Money doesn’t grow on trees, but there are many plants, trees and garden features that can grow your money.
A well-designed garden can add tens of thousands of pounds to the value of your home — and help attract buyers in a difficult property market.
As the price of property continues to fall, sellers must think even harder about setting their homes apart from the rest in order to attract prospective buyers.
About 40 per cent of would-be buyers want a bigger garden for their next home move this year, a survey by online estate agent Purplebricks finds.
And homes with a well-presented garden are worth around 20 per cent more on average than comparable properties without, says Sold online estate agency.
But not every garden feature will add value — and some could deter buyers. So before you head for the garden centre, here’s Money Mail’s guide to features that are worth investing in — and those to avoid.
Dig in: With food inflation still in double digits, a kitchen garden offers one of the greatest returns on investment
Roll up your sleeves and get tidying
Fortunately, you may not have to spend much on your garden to add value to your home. Just a good tidy-up can pay massive dividends — and shed a positive light on the whole property.
Remove weeds from beds and borders, cut and edge the lawn, dead-head roses and prune overhanging trees and shrubs that have loved our recent mild, wet weather and have taken on a growth spurt.
Pull weeds from the patio and make sure that you don’t scatter seed all over the place. You’ll simply end up pulling more new weeds in a month’s time.
Elena Molaie of estate agents Hamptons says: ‘A well-presented garden indicates that the owners care for and regularly maintain their home, giving buyers further confidence in the whole condition of the property. You can hide mess inside a house, but you can’t conceal an untidy garden.’
When you’ve been looking out on the same garden for many years, clutter and mess can easily become invisible. Try to look at your garden with fresh eyes and remove rusting bikes, broken tools, unwanted plastic play equipment and tatty furniture.
And don’t forget to check flower pots, too — remove dead leaves and ensure plants look fresh and healthy. Even if you don’t make much use of your garden, make it look like a calm and enticing place to be.
Fleur Marston of London estate agents Foxtons explains: ‘Buyers need to be able to visualise themselves living in a property — without having to imagine what they would do with the space.’
Remember that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. Deciding to overlook the condition of your fence, conservatory roof or lawn will provide an excuse for buyers to lower their offer.
A damaged garden wall can knock £6,000 off the value of a property on average, Roofing Megastore estimates. Damaged or mouldy decking is another value destroyer.
‘Thrill-spill-fill’ window boxes
It’s easy to get carried away perfecting the garden and forget the power of plants and trees to improve kerb appeal.
How your home looks from the street is one of the most important factors for potential buyers, so well-tended pots and window boxes are essential.
First impressions: How your home looks from the street is one of the most important factors for potential buyers, so well-tended pots and window boxes are essential
Olive trees in large zinc pots placed either side of the front door, as seen down the smartest streets of South-West London, are a winning combination to give your home a feeling of luxury.
The ‘thrill-spill-fill’ formula is the current stylish look for containers and window boxes, according to Foxtons. For this you need a tall ‘thrill’ plant, a show-stopper such as an ornamental grass. For a ‘spill’, try a trailing begonia that cascades over the sides of the pot, and ‘fill’ with lobelia, or even herbs.
This combination makes containers and window boxes look generously filled and carefully considered, while costing little.
Grow your own Five-a-day
A kitchen garden offers one of the greatest returns on investment. Food inflation is still in double digits, with the cost of vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers soaring.
Growing your own vegetables costs a few pounds: all you need are some beds, or pots, seeds and a little patience.
Buyers are also drawn to the possibilities of a kitchen garden to enjoy what they have produced. Roofing Megastore estimates the added value from a vegetable patch at £4,600.
Prized: Homes with a well-presented garden are worth around 20% more on average than comparable properties without, says the Sold website
Louise Ridings of Stacks Property Search says: ‘The pandemic turned a whole generation into keen vegetable growers, so beautiful raised beds in their own area, with utility space for composting, shed and storage of paraphernalia will add value.
‘This kind of gardening is a great pastime, and it provides food as well as mental and physical wellbeing. It’s a triple win,’ she adds.
If you have space, fruit growing is also increasingly fashionable.
David and Victoria Beckham have a fruit orchard of crab apple, plum, pear, wild cherry and witch hazel at their Cotswolds mansion.
Al Fresco Dining… and cooking
Outdoor entertaining surged in popularity during lockdown and a passion for taking the indoors outdoors shows no signs of abating.
At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the elegant kitchen and dining table sections of estate agents Savills’ sustainable garden, which was called Plot To Plate and included edible planting, were as much the centre of admiration as the ornamental planting.
The Beckhams are seeking planning consent for a giant outdoor kitchen, showing that this arrangement is becoming a must among the moneyed.
But an analysis by comparison website Uswitch reveals that households of all types are embracing the trend: the outdoor kitchen is currently the sixth most popular home improvement.
At the upper end of the market, an outdoor kitchen can boost value by 10 per cent or more. In this case, it can make financial sense to invest in some equipment to create one in your garden.
Al-fresco cooking: At the upper end of the market, an outdoor kitchen can boost value by 10% or more
For example, an outdoor kitchen from Grillo Kitchens costs £17,922 and includes a grill, sink, cabinets, a fridge and porcelain worktops.
An Aga Affinity built-in grill costs £4,150. It is possible to pay £50,000 or more, as a garden kitchen requires extra-durable materials and needs to be connected to gas, electricity and water mains.
If the value of your home is more modest, you are unlikely to enjoy a payback on such investments.
However, you can still get cooking equipment on a budget, such as an outdoor sink for £260 and a built-in grill for £550 from Ikea.
Roofing Megastore calculates that a bar, pergola or a built-in pizza oven can each add between £4,900 and £5,600 to the value of your home.
However, beware that if your garden is small, sacrificing a large area of lawn to a second kitchen may not pay off.
If you’re selling your home, you can set up outdoor dining equipment ahead of viewings as if poised for entertaining, so potential buyers can imagine using it to host their own friends and family.
Block out the neighbours
Privacy is one of the most valued characteristics of any outdoor space, according to estate agents Martin & Co.
Therefore, if your garden is overlooked, consider using clever planting to block out neighbouring properties without having to fork out for a stark wall or fence.
You could also grow wisteria or fragrant jasmine through a pergola to make a patio feel private, or instal a trellis along your fence to encourage climbing plants.
Turn your shed into an office
A garden outhouse that can be used as an office can boost the value of your home by as much as 10 per cent, although the cost of building and equipping this space starts at about £10,000.
If you have an existing shed, Checkatrade estimates the cost of converting this structure into a sh-office (shed office) is anything from £1,825 to £20,175.
Workspace: A garden outhouse that can be used as an office can boost the value of your home by as much as 10%
The amount you pay will depend on whether your shed is already connected to electricity, gas and water supplies.
But beware of splashing out too much on such projects and expecting it to be reflected in the amount your home will fetch.
If your asking price is considerably above the average selling price in your neighbourhood, prospective purchasers may be put off — even if you do have desirable features.
Check how much similar properties in your area sold for recently on property websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla.
Be wary of water features
The Beckhams’ garden, designed by renowned landscape architect Marcus Barnett, boasts a natural swimming pond.
Checkatrade says that the cost of this type of 80 sq metre pond is about £82,500.
But such an investment should be for your enjoyment, rather than as a means to add value.
Buyers tend to be wary of water features of any type, because they mean additional maintenance and insurance costs, Foxtons warns. And families with young children may also see ponds and pools as too risky.
If potential buyers are put off by your garden’s water feature, in a tough housing market, you may have to accept a lower price.
Attract bees but don’t go wild
One of the most popular gardening trends in recent months is ‘rewilding’ — in which weeds are allowed to flourish and wild flowers to bloom undisturbed. Wildflower meadows are a growing fashion in place of lawns.
The ‘tapestry lawn’ is another key trend, which is where grass is replaced by low-growing plants such as chamomile and daisies.
Think carefully before following such trends, as they may deter buyers. Rewilding is still a new idea and many prospective buyers may simply see it as unkempt.
You may put off young families in particular, who are likely to value a traditional lawn to play on.
For the best of both worlds you could reflect the rewilding trend by setting aside a small section for plants that attract pollinator insects. Popular plants include delphiniums, lavender and phlox.
Louise Ridings points out that though a risky strategy, it is popular among sellers. ‘We’re seeing more homeowners hiving off bits of their gardens, re-wilding on a mini scale,’ she says.
- Have you found a clever way to create an impressive garden on a budget? Email us at [email protected]
