The benefits of owning property with garden space

Jane McGowan investigates the benefits of owning a house with a garden...

My family has moved house a few times and are now familiar with a lot of estate agent parlance: “it wouldn’t cost much to knock through”; “you can put your own stamp on it” etc. One of the favourite selling phrases is – “and it has a south-facing garden”. Now coming from a family where the redheads outnumber the other members 3:2, this is never a priority as we only need a property where the sun peeps through between the times of 4pm-4.05pm.

But for many people, a decent-sized garden can be a deal breaker and for some green-fingered buyers, it forms the basis of their search.

“When beginning a new project, we actually plan and design the landscaping and gardens first,” says David Rich-Jones, co-founder, Richstone Properties. “The Richstone approach is to see this area as an extension of the living space inside the house.”

After years spent living in Putney, Maria and Jason Webb made the decision to move to Oxted, Surrey in order to find the garden of their dreams.

“We loved being so close to London, the river and all the restaurants around Putney,” says Maria. “We started to long for outdoor space where we could sit and unwind. Once we had decided to move, a garden was high on our wishlist. Although we had to move quite a long way out, it was worth it.”

Experts say having a well-kept garden can add anything from 5% to 20% or around £2,000 to £15,000 to the asking price when selling your home. In the past few years, people have begun to spend much more time in the garden with a trend for people keeping chickens and the ‘grow your own’ produce boom.

“Green space definitely adds value, it creates a serene vista for any development,” says Joe Taylor, designer for developer Octagon. “The aim is always to create a private amenity space, somewhere tranquil and secluded. This can be more challenging with our London-based schemes because there’s less space to work with, so we have to get more creative.”

Homeowners are also using their gardens to add ‘space’ to the home, erecting home gyms, offices or studios – and according to a survey of UK estate agents by Sellhousefast.co.uk, 82% of respondents cited a shed as the top garden feature for prospective homebuyers. With prices starting at around £250, it can be a cost-effective way of not only tidying up your garden but adding value too.