When it comes to improving your home value, finding ways to beautify and repurpose your backyard should be one of your main priorities. If your yard is a refreshing place to be, it will make that square footage worth a lot more than only yard space will. If you want to come out with a profit when you sell your home, here are a few ways to make your outdoor space more functional and beautiful.
Add a New Fence
Adding a new fence is a great way to add value and privacy to your backyard. Fences are an especially important and valuable addition to homes intended for families—if you have kids of your own, having a fence will help you and future potential buyers have more peace of mind regarding child safety when the children are playing outside. If there are other things of value in the backyard, like a pool or outdoor kitchen, a fence is also a good idea. Make it stylish and you’ll really increase the worth of your home!
Add a Deck
Adding a deck is a great way to make your backyard space more versatile. And luckily, decks come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Start by asking yourself what you really want to use a deck for—entertaining? Family dinners? Simply reading a book? Thinking about all the main uses of this space will help you determine how large it should be and what kind of layout you might want to go with. Add some furniture and decorations to this new space accordingly.
Landscape Your Yard
Landscaping your yard is one of the most important ways to add value to your home. With good landscaping, any outdoor space can add beauty and value to your home no matter how large, small, or oddly shaped. As you think about landscaping your yard, it’s important that you create a vision for the space. Consider what particular uses you prefer for the area and work to develop an idea of what the yard layout could be.
Then get to work. If you are planning major remodels to your yard or if you are adding new trees or large plants, it might be a good idea to enlist a professional’s help. They’ll be able to help you decide on the right layout and materials, or on the right plant species in order to ensure they keep growing long after you plant them.
Hardscaping Your Patio
Hardscaping your patio is the act of building a patio with hard materials like concrete, brick, or pavers. This is another great way to add value and variation to your yard. There are so many methods of building a patio and so it’s important to do your research and choose an option that will fit with the rest of your backyard living plans. Some options like brick will give you brighter color while other options like concrete can be incredibly versatile in color and design, though concrete paving can be expensive because it needs to be thick. But considering the amazing things you can do with this material, such as stamping it to look like stone or cut slate, its versatility definitely makes it an excellent choice.
Add a Firepit
A firepit is a fun addition to any backyard— fire pits add a natural gathering place to the yard and allow you a place to do a variety of other fun activities. To decide what style and build you want to add to your yard, think about the specific goals you have for the space. Do you want this area to be a natural continuation of your patio? Or do you want it to be a separate space for a group to enjoy while other friends hang out at the patio? Do you want the fireplace to clearly match the brick or stone used on the house? Or are you ok if its style is similar yet not identical to your actual home? Last, do you want it to be built above ground or below? Asking yourself these questions can help you determine the right method of building your firepit.
Add Lighting
Mood lighting is a great way to increase ambience and enjoy an outdoor space for longer. Before you figure out exactly what kind of lighting you want, ask yourself what kind of mood you want to achieve in the space. If you are particularly interested in sports, you might want to attach bright spotlights with extension cords to different trees in your yard so that you can light your open grass area and be able to continue playing games like soccer or volleyball into the late evening.
On the other hand, maybe you love entertaining and being able to have fun parties outside in your outdoor space. In this situation, you might actually benefit more from adding bistro string lights with the soft light they emit. Outdoor lights essentially highlight the rest of what is in your backyard, so use them to accentuate your other additions.
Add a Garden
Adding a garden to your backyard is a great way to increase the value to your home, especially regarding its curb appeal. Planter boxes are a very popular choice to grow both food and beautifying vegetation. On the other hand, you might simply devote an area of landscaping around the house or perimeter to growing flowers and other fragrant plants. Or, if you don’t have a ton of landscaping space, you might simply add a variety of different potted plants to your patio. However you go about building a garden, it will add more variation as well as visual, sensory, and olfactory interest to your yard.
Add a Fountain
Adding a fountain also adds more value to your home—fountains help you create a great outdoor ambiance with both their aesthetic appearance and sound. First, having a fountain in your backyard can help mask any noise coming from neighbors or loud cars driving by. The soft sound of bubbling or rolling water can be incredibly soothing as well. Additionally, fountains can provide fun visual interest to any backyard. Whether you choose a smaller fountain that you can DIY or a larger fountain to act as a main focal piece, future buyers will admire the added beauty and consider your home a place worthy of its price.
Above all, keep your backyard clean and tidy. Whatever additions you make to it should add outdoor living space, not crowd what space there is. Pick projects intentionally and err on the side of minimalism, and you will be adding meaningful value to your home!