From the hanging gardens of Babylon to Monet’s water lilies at Giverny, gardens have always beguiled, but as a feature, does a good garden actually add value to a home? Estate agents respond.
A gorgeous garden is part of the general presentation of a home for sale.
Purchasers want to buy into the lifestyle if it offers. Last year, garden designer Alan Rudden put his Lucan home on the market seeking €775,000.
It sold for almost 14 per cent over its asking, achieving €900,000 in February of this year, according to the property price register.
As a designer, his outdoor space was very much his calling card, but if he had paid retail for his time, his design skills, as well as all the plants, outdoor kitchen and heating kit, it would have amounted to a serious outlay.
It attracted a huge amount of interest, says selling agent Andrew Rafter, MD of Flynn Estate Agents in Castleknock, himself an avid gardener.
“The power and interest it garners can be immeasurable.” Even in homes that need modernisation.
He mentions Marymount, a large G-Ber rated 1940s build with an equally sizeable garden, almost .0375 acres, seeking €1.35 million, or Retiro Verde, a large six-bed 1970s property with a C3 BER-rating and big front and back gardens, asking €2.45 million.
Do they add value? Absolutely, according to Rosie Mulvanny, director at Sherry FitzGerald.
“A beautifully designed garden adds emotional and financial value, but it depends on its location.
"If it’s private and landscaped, it’s a real differentiator in prime areas such as Dalkey, Killiney, Sandycove, Dublin 4. It can even push a property into a higher price bracket."
"Of course, gardens help sell a home", says Stephen Day, senior director at Lisney Sotheby’s International.
“A south-facing garden can add as much as 10 per cent to the right property, but people are time-poor now. The value of a large garden diminishes after the first 30 or 40 feet, nine or 12 metres.”
Take Brighton Wood in Foxrock as an example, he continues.
“The gardens are tight. But the development has plenty of green space, and buyers like the fact that they’re A-rated. Buyers now want an easy life.
"They want to be able to heat their house on a candle. That’s what’s driving people now, not 50 feet/16 metres of lawn to mow.”
James O'Flaherty, senior negotiator at Lisney Sotheby's International Realty, feels similarly.
Yes, a good garden has huge appeal, but the main concern now for buyers is a property that doesn’t require work.
"The location, its BER rating, the house size and number of bedrooms. The garden isn’t in the top five. It catches people’s eye and gets them through the door, but the key concern is energy costs.”
Orientation
Orientation is very important to a lot of buyers, says Day.
A southern or south-westerly aspect is vital, Mulvanny says, adding that while an east-facing garden will always get sun if it’s long enough, a north-facing garden may get light, but it won’t get direct sunlight.
Examples of good orientation include Summerville, 21 Cross Avenue, Blackrock, a period property with plenty of original features that will contemporarise really well.
With reception rooms at hall level, the two-storey over garden level property has cast iron balconies that take you down to a green space that children will adore, for it gives them a storybook setting.
The six-bedroom house, which extends to 515 square metres, is set on five acres of very mature grounds that include rose-lined paths, apple trees that still deliver a harvest and oodles of privacy.
It is seeking €3.5 million through agents Sherry FitzGerald. It originally came to market seeking €5 million.
Set on half an acre of manicured grounds, with green views of Greystones Golf Club, the Paul Brazil-designed Rosella, in The Burnaby, Greystones, is in a sylvan setting, with expansive sun-soaked patios and terraces, and mature specimen trees including Japanese maple, magnolia and bay trees.
In Monkstown, Cliftonville, whose garden is the lead shot in this story, is a five-bed house of 366 square metres that has wisteria climbing around its front door and has a sunken granite terrace to the back with expansive lawn and mature shrubbery across its 0.2 acres.
It is seeking €3.95 million through agents Lisney.
Sonas, 7 Redesdale Road, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, is a three-bedroom, detached dormer bungalow extending to 147 square metres and seeking €1.095 million through DNG.
South, west and south-west are the key aspects to look at when considering a garden space, says Brian Dempsey, partner at DNG.
Most buyers are drawn to a southerly aspect and turn their noses up at a north-west orientation, he says, but in summer you will still get the sun in your garden.
“Buyers want aesthetically pleasing spaces, but you can change the aesthetics. You can’t change the orientation," Dempsey continues.
“The garden’s size and sense of tranquillity also matter. A nice garden backing onto the M50 is going to have less appeal than one backing onto Airfield in Dundrum, for example.”
Pay attention to what is unsaid in a property listing, Dempsey counsels.
“Agents will never describe an outdoor space as having a lovely north-west facing garden. Instead, you won’t get any mention of it.”
Orientation is very important to a lot of buyers, says Day,
“Gardens less so. For some, it’s the location. If the area is good and the garden is only mid, they’re happy to make that compromise."
Practical considerations
A garden also has to be practical, so that there are spaces where you can dine, where children can play, Mulvaney explains.
“We see a garden as an extension of the home. It will appeal to families. Downsizers and lifestyle buyers, those who want to move straight in and have to do very little, that is, have a lovely patio, an outdoor kitchen or a barbecue area.
"It’s a thing to enjoy, and it’s good for your health. Differentiate the spaces. Have a defined lawn. Make sure nothing is overgrown. It’s about kerb appeal."
A good garden will always attract buyers, she says. "It will sell faster, too."
A lot of stock is only coming in the next couple of weeks, says O’Flaherty.
“Vendors want their gardens in full foliage and looking their best.”
That means they need to be sale agreed by the end of September, when much of the foliage will be waning.
Garden rooms
In light of recent changes to planning legislation, whereby garden pods can now be erected under permitted development, larger gardens are likely to become even more appealing to buyers, Mulvaney says.
“The ability to introduce a garden office, studio or additional flexible living space without the uncertainty or delay of planning will add a further layer of practical value to well‑proportioned rear gardens."
Buyers now are also looking for ways to add value, Dempsey agrees.
“They may not be looking at the flora and fauna, but at its potential. Does it have rear or side access where you could sell a site, or build a large garage for a vintage car, a camper van, a speedboat or a motorbike?”
Status symbol
Large, well-planted and beautifully designed spaces add a premium factor to a garden, says Rose Lyle, divisional director at Savills.
She places a lot of value on nature and spending time outside.
Demand depends on who the buyer is.
"A young family will get value out of it, whereas downsizers who have always lived and gardened in a certain way may no longer want to spend all their time gardening."
Steeplewood on Killiney Avenue has planting for every season thanks to the work by Martin Brady of landscape architects Digby Brady.
