"Investing in garden home improvements can be a worthwhile endeavour, not just in terms of your personal enjoyment, but also when it comes to the potential value of your home"
- Steve Anderson - Yopa
New data from estate agent Yopa reveals which garden features offer the best return on investment for homeowners this summer, with some adding as much as £8,000 in value after costs are considered.
Yopa analysed popular garden additions, comparing their perceived boost to a home’s value with the actual increase after factoring in installation costs.
Leading the list is a garden room or office, which is estimated to raise a property’s value by 7.5%, equating to £20,356 on the current average UK house price of £271,415. Given the average installation cost of £12,000, this translates to an actual increase of £8,356.
Professional landscaping also ranks highly. Although it costs around £5,400 on average, it’s thought to add 4.5% or £12,214 to a home’s value, resulting in an effective gain of £6,814.
Patios or decking complete the top three garden improvements, adding £6,671 in value once costs are taken into account.
For those on a tighter budget, upgrading a garden shed is a cost-effective option. At an average cost of £1,280, it is believed to add £6,786 in value, delivering a net increase of £5,505.
Conversely, hot tubs are considered the least worthwhile garden addition. While they add around £8,000 in value, their average cost of nearly £7,000 means the actual increase in home value is just under £1,400.
“Whilst the Great British summer might be unpredictable at best, we love spending time in our gardens and so investing in garden home improvements can be a worthwhile endeavour, not just in terms of your personal enjoyment, but also when it comes to the potential value of your home," comments Yopa's national franchise director Steve Anderson.
He added, “Of course, some improvements are likely to add more value than others but it’s also important to consider the cost required to implement these improvements.
“Generally speaking, anything that improves the look and layout, or adds usable space will appeal to potential buyers. However, the more extravagant additions such as a hot tub, BBQ island or fire pit, or an outdoor bar, won’t hold the same appeal across the board.”
