With so many people spending a lot more time at home these days, many are turning to home improvement projects to stay busy. This might seem productive initially, but some renovations can actually do more harm than good for your home value.
The folks at Lawnstarter.com gathered data from the past two years from reputable studies and websites showing the relative value of various lawn and landscape improvements, analyzing whether they decrease or increase your home value.
They found some relatively inexpensive items gave a big return on the investment. But, surprisingly, other lawn and landscape features that many homeowners think of as wonderful assets actually dragged down home value.
Of course, if you don’t intend to sell any time soon, then just do what you like — go garden gnome crazy, buy that jacuzzi, or set up that sports court for hoops with the fam. Just know that you probably won’t get much of a return on your investment
Here are 5 features, both good and bad, that surprised us the most. In some cases, (like spreading mulch) how could so little do so much? And in other cases (swimming pools aren’t a thing anymore?) we almost wanted to cry.
5 Surprising Landscaping Do’s and Don’ts to Increase Your Home Value
Do’s
- Landscaped pathway
- Lighting
- Fresh mulch
- All-season deck/outdoor kitchen
- Pop of color through container plants, garden bed
Don’ts
- Artificial grass
- Outdoor water feature
- Swimming pools, hot tubs
- Sports court
- Fruit trees
Lawnstarter.com actually went above and beyond, however, and came up with this nifty infographic the actually shares 10 current do’s and don’ts of landscaping. Check them out:
Want to see a home with absolutely gorgeous landscaping? Click here.
Is a pool a plus or a minus? How about a sports court? These surprising landscaping do’s and don’ts will keep you from making expensive mistakes.