We all want to help make our house as attractive as possible, even if we plan to stay in the home for years, it’s still nice to know that our property will be worth more when we sell it one day. move up the ladder or downsize.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a nice garden or outdoor space, there’s almost no end to the possibilities of updating your home from a prettier fence to a new lawn, a greenhouse or, say, an outdoor summer house.
But as well-intentioned as the changes to your house and garden are, they don’t always end up increasing the value of your home.
Ruth Beeton, of Home Sale Pack, warns that adding a pond to your garden can actually reduce the value of your house.
Ponds are very good for the environment, attracting and sustaining important wildlife such as frogs and toads, as well as insects, which in turn can provide food for birds and hedgehogs.
Another good thing is that frogs and toads tear through slug and snail populations, helping in the constant and seemingly never-ending war on slugs and snails that gardeners are rewarded with every year.
But on the downside, a pond can knock 1.8 per cent off the value of your house, or £5,000 on an average-priced home.
However, the swimming pool damages the price of the apartment significantly more. While it may seem like a luxury and boujie upgrade, putting a swimming pool in your backyard can actually reduce the value of your home by up to £55,000.
This is because, in addition to the safety risk for young children, a pool requires a lot of maintenance and costs £50-£100 in monthly electricity bills just to power it, unless you connect it with solar panels and a battery.
Removing a pool is also expensive, meaning home buyers who don’t want one still have to pay thousands to turn it back into a lawn or deck.
Things that add value are a downstairs toilet, an extension, a home office space or a garden room, as long as you have the space for it.
