Make Your Outdoor Spaces Work For You

Summer is on the horizon, and many homeowners are planning on spending as much time as they can over the next few sunny months enjoying the glorious outdoors. But how can you optimise your outdoor space to make it work for you?

From installing outdoor offices to placing garden furniture and landscaping – here are a few ideas on how you can transform your garden space to truly make it work for you and your needs.

Do Outdoor Spaces Increase Home Value?

In short – yes. Post Office Money estimate that the inclusion of a garden can boost property value by up to 77%. This is likely because as a nation, we’re spending more time in our gardens than ever: in fact, 37% of Brits are spending more time outside than 5 years ago. As we were confined to our homes during the pandemic, and transformed our homes into hybrid-working offices, our gardens became valuable spaces for us to rest, relax, and get some fresh air whilst remaining Covid compliant. The sentiment has remained ever since, even if our post-pandemic lifestyles have changed, making outdoor spaces a valuable asset.

Garden Rooms and Garden Offices

Garden rooms and garden offices are usually prefabricated structures that can allow you to optimise your garden space by creating more segmented, functional rooms. Many homeowners use these rooms as offices, gyms, or even soundproofed music studios. These are a fantastic option for those that work from home but do not have the space inside their property to utilise as a home office. This also allows for a better distinction between ‘home’ and ‘work’ zones, which can help you create an optimal work-life balance.

What’s more, garden rooms are far cheaper than an extension and far easier to build, too. These prefab structures cost an average of £9,000, can save homeowners the hassle of having to obtain planning permission for an extension, and will cause minimal disruption to install. Better yet, separate garden rooms are increasing in popularity: Rightmove searches for ‘garden office’ are up 1046% compared to 10 years ago, and up to 15% can be added to the value of your home by installing a separate garden room.

Landscaped Gardens

Landscaping is an obvious option for those looking to make their garden space work for them. Taking the time to understand what you want from your garden and implementing this by making smart landscaping choices is certainly worthwhile, as you will be able to create a space that suits your needs and requirements. It can help you better plan your space, create distinct areas for different purposes, and create spaces that are both visually appealing and a joy to spend time in.

Landscaping covers a number of areas – it can involve changing terrain, adding new structures, and careful planting of new plants to bring more dimension to your garden. In real terms, this may constitute building a patio for summertime use, carefully placing paving slabs in certain areas of your garden as a basis for garden furniture, or sectioning off parts of your garden for planting fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Garden Sheds

Sheds are more important than you’d think! In fact, 82% of property professionals state that a decent size shed is the most notable outdoor feature to make the value of your property rise. They offer valuable storage space without cluttering the inside of your home and can provide a place to organise your outdoor belongings safely and securely. Many homeowners use their sheds as a DIY workshop and, if well maintained, a shed can also become an additional living space for the warmer months and can double up as a garden room or home office. Some have even transformed their sheds into swanky bars – the opportunities are endless, which is why sheds make such a good investment into your garden.

Garden Furniture

If you’re looking to spend more time outdoors in the sunny weather, you’ll need to invest in garden furniture. From patio swings to benches and sofa suites to firepits, there are endless options to consider to make your outdoor space work for you.

Garden furniture doesn’t just look wonderful: it can subliminally indicate that your outdoor space is also a ‘living space’ by providing the chairs, tables and facilities to relax in. It also creates places to bring people together: consider patio chairs and outdoor seating, firepits for communal gatherings and cosy nights beside the fire, or a barbeque to bring friends and family together over good food. You can also adapt your space to create private nooks to spend time in – egg chairs are a fantastic option for those looking to spend lazy Sundays outside reading a book.

Garden Boundaries

A well-maintained fence or hedge can be transformative to for your outdoor spaces – it can improve the overall presentation of your property if you have a freshly painted fence, or a neatly trimmed hedge. There are also benefits to your privacy, especially if you have a taller fence, which can stop passers-by or neighbours for sneaking a peek at your home. Better yet, Ideal Home indicate that a well maintained garden fence can boost your home’s value by 20%, making this a fantastic way to invest in your property for long-term gain.

There are many ways to spruce up your fence to make it work for you – get creative and paint a mural, hang outdoor lights to bring life to your garden at night, or even create a fencing ‘feature wall’ with all of your favourite foliage and plants.

Upgrade Your Outdoor Spaces With Centrick

Whether you’re looking to add value to your garden, planning some summer DIY, or want to keep on top of the latest home trends, At Home With Centrick can help! With an abundance of advice, guidance and tips on a range of topics, you’ll find everything you need on the At Home hub to upgrade your home and garden this year. Want more tailored advice? Contact the At Home team below with any questions – we’d love to hear from you!