Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth, GA, specializes in the design, installation, and maintenance of residential and commercial outdoor LED landscape lighting systems in the metro Atlanta area.
Understanding and Maximizing the Value of Great Landscaping
Home improvement is more than a kitchen remodel or a bathroom upgrade. A new fountain in the front yard or a total backyard makeover should also be considered a home improvement, even though the projects do not directly involve the structure of the house. The functional and financial value of a new kitchen is obvious, but does a landscaping project increase home value? Before making a substantial investment of time, energy, and resources into a landscape project, it is important to understand the value of a great landscape.
The Impact of Great Landscaping
Landscaping enhances curb appeal, which involves the first impression a home makes on guests, pedestrians, and passing traffic. The front lawn frames the house, and the view out of a bedroom window, the kitchen window, or the sunroom accentuates the aura of the home’s interior. Does curb appeal or a beautiful backyard positively increase a home’s value? Should the homeowner re-assess asset allocation and shift more resources to the improvement and maintenance of a beautiful landscape?
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) states that professionally landscaped homes can yield “15 percent to 20 percent more at the time of resale than homes with less attractive landscapes.”
Landscape Projects That Offer Strong ROI for the Homeowner
Landscaping encompasses the entire area around a home and the individual elements that comprise the design. Two components of landscaping are softscapes and hardscapes. The softscape includes gardens, groundcovers, plants, flowers, grass, and trees. Grading and topography (hills, berms, swales, boulders, etc.) could be considered a part of the softscape. Hardscaping involves architectural features such as a gazebo, firepit, wall, steps, and formal paving.
Many homeowners are enhancing outdoor living spaces. Deck and patio enlargements, outdoor kitchens, fire features, and covered gazebos or pergolas are quite popular. The discerning homeowner and prospective buyer should be mindful that trends and tastes change from time to time. The custom outdoor brick oven that brought culinary delight to a previous owner may be an eyesore to a subsequent owner. Modest landscaping still outpaces minimal landscaping for ROI. Great landscaping is a sure winner for the homeowner. In light of the recent lifestyle changes and financial challenges resulting from the pandemic, landscape projects that expand living space and feature a low-maintenance aesthetic offer the strongest return on investment.
Maximizing the Value of Landscaping Projects
Listed below are examples of landscaping projects that add real value to a home.
1. Decks
A well-designed deck instantly adds to both the size and quality of life afforded by an outdoor living space. Screening, shading, and covering add privacy, relief from the hot sun, and protection from precipitation. A deck, whether wood or composite, offers a return on investment of over 60% of the initial cost.
2. Mature Trees and Greenery
Homebuyers want great designs that include larger, more mature plants, shrubs, and trees, especially trees. Trees cost more to install than shrubs, but fewer trees may be needed when compared to shrubs. Many shrubs need shearing or clipping several times a year, and trees require less maintenance over time. Mature trees also provide shade, create a windbreak, enhance curb appeal, and offer a safe, cozy habitat for birds, squirrels, and other small animals.
3. Low-Maintenance Softscapes
Many homeowners want a beautiful yard but without all the work. Low-maintenance landscaping is quite popular. Xeriscaping, drip irrigation, slower-growing plants and shrubs, and rainwater catch systems strike a positive chord with potential homebuyers interested in sustainability.
4. LED Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting
An LED low-voltage landscape lighting system designed and installed by Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth expands the usability of decks, patios, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, walking paths, water features, sitting areas, backyard playgrounds, and other recreational areas. The curb appeal created by that sophisticated landscape design and installation is enhanced in both bold and subtle ways by an effective landscape lighting system. The avoidance of a single slip-and-fall injury could pay for the design and installation of a landscape lighting system many times over. MLS images of a well-lit home generate interest that leads to action. Landscape lighting can increase home value by as much as 20%.
For more information about outdoor LED lighting installation and service, contact Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth by calling (678) 324-6842 or emailing [email protected].