Eco-Friendly Patio Designs: Boost Home Value with Sustainable Features

Real estate agents around the country have seen that customers are becoming more interested in eco-friendly amenities in homes. Prioritizing water-saving bathroom fixtures and Energy Star appliances when evaluating a home’s environmental friendliness makes sense. Outside spaces, though, can also be sustainable.

According to U.S. News & World Report, decks and patios can currently provide homeowners with up to an 80% return on their investment. Acquiring the ability to recognize environmentally friendly patios and balconies can help you establish yourself as an authority on the benefits of sustainable housing and, ultimately, speed up the closing process.

Recognizing the Benefits of Green Patios

Eco-friendly patios contribute to environmental protection and resource preservation. These qualities are useful in addition to appealing to today’s purchasers, who are increasingly interested in sustainable living.

Green patio homes have a number of advantages

Sustainable patios increase the property’s value to potential purchasers, lower water bills, minimize the need for air conditioning, extend the usable space of the house without requiring more energy, and improve buyers’ perceptions of the property.

Five Eco-Friendly Patio Design Elements to Consider

These eco-friendly patio design ideas can make new construction stand out in crowded markets. Homeowners who wish to update or improve the value of their current patios should also consider these things. Lastly, to help buyer customers understand the true worth of eco-friendly listings, real estate professionals who recognize the useful advantages of these characteristics can assist in educating them.

Employ eco-friendly materials

Existing materials are the most sustainable for any building or remodeling job. In other words, reuse and recycle. If you are unable to get locally produced boards or bricks for reuse, consider using environmentally friendly building materials instead, such as recycled glass for decorative mosaic tilework, inlays in sturdy concrete tables or benches, or repurposed wood or concrete for flooring.

Put in place a rainwater collection system

As long as the patio isn’t totally covered, adding a rain barrel is a terrific method to increase its environmental friendliness. Because rainwater may be recycled for landscaping and plant irrigation, harvesting it can result in lower water bills. However, selling clients may also profit monetarily from this: Landscaping that incorporates energy conservation is “very important,” according to 10% of households.

This green patio feature may draw in additional customers in marketplaces where there is competition, particularly if the rain barrel is expertly incorporated into the patio’s design.

Select energy-efficient lighting

The majority of the country can benefit from solar lighting; however, the U.S. Department of Energy notes that the number of hours that outdoor solar light manufacturers predict their products will last depends on the weather. The government states that the hours when solar lights are operating during the winter “may vary as much as 30% to 50%.”

Include passive cooling components

In the past few years, heat waves that broke records have occurred in many U.S. states. Passive cooling design can significantly increase the number of weeks a homeowner can spend comfortably using their newly constructed or remodeled patio.
Ideas for patio passive cooling include:

• Adding retractable awnings to regulate shadow.
• Adding lush vegetation to the patio in pots or all around it will assist in retaining heat and provide pockets of shade.
• Adding a water feature will help to lower the air temperature in the area.

Be picky when it comes to plants and foliage

Selecting the right pots and plants is important for homeowners who wish to take advantage of passive cooling effects while simultaneously making their patio areas more attractive. That can entail choosing plants with low water requirements. Planters with water reservoirs are another environmentally friendly option, according to Ashley Irene, the creator of Heirloom Potager, a boutique design company that creates custom gardens.