Hello, my name is Iggy and I live in Perth, Australia. Last month, I was out in my garden enjoying the sunshine when I noticed that there was something strange on my roof. I climbed up onto the roof of my home and discovered some damage. While I was up on the roof, I took a long look down at my garden. Seeing it from such a strange angle made me realise how overgrown it looked. The next day I called in some contractors to fix the problems. While they worked, they taught me plenty of cool tips and tricks.
When you have decorated your home to a high level and added top quality fixtures and fittings, there is little else you can do to add value to your home's potential sale price. Short of adding an extension to your home, which is impractical in many urban settings, there is only one viable option: use your garden as the basis for improved valuations.
Of course, good planting and mature gardens make any property more attractive to the average potential buyer, but what about physical structures? Let's look at the types of garden installations you ought to consider for adding value to your home.
Pergolas
These garden structures are usually free standing, but you don't need to have a large lawn with one in the middle to make your garden look great. By fitting one adjacent to a pair of patio doors, you can create a sense of an extra room in your home. Many people prefer this to the lonelier look of a pergola that is separated from the main house, anyway. Of course, pergolas create shade as well as offering shelter and they are ideal for planting trailing plants through, such as rambling roses.
Ramadas
These are also free standing structures which are similar to pergolas in concept. However, they tend to be constructed from bricks and mortar rather than weatherproofed wood. They also differ significantly in that they will possess closed roof. A typical ramada provides adequate protection from the sun – so long as it is overhead - as well as affording a good sheltering area from rain. Because the closed roof traps heat underneath it, you can often achieve microclimate effect. This is ideal if you live in the south of the country and want to use it in winter.
Shade Sails
One of the best ways of creating a sun shelter in homes is with a fabric covering. Although awnings are considered to be part of the house, residential shade sails are very much a part of the garden design. Ideal for installing over a patio or area of decking shade sails mean being able to break away from traditional forms and square angles. For example, triangular and even semi-circular shade sails are popular nowadays and these can be used to reflect the rest of the garden design, for instance, the shape of your beds. When installed in a typical Australian property, they become a feature just as much as a practical way of keeping out of the sun and this is reflected in the price you can demand of your home should you decide to sell up.
Share8 May 2017
