Residential landscape is one of the most important investments a homeowner can make. Not only does it increase the value of your property, but it also adds beauty and curb appeal to your home.
Before starting any landscaping project, it is crucial to lay out the plan for your entire property. That way, you can identify areas that will be more important than others and plan accordingly.
Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is the aesthetic look of your home’s exterior. It includes the landscaping, sidewalks, driveway, and front door.
It is important to make sure that everything looks well-maintained and polished. A neglected yard, overgrown bushes, or old gutters can distract a potential buyer and detract from their opinion of your home.
Fortunately, curb appeal can be improved in a relatively inexpensive way, and it has been shown to have a substantial impact on property value. Researchers found that homes with well-kept lawns and residential landscape services St Louis, MO, sell for 7% more than similar homes without these features.
Landscapes are one of the biggest investments you can make in your yard. They can dramatically improve your home’s appearance and help you get top dollar when ready to sell.
Privacy
Whether trying to escape noisy neighbors or just wanting to spend time in peace, a well-designed landscape can be a key factor in creating the perfect atmosphere for privacy. There are many ways to achieve this goal, from simple fences to elaborate living screens.
The first layer you may consider for privacy is near your curb, where low walls and fencing precede a low green barrier and are backed by taller plantings. This is a common design strategy for suburban homes.
A more layered approach to screening is to use trees that offer clear views at their trunk height while blocking significant expanses of land with their canopies. By laying low- and mid-height perennials and shrubs beneath these trees, you can create a visual screen that gives you the exact amount of privacy you need. This strategy is particularly useful when designing small-yard spaces where openness is more important than enclosure.
Energy Efficiency
A home’s energy efficiency is directly affected by its environment. This includes the temperature of air, ground, surrounding trees, and the location of windows and air leaks.
A well-designed landscape can make your home more energy efficient by using plants and structures that reduce heat gain and loss in summer and winter. This can reduce energy costs by up to 40%.
In addition to lowering energy bills, landscapes provide shade and wind protection for your home and increase air circulation. These features add to your comfort and help prevent indoor mold, mildew, and other allergens.
Landscapes can also help regulate the urban heat island effect, a natural phenomenon common in dense urban areas. By reducing the use of heat-producing building materials, impervious surfaces, and other factors that create the urban heat island, your residential landscape can improve your home’s energy efficiency and quality of life.
Health
Your residential landscape plays a significant role in your health. For instance, a green and well-maintained lawn helps to capture dust particles and other airborne pollutants and produce oxygen. Moreover, it can reduce your blood pressure and induce mental restoration.
A healthy landscape design can also help to mitigate climate change impacts and accelerate societal changes, which are all major contributors to human health problems. Therefore, the planning system must incorporate and integrate relevant aspects of health, especially when major developments are considered.
