5 ways to add value to your home (without spending a fortune!)

Did you know the average Brit spends 86 minutes a week gardening? Well it’s time well spent as it has been reported that an attractive garden can increase property value by up to 20%. This means that with the average UK house price sitting at £248,000 (ONS, 2020) your outdoor space could be worth just short of £50,000. But how do you add value to your garden? Here are our 5 quick wins (without breaking the bank)…

One major selling point of a garden is accessibility. People want an outdoor space that they can use as if it were an extra room of their house without having to spend hours gardening each month. At Gripsure we want everyone to get the most out of their outdoor living space all year round so we’ve put together this handy guide on how increase the value of your garden.

In line with 2019 trends, natural looking, simple gardens are increasingly popular. These low maintenance gardens are easy to care for, meaning you’ll spend less time pruning and more time enjoying your beautiful space. Start by stripping back your garden so you have minimal free-standing pots, defined spaces and clean edges. You can then utilise a few well-placed features, such as decking and flowerbeds to create a welcoming outdoor living environment. To make caring for you garden even easier, fill pots and beds with native plants as these will thrive in the local climate and require less care.

Many gardens have a combination of paving, decking, lawn and flowerbeds. Having clean borders between these can make the area look more attractive and increase its value. If you have a lawn make sure it is mowed regularly and that the edges are kept crisp, trimmed and weed free.

If you want to add value to your garden, it is worth considering investing in some good quality decking to create a space for al fresco dining. According to property guru Sarah Beeny, decking could add 2% to the value of your property – that’s £4,960 for the average house. Poor quality or badly maintained decking is likely to have the opposite effect though, especially as it can become dangerously slippery. Gripsure anti-slip decking is safe, durable and will add value to any outdoor living space. Our Home and Contemporary are our most popular decking profiles for homeowners, which are made with sustainable Redwood timber and are available from our website.

Part of selling your home is selling a lifestyle and you don’t need a massive garden to enjoy the outside! Make your garden more inviting by buying a set of good quality, weather-resistant furniture, such as White Store’s rattan sets, to create a seating area on your patio or decking. This reinforces the idea that the garden is an extra room of the house, adding value to it. Adding lighting will increase the amount of time the garden can be used year round. Festoon lighting works well in outdoor dining areas and we particularly like the set of 20 available from Willow & Stones. You can also add solar lights (like these mini ones from Solar Centre) to flowerbeds and borders, which will come on automatically as it gets dark, creating a comforting atmosphere as the light fades in the early evening.

Whether it’s nosy neighbours or noise from a busy road, there are lots of issues which may stop people enjoying their gardens and decrease their value. Solve these problems by getting creative with trees, flowerbeds and shrubbery. For example, planting hedging and shrubs can help counteract problems – such as traffic noise and pollution – caused by living close to a busy road. Planting tall bushes and mature trees can give your garden more privacy. You can also use climbing plants to breathe life back into old walls and fencing. If you’re thinking about moving and don’t want to spend money on shrubs and flowers you’ll leave behind, invest in pretty posts and perennials that you can take with you.

A bright garden will be worth more than a garden which is dull and dank, so liven up your outdoor space with a few pops of colour. This may sound daunting but it’s easy to do with a few free standing pots or by popping down to your local garden centre and stocking up on flowers for your flowerbeds. Choose a selection of colourful plants that complement one another and position them strategically around your garden. Another tip is to pick species that flower at different times of the year so your garden looks beautiful no matter what the season.

Spending some time nurturing your outdoor space can really reap rewards. Not only will you be able to get more enjoyment from your garden, you will also be adding value to your property.