Kitchens, baths, and other interior spaces are often the first home improvement projects considered when it comes to boosting a home’s selling price. And while such updates can increase resale value, they can also be quite an investment. But there are also improvements outside the home that add to a home’s value and attract more buyers – most at a cost much less than interior remodeling.
Does landscaping increase home value?
Outdoor home improvements increase a home’s value by improving curb appeal and/or the functionality of outdoor spaces.
Improvements such as professionally designed landscaping, high-efficiency irrigation systems, updated outdoor living spaces, and custom outdoor lighting can each make a property both more enjoyable for the current homeowner and create attractive selling points for future buyers. In fact, the American Society of Landscape Architects estimates that such landscape upgrades can add up to 15-20% to the value of a home depending on the quality and scope.
For more than 40 years, Heinen Landscape & Irrigation has helped Kansas City homeowners transform their outdoor spaces through custom landscaping, irrigation, hardscaping, and outdoor lighting. The outdoor living pros at Heinen have worked with hundreds of satisfied homeowners over the years to design and build their own personalized versions of the great outdoors. Thanks to quality workmanship, attention to detail, and the resulting beautiful and long-lasting installations, Heinen has earned a solid reputation as a business homeowners can trust when it comes to getting the job done right – on time and on budget.
Striking outdoor curb appeal makes a great first impression for both guests – and future home buyers.
What kind of landscaping appeals to potential home buyers?
When it comes to increasing near-term home value, low-maintenance landscaping ranks high on the list.
Appealing to a large base of buyers is extremely helpful when it comes to securing the highest resale price for a property. Just as with upgrades inside the home, outdoor landscaping decisions should also take into account that not everyone shares the same tastes in outdoor living. To best appeal to the broadest group of potential buyers, it’s best to approach landscape upgrades with a bit of a conservative touch. An extensive array of new landscape plantings tends to require a fair amount of time and attention, including general upkeep of individual plantings, and often extensive watering depending on the individual plant variety. And while a complex and varied array of plant types may present a beautiful pastiche, only a fraction of potential home buyers may be willing to take on the extra work and expense needed to manage such a complex installation.
Large, mature plantings typically require the least amount of maintenance and almost immediately catch the eye of potential buyers. While more mature plants may be more costly to install, their maintenance requirements are significantly less. Even properties with very few landscape features can benefit greatly from several carefully selected and expertly installed mature trees and shrubs. Planned correctly, larger plantings present a natural framework for the house, resulting in the home being an attractive center of attention.
Use Heinen’s free Online Plant Catalog to start planning your next landscape upgrade. In the catalog, you’ll find nearly 200 plantings hand-selected for their ability to thrive right here in KC!
Is an irrigation system a good investment for boosting home value?
Irrigation systems are smart investments for homeowners while living in the home and at resale. At resale, they typically recover their initial installation cost, as well as effortlessly maintaining healthy turf and landscaping for the current homeowner. All else being equal, a home with an irrigation system is much more attractive to potential buyers than a home without.
Irrigation systems are an especially smart investment when installed prior to a major landscape upgrade. With the underground automatic sprinkler system laid before landscaping is installed, it ensures that new plantings or sod receive the water needed to grow and stay healthy. Proper irrigation from the start ensures that your landscape investment leads to thriving, beautiful plants, lawns, and gardens – an invaluable investment that will pay off for years to come.
The irrigation specialists at Heinen design and build sprinkler systems using the industry’s most durable and high-efficiency components, including Wi-Fi-enabled irrigation control systems. This makes adjusting watering schedules, monitoring water usage, and checking for system errors as easy as pulling out your smartphone. And a fully automated watering system with smart controller technology may be the tipping point that inspires a winning offer from a potential buyer.
Can outdoor living spaces increase home value?
Attractive outdoor spaces that double as practical extensions of the home continue to appeal to a wide range of buyers.
Creating functional, resort-like outdoor spaces with cozy conversation pits, outdoor kitchens, and spacious dining areas has become a popular feature in modern backyard design plans. For today’s homeowners, these spaces are additional living and entertaining areas that seamlessly extend indoor living into the outdoors. Thoughtfully planned areas for dining al fresco, evening entertaining, and contained nooks for quiet conversation add to the expansiveness of the home and tilt toward the amenities of a luxury resort – within a few steps of the home’s back door.
Outdoor living spaces as seamless and natural extensions of the home.
Which hardscaping features add the most value?
Hardscape features such as enclosed patios, multipurpose retaining walls, and overflow seating areas increase the functionality of an outdoor space and boost the visual appeal of the backyard – a winning combination when it comes to adding property value.
Patios consistently rank among the top outdoor features that add value to a home. They create additional functional spaces for relaxing, entertaining, and outdoor dining. Beyond patios, other hardscape features like retaining walls that also function as seat-walls for larger gatherings, meandering walkways that connect various backyard features, and custom fire features enhance the space even more through improved flow, comfort, and usability. Each of these hardscape elements is an investment that both boosts backyard functionality and visual appeal for the homeowner and guests in the near term – and also increases resale value at a later date.
Which hardscape features add the most value? The answer is not always just the feature itself. The quality of design and installation will significantly impact the long-term value of the hardscape investment. Heinen’s hardscape specialists only work with premium manufactured stone products from trusted brands like Techo-Bloc and Unilock. Finding the right combination of elements is just as important as selecting quality materials when creating beautiful and functional outdoor living spaces. This ensures that patios, retaining walls, and walkways will last for decades and that thoughtfully blended colors, textures, and styles create outdoor living spaces that feel cohesive and polished – materials that elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary.
What are the benefits of including professional landscape lighting?
Landscape lighting has the ability to improve safety, highlight a property’s best features, and extend the time of day that outdoor spaces can be enjoyed – both into the evening and throughout the darker season of the year. Professional landscape lighting elevates all of the above into a long-lasting, weather-durable work of art.
Outdoor lighting is often overlooked when it comes to renovating outdoor living spaces, but it is a critical piece of the puzzle. A well-designed lighting plan creates a welcoming setting that encourages dining, relaxing, and entertaining after dark. Not only that, potential tripping hazards such as steps or walkways can be subtly illuminated to improve safety while adding to the ambiance of outdoor living spaces.
The lighting team at Heinen has decades of experience designing fully integrated lighting systems that connect the landscaping of a property with the hardscaped areas. Strategic placement of specialized lighting fixtures can be used to highlight key landscape plantings, architectural details, and sculptural or water features. Heinen’s lighting specialists work with FX Luminaire lighting products, which can all be connected to one easy-to-use mobile control app, so that homeowners can adjust not only lighting schedules but also swap out hues and colors to match the season and occasion – all from an app on their smartphone.
Strategic lighting creates an inviting evening atmosphere while subtly improving safety for guests.
What is the best hardscape feature to make outdoor spaces more functional year-round?
Custom fire features extend the usability of outdoor spaces into fall and even winter, adding warmth and atmosphere to create inviting outdoor hangout spots long after the warmer weather ends.
Upgrading outdoor living spaces so that they may be used year-round continues to be a rising trend. Custom-built fire features can be designed and installed to accommodate nearly every budget, taste, and lifestyle. The wide range of designs offered includes in-ground and raised options, as well as gas-powered models for easy use or wood-burning options for a more traditional fireside experience.
Custom fire features can be designed to suit most any outdoor aesthetic.
