With expert insight from garden design, renovation and landscaping specialists

It’s no secret that UK house prices are consistently on the up, with the recently released statistics from the UK House Price Index revealing that the average England house price has risen to £290,000 – a 1.1% increase in the last year alone.

This means that, with the right home investments, you could be making the most of a property market that continues to climb. And while everyone knows loft conversions and high EPC ratings add a pretty penny, what’s lesser known is how much value outdoor space renovations add to your home’s final evaluation.

If you’re thinking of selling up any time soon, we spoke to three home design and renovation specialists to discover how to best add value to your home by making the most of your outdoor space.

5. Install an outdoor kitchen (£5,000-£15,000)

Outdoor kitchens have quietly become one of the most luxurious additions to a modern UK garden – and for good reason. Often associated with holiday villas and large American homes, kitchen gardens are another example of homeowners looking to make their outdoor spaces as functional and impressive as their interiors.

While value added will always depend on the quality of the installation and the local market, an outdoor kitchen can enhance the outdoor living space and make it more appealing for entertainment and relaxation. At the top end, a well-specified outdoor kitchen can add between £5,000 and £15,000 to a property’s asking price.

“An outdoor kitchen is the natural next step for anyone who has a suitably sized garden for hosting and entertaining guests,” says Gary Farrell, founder of luxury outdoor furniture brand Nth Degree, “especially if you already have an outside dining area in your garden.

“The key is treating it as a permanent feature rather than an afterthought. Built-in appliances, quality worktops and partial shelter make all the difference, creating something that feels like a true lifestyle upgrade.

“When done properly, outdoor kitchens signal that the outdoor space has been genuinely considered and invested in, changing how the property is valued as a whole.”

4. Perform lawncare and landscaping basics (£8,700)

A well-maintained lawn and planted border might not sound like a huge renovation, but it remains one of the most effective ways to boost your property’s value ahead of a sale – and it’s well worth doing for the return on investment, let alone the enhanced kerb appeal for would-be house hunters.

A well-kept garden forms the essential foundation of any outdoor uplift, with even modest improvements – neatly mown grass, defined edges and tidy planted borders – capable of adding approximately 3% to a property’s value, working out at around £8,700 on the average English home.

“Spring is the most important time of year for a lawn because it sets the tone for how the garden looks for the entire summer selling season,” says Ashleigh Bradshaw, Garden and Lawn Expert at Hayter. “Buyers form their opinion of an outdoor space within seconds – and a patchy, uneven or weed-ridden lawn will stick in their mind long after they’ve left the viewing.

“Most lawns respond quickly to relatively simple care. A spring scarification to remove dead thatch, followed by a good-quality lawn feed, can transform the colour and density of a tired lawn within a few weeks,” Bradshaw continues, “and the difference in how buyers perceive the space is remarkable.

“Defined edges and classy lawn stripes always make a brilliant impression on evaluators when putting your home on the market. Properly groomed lawn stripes and well-cared-for borders are the kind of details that make a buyer feel like the space is ready to enjoy from day one, rather than a project they’ll need to tackle themselves when they move in.”

3. Complete exterior maintenance (£20,300)

First impressions count – and for buyers browsing listings before they’ve booked a viewing, your home’s exterior is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. A clean, well-maintained façade signals that the property has been well looked after, which carries through into how buyers perceive everything behind it.

A well-maintained property exterior with good kerb appeal can add 5–7% to a home’s value, translating to around £20,300 on the average-priced English property – making it one of the most cost-effective improvements a homeowner can make before going to market.

“Old windows, often present on heritage properties, take a battering over time – they’ll often need cleaning, repainting, resealing or completely replacing before a property goes to market,” says Kevin Brown, Heritage Renovation Specialist from The Heritage Window Company. “It’s one of those details that buyers take particular notice of, because they know it could be a potentially expensive and long-term project to deal with when they move in.

“The driveway deserves just as much attention. Block paving quickly accumulates moss, algae and grime, but a thorough pressure wash can be genuinely transformative – it revitalises the whole entrance to the property at little cost.

“If your path edging or driveway surface is crumbling or uneven, that’s also worth sorting before viewings begin. Buyers are always calculating what they would need to spend, and a tired exterior inflates that number very quickly.”

2. Build a conservatory or orangery (£29,000–£43,500)

For homeowners looking to blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors, a conservatory or orangery remains one of the most impactful investments you can make.

A high-quality conservatory or orangery can add between 10% and 15% to a property’s value, with an orangery typically sitting at the higher end, thanks to its more permanent construction. On the average-priced English property, which represents a minimum of £29,000, with potentially higher returns.

“What we find time and again is that the quality of the glazing makes or breaks the investment,” says Brown. “A poorly specified conservatory with inferior glass will feel cold in winter and stifling in summer – which is the opposite of what buyers want from a space designed to connect them to their garden.

“An orangery, built with solid dwarf walls and high-performance glazing, is a solid upgrade that adds huge value to a property’s evaluation,” Brown continues. “This is especially true if the improved glazing contributes to a higher EPC rating – something that buyers are increasingly factoring into their offers.

“Upgrading your property from a D to a C rating costs £5,500 on average, resulting in added value of 3% or £8,700. A more dramatic upgrade – say, from G to C – can increase value by as much as 19.6%, or £56,840.”

1. Install a professional-grade patio (£15,000–£44,000)

If there is one outdoor investment that consistently delivers both lifestyle value and a strong return on valuation, it’s a professionally designed and installed patio. A well-built patio can add between 5–15% to the value of a home, depending on the quality of materials and standard of installation, working out at between £15,000 and £44,000 on the average-priced English property.

“A patio is the foundation of any well-designed outdoor space – it’s the first decision that shapes everything else,” says Gary Farrell of Nth Degree. “The spaces where the investment pays off most are always those where the patio has been treated with the same seriousness as an interior floor.

“Material choice is where most homeowners under-invest. The difference between a standard concrete slab and a quality porcelain or natural stone surface isn’t just aesthetic – it’s the difference between a patio that looks tired within five years and one that still looks immaculate in fifteen.

“Layout and furniture matter just as much. A patio designed around how the space is actually used, with clear zones for dining, seating and planting, feels intuitive, like the property has gained an additional room – and buyers will certainly pay for it.”

Are you planning to invest in your outdoor space this summer? You could be adding serious value before the season is out with these top tips.