eventually profit from.
Trees Unlike other home improvements that decrease in value over time, landscaping can actually increase in its worth as it matures.
The most valuable landscaping facets are the ones that are largest and most permanent.
As such, the most significant improvement that you can make to your property is to simply plant a few well-placed trees.
Trees offer much more than just visual appeal.
Placing trees around east and west facing windows provide shade and block direct sunlight from coming in through the windows.
This can have a dramatic impact during the summer months, keeping your house more comfortable and making a marked difference in your energy bills.
During the winter, trees can provide a wind block, protecting your home from damage and reducing ambient heat loss.
Shrubs Close on the heels of trees, as far as overall value is concerned, are shrubs.
The value of shrubs is directly proportional to their longevity and attractiveness.
Using long living flowering shrubs like camellias and rhododendrons provide the best return on value.
As with trees, shrubbery provides benefits beyond just visual appeal.
Shrubs along the perimeter of the property provide a buffer against outside noise, and increase the privacy of a residence.
Like trees, these plants can provide a wind block that can reduce long term damage to the home and help reduce heating bills.
Along the external walls of a home, shrubs act as an additional layer of insulation for the home and can also function as a barrier against potential intruders.
Grasses The type of grass you have in your lawn can also have an effect on your home's value.
Obviously, having a luxurious green lawn is going to be worth more than a arid patch of dirt.
However, the very type of grass you use can add value and have an impact on your ability to.
A lawn of low-lying, low maintenance, xerophytic grass can be a huge selling point.
Annuals and Perennials Though attractive to look at, short lived ornamental plants do little to increase the value of your home in the long run.
Such landscaping features should be incorporated into your overall plan as short term features, rather than long term.
They can do a lot to improve the overall appeal of the property at the start of your landscape project, but should play a less central role as the more permanent features, like trees and shrubs, grow to maturity.
