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SYDNEY, 9th October, 2017 – Australian homeowners desire personalised outdoor spaces when it comes to landscaping projects, with one-third of homeowners motivated by recently having purchased a home and wanting to make it their own (32%), according to the 2017 Australia Houzz Landscaping Trends Survey. The survey of more than 2,500 Australian homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or who recently completed an outdoor project, found that other top motivations include finally having the financial means and the time to do it (both 25%). Regardless of motivation, Australian homeowners are taking on large scope projects with more than a half making substantial updates (56%) and over a third undergoing complete overhauls (36%).

During landscape projects, Australian homeowners are creating comfortable spaces for entertaining and relaxing with items like outdoor dining and lounge furniture (46% and 44%, respectively). Two in five are investing in barbecues. This is no surprise given that Australians are highly active in their gardens, spending more than seven hours per week outdoors during warm seasons, on average. While the majority of landscape updates focus on the backyard (71%), 34% are updating their front yard.

"Our research shows that one in two renovating homeowners on Houzz Australia makes upgrades to their gardens and/or outdoor structures,” said Tony Been, Country Operations Manager of Houzz AU. “Home buyers are key drivers of these renovations, motivated to extend their living spaces to the backyards and achieve a stylish yet low maintenance surroundings. Outdoor kitchens and elaborate outdoor lighting are key trends to look for in 2017."

Along with large scope projects, Australian homeowners on Houzz are making significant investments in their gardens. 1 in 4 homeowners are spending over $20,000 on their landscaping project. More than a third budget $5,000 or less for their landscape projects (37%), but only one third spent this amount (32%). Meanwhile, over half spend more than $10,000 (55%), with only 45% budgeting this amount, indicating that budgets do not always align with spending.

Additional findings include:

• Aussies are notorious outdoor entertainers
  1 in 2 Aussie homeowners use their outdoor space for entertaining. This is the highest rate among the 13 countries surveyed.
• Who rules the barbecue?
  Two in five Aussie homeowners added or upgraded their barbecues. This places Australians neck and neck with Italian homeowners who top the list of countries surveyed.
• Cutting back on grass.
  Of the two in three homeowners who have a lawn, 42% make changes to it during an outdoor project. The majority replant (40%) while 22% reduce its size and 10% remove it altogether. Almost one in two replace their lawns with an outdoor structure (patio, deck, gazebo).
• Good fences make good neighbours: Of the homeowners who worked on an outdoor project, 15% reported to have interact more with their neighbours afterwards. Top neighbour interactions range from small talk (69%) and exchanging courtesy greetings (64%) to helping when needed (34%) to sharing drinks or meals with each other (31% and 19%, respectively)
• Smarter lighting: One in two homeowners are updating lighting during their outdoor projects (58%). Of those making this upgrade, one in ten installs “smart” lighting that can be controlled from a mobile device (13%). Other top features are LEDs (83%), solar (43%) and low voltage (30%). Homeowners are most likely to update their lighting to enhance decor (76%).
• Months of planning: On average, landscape project planning takes over six months, while implementation runs just over five months, on average. January is the most common month to break ground (15%), followed by September and February (both 9%).
• Professional hiring remains high: The majority of homeowners hire professionals for their landscaping updates (69%). Stone, pavers and/or concrete specialists are most commonly hired (25%), followed by deck, patio and outdoor enclosure specialists (21%) and landscape contractors (20%)