Why landscape your yard?

Landscaping is a worthwhile home improvement project because it is the first thing people see when they walk up to your home. A landscaped yard is attractive and indicates that you take good care of your home. If you are thinking of putting your house on the market soon, a landscaped yard is very eye-catching to prospective buyers.

 

How much does landscaping cost?

If starting from scratch, landscaping costs an average of $3,000 to $16,000. The upkeep of your current landscape will typically cost $50 – $100 per hour. Labor will be the largest expense of the landscaping cost, at around 80% of the total cost. Landscaping will cost the most for a new home that does not have any landscaping foundation.

 

Types of Landscaping Services

 

Service	Average Price Range
Lawn Mowing	$50 – $220
Tree Trimming	$75 – $1,000
Mulching	$100 – $300
Gravel Installation	$300 – $400
Lawn Seeding	$400 – $1,500
Tree Removal	$400 – $2,000
Landscape Curbing	$700 – $1,700
Sod Installation	$1,000 – $2,700
Lawn Grading	$1,000 – $3,000
Fountain Installation	$1,000 – $4,500
Pond Installation	$1,200 – $5,200
Sprinkler System Installation	$1,700 – $3,500
Misting System Installation	$1,900 – $3,000
Artificial Turf Installation	$2,700 – $6,500
Landscape Designer Fees	$2,000 – $7,000

 

These prices are national averages and will vary by location and size of project. You will probably not need all of these services for your landscaping project so think about which ones would truly benefit the overall style of your home.

 

Landscaping Price Per Square Foot

 

Basic Services	$4 – $6 per square foot
Intermediate Services	$6 – $10 per square foot
Full Tear-Out & Remodel	$10 – $40 per square foot

 

Basic services include things like aerating and flower planting.

 

Intermediate services include things like installation of flower beds, raised gardens, or landscape curbing

 

A full tear-out and remodel entails tearing out the current landscaping and replacing it with a new design. This will typically include lawn demolition and reinstallation, tree removal, and installation of new design aspects. Basic and intermediate services will need to be done about once a year, whereas a full tear-out will be a one time job.

 

Before taking on a landscaping project, it is important to do research. You will want to know all your options before beginning a landscaping project so it is recommended that you get a quote from three or more landscapers.

 

Backyard Landscaping

Most landscaping projects are priced by square foot so a backyard project will typically cost more than a front yard. Backyards are usually where you will entertain so you might want to install a pool or bar area. Landscapers can help with these projects, as well as make sure the areas around them are landscaped attractively.

 

DIY vs. Professional

For a small landscaping project, it could be prudent to do it yourself. For example, if you want to plant some flowers or vegetables, you could probably take that on yourself. However, if you are thinking about trimming or removing a large tree, it would probably be best to hire a professional. It is recommended that you hire a professional for projects such as drainage installation, yard resloping, and large design and architecture changes. Some easy DIYs include tree and shrub planting or sod installation. Of course, if you are not comfortable taking on any DIY landscaping project, you can always hire a professional.

 

Permits

Depending how big of a landscaping project you plan on taking on, you might need to get permits. Some landscapers take care of the permitting for you but make sure that is included in your quote.

 

Top Reasons to Landscape Your Yard

 

Encourages Time Outdoors

Having a beautifully designed landscape will encourage your family to spend more time in the yard. Spending time outside has numerous health benefits and being able to do so in your own yard is very convenient. Studies have also shown that spending time outdoors can improve mental health and generate happiness. Therefore, having a dedicated outdoor space in your own yard will improve your family’s well-being.

 

Increase Your Home’s Resale Value

A well landscaped yard will help usher prospective buyers to the home. The outside of the home is the first thing prospective buyers will see when they tour the house. Having an eye-catching landscape design will increase the curb-appeal of your home.

 

Other Factors to Consider:

 

Types of Landscaping

The three main types of landscaping are hardscaping, softscaping, and xeriscaping.

 

Hardscaping

Hardscaping is used to describe the implementation on non-living objects in your landscaping design. This can include pathways, patios, decks, firepits, and retaining walls. Hardscaping usually includes landscapers working with materials such as wood, stone, brick, and metal. This will be the most costly portion of your landscape design because of the heavy-duty materials. If you are hardscaping on a budget, try to buy ready-made items rather than custom ones.

 

Softscaping

Softscaping is used to describe the implementation of plants, trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds to your landscape design. Softscaping is vital because it is the “green” element to your landscape design. Softscaping is typically far less expensive than hardscaping, but typically both are needed to get the most out of the landscaping of your hard.

 

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is becoming increasingly popular on the west coast and other arid climates. Xeriscaping is focused on water-saving plants and architecture. This type of landscaping typically includes working with plants that are native to the area of your home. Xeriscaping has the lowest maintenance compared to other types of landscaping. You will rarely need to water it and you most likely won’t need a sprinkler or misting system, therefore you can even save money on your water bill!

 

Style

If you are starting a landscaping project from scratch, it will be useful to do some research regarding trending styles. For example, eco-friendly landscaping has been gaining popularity in recent years and will reach a younger demographic of home-buyer. Other popular styles include english garden, which utilizes shrubbery as the preferred choice of greenery, and oriental, which utilizes water fixtures and evergreen plants.

 

Functionality

Landscaping should increase the functionality of your yard. For your backyard that could mean opening up the space for entertaining or adding a designated kitchen area. In your front hard, that could look like adding accessible pathways or even xeriscaping to save water. Whatever functionality looks like to your family is what matters.

 

Best Options for Landscape Financing

1. Personal Loan

A personal loan can be a good option when you are not liquid enough to pay for a project in cash or do not yet have enough equity in your home to leverage for a landscaping project. A personal loan is a type of installment loan. This type of loan is typically paid back in 12-84 months so it can offer a lot of flexibility. A personal loan can be a good option for someone with good credit or a good relationship with their bank or credit union. This type of loan does not require that you put anything up as collateral so you do not need to worry about a lien on your home as long as you make your payments. Interest rates for personal loans can be lower than those for credit cards or other types of loans. Interest rates for personal loans can range from 5 to 32 percent depending on credit and loan length, while credit card interest typically averages 18 percent. Generally, the better credit you have the lower the interest rate will be. One thing to keep in mind with personal loans is that the better your credit, the lower your interest rates will be.

 

Prepayment penalties: Some lenders don’t charge prepayment penalties, meaning you can pay off your loan early and decrease the amount you pay in interest.

 

2. Home Equity Loan

A home equity loan can be considered a second mortgage. A home equity loan allows you to borrow a lump sum of money using the equity you have built in your home. A typical repayment for a home equity loan is between 5 and 30 years.

 

You can calculate your home’s “loan to value” ratio by dividing the amount you owe by the value of your home. For example, you owe $150,000 on a home worth $300,000. That’s $150,00/$300,000 = 0.5 or 50 percent loan to value. This means that you have 50% equity in your home. After calculating your home equity, compare it to your lender’s maximum LTV ratio to see if you qualify for a home equity loan. After confirming that you may qualify for a home equity loan you can calculate how much you may borrow by multiplying the value of your home by the maximum LTV of the lender and subtracting your mortgage balance.

 

Pros & Cons

Home equity loans are great for people who want to fund home improvement projects because the interest you pay will be tax deductible if the money is used for renovations, according to BankRate.

 

Home equity loans offer competitive interest rates when compared to other options.

 

Pros	Cons
Low interest rates	Closing costs can be expensive
Fixed monthly payments	For those who want to pay it off fast, they have longer funding timeline than personal loans
Interest may be tax deductible	Risk of losing your home if you are unable to make payments

 

Home Equity Loan vs. Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)

Both home equity loans and HELOCs are secured against the value of your home equity. However, a home equity loan is a lump sum of money and a HELOC is a revolving line of credit, similar to a credit card.

 

A HELOC may be harder to secure than a personal loan or home equity loan therefore you need good credit and a high LTV ratio.

 

3. Credit Cards

Credit cards are always an option for financing home improvement projects. However, credit cards are likely to be the most costly option when financing your landscaping project. Moreover, the interest rates will likely be higher with credit cards, making them harder to pay off over time. Credit cards can be obtained regardless of credit issues and therefore can be the most flexible option for a broader range of credit histories.

 

Would landscaping increase the value of your home?

Landscaping will almost always increase the resale value of your home. Having a polished look on the outside will attract prospective buyers to your home. In fact, homes with “excellent” landscaping can sell for an average of 7% higher than equivalent homes with only “good” landscaping. So if you are thinking of putting you home on the market in the near future, it would not hurt to take some extra care in your landscaping.

 

Average ROI for Landscaping

Landscaping will return more on investment than most other home improvement projects. If you do it right, you could see up to a 400% ROI. The average return on investment for a fully landscaped yard is about 200%. Therefore, if you invest $10,000 on landscaping for your yard, you can recoup $20,000 at resale. There is essentially no downside on taking on a landscaping project for your home.

 

References

https://homeguide.com/costs/landscaping-costs#styles

https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/landscape/

https://pacificoutdoorliving.com/blog/examining-roi-landscaping-10-projects-provide-maximum-return/