Wed 1 Aug 2007
Outside the box
Effective landscaping and low maintenance gardens are increasingly effective ways to attract discerning homebuyers. Roger Hunt reports.“Criteria for garden design has changed over the years; new homeowners now think of a garden as an investment rather than just extra space at the back of a property. It has become an extra room and therefore can warrant a budget of its own,” says Jem Hill, managing director for Bluestone Landscapes.
Bluestone specialises in new-build landscapes which Hill sees as an essential part of the design process of a development. “I am regularly approached a couple of weeks before a show house launch to work wonders on the site frontage and show house garden. A far more impressive garden can be developed if a landscaper is bought in from the planning stage. At this point we can make a real impression and early purchasing on plants can mean it is often possible to double the planting scheme for the same cost to a client.”
Margaret Welton, sales and marketing director for Allison Homes Eastern, points to the fact that Allison Homes has consistently used landscaping as the finishing touch for its show homes and, on occasion, offers it as an incentive. “However, more recently, we have tested a couple of themed gardens and have been really pleased with the amount of interest they have generated.
“Projects have included a Japanese-themed garden at our development in Market Deeping and some of the buyers on that development liked it so much they actually said they were considering copying the design themselves. Another idea which worked well was a wildlife garden in the town centre location of Spalding, Lincolnshire.”
“Some of the starter homes in particular have smaller gardens than our larger four- and five-bedroom homes. By showing potential buyers how to make better use of the space, rather than just laying a bit of turf and perhaps a patio area, we find it makes the garden more of a focal point. We have also noticed that homebuyers are particularly interested in designs which are low maintenance, especially if they are both working, so we make sure we bear this in mind when embarking on a new scheme.”
Having designed and installed gardens for numerous developers for 28 years, Creepers Landscapes operates from a four-acre nursery in Surrey. It can advise on and install instant screening for developments and provide concept designs and planting schedules for planning submissions.
The company claims to have perfected the art of installing instantly attractive gardens that appeal to all tastes, thus attracting the widest possible spectrum of buyers. High quality lawns, ornamental woodchip mulches and screening solutions are some of the devices it uses to aid in property sales and it is happy to liaise directly with a developer’s clients to create more bespoke gardens.
Gavin Payne, senior landscape architect with Nicholas Pearson Associates, sees the future of landscape design moving to further embrace the principles of energy efficient and sustainable design, where landscape elements enhance the performance of the scheme as a whole.
“The incorporation of green and brown roofs can improve the insulation and rainwater attenuation potential of the top of buildings. Green walls assist with insulating the external fabric of the building. These features also greatly enhance the biodiversity and amenity value of buildings, which in turn can provide vital credits within the BREEAM assessment process in the newly issued Code for Sustainable Homes.”
Nicholas Pearson Associates provides integrated, professional consultancy services in environmental planning, landscape architecture and ecology, with additional specialist services relating to historic landscapes, digital design and grants and funding. The company is also able to offer advice to clients on BREEAM ratings where these relate to landscape design and ecology.
Nick Champness, land and sales director for Linden Homes South East, understands that outdoor space ranks among the highest priorities for buyers of all property types but, with Government restrictions on land and higher density developments, housebuilders are having to find new ways of providing this for customers beyond the traditional back garden or balcony.
“Landscaped communal gardens provide an extra bit of outdoor space which is a valuable commodity in today’s market, and have already proved very popular with residents at the developments where we have included them,” says Champness.
“These communal areas offer homebuyers a ready-made outdoor space that they are free to enjoy, without the hassle of personal maintenance. The low-hassle factor is proving more and more important to modern homebuyers, with a growing popularity for ready-made landscaping packages that are available for personal as well as communal gardens.”
The wide range of landscaping products now available means that value can be added to developments relatively easily. Jaz Vilkhu, commercial sales director for Marshalls, explains that simply through the addition of a quality patio and block paved driveway to new homes, housebuilders can improve the desirability of their package to potential home owners.
“A well designed and installed patio and driveway creates a more valuable property, and there is no further disruption to the householder as they are buying a complete package. It is also easier for homeowners to finance as part of a mortgage, with the additional benefit of no VAT on the garden/driveway installation.”
Among the product ranges introduced by Marshalls are two new colours of cobblestone setts – Yorkstone and Old Yorkstone. These offer a timesaving and efficient way to lay a cobbled path as each 600 by 450 millimetre unit has cobbles attached to an easy to handle net and can be carried and installed by one person as it weighs only 20 kilogrammes.
Baggeridge has launched a collection of four new paving products - Blue Promenade, Blue Randompave, Telford Promenade and Telford Randompave – which are available in square edged or tumbled finishes. The square edged pavers provide a sharp, sleek finish while the tumbled are more rustic and traditional.
With housebuilders increasingly offering packages that allow buyers to upgrade the interior and exterior of the home, Steve Rogers, product and market director at International Timber, emphasizes the advantages of decking. “Decking is an ideal added-value product that gives the housebuilder a wider choice of options to enhance the appeal of a property and individualize it to customer requirements.”
International Timber has expanded its softwood and hardwood decking offer with the introduction of the Brite premium composite decking brand. Made from 50 per cent wood fibre waste product and 50 per cent plastic, the product offers a higher than average level of recycling making it an environmentally friendly decking option. In comparison to hardwood and softwood decking, composite decking is claimed to offer a combination of premium looks, durability and extremely low maintenance.
Icopal has complemented its launch of an adjustable support system for paved and raised deck applications with the introduction of a high-quality timber decking tile. Roofgard TerraDek is manufactured from renewable maritime pine which was selected for its rich colour, strength and hardness, combined with light weight, as a natural alternative to concrete or stone.
Elevated timber decking can help housebuilders make sloping gardens more usable. With this in mind, Richard Burbidge has introduced a new range of outdoor balustrade. Designed around a simple structure of stylish metal brackets that are quick to fit, its Fusion Round Handrail incorporates timber rails, newels and balusters to create a contemporary, natural look. Independently strength tested to British Standards for balustrades, the handrail is suitable for use on elevated domestic decks raised more than 600 millimetres above ground level.
“The shortage of development land means that growing numbers of houses are being built on uneven sites, creating sloping gardens that are difficult to use,” explains Catriona Nicholls, Richard Burbidge’s decking product manager. “A raised deck can add value to a property by making the outdoor living space more user-friendly, thereby boosting its buyer appeal. Elevated decks can also enhance three-storey townhouses by extending the first floor living space outdoors and creating a more natural flow from house to garden.”
Offering a versatile way of creating individual spaces within an outdoor scheme, Finnforest is marketing Sunny Screens. These are available as 1800 by 900 by 35 millimetre panels in lattice and linear designs and are made from pressure treated softwood with a translucent part-recycled polypropylene panel that is UV resistant and hardwearing.
Designed to create an impact in a contemporary garden, Haddonstone’s Arcadian lawn edging system is made from cast limestone. Its versatile design of straight, corner and curved sections means that it may be used to create a variety of shapes and can be used in almost any part of the garden – for example as a mowing edge alongside flower borders, around a tree or as a kerb to paths and driveways.
First published in Show House Magazine August 2007.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
Posted by Roger Hunt
in Baggeridge, Bluestone Landscapes, Creepers Landscapes, Finnforest, Haddonstone, Icopal, International Timber, Marshalls, Nicholas Pearson Associates, Product Portfolio, Richard Burbidge on Wed 1 Aug 2007
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