Smart Landscaping Updates for $3,000 or Less

Landscaping

Investing in attractive, region-appropriate landscaping for your home will give you at least a 100 percent return on your investment, provided you care for and maintain it. Some ideas:

• Spend about $400 to $1,000 for a yard maintenance crew to prune, weed, and clean up your front yard for curb appeal or the backyard for livability.
• Get trees and shrubs trimmed by a professional tree-trimming service.
• Consult a landscape or garden designer to work with existing shrubs, perennials, ornamentals, and succulents and create a basic design. Then buy plants and hire a landscape crew (often through the designer) to plant them.
• If you live in a drought-prone area, get rid of your water-guzzling lawn. Hire a landscape crew that specializes in lawn removal. Some areas even offer incentives and rebates for replacing lawns; check with your city or county for more information.
• Change the landscaping near your pool: it will improve the poolside garden and the look of the pool itself.
• Buy what you love and know. Barry Glick, garden author and owner of Sunshine Farm and Gardens in Renick, West Virginia, says he would use $3,000 on "lots of wildflowers!"

Curb Appeal

April Bayne, landscape designer at Designs of April, says she would use $3,000 to work on curb appeal, infrastructure, or drainage issues. "It depends on priorities. If I had a dog, a fence might be important. If my landscape was OK, I might choose furnishings."

A Patio, Deck, or Outdoor Room

Don't underestimate the value and appeal of an outdoor room or surface, like a patio. If you used that extra $3,000 to build, say, a 200-square-foot stamped-concrete patio in Charlotte, North Carolina, it would cost between $2,924 and $3,734, according to HomeWyse.com.

Painting

Painting is one of the best ways to spruce up a drab exterior or get rid of peeling paint—both eyesores. While painting a home varies according to the size of home, region, and quality of materials, smaller jobs can also make a huge difference.

For instance, the cost of painting a 180-square-foot porch in Phoenix, Arizona, is $272 (low end) to $555 (high end), according to HomeWyse.com, an online home service and materials estimator. Even painting the front doors a bright color can add appeal to a nicely painted exterior. Door hardware that complements the home's architectural style is also a smart touch.

An Outdoor Kitchen

Since the post-Word War II housing boom, homeowners have been driven outside by their love of the barbecue. Portable charcoal models have given way to more elaborate grills that can cook an entire meal, along with outdoor kitchens featuring countertops, bars, refrigerators, and all kinds of amenities.

Not surprisingly, Kevin McSherry, of From The Ground Up says he "loves the outdoors" and that he would spend $3,000 on a cabana or a grilling/smoking area. If he had a choice of outdoor cooking equipment, McSherry says he would go for a wood-fired pizza oven.

Hardscape, Paths, and Pavers

Hardscape includes those areas of the landscape that do not have soil or plantings. Replacing hard-to-grow or water-guzzling areas with pavers or pea gravel adds interest and can be a smart fix for a difficult location. Pavers and stone can enhance outdoor areas and complement a home's architecture.

With an extra $3,000, "I would redo my driveway using permeable pavers," says Helen Yoest, author of Gardening With Confidence and Plants With Benefits. She continues: "My garden is water-wise. All the rain that lands on my property, stays on my property, except for the driveway. I'd like to make that right. Other projects I've done with that kind of money that I've never regretted are night lighting and adding an important stone step feature in the middle of my mixed border leading into the backyard."

Water or Fire Features

With a $3,000 budget, Brian Rivers, owner/project manager of Minnesota-based Impressions Outdoor Living, says, "I would consider a lighted water fountain with plantings, a fire pit, replace a front entry walkway, or add some front planting beds and accent stones to update and add curb appeal." 

Fencing or Walls for Boundaries and Privacy

Paint or upgrade fencing in the backyard or front, or add a gate that has security features. This way you're investing in appearance and safety.

Lighting

Adding or updating outdoor lighting to the front or backyards of your home are not just practical or for safety—they also accentuate a home's architectural features, add ambience, accentuate landscaping, and create a sense of warmth.

When choosing lighting fixtures, consider energy-saving LEDs, the style of the lighting fixture, exterior materials, and the architectural style of your home.

A New or Refurbished Garage Door

Does your garage door stand out in a bad way? The best doors for your garage blend with the house and don't look like a separate or incompatible architectural feature. Choose a door that is the same style as your home.

A Front Porch Update

A front porch is part of a home's curb appeal. When the porch or entry looks good, it can set the tone for the rest of the front yard; if it needs paint or repair, it can bring down a home's appeal and even its value.

Helen Yoest says she would change her front porch. "It would be purely cosmetic. The roof over the porch would change, as would the stoop. It's a faux Georgian style with a flat porch roof that extends from the second floor, with tall, ostentatious columns out front. I would change it to a porch roof that extends the front of the house, between the first and second floor."

Other easy updates include repairing steps, replacing columns or posts, repairing, replacing, or painting the porch floor, or sprucing up the door and window frames, the door itself, or other architectural details. You can also buy new furniture or add an outdoor fan to maximize its potential enjoyment level.