Gardens and kitchens on a par for home-hunters

Half of Britons think a well-designed garden is as – or more – important than a designer kitchen or bathroom when it comes to their quest for a perfect home.

House-hunters are prepared to pay a premium of nearly £15,000 for a garden when purchasing a property, and put the importance of outside space up there with a top-end kitchen or bathroom.

A further 40% would consider hiring a professional garden designer in order to transform their outside space, according to research by Zoopla and the Society of Garden Designers.

Gardens are considered to be so important that 74% of homeowners have either already spent money on their outside space or would consider doing so in a bid to increase the value of their property.

At the same time, house-hunters are prepared to pay a premium of £14,448 to purchase a home with a garden.

Sarah Morgan, chair of the Society of Garden Designers, said: “We know from our members that having a garden designed by a professional designer can add significant value to a property. But, quite apart from the overall ‘wow’ factor, a good garden design can also add something really special to a home.”

Why is this happening?

Both buyers and renters put a high emphasis on having outdoor space, with 86% of both groups saying having a garden was very or extremely important.

People are also prepared to spend significant sums to create their dream garden, with homeowners willing to splash out an average of £7,339.

But the outlay does not end there, with the typical person spending £678 a year maintaining their garden.

Which regions value a garden most?

People living in the south east are prepared to pay the biggest premium for a property with a garden at an average of £21,925, followed by house-hunters in the north west at £18,425.

Those in the south east are also most likely to rate having a garden as being important at 91%.

At the other end of the scale, buyers in Yorkshire and Humber will pay the smallest premium for outside space at an average of £9,068, despite 84% of people rating having a garden as being important.

Homeowners in the East of England are prepared to spend the most in order to transform their outdoor space into their dream garden at £10,882, nearly double the amount people in Wales are prepared to spend at £5,832.

Regional breakdown of garden spending

What’s the background?

When it comes to creating a dream garden, having somewhere to sit and relax was ranked as the most important feature, cited by 36% of people.

It was followed by having south-facing outdoor space or a design that allowed the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day, which was key for 15% of people.

Both of these features were considered to be more important than having somewhere for children to play or space for pets, cited by 12% and 7% respectively.

Around 8% of people wanted flowers or shrubs to be part of the design, while 6% wanted somewhere to entertain and 4% of people wanted to be able to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

But water features appear to have fallen out of fashion, with only 0.4% of people considering this an important feature of a garden design.

The 9 most important design features of a garden according to Brits:

1. Somewhere to sit and relax (36%)
2. Maximum sunlight throughout the day / south facing (15%)
3. Somewhere for the children to play (12%)
4. Flowers / shrubs (8%)
5. A space for pets (7%)
6. Somewhere to entertain (6%)
7. Growing my own fruit/vegetables (4%)
8. Extra storage space/shed (2%)
9. A water feature (0.4%)

Top 3 takeaways

• Half of Britons think a well-designed garden is as important or more important than a designer kitchen or bathroom
• A further 40% would consider hiring a professional garden designer in order to transform their outside space
• House-hunters are prepared to pay a premium of £14,448 to purchase a home with a garden