How important is having a yard?

[joenorm]

I am considering putting a house on an empty lot I own as a rental. The way the house is placed it will end up with very little amount of yard. Maybe enough for some chairs but not enough for a kid to play or to garden.

Is this something to concern myself with? I come from an upbringing of a lot of yard space so it feels crazy to have a house without much of one. But then again people live in apartment buildings and high rises which obviously have no yard.

non-issue?

[Telecaster]

I dunno.  Do you want a yard? 

[bacchi]

It's for a rental?

Can you build up instead of out? Yards aren't as important for most people but people still think they are, if that makes sense.

[SunnyDays]

I would think that a large part of the reason that people want houses is to have a yard.  I certainly did.  Otherwise a condo or apartment would likely suffice.

[GilesMM]

Front yard or back yard? How large is the lot? What size house?

[GuitarStv]

Front yard is utterly unimportant.  It's just annoying maintenance/lanscaping that you have to do for no real benefit.  The back yard is pretty important for me though . . . it's where we let the dog out to pee at night all year round, it's where we grow our vegetables and pear trees, it's where we BBQ three seasons of the year, it's where I relax and read all summer long.

There are people who buy condos and live without a back yard . . . so someone might be interested in a house without one.  Not me though.

[joenorm]

I dunno.  Do you want a yard?

Yes, I could not live without mine.

This is for a potential rental

[uniwelder]

I wouldn't care about a yard, but do care about privacy and space.  If OP is building a rental on a small lot that's surrounded by trees and out of sight of neighbors, then that would qualify.

[aloevera1]

Who are you going to rent it to? Is that going to be a family home? Is this in the suburbs? Is this downtown core? Is it going to be a multi-unit rental? Are you going to allow pets? Different groups of people have different feelings about having a yard.

Just some questions to think through.

[johnnyqnola]

More details about the area and house plan would help by adding context, but I can see a market for this. Someone who wants no maintenance, but wants their own 4 walls. Maybe a musician who practices at odd hours? My grandma would've been happy in a place like this, if it were in town.

I think as long as you have whatever little outdoor space fenced in, one can still feel like they have their own fresh air spot for a morning coffee/evening cocktail next to a potted plant or two. And if you will allow pets, being able to let the dog out to pee without leashing up was a criterion for me when I was renting, even if that was just a tiny fenced patio.

[Paper Chaser]

I wouldn't care about a yard, but do care about privacy and space.  If OP is building a rental on a small lot that's surrounded by trees and out of sight of neighbors, then that would qualify.

I agree here. A flat, empty yard may not be critical but some amount of space that would facilitate some privacy would be nice. Otherwise I'd just look for apartments that need less maintenance. No yard would greatly reduce appeal to renters with dogs and/or kids. Whether that's a benefit or not is in the eye of the LL.

[AuspiciousEight]

I doubt this would be an issue. There are plenty of people who would overlook this, imo. Some people may even see this as a positive.

[joenorm]

It's in a rural neighborhood. 1/4 acre lots.

The rental market here is so strong i know it would not be an issue to rent it. it's just whether it's kinda lame to offer a house with no yard.

[uniwelder]

It's in a rural neighborhood. 1/4 acre lots.

The rental market here is so strong i know it would not be an issue to rent it. it's just whether it's kinda lame to offer a house with no yard.

One day you'll eventually be selling this house.  Besides the renters, think about how this will compare against other homes.  Will it be a stark contrast that might make it undesirable and lower the price? 

If all other homes are on 1/4 acre lots, then why did you ask the question in the first place?  Although 1/4 acre does sound small for a rural area.  I live in a rural area, and I think of people having a minimum of 1 acre, and more like 5-10 on average.  Maybe I misunderstood what you mean.

[GilesMM]

It's in a rural neighborhood. 1/4 acre lots.

The rental market here is so strong i know it would not be an issue to rent it. it's just whether it's kinda lame to offer a house with no yard.

1/4 acre is smallish at about 10,000 sq feet (although our first house was 1500 sq feet on a 3000 sq ft lot!).  How many square feet is the house that no yard remains? 8,000 sq feet?  As someone else said, just build a two story home and save on your roof cost.

[joenorm]

It's in a rural neighborhood. 1/4 acre lots.

The rental market here is so strong i know it would not be an issue to rent it. it's just whether it's kinda lame to offer a house with no yard.

One day you'll eventually be selling this house.  Besides the renters, think about how this will compare against other homes.  Will it be a stark contrast that might make it undesirable and lower the price? 

If all other homes are on 1/4 acre lots, then why did you ask the question in the first place?  Although 1/4 acre does sound small for a rural area.  I live in a rural area, and I think of people having a minimum of 1 acre, and more like 5-10 on average.  Maybe I misunderstood what you mean.

This is just a neighborhood near the town center, so more dense than the rest that is 5-10 acre

[bacchi]

Different expectations. My bungalow and ADU are on a 1/5 acre lot and there's privacy enough for both of us. Developers are building 2 McMansions on one lot, maximizing the impervious cover, and those tiny yard houses are selling. I guess people in a rural area expect more land around their houses.

[theoverlook]

Most areas have definite setback requirements and impermeable percentage fill of lot requirements. If you meet those you're going to have some yard left. A 10,000sf lot with a 9,500sf building on it seems unlikely and not permissible in most areas, even rural areas near town centers. However, if your project fills local requirements and can legally be built, you'll find someone to occupy it whether renting or selling.

[aasdfadsf]

If you don't have kids, I cannot think of a great reason to have a yard. Even if you do have kids, it is much better to have parks nearby. But the one benefit of the yard is that you can stick the kids there unsupervised (when they're at least 4 or so) and let them get exercise on a swing set or playhouse while they're still within yelling distance, as opposed to having to escort them several blocks away to a park.

Otherwise, I don't see the point. I think it's great to have areas to put plants and maybe grow some vegetables, but you don't need a "yard" to do that, just some planter boxes and/or some patio space for containers. Smaller spaces are easier and better to make aesthetically pleasing than sprawling yards. And as others have pointed out, large yards are a maintenance headache. There are few things less sensible than vast areas of grass that have to be mowed every week and that serve no function other than just to be there.   

[rothwem]

I would not put a house on a lot with zero yard if all of the houses nearby do have yards.  If you live in a place with a lot of density where nobody has yards, then I wouldn't worry about it. 

[Freedomin5]

I would not put a house on a lot with zero yard if all of the houses nearby don't have yards.  If you live in a place with a lot of density where nobody has yards, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Yes, this. I would build something that fits into the aesthetic of the neighborhood. So whether you put in a yard and how big you build your house depends on the houses around you.

[kite]

You can absolutely have a garden on a 1/4 acre.
Row houses have gardens in yards that are 15 feet wide.

What you won’t have is too much lawn to mow.

[jennifers]

I always thought a yard was important to me. I downsized to a super small yard and I actually enjoy it. I get all the benefits of a yard w/out mowing endlessly. Put up some nice raised beds and add plants around the house.  Put out some yard chairs and some of those string lights. Figure out a place for a pet tie out or fence in a small area for pets. Market the place as low yard maintenance but still space to garden and sit outside. I think many people will appreciate a nice small yard vs an unkept big yard that will require lots of maintenance.