Prudent house hunters usually await the results of a professional inspection before buying their dream home. All too often, though, one of the biggest contributors to a home’s value is neglected: the landscape. And that can prove costly.
“I feel bad telling people who’ve already put their life’s savings into a new house that their sprinkler system is outdated or was installed wrong,” said Jeff Wolfe of Sun Wolfe Irrigation Inc. in Phoenix.
The company’s services include irrigation and outdoor lighting inspection.
“Now they’re facing big expenditures,” he said. “Depending on the size of the property, costs for a new irrigation system can vary from $2,000 to $20,000. The same goes for lighting systems.”
Landscape problems are more costly to correct when deferred, said Bruce Avery, an arborist with AAA Tree Experts Inc. in Tallahassee, Fla. “And the longer you wait, the more expensive it gets.”
Here’s a primer on prepurchase landscape inspections.
1. What an inspection should include: Retaining walls, patios and decks, outdoor kitchens, water features, permanent fireplaces and fire pits, irrigation systems, fencing, pools, spas, lighting, playgrounds, lawns and trees.
2. They should be adapted to your area. In Colorado? Ask an arborist whether trees are healthy; whether they are subject to any particular pests; and whether they have the potential to grow too large for the space they’re in. Are they in desperate need of pruning? Are they overgrown to the point where a big snow or big wind could damage them or the house? And is the landscaping fire-smart, if that applies?
Large trees can be beautiful but also problematic, Avery said.
“Mature trees can add significant value to a property,” he said. “Unfortunately, with age, stresses from a number of factors can lead to dangerous and unhealthy trees (and the risks) are not evident to the average consumer.”
3. Don’t ignore the ground. Get the soil tested before you buy, said Richard Koenig, a professor, associate dean and director of Washington State University Extension.
“It is difficult if not impossible to address a soil problem after perennial plants, irrigation systems and hardscape (sidewalks and such) are installed,” Koenig said.
“Poor drainage, high or low pH and salinity are the most common problems. In rare situations, soils can be contaminated with heavy metals or pesticides from previous industrial activity or an accidental spill,” he said.
Colorado soil is notoriously poor, and when it’s not clay — with all the expanding and shrinking problems that implies — it’s often sand. And while there are landscape solutions for either extreme, they may not be what you’re dreaming of.
4. Communicate. Any issues discovered can be passed along to the homeowners for a suggested fix, be included in negotiations or be deal-busters.
“There are so many elements of the landscape that consumers have no idea what is hidden,” Avery said.
Online:
• Newcomer’s guide to gardening in Colorado:
• Get your soil tested:
• Landscape assessment guide from Cornell University :
