Hanging out outdoors is the best. Fresh air, family parties, gorgeous landscaping. Unless, that is you’re still living with astroturf and raggedy concrete instead of a backyard. Don’t worry, there’s professional help for that. Here are 7 reasons, both financial and aesthetic, to invest in the good looks of your lawn.
Raise Your Home’s Value
Professional landscaping provides great return on investment. Learn how hiring a landscaper (more than) pays for itself. The Washington Post recommends investing 10 percent of your home’s value into landscaping. Follow this tip and watch your house’s value grow exponentially when it’s time to sell.
Be Happier In Your Home
A beautiful backyard is your very own mini paradise. You can spend every evening in your yard, watch the kids play, enjoy romantic sunsets, and you indulge in sun soaked afternoons. Beside the financial and resale benefits of landscaped yard, it makes living in your home that much more satisfying.
Lowering Your Water Bill
Making improvements to your irrigation system can save you a lot of money. US News estimates it takes 660 gallons of water to supply 1,000 square feet of lawn which is the same amount of water you use inside your home for an entire week. A watering system that’s leak-free and efficient can slash your water bill down, and does a lot of good for the environment. Besides all that, irrigation systems that don’t overwater makes it less likely that your plants will die from getting too much water.
Make It Easier On Yourself
DIY projects can be fun, unless your backyard makeover is more complex than just a few new plants. When going at it by yourself, you’ll need to make sure you’re ready to identify appropriate materials, haul them all home in your hatchback (including those 100lb paving stones), lug them onto a dolly, settle them into the holes you’ve pre-dug so they sit evenly with the ground, and then go on to the next step of the process. Hiring a crew to handle the project makes it much easier.
Keep Your Life Low-Maintenance
Some people are just born with a green thumb. Many people aren’t. Even if you’re pretty handy in the garden, chances are you might not have four hours every weekend to keep up the garden and lawn. A professional landscaper can help you achieve your vision while also keeping it low-maintenance. A gorgeous yard that doesn’t require much upkeep on your end. That sounds like a dream scenario to me.
Lowering Your Energy Bill
We already talked about how you can lower water bills with good landscaping, but did you know that energy bills can be lowered too? Energy.gov reports, “shading and evapotranspiration from trees can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as 6°F…and air temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25°F cooler…” Plants and trees not only look great on your property, they save you money. It’s an all-around win.
Work with Your Weather
Heavy rain, snow, desert heat—a pro landscaper will be able to create a system in your backyard that works with your weather. For example, if you have tropical rains that come down every year, your new landscaping should feature a drainage system to redirect the water safely. Keep your house from flooding and your garden from being negatively affected by the weather in your area.
