Outdoor Improvements that Make a Difference


 

No other aspect of home design has had such a boom as outdoor living. Designing outdoor spaces such as backyard kitchens and entertainment areas has now become the second most popular trend, right after landscaping. Investing into your outdoors, whether it’s just improving your existing arrangement or adding a completely new feature, will surely increase the value of your home and enhance its curb appeal.

If you are still trying to decide where and how to start, here are two major aspects of outdoor improvements to consider.

Landscaping

One thing that never loses its popularity is landscaping and gardens. Working outside and spending time in nature is proven to be a significant factor in reducing stress and improving the quality of life. On top of that, if it happens to be outside your own home, it’s a double plus: you’ll get relaxed and stress-free, and your outdoors will look amazing. This may mean that you’ll have to do more maintenance work, but for some people, that’s the whole point.

If you don’t have a green thumb and you’re not that into planting flowers and trimming bushes, but you do love relaxing outside, there is a solution to have a beautiful garden but not a needy one. Do some research and find out which plants are native to your area, as these plants are the ones considered to be drought-tolerant and low maintenance. You might also consider planting ornamental grasses and tall shrubs. Their advantage is that they require very little care but offer excellent shade in hot summer months, which is very helpful in reducing your energy bill.

Decks and patios

One of the additions that has the highest return on your investment (of about 80%) is adding a deck or a patio. Any kind of terrace or deck ranks very high with homeowners and potential buyers’ wish lists, so it will be very rewarding, both personally and financially.

These patios act as extensions of your indoors and practically add a whole new outdoor room, where you can equally relax doing nothing or entertain with your friends and family. The cheaper solution is to build a paved or stone patio, but you might also opt for a wooden deck. It’s a bit more expensive but it gives you the opportunity of easier disassembling or changing of design later on.

Pergolas

Pergolas are a wonderful addition to your existing patios, forming an archway that covers it. Their installation brings only benefits: a better shade from the sun, support for additional lighting such as hanging lights or lanterns and they carry your vines and greenery. If you want more privacy, you can even add curtains to the sides which will make the whole patio look beautiful and flowy.

Driveways

The way your house looks from the street is an important factor that contributes to its value since houses with high curb appeal reach higher prices and take less time to sell. The easiest place to start is from your driveway, since it’s usually the largest and most noticeable feature in front of your house. If well-designed, your driveway can significantly complement its surroundings and add to the overall appearance.

If you already have a concrete driveway and you can’t afford to make any big changes, applying a coat of epoxy flooring paint will not only refresh your driveway but also make it easier to clean and more stain-resistant than just having traditional concrete.

Add colour and tidy up

In addition to sprucing up your driveway, you can do the same to the house itself and its surrounding landscape. Adding colour is always a good idea as it makes everything more vibrant, interesting and appealing to the eyes of would-be buyers. Consider freshening up the paint job, as it’s instantly noticeable and makes the house look brighter and cleaner.

Don’t forget to clean up the front yard: mow the lawn, add fresh mulch, prune the shrubs, replace overgrown bushes and here too, add more colour. You can do this by planting a tulip border in autumn that will bloom in spring. Glam up your mailbox with fresh new paint and add pots or raised flower beds with annual flowers in various colours.

Investing in outdoor improvements is an important factor as it significantly contributes to the value of your home and can greatly aid in its sale. Most potential home buyers have usually made up their minds about the house even before they have actually entered it. Regardless of how much time and effort you have spent in designing your home’s interior, if its exterior had failed to impress the buyers, the sale will be much more difficult.

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