does landscape architecture/new patios increase values of homes?

[purbeast0]

How long do you intend to stay in the house?

I think mine was actually closer to 10 days now that I remember it, though it should've been done in 1 week. I love the patio though and it was worth it. The only things I would do differently would be 1) the PVC channels 2) probably an integrated firepit at one end. Home prices are starting to creep back up and I while I don't think it will increase the value by $30K, I think it will increase it somewhat.

we don't have any plans on leaving any time soon or anything so that is a definite.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

OP - FWIW I think you should go for it if you can afford the 26k, you plan to be in the home for a while (which you do), and you do not really care about seeing a ROI (which it seems you do not). There is more to life than ROI, and you and your family will definitely get a lot of enjoyment out of the new space. Think of it this way - 26k gets you a fairly decent car these days. In 5 years the value of that car will be almost zip. A well cared for outdoor space can last 30 or more years, and will retain or even build value the whole time.

My wife and I are in the midst of major renovations at our place. New basement (35k), fully painted interior (6k), new master bath/laundry (40k), new mudroom (old laundry, 6k), face remodeled powder room (4k), reinsulated garage with new entry and vehicle doors (8k), new driveway (6.5k), new deck (3k - DIY) and full exterior paintjob (6k). Total 120k. I think I might see a ROI of 50-70% of the reno cost. Not because what we are doing is super nice, but because the house was a bit of dump when we bought it and was at the low end of the market in our neighborhood (we bought at 415k, houses in our hood go average 475-550k, neighbor's house just sold for 590k).

Ultimately I do not care about the ROI because the renovations we have already done have been a huge improvement, both to the home itself and my attitude toward it. When we started I felt like I was putting lipstick on a pig. Now I am starting to LOVE where I live. And while it has hurt to spend that much money (because I am a cheap bastard most of the time), it doesn't hurt TOO much because we can afford the project, and we don't plan to sell for a long time (20-30 years).

 

[Anubis]

6k seems cheap for full exterior paint

 

[richardycc]

patio adds very little value to a hosue, if you want more ROI, do a deck instead.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

patio adds very little value to a hosue, if you want more ROI, do a deck instead.

Patio pavers look much, much nicer than a deck IMO and are less upkeep. I don't blame him for going that route.

 

[Anubis]

Patio pavers look much, much nicer than a deck IMO and are less upkeep. I don't blame him for going that route.

is say that really depends on the house TBH.

also you cant really do a 2nd story patio, you can with a deck

 

[IndyColtsFan]

is say that really depends on the house TBH.

also you cant really do a 2nd story patio, you can with a deck

That's very true.

At the edge of my neighborhood, there is a nice home on a hill with awesome landscaping and a huge 2 or 3 story deck on the back of the house. For them a patio wouldn't work. They love pavers though because they decided to tear out their entire driveway last year and replace it with pavers.

 

[dabuddha]

I personally don't think it'll add that much value to the home BUT it will make it easier to sell.

 

[purbeast0]

patio adds very little value to a hosue, if you want more ROI, do a deck instead.

doing a deck on the ground would be pretty lame. if it was above the ground then yeah i'd do that over pavers, but definitely not a wooden deck that is basically ground level.

 

[Tiamat]

Retaining walls are very expensive because of the labor it takes to make sure it comes out right and can perform its retaining duties with proper drainage especially on land that is not flat.

The answer to your "should I go forward with the project" question depends on how useful it will be for your household. If it is something that you "will use almost every day, host parties, relax sunset, read paper in morning with coffee, grill with buddies out back" then heck yeah, its worth the money.

I would say you will get nearly none of the money back, it just adds appeal to the property and is more of a "product" that you buy to make you happy.

Also, the materials can be quite expensive too. I was pricing out stone and a cubic yard goes for 250-500$ not including delivery (100$ish). All of the mulch and top soil going behind the retaining wall will be $$ too.

I just finished a small 21" high, 3x5' raised garden bed out of cedar 1x8's and the materials alone cost 200$ for the cedar, 100$ for almost a cubic yard of organic soil, a few days labor ripping out the sod, leveling the clay underneath, and building the bed. I thought about doing a retaining wall myself, but seeing the costs and labor add up tremendously more than my "simple" garden bed, I can see justifying paying a pro 10-20k$ to do it for me.

 

[Markbnj]

One of the rules I've heard that seems sensible is: don't upgrade the house past the average level of the neighborhood, because you won't be able to price up high enough when you sell. It's basically the same rule that governs rehabbers, who take a cosmetically-challenged property and quickly bring it up to the average value in the neighborhood.

 

[Vic]

Generally speaking, landscape improvements increase curb appeal and shorten marketing time, but don't necessarily add value. If resale value is your primary concern, do not over improve for your neighborhood, and don't do any distasteful or non - neutral improvements.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

well i'm not making any decision based on what others may like. as i specifically said in the OP, we're doing what we want to do and i'm just curious.

my basement is a theater now too and i'm not sure how many people that would appeal too when/if we sold the house. i plan on putting a bar down there at some point as well, and some other renovations in our house, just based on what we want. none of it has to do with resale value, i'm just curious, as mentioned in the op.

These days, it seems like nothing will add to resale value unless you buy a dump for next to nothing and fix it up. Atleast where I live.

You are doing it right. Make it for you. And live your life. So many people waste time worrying about cost/benefit analysis in their lives that they forget that it is the place they live. Don't waste money, but do what makes you happy.

If you want to do it for resale, spend as little as possible and do it so that it appeals to others and not yourself. Don't want it for resale, spend as little as possible and do what makes you happy.

Be warned, if you do something off the wall that is "totally you", you will regret it when it comes time to sell.

FWIW: I'm replacing windows and doors in my house at a cost of thousands. If I put my house on the market it will add $0 to the sale price. Why? The new way home appraisals are done post housing crisis is totally asinine. I have my house getting comped against homes on main roads. The appraisers don't know the local market. And they don't care how nice your house is. it is pretty much bedrooms, sqft and acrage versus the neighborhood's recent sales. A home in disrepair that is of the same "specs" is a comp.

 

[NutBucket]

That's actually not completely true. While it doesn't take traffic/main roads into account condition was definitely noted. At the time all the comps needed varying levels of renovation to match the condition of the house we bought. Plus the fact almost all the renovation in our house had been done within the last 5 years or so. All these factors were taken into account.

 

[mrjminer]

If it were me, I would do the landscaping myself and save the cash. Time consuming, but cost-effective and it's one of the easier things to do compared to a lot of DIY stuff without a lot of risk of screwing something up. You can just do it over time or quickly and you won't have to maintain it if you don't care about it -- but you would be able to brush it up relatively quickly when the time came to sell, or hire a company to come out and do trimming / weed service closer to selling time if you choose not to spend time maintaining it. The only thing I would waste some time on after an initial setup would be making sure the grass doesn't die off and maybe an occasional weed/dandelion removal if they start to get out of hand.. or crabgrass

Just make sure you notify whatever companies/your city so they can mark gas lines/cable lines/etc. if you do any digging

 

[DrPizza]

Patio pavers look much, much nicer than a deck IMO and are less upkeep. I don't blame him for going that route.

The prevailing wind is toward our patio. It's all field behind our house. Damn weeds! Weeds, weeds, weeds. Though, last year I figured it out. I simply go out at least once per month and nail the entire patio with weed killer to prevent them, and to get the tiny ones before they matter.

 

[zinfamous]

this:

and this:

probably not going to increase value.

oh, I read that as landscaping in general....well, leaving the pics up!

 

[Midwayman]

I'd say outdoors stuff is mostly a money pit. Unless it is particularly good or bad, most people aren't going to notice. The upside of really nice landscaping is it looks great, but it also tends to require a lot of work.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Square footage, schools, bedrooms and bathrooms. That is where the money goes.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

6k seems cheap for full exterior paint

It is cheap. I know it won't be "the best" job, but I've had this painter do work at my house and it has been very good, though not perfect. Certainly good enough given the price.

 

[edro]

No it does not. It will help you sell it, but it WILL NOT increase the value of your home by the amount you put in.
I would say it would increase the value by about 25% of the value you put into it.

I have a friend who just bought a house with a $25,000 stone, multi-tier patio. (previous owners had receipts)
Based on what she paid for it, there is no way it increased the house value by $25,000.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It is cheap. I know it won't be "the best" job, but I've had this painter do work at my house and it has been very good, though not perfect. Certainly good enough given the price.

Three words: Sherwin Williams Duration.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The prevailing wind is toward our patio. It's all field behind our house. Damn weeds! Weeds, weeds, weeds. Though, last year I figured it out. I simply go out at least once per month and nail the entire patio with weed killer to prevent them, and to get the tiny ones before they matter.

Yeah, I occasionally have little weedlets but go out once a month or so with some RoundUp looking for them and wipe them out. Takes 5 minutes or so.