The Garden Trends That Add The Most Value To Your Home In 2022

The value of a well-kept outdoor space has increased significantly over the past couple of years, with more people spending time in their gardens than ever before. 

Not only can a beautifully designed space bring joy to those living there, but the right design trends can also stand to make you some extra money when it comes to selling your house.

From new decking to pergolas, we wanted to find out which popular garden trends could add the most value to your home, so if you’re looking to make improvements to your own garden ahead of the summer, discover which garden improvements would be the best investments.

How Your Garden Can Maximise Your Home’s Value

To discover which garden additions are now the most attractive to buyers, we spoke to thousands of prospective purchasers (2,024) across the UK about the garden trends they now value the most, and which would cause them to lower their offer on a property they were looking to buy. 

Topping the list of garden improvements which add the most value was a conservatory, which on average, could increase the value of your home by almost £8,500. Over 18% of those surveyed said they’d pay between £10,000 and £15,000 more for a property with a conservatory, and almost 10% said they would pay up to £20,000 more. 

An office in the garden and gym room followed close behind, making up the rest of the top three garden features that could add the most value to your property. With so many of us working from home more than ever before, a lot of people are now willing to pay more for a property which allows them to work and exercise in comfort. 

Having a home office in the garden could increase the value of your property by around £7,261, while a gym or studio room could increase your home’s worth by £7,124, on average.

Several entertainment features, including an outdoor kitchen, outdoor entertaining or dining area, and a hot tub also made the top 10 most prized garden improvements. Having these features in your garden could increase the value of your property by up to £6,500 on average. A garden bar, pergola and built-in pizza oven all followed as features which could increase your home’s value by between £4,900 and £5,600. 

In total, the research identified 19 garden improvements, with a vegetable patch, newly painted fences and a well-kept lawn also making the list. These low-maintenance garden features could still increase the value of your home by up to £5,000, with 10% of people saying they’d pay up to £10,000 more for a home with newly painted fences, and almost 8% of people saying they’d pay up to £15,000 more for a well-kept lawn.

 

Garden Feature	Average Value Increase
Conservatory	£8,449
Home office in the garden	£7,261
Gym or studio room	£7,124
Orangery	£6,595
Outdoor kitchen	£6,385
Outdoor entertaining or dining area	£6,164
South facing garden	£6,161
Hot tub	£5,809
New paved patio	£5,752
New decking area	£5,638
Garden bar	£5,624
Mature plants/trees/flowers	£5,224
Children's treehouse	£5,158
Greenhouse	£5,157
Built-in pizza oven	£5,135
Built-in outdoor BBQ	£5,062
West facing garden	£5,008
Pergola	£4,980
New garden shed	£4,916
Well-kept lawn	£4,898
New garden fence	£4,857
Newly painted fences	£4,652
Vegetable patch	£4,617

The Garden Features Which Could Decrease Your Home's Value

While taking care of your garden could work in your favour when it comes to selling your property, neglecting your garden could also significantly decrease the value of your home. 

A mouldy or dirty conservatory roof could decrease the value of your house by £6,140, with damaged garden walls following in second position, with an average decrease in value of just under £6,000. 

Broken guttering, cracked or damaged patios, and damaged decking could cost you between £5,500 and £6,000 on average, with almost 10% of people saying that they would want to pay up to £15,000 less for a property with a cracked or damaged patio.

Our research revealed that maintaining your lawn is a huge factor for house-buyers in 2022, with properties without a lawn dropping in value by around £5,871. Properties with artificial grass were found to reduce in value by just over £5,000. Dead trees or plants could reduce your property’s value by just over £5,200 and overgrown grass could cost you over £4,800 when it comes to sell, while no plants at all could reduce the value of your property by £4,872. If you’re buying plants or flowers, be sure to avoid invasive or damaging plants (such as bamboo or eucalyptus), as having these growing in your garden could cost you £5,720.

Garden Feature	Average Value Decrease
Mouldy or dirty convervatory roof	£6,140
Damaged garden walls	£5,988
No lawn	£5,871
Broken guttering	£5,807
Invasive or damaging plants	£5,720
Old and mouldy decking	£5,712
Damaged decking	£5,610
Rubbish or debris in the garden	£5,554
Broken fences	£5,384
North facing garden	£5,318
Dead trees or plants	£5,215
Overgrown weeds in pathways/borders	£5,155
Pond	£5,061
Children's play equipment/toys	£5,025
Artificial grass	£5,009
East facing garden	£4,984
No plants or flowers	£4,872
Overgrown grass	£4,845

Go West, Where The Skies Are Blue

It’s not just the contents of your garden that could affect the value of your house - it could also be the positioning of your garden. 

16% of respondents said that they would pay up to £10,000 less for a property with a north facing garden, while an east facing garden would reduce a property’s value by £4,984 on average. Alternatively, those lucky enough to have a west facing garden could see increases in value of over £5,000, while a sunny south facing garden could have buyers paying up to £6,100 more on average.

Gian-Carlo Grossi, Managing Director at Roofing Megastore comments: 

“It’s so important to maintain your garden because mouldy roofs, damaged decking and broken guttering can all significantly decrease the value of your home.

Not only can a neglected garden be a health hazard and unappealing to look at, often, basic maintenance or DIY is all that’s needed to fix many of the issues that put buyers off the most.   

So many of us have spent much more time at home since the start of the pandemic, meaning there’s been a massive increase in demand for garden features such as garden offices, garden gym studio spaces, as well as outdoor cooking and entertaining spaces. This shift in demand has been reflected in our study, with homeowners willing to pay several thousand pounds more for properties with these items.”

How to Spruce Up Your Garden and Add Thousands To The Value of Your Home

If you’re looking to upgrade your garden ahead of the spring (and potentially increase the value of your home), here are a few quick and easy ways to spruce up your outdoor space:

1. Re-paint your fence - £4,500 estimated added value

It may seem simple, but repainting your garden fence can completely transform the look of your garden. Treating your fence while painting it will also protect it against the weather, from rain and snow to UV rays - all of which can cause the wood to split and discolour. For a relatively cheap and simple job, you could increase the value of your house by up to £4,500 - so get painting!

2. Plant some flowers - £5,000 estimated added value

Planting flowers and plants in your garden could add up to £5,000 to the value of your property - and can be a really enjoyable process once the sun comes out! Marigolds, Sweet Alyssums and Sunflowers are all great options for easy-to-grow flowers (providing they receive adequate sunlight), which will add some colour and beauty to your outdoor space.”

3. Start a vegetable patch - £4,600 estimated added value

Not only will a vegetable patch provide you with lots of delicious, home-grown produce to eat, it could also increase the value of your property by up to £4,600. 

Creating a vegetable patch may seem daunting, but if you start small you can build up a patch of several crops over time. Beetroot, tomatoes and courgettes are all great vegetables to grow if you’re a beginner, and you just need to clear a section of lawn to start to create a vegetable patch.

4. Cut the grass regularly - £4,800 estimated added value 

When the nice weather arrives, often the last thing you want to do is get the lawn mower out of the shed. But our research has shown that having a well-kept lawn can increase your property’s value by £4,898, with overgrown grass in a garden having the potential to decrease a property’s value by up to £4,845. Cutting the grass every couple of weeks during the sunnier months will ensure your lawn stays healthy and verdant.

5. Build a garden bar - £5,600 estimated added value

This last upgrade will take a little more time, effort and cost than our other favourite garden touch-ups - but the time and effort put into building a garden bar would likely pay off. Properties with garden bars could be worth up to £5,600 compared to those without, and you can make your own bar relatively cheaply on your own. From converting a shed, to modifying an area of existing decking, there are lots of simple ways to build a garden bar DIY-style.

 

Methodology and sources

Nationwide survey completed with Censuswide, to 2,024 UK residents aged 16 and above. All data accurate as of March 2022.