If you're renovating to sell, what you do inside should be mirrored in the improvements you make outside, says Sue Wake, senior lecturer, Landscape Architecture at Unitec Institute of Technology.
For example, if you are creating strong indoor/outdoor flow from living areas, follow that into the garden with decks, courtyards or patios that invite outdoor dining and entertaining.
The spatial arrangement is important to get right first, and an integrated design approach for the whole area always gives a much more coherent and functional outcome than piecemeal decisions and spontaneous purchases, says Wake.
Your plants, hardscape materials such as paving and edging, and other items such as furniture, pergolas, fireplaces, hammocks and raised vege gardens need to complement the overall concept, says Wake.
These can make or break the space and should be chosen carefully to meet your requirements and site conditions such as soil, aspect, and shading, says Wake.