Front yard landscape ideas that will enhance curb appeal for potential home buyers
Getting landscaping done to your front yard is quite possibly the best outdoor change you can do to increase the value of your home. If you want to sell your home and get the highest price possible enhancing your curb appeal is an excellent way to do this. A good first impression is always key and that holds true when selling your home.
It is less often the case that redoing a backyard will have the same effect on buyers as the front yard will. Front yard designs are typically more universal where as a new buyer may want to customize their backyard to there liking. You may want no lawn so it is easier to maintain but the buyer may have a young family and want some lawn for a play space. This does not mean that updating your backyard will have a negative effect on your homes price. However it does mean that unless you have a major eye sore in your backyard you will most likely get a higher rate of return investing in your front yard. A nice front entrance designed to suit your home will impress buyers regardless of preference for the rest of the home.
The walkway to your front door is going to be the foundation of your front yard landscape. It will often dictate the direction of the rest of the project. Will you need a long walkway to the door? Will you need several steps? These factors will help determine the style and shape of your walkway. A walkway to your front door should be wide enough for two people to walk side by side a minimum of four feet wide however if you have the space five feet is preferable. The shape is going to depend on the style and size of your home as well as the budget. Landscape designers should be able to recommend a style for your home once they know these factors and have seen your home. For materials often if your home is made of brick a solid brick walkway or poured concrete will look best. Avoid irregular shaped stepping stones to your front entrance as you want it accessible to all and these can cause tripping hazards and problems shoveling in the winter.
If you have a front porch updating the look with a new railing and flagstone can really help emphasize and frame the entrance into your home. Though It is relatively pricey doing flagstone work there is nothing that makes your entrance look more grand regardless of the size of your porch.
Also adding gardens around your porch and walkway can help soften the entrance way and make it look more inviting. Remember to keep the planting simple you want the entrance to look orderly. Use only a few species of trees and shrubs and no more than ten species of perennials and annuals. Remember to plant some plants of varying sizes to create scale and plants that flower at different times of the year. Also a few evergreens so the entrance is not void of colour in the late fall and winter.
Lastly adding landscape lighting is an easy way to accentuate parts of your front entrance that deserve more attention and to make the entrance more inviting in the dark. There is ambient light that lightens up the whole entrance and spot lighting that will brighten up a certain section of your entrance.
If you do have an interest in having your front entrance way updated or just enjoy looking at landscapes for ideas check out the front entrance way section of our portfolio. See if you can figure out what would look best at your home.
If you would like to learn more on how landscaping can improve the value of your home continue your search with this this National Post article which discusses more on front entrance ways and other landscape projects that can also increase home value.
Daniel Hogenbirk
Landscape Foreman
Birk’s Landscaping Inc.
(905) 404-0602
birks@rogers.com
