We are having erosion / drainage issues in our back yard and need to spend about $1,500 to fix it.
Our backyard is very small and a mess overall and currently ‘downside’ to our home. We do however have a lovely fairly large screened back porch with privacy, and use it a lot.
We’ve thought for years about adding a basic fieldstone patio off the porch – right now the grill sits in the ‘grass’ (It’s mostly dirt b/c of the erosion right now.) We asked the company that came to give us an estimate to fix the drainage issue to give us quote for the patio. He also suggested we could also consider creating another ‘rocky area’ for the fire pit that we have sitting in the back yard too. Basically it would tie together the rocky basin they’re putting in to take care of the drainage issue with the fieldstone patio – for a ‘finished’ look. It’s questionable how much grass will ever grow in this area given the shade. There would, however, still be grass on the other side of the backyard and there’s a bank and wooded area behind the entire house – so plenty of green wherever you look.
The patio and the fire pit area would be about an extra $5k combined. Our home value is about $480k in medium to high cost area. The backyard will likely never be its big selling point – even with these changes – b/c it’s small given the size of our house, though I guess some folks might like that. We do have a pretty, somewhat large rolling front yard and a small flat side yard where you can kick the soccer ball.
While we’d enjoy the upgrade it’s not a super high priority for us – though I’m guessing my HS son would invite his friends over to use the fire pit more which would be nice.
My question is: do you think we’ll recoup the $5k when we sell in 3 to 4 years given how ‘hot’ outdoor living space is right now? The backyard is currently an eyesore but I’m sure we could spruce it up without this work for a lot less.
I would fix up that yard, and add that patio. You can enjoy it for the next few years, and it won’t be a liability when you go to sell. It will be beautiful.
Agree with thumper. As long as there’s green left, I think the $5k is worth it to enjoy for a couple of years and with a house value close to $500k, you won’t lose.
It is impossible to tell honestly. If you can spruce it up for less, I would do that, and leave the larger job for the buyers if they so choose. From your description, it sounds like a small, shady area that might not be that pleasant to hang out in whether there is a patio or not, but I can’t really tell. Certainly having some kind of platform for the grill sounds like a good idea. Where do you eat if outside? Porch?
Of course in the context of selling a $500k house, $5k may be trivial.
I’d put in the patio. It isn’t just the value when you go to sell, but how long it sits on the market. There are a lot of people who want a backyard that looks easy to maintain. There’s nothing worse than struggling to grow grass in a place that won’t sustain it.
Maybe there’s a handsome patio solution for less than 5k? Thing is, when you want to maximize the closing price, imo, you anticipate where buyers might have that “Yuck!” moment and walk away or bid lower than you hope. Buyers don’t always see things the way we do (“but there’s a nice side yard.”) That doesn’t mean best quality. It means not leaving a job undone.
My spouse and a friend once put in a bluestone patio. It wasn’t easy work but it saved thousands. Based on the cost of your house, I’d say do a patio yourself and then just buy a portable fire pit. Not everyone wants this in a small back yard so it’s better if you can move it. Spend 1K on furniture with a matching pit is even better ( looks good and is portable). And yes, do spend the money on the erosion issue.
You might also want to make the patio small so someone can put in a small swings or playhouse if they have kids. That can be really important for a young family.
Thanks everyone for input so far! I do like the idea of getting my HS son involved in the project, but we’d still have to pay for the grading and prep of the patio area or we might contribute to even more erosion issues and undermine the fix they’re doing elsewhere. Even just laying the pavers ourselves makes me worried we’d be diverting water the wrong way. Their plan is to lay a crushed stone base or something. Anything involving heavy machinery is not in our wheelhouse!
@Happytimes2001 – the fire pit is portable; the quote is to create a small stone area for it to sit in – and to eliminate need to try to grow grass there. You do bring up a good point, however, which is young families won’t want a too rocky area where cut/bruised knees are likely with little ones. We’d want to make sure to use small enough stones that are more forgiving. Backyard is too small for a playhouse or swing set, but we have a neighborhood association playground just up the street.
I really like the company and they come highly recommended by our friend who’s a home builder, but those who mentioned getting other quotes, that’s a good idea. This company said if we wait to do the patio in Jan they would reduce price b/c it’s slowest time of the year.
Our back yard, which is also smaller than many of the. others in our neighborhood. It was a mess, with a slope causing erosion and too much shade making it really hard to grow grass. We got several bids to fix it, and selected one that was 65% of the cost of the other bids. It was not cheap by any means, but I LOVE the yard, love looking out the window, and we now spend time on the deck we had rebuilt the year before (when we also did tree trimming). It was WELL worth the investment and is now an asset, not a detriment, to. our home. DO IT.
I would definitely do it. Not only do you have erosion issues, but the back yard appears to be a noticeable detraction the way it is now. You don’t want any eyesores when trying to sell your house!
I think kids and rocks are fine. They can color with chalk on the rocks, and have a harder surface to play different games on than they would play on grass.
Is the rocky drainage area an open French drain? I would go for bigger rocks rather than gravel. You don’t want a choking hazard. If you can get rounded river rocks, that would be pretty but probably more expensive.
In the context of a .5M house, spending 5k on the backyard is appropriate, IMHO. Outdoor cooking spaces are quite popular these days, so instead of just having a space for a grill you might also consider either a built-in grill and island, or stick with your standalone grill but add an island next to it.
On a $500K home, getting the back yard out of the “it’s a mess” category would be essential for re-sale, and $5K is hardly extravagant at that price point. Definitely get it up to the general condition expected for that price point and in line with neighborhood competition.
A $5,000 landscaping project on a $500,000 home is a “no-brainer”–especially if your yard is smaller than the neighbors’ yards.
The real concern, however, should be your drainage issue. This can destroy the value of your home while making a sale at any reasonable valuation unlikely. Your primary concern should focus on the possibility of mold developing.
P.S. Also, since your yard is small & smaller than the neighbors’ yards, get a professional landscaping firm to do the work. Very important with respect to drainage issues.
If you have the funds to spend, it sounds like a sound investment that you and your family can enjoy while still living at your home. I’d probably try to get a few more bids, if I had the energy.