Would it surprise you to know that 8-12% of your home’s value can be found in your outdoor space? That means that for a $400,000 home, you can invest between $32,000 and $48,000 in your landscaping and feel comfortable that the value of your yard is on par with the value of your home.

Now, of course no one is saying that you have to spend within that range – it could be less if there are budget constraints, and it could be more if you have higher expectations of how you plan to use your outdoor space. It also doesn’t have to be done all in one year – but it at least it gives you a range to start thinking about the process of developing or renovating your landscape.

One person who often speaks on this area is television landscape and gardening expert Carson Arthur. “Never underestimate the value of landscaping. It’s the only outdoor renovation that actually grows in value as trees, shrubs and plants get bigger each year. Every other home improvement slowly loses value over time” he says in conversation about the topic.

So where do you start when thinking about making such a substantial investment in your property? Just like the process of building a house, you’ll need to start with a floor plan – or in this case, a landscape plan. You can sketch one out yourself, or you can have our landscape designer come out for as little as $150 to come up with some ideas and a pencil sketch plan for you. From there, you’ll have the framework to get your project started properly.

A good plan will allow you to complete your project in stages if needed. So, if your budget only allows for a $10,000 investment this year, you don’t have to give up on your dream yard concept that came in at a price tag of $30,000 – you’ll just have to chip away at it over three years.  And with a visit with our team at The Shovel, we’ll be able to show you how to break up your project so that you aren’t doing work that will need to be undone later. And if the staging strategy doesn’t fit your needs, we’ll help you determine the best places to compromise to still give you the most impact for your budget.

The next step is to come and visit us at The Rusty Shovel to determine what products are going to be needed to construct your project. Lean on our expertise to walk you through all the options and get your project done on budget. One way to save on that budget is obviously to do the work yourself. Our staff lives and breathes landscaping, so they’ll be able to walk you through the order of operations and best practices necessary to complete your project like a professional. We’ll complete all the product takeoffs from your design and price out your material package for you. Then we can help you stage things over time or tackle it all at once.

For the other half of the population, DIY landscaping isn’t something to be entertained, which is perfectly fine by us too. We work directly with dozens of professional landscape contractors that we can take your project to for quoting and completion. We work on your behalf to communicate your vision for your yard and find a landscaper that’s going to be a good fit to bring that vision to life.

(Article originally appeared in the March 2018 Editions of Neighbours Magazines)