How much does a backyard renovation cost?
One of the largest investments you can make in your home is the renovation of your backyard. It can provide a wonderful place to spend time with your family and friends, making memories and sharing stories.
However, when it comes to researching how much an outdoor living renovation can cost, we have found that broad internet searches often left us confused and frustrated with lackluster results. The lack of consistent and trustworthy information is a big challenge. Factors like location, who is doing the work, and who is providing the information make those results vary wildly. We'll get to actual numbers in a bit, but let's start with your ideas.
Everyone loves to talk about the overall design. Let your outdoor specialist know what you want to do with your property. Not just for tomorrow, but what you want to do with it in the future. How can it grow with your family's needs? Some things to consider include:
Do I want a playground, a swimming pool, or a basketball court?
Will I need landscape lighting?
Do you want a shaded area for dining, like under a pergola?
Do you need a sunny spot for soaking up some Vitamin D?
And, maybe most importantly, how can the yard change over time to fit the needs of my growing or shrinking family?
While fixing old problems, new problems can be avoided through careful planning. Sooner than later is a good time to look into things like:
Proper drainage to keep water from pooling or running into the basement
Retaining walls to better utilize areas that may currently be hindered by hills
Stairs for easy access
Strategically-placed trees to improve privacy issues
Long-term maintenance plans to keep everything looking its best
Robert Molinet, owner of Sierra Landscape Management, has been building nature-inspired outdoor living areas for the better part of two decades and has a lot of experience when it comes to seeing how little good pricing information is available.
Robert gave me his take on some of the key factors that drive the level of investment required in backyard renovations.
"Pools tend to be the largest overall driver of cost," he said, telling me that just the water-filled shell alone will start at around $60,000.
In Robert's experience, the most used and probably the item with the highest return on investment is the patio. "The great patio becomes the foundation where multi-generational transfers of knowledge will occur," he says. A typical patio in America is around 500 square feet with pool decks going into the thousands of square feet. Expect a conversation about a patio to start around $40,000
There can be specific drivers that are unique to the user such as pool houses, sheds, gazebos, pergolas, and other structures which will vary as much as anyone's personal tastes. "Do you want a four-cylinder sedan? Or do you want that high-performance 1000-horsepower sports car?" Robert asks. Prices will range about the same.
In the end, a well-planned space will appreciate in value and will lower maintenance costs. Considering how you want your yard to function every year will help to manage lifetime costs during the planning phases.
Lastly, adding your personality to the space with things like water features, furniture, and knickknacks can all make your backyard feel like home. But, in the grand scheme of things, renovating an outdoor living space is meant to reconnect our primal bond with nature. More important than the initial investment is the return on investment. A well-planned space may appreciate in value, but the real return of memories created can never be measured.
With all of this in mind, how much do you think is enough? The sad truth is that we often find that people tend to under-budget for their needs. It's not their fault though. There just isn't enough content in the world on the subject to make it a household discussion.
We have created a buyer's guide for just this reason. We want you to be informed about the options and educated on the investments so that when you are ready, we can have meaningful conversation right out of the gate.