Planning a Front Yard Renovation: Where to Start and What to Prioritise

Are you looking to give your front yard some serious love?

Renovating your front yard can be one of the best investments you make as a homeowner. The problem? Most people jump in too quickly, spend money on the wrong things and end up with a bland yard that provides zero benefit to their property value.

Here’s the thing…

Studies indicate that curb appeal can net you 7% more on your home when it’s time to sell compared to other similar homes in your area. That’s tens of thousands of dollars right there!

But how do you renovate your front yard wisely? And where do you start when you have limited funds?

Read on to learn everything you need to know.

Table of contents

  1. Why Your Front Yard Is More Important Than You Think
  2. The First Thing You Need To Focus On
  3. Start With Your Concrete Driveway
  4. Renovate Your Landscaping
  5. Don’t Forget The Little Things
  6. Bringing It All Together: Your Front Yard Renovation Plan
  7. Wrap Up

Why Your Front Yard Is More Important Than You Think

The front yard is what people see when they first pull up to your home. If you want your visitors to form high expectations before they even enter your home, you need to focus on improving your front yard first.

Here’s another way to look at it…

Imagine a buyer drives up to your property. They have seconds to form an opinion about your home based solely on what they see on the front lawn. If your home looks poorly maintained from the street, they will assume you haven’t taken care of the inside either.

Your front yard establishes your property’s perceived value. The better your lawn and exterior looks, the more your property will sell for down the road.

The First Thing You Need To Focus On

You might want to jump right into landscaping and picking out that perfect flowerbed. But before anything else…

Take stock of your property.

Look at the foundation of your front yard first. Your driveway, walkways, retaining walls and drainage should all be considered and evaluated.

Why?

If your driveway is cracked and broken, no amount of beautiful plants will fix that problem. Be sure to hire a professional to install custom concrete driveways in Adelaide or any other renovations to the bones of your yard before you spend money on decor.

Take a walk around the front of your property and write down everything that needs repaired, upgraded or replaced. This will become your renovation checklist.

Start With Your Concrete Driveway

You might be wondering why the driveway gets its very own section. After all, it’s only a driveway. However, as mentioned above, it’s one of the first things people see when they drive up to your home.

According to Angi, installing a concrete driveway provides an ROI of between 50-80%. That translates to $3,000 to $10,000 of your home’s value.

Who doesn’t want that?

Not only will your guests have a place to park (assuming you have a garage), but you’ll instantly increase your home value just by adding a driveway. Other benefits of installing a concrete driveway include:

  • They can last upwards of 30 years with proper maintenance
  • Design options are nearly limitless with concrete
  • Concrete driveways require very little maintenance
  • Fresh concrete makes your entire home look well-maintained

If your current driveway is in poor condition, replacing it should be step number one on your to-do list. Your entire front yard will look better once you lay down a fresh driveway.

Renovate Your Landscaping

Once your driveway and walkways are taken care of, you can begin brainstorming landscaping.

However, there is a catch.

You don’t want to go overboard with your landscaping design. When potential buyers see high-maintenance gardens and decorative touches, they instantly begin calculating the amount of work needed to maintain your yard.

Instead, you should aim to create a beautiful outdoor space that doesn’t look like a ton of work.

Here are some ideas:

  • Create greenery around your front entrance. You want to draw attention to your front door.
  • Make sure your lawn is in great condition. Nice grass can take your curb appeal a long way.
  • Ensure borders and edges are crisp. This will give your yard an intentional look.
  • Plant a couple of trees strategically. One large tree can equal thousands of dollars but be careful they aren’t too close to your driveway.

Like with your driveway, take stock of your current landscaping and make a list of what you want to change.

Don’t Forget The Little Things

Lights, house numbers, letterbox. These are the things people often forget when renovating their front yard. But they absolutely matter.

Lighting can make or break your home at night. Pathway lights, decorative lights and an illuminated entrance creates depth when the sun goes down.

Here are a few finishing touches you can add to any landscaping and driveway design:

  • Upgrade your house numbers
  • Get a stylish new letterbox
  • Add fencing. You don’t need to fence in your entire yard but it could be worth it depending on your home
  • Link your pathway materials to your driveway material

Small details like these won’t set you back a lot of money, but they will have you noticing a big difference.

Bringing It All Together: Your Front Yard Renovation Plan

Now that you know what you should prioritise when renovating your front yard, here’s a simple renovation plan.

Step 1: Take inventory of your current landscaping and note what can be repaired vs what needs replaced.

Step 2: Decide on your budget and allot most of your funds to driveway and fencing.

Step 3: Get quotes from licensed contractors for any work that needs to be done. DIY projects like driveway installations should be left to the professionals.

Step 4: Plan your landscaping around your driveway and walkways.

Step 5: Add your finishing touches.

By following this order, you should save yourself money and a lot of headaches. Renovations often fail because homeowners jump into things without a plan. Don’t be that person.

Wrap Up

Renovating your front yard is one of the best things you can do for your home. Not only will you be left with a pretty lawn to enjoy, you’ll also get some serious financial rewards when it’s time to sell.

Remember:

  1. Take inventory of your front yard
  2. Begin with your driveway and patio
  3. Keep your landscaping simple
  4. Add the small details

Everything you do to your front yard should have the other elements in mind. Don’t install a new driveway then plant overgrown bushes that hide it from view.

Your front lawn makes a statement about you and your family before anyone even steps foot in your home. Make sure that statement is a good one!