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April 8, 2009
backyard and proprety value
At the moment we have an outdoor space that is shared with our neighbor. We have 3 issues with the space. 1) hate the chain link fence, 2) the cement is old and crumbling, 3) there are no lights so its unusable at night
We are debating whether we should go into our savings to renovate. The question, then, is this: Will the property value improve more if we separate the space or if we leave it as a shared space with the neighbor? How important is a private back yard vs. a shared back yard? Coordination issues of doing a reno with a neighbor aside, what's best for resale?
I tried to upload a photo but it wasn't working for me...
Comments
I have some enighbors who share space & it's very nice but they were careful when planning it to allow for it to be separated because they'd heard it lessened the value. They'd also agreed ahead of the project that they were committed to staying in their houses for a long time.
If you're not in it for the long-term, I'd certainly put some money into lighting & sprucing up anyway but leave the fence for a new owner's tastes.
Posted by: Arkady at April 8, 2009 12:00 PM
there are some relatively inexpensive things to do to make it nicer without major overhauls. you can put up willow fencing on the chainlink fence. this will hide that fence and give you a nicer backdrop. you can hide crumbling cement by doing some arrangement of large container pots. if you are going to be there for several years and you have full sun, you can plant some climbing vines along the fence and in a couple of seasons, poof fence will be hidden. there are many types of clematis you can choose from. some bloom earlier in the season, while others bloom later in summer. a nice combination could fit.
also, bamboo fencing can be run to separate the shared space. it'll create a temporary divider that you can pull down when needed.
Posted by: GeorgeAppo at April 9, 2009 3:27 PM
It depends on how long you plan to live there - if less than 5 (maybe 10 depending on when you bought it) years, don't bother - your property values are going down and you should put it on the market at a good price immediately. Unless you have tenure or something similar I don't recommend tapping the savings until the economy finds bottom and I seriously doubt we are even close....
Posted by: lalaland at April 9, 2009 4:31 PM
There are many vines you can grow up the chain link fence even if you don't have full sun.
If you plant Clematis remember head in the sun feet in the shade. Clematis likes for its above ground growth to be in the sun but its roots to be in the shade. You can accomplish that by planting a shallow rooted ground cover over the root ball area or by mulching around the stem of the vine.
Posted by: nebrait at April 10, 2009 7:14 AM
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