With the weather starting to warm up now and summer just around the corner, many people are looking at the outdoor areas of their properties to see what needs work.
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After months of being kept indoors more due to the global pandemic and the colder weather, now is the time to turn the exterior of your home into a place that looks and feels great.
This job is essential if you want to sell your property or refinance it to help your financial position. Improving the landscaping zones can boost the value of a home significantly. Here are some ideas for doing just that.
Clean Up the Gardens
One of the simplest things you can do to make your yard areas look better is to clean them up. If gardens currently look overgrown and messy and have dead plants, this won’t create curb appeal. Begin by trimming anything that needs it and removing dead trees, shrubs, or flowers. You may also need to relocate greenery that has become too large for its space.
If there isn’t much plant life in your yard right now, make the property look more inviting by adding some easy-care shrubs, small trees, and flowers. It pays to stick with a small selection of plants for consistency. Also, be on the lookout for any old, rusted, broken equipment, tools, water features, statues, hoses, and the like that no longer have value and are just creating an eyesore. Declutter the yard to make it look fresher and enable potential homebuyers or valuers to see it in a better light.
Get the Lawn Looking Good
Most people like to see a lovely lush, green lawn in the yard of a property. If the grass at your place is looking anything but, give it some TLC. Mow and water regularly and feed the lawn with quality lawn fertilizer. You should also rake up leaves before they get wet, stick together, and form a mat that suffocates the grass. Plus, consider aerating the lawn at least a couple of times per year to help sunlight, water, and feed get down into the soil and the grass stems.
The stronger lawn is, the less likely you are to get lots of weeds amongst it. If these are a problem, though, look into weed sprays specifically designed for the type of grass you have in your yard. These days there are plenty of good organic and otherwise more natural products on the market that are better for the environment.
Set Up a Functional, Inviting Patio or Deck Area
Another great way to boost the value of your property is to add a patio or deck. People like to entertain outdoors year-round and use the space for relaxing and playing with pets and kids. As such, a functional, inviting paved undercover area can reap great returns.
Consider temperature, too. Buy one or more outdoor ceiling fans to cool things down in summer and invest in patio heaters for the winter. You might like to install an outdoor kitchen, too, as well as enough lighting for those balmy nights when you entertain outdoors.
Create More Privacy
You can boost the value of your property by ensuring the outdoor zones are nice and private, too. People like to have usable space where they don’t feel like neighbors or anyone walking or driving past can look in. There are various ways to block out prying eyes, so consider what works best for your needs and budget. Some ideas include lattice or other fencing products, trees, shrubs and hedges, vertical gardens, or even a solid wall or another barrier.
Add Extra Features
To further increase the appeal of your yard, add extra features to it. For example, install a soothing water feature, put in a zen garden, add a bocce court, buy a Jacuzzi, or add a children’s playset, treehouse, or cubby house. Whatever you select, though, try to find items that are as low-maintenance and long-wearing as possible.
Update Exterior Fixtures and Fittings
One other tip for adding more curb appeal is to update exterior fixtures and fittings as needed. For example, you could replace the mailbox, garage door, roof tiles, front door, or paths that lead to front or back exits. A fresh coat of paint could be in order, along with the addition of helpful outdoor lighting.
It might seem overwhelming to pay attention to all of these things, but you can do them bit by bit as your time, energy, and budget allows. Even just completing a couple of the above changes can make a big difference to the value of your property.
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