How much does lawn sculpture add to the value of the house?

Question

I have a 5' oak stump in my front yard. A chainsaw artist friend of mine offered to carve a piece for me. He is accomplished in this craft & often sells his work for $500-$1,000.

Does this mean I have just increased the value of my house by the same amount of the value of the sculpture as it is part of the property? Any information on this topic or similar experience would be great.

Answer 1

Um...no.  You increase the value of your home by making capital improvements to the home or land.  This means new roof, new driveway, finish basement, new flooring, new cupboards...and so on...

This however does not include a lawn decoration.  In essence, the stump is something that most people would not want in there yard.  No matter how much this decorative piece is valued to the creator or yourself, it does not increase value.  Chances are, if you were to sell, the new purchaser might not have the same taste ...and might call the tree guys to grind it anyway.  

Might be cool though!  If you think you would enjoy it and can afford it...do it.  Just don't do it to make your house worth more.  

By the way....if you spend $1000 to repair something, that doesn't mean that your value goes up by the exact amount you spend.  Sometimes it can be more, sometimes less.  A real estate agent could let you know what improvements your home needs to raise up the selling price.

Good Luck

Answer 2

no the next owner could think its tacky.  

Answer 3

None, no more then fancy paint on your walls.   The new owner may consider it a liability and want you to pay to get it hauled away.

Answer 4

I would think not.  That's kind of a personal taste item.  I wouldn't pay more for it, however if you took that $1k and re-did the hardwoods, or did granite instead of formica counters, or perhaps re-did some of the lighting, that would intrigue me.

Answer 5

Something like that would only be of value to someone who wanted the sculpture. It's kind of like a house with a swimming pool that the previous owner spent $25,000 or whatever putting in. Some people couldn't care less if a house had a pool and some would actually prefer a house without one (not worth the upkeep, maintenance, etc.). So, that $25,000 improvement wouldn't be worth anything and might even detract a number of buyers.

If someone who's buying your house also wants to buy that sculpture from you, negotiate a separate sales price. Or, just take it with you when you move.

Answer 6

No increase in value.