Garden gnomes devalue your private home! Here’s the most affordable methods to enhance your backyard and add as much as 20% in worth to your property

A well-designed garden can add up to £60,000 to the value of a home, experts suggest. 

Households with a well-maintained and practical garden typically add between 5 per cent to 20 per cent to the value of their home, according to experts. This can equate to up to £60,000 for a £300,000 property. 

In a survey of 1,000 households with gardens, Dunster House found the garden feature perceived to add the most value to a home was an outdoor space to entertain. 

A non-overlooked garden was also labelled as a value winner, as were summer houses. 

A low-maintenance design was also perceived as important among homeowners, as was a well-maintained lawn and planting. 

Space for an extension was also viewed positively, as were garden offices, south or west-facing gardens and practical storage such as sheds. 

Marta Pawlik, co-founder of luxury homes agency Laik, says: ‘Value is driven by design, condition and usability, not size alone.’

‘We often see smaller, well-maintained gardens adding £15,000 to £20,000, while larger neglected spaces can actually reduce offers.

‘The most valuable upgrades are those that improve how the space is used. 

‘A dedicated outdoor entertaining area with quality furniture and lighting can add between 5 per cent and 20 per cent of a property’s asking price, while privacy features such as mature hedging can transform how a garden is experienced at a relatively low cost.’ 

Pawlik said that as the trend for remote or hybrid working continued, garden offices and rooms ‘are becoming increasingly valuable’.   

Affordable ways to spruce up your garden

A simple tidy up in the garden can be a great way to start adding value to your home. 

Clive Holland, a broadcaster at Fix Radio, says: ‘General garden maintenance is often around £30 an hour, and even a couple of hours can completely change how the space feels.

‘Jet-washing a patio or decking typically costs around £3 to £4 per square metre and can make an existing seating area look useable again, while repainting or staining fencing can cost roughly £26 to £30 per panel, or as little as £5 to £12 in materials if done yourself.’

Lawn and border work can also deliver a strong visual effect for a modest spend. 

According to Holland, a basic lawn treatment can cost around £45, with scarifying usually between £50 and £125. Adding mulch to borders can cost £110 to £200, depending on the size of the space. 

Holland added: ‘These are small investments, but they make the garden look healthier, cleaner and easier to maintain, which is exactly what buyers respond to.’

If you can stretch your budget further, Holland suggests focusing on upgrades which help create a ‘usable space’ in the garden.’ 

A shed, for example, can, Holland said, cost around £1,200 to install but has been linked to value increases of several thousand pounds, while decking or patio areas typically range from £65 to £120 per square metre depending on the finish. 

Even outdoor lighting, often costing around £150 to £200, can make a garden feel more considered and functional.

The cheapest improvements with the biggest impact are usually the ones that make the garden look clean, safe and ready to use. 

Holland added: ‘Buyers do not need a show garden, but they do want to feel that they will not have to start again from scratch.

‘The biggest mistake homeowners make is assuming that expensive or flashy additions automatically add value – which they don’t.’

Poorly built decking, tired sheds, broken greenhouses, oversized pergolas, unsafe water features, artificial grass that has not been properly installed, or a garden that feels difficult to maintain can all put buyers off. 

In some cases, an unloved or overgrown garden has been reported to knock between 8 per cent and 20 per cent off a home’s value, which could mean a loss of more than £20,000 on an average UK property.

Japanese knotweed is a serious red flag. If it is active and untreated, it can reduce a property’s value by 10 per cent to 30 per cent, depending on the severity and the treatment plan in place, Holland said. That is why buyers, lenders and surveyors take it so seriously.

Holland told This is Money: ‘My advice is to start with the basics before spending big. Cut back overgrowth, repair fencing, clear rubbish, sort drainage, remove anything broken and make sure any outdoor structure has been built properly. 

‘A garden does not need to be showy to add value – it needs to look cared for, safe, practical and easy for the next owner to enjoy.’

Which garden features are turn-offs for buyers?

According to Dunster Houses’ survey, plastic plants are a turn-off for prospective buyers, as are neon signs and artificial grass. 

Meanwhile, 38 per cent of those surveyed said they loathe inflatable hot tubs in gardens. 

Close to 40 per cent also said they believed garden gnomes were off-putting and should be removed. 

Pawlik said: ‘While most are easy to remove, they could still be worth hiding away when you come to sell to avoid potentially lower offers.’

She added: ‘Poor maintenance, including overgrown planting, broken fencing and drainage issues can significantly reduce a garden’s appeal and impact offers. Weeds and broken fences give a hint that the rest of the property may be similarly neglected.

‘Anything a future owner would need to undo, or requires a lot of work to fix, is likely to reduce value. Even in high-demand areas, neglected outdoor spaces can lower both buyer interest and the final sale price.’