How to add value to your home through landscaping

Investing time and money into your landscaping is a great way to make your outdoor space more liveable. When done well it can also greatly increase the value of your home.

By thoughtfully building and designing your outdoor space, you gain the benefit of creating new zones for outdoor entertainment and utility, introducing native birdlife with the right planting and trees, and at the same time getting back more than what you put in when it comes time to sell.

In New Zealand, home culture tends to revolve around outdoor spaces – barbecuing on the deck, cricket on the lawn, trampoline in the back yard, a beer under the pergola.

Decking, paving and soft green lawns can elevate your outdoor space massively in the summer months, with a cosy spa pad and outdoor fireplace doing the same in winter.

Creating a purposeful indoor-outdoor flow from your interior to your exterior should be the first priority for adding value to your home.

Indoor-outdoor flow

Older Wellington houses were not built for easy access, with pokey rooms and hallways, separate kitchen and dining spaces, and single access doors providing limited access to your outdoor spaces. Opening up these access points and designing your landscape to flow on from your living spaces will enhance the enjoyment and usability of your home.

Wide bifold doors to connect your lounge, kitchen or living room to a spacious outdoor courtyard is a great way to achieve this. Consider building a semi-covered pergola over the courtyard to enhance this indoor-outdoor flow, making your landscaping feel like a cohesive extension of your house.

Entertaining space

If you don’t yet have a decent outdoor space to entertain your guests, this should be your next priority. A great place to start is a classic Kiwi deck. A basic pine deck is often the most cost-efficient way to create a usable entertainment space. Perimeter gardens can then help soften the backdrop.

To take your entertaining space to the next level, consider more premium hardwood options for your cladding, a custom-built kitchen unit or built-in lighting along your decking and below feature plants and trees.

Scapegoats can construct and install custom outdoor kitchen units, outdoor fireplaces and most other additions you need to create the perfect entertainment space. The options are plenty and this is often a great way to treat yourself to that woodfired pizza oven or spa pool that’s been waiting on your wishlist.

Our design team can help suggest which of these features would be most worthwhile for the value of your home, as well as organising any third-party installations like plumbing and electrical.

First impressions

Wellington’s access challenges are infamous. We’re a city filled with sloped front paths, steep steps and a general lack of off-street parking. A competent landscaper or landscape designer with Wellington specific experience may come up with some access improvement ideas that you hadn’t previously considered.

Your frontage is the journey you make most frequently around your house. It’s also the first thing your guests notice when visiting. First impressions are important and positive impact can be created with easy access paths, off-street car parks and friendly entry points, further adding to the value of your home.

First impressions also come into play with the design of your front yard. By utilising structure and feature planting, intentional boardwalk paths and creative landscaping features, you can transform the aesthetic of your property. If you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate these design elements, consider using repurposed timber sleepers or planting feature trees and hedges along your fenceline.