Home Green: Proper landscaping adds value to your home

Like many people who went through the Las Cruces Home Builders' Association Home & Garden Show last weekend, I caught the bug to remodel my home. I admit it. It turns out that one of the best home-remodeling projects in terms of return on investment is landscaping.

John Harris, a landscape economist who has worked in environmental, landscape and horticultural fields for more than 30 years, says good landscaping can add up to 28 percent to the overall value of a house.

According to a story in Money magazine, a landscaping project can have a recovery value of 100-200 percent if done well. The same story reported recovery values of 75-125 percent for a kitchen remodel, 80-120 percent for a bathroom and 20-50 percent for a swimming pool. Even the Appraisal Institute, the nation's largest professional association of real estate appraisers, agrees that landscaping can significantly affect property values. When done right, it can add significant value to a home. When landscaping is done poorly, or is neglected, it can take away value.

But wait! I'm not intending to sell my house any time soon. I want to enhance the enjoyment and liveability of our home, and I've chosen landscaping as a home-enhancement project that offers a high impact for a relatively low investment.

Understanding that every worthwhile project begins with great design, I consulted with Landscape Designer Debra Sands-Miller. After many questions about how we use our outdoor space and what colors, styles and textures we like she developed a beautifully detailed diagram of our yard with plant lists and design elements to complement what we already have. I'm now ready to get started with my landscaping remodel project.

My landscape designer has helped me to really understand the benefits of good landscaping. She has helped me to see how much beauty, color and life can be added to our home through well-chosen plants and arrangements. Beautiful landscaping entices us to spend more time outdoors enjoying our great climate. It reduces stress and makes us feel better.

But wait! There's more. Well-designed landscaping makes our homes greener, not just in the literal sense. Proper landscaping can actually help keep our homes cooler, reduce energy costs by as much as 25 percent and help conserve water. Here's how.

Heat from the sun is absorbed through windows, walls and roofs, making our homes difficult to cool in the summer. Well-placed trees and shrubs provide shade to help keep a home cool in the summer. Trees also release water vapor that cools the surrounding air temperatures. Because cool air settles near the ground, air temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than air temperatures above nearby pavement.

Trees planted to the west of the home are great for shading western-facing windows, doors, and patios from the intense afternoon sun. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, just three properly placed trees could save you between $100 and $250 a year in energy costs.

Shrubs and ground cover shade the ground and pavement, reducing heat radiation and cooling the air around the home.

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Home Green: Proper landscaping adds value to your home