It is all very well landscaping and planting out a garden to a high standard but once completed what is the cost to you a year and probably more importantly, if you sell the garden what is the overhead cost to the purchaser?
This is a tricky subject to put a finger directly on a pulse but I am going to try and prove to you that your garden has a certain overhead cost throughout the season and this should be assessed when you buy or sell a house.
It does not cost a thing - I am retired.
Ok I am with you slightly on this one but you are not entirely correct here. Being retired means that you probably have plenty of time on your hands and to you that time is free.
If you are drawing a pension of one hundred pounds per week (ok I might be off beam with that but just to demonstrate my argument) and you spend twenty hours of your week in the garden then it has cost you £50 to do your own gardening.
Add to this the cost of all of the essential materials each year like petrol or electricity for the mower, the fertiliser, potting composts and plants or maybe seed then indirectly you are paying something out.
We could soon demonstrate that your garden has a certain overhead cost to you and if this example is extended further it should considered when buying a new house.
We can all be charmed and smitten by arriving in a garden and immediately seduced but how many will go away and total up the cost of maintenance for the coming year after purchasing it?
If a working couple with limited free time bought a house that needs twenty hours of maintenance to keep it in shape during the summer and say 3 - 5 hours a week in winter, this will soon add up to a tidy sum.
At today's costs a gardener will charge between £8 - for a one man band with low overheads - to £38.00 for a company employing gardeners and who add VAT to their charges.
We can safely assume that seven months of the year will use up the 20 hours. For arguments sake we shall say all months have four weeks then this will cost the new home owners between £160 - £760 per week. In the winter those costs may reduce by a quarter.
Bear in mind that part of the valuation of the property will be the based on the garden when you buy the house so reducing the labour input will diminish your investment and also reduce the visual effect that you witness at the first viewing.
Try to eliminate the extra labour cost and you will have to find the time at weekends and evenings. This is ok if you are a real enthusiast but it will not suit someone who likes to go to a match or perhaps the odd weekend away.
Big gardens are very inviting but they could easily double your outgoings for the month.
Other reading - What should I charge
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