Opinions please: Does Landscaped garden add value to a house?

[booboo57]

We've a lovely home in the suburbs. Well located and worth £500-660k.
Been here 20 yrs and I've always hated the garden. Small, sloping, sun only in 1/2 of it, patio has wonky red (!), slabs 5 inspection covers and the small retaining brick wall is falling down.

I am recently retired and would like to spend time in the garden but hate it.
After a lot of research found a designer and have come up with some modest plans that involve levelling out a bit, redoing the patio and walls, putting a new patio in the sunny area and some lovely planting ideas.
I was planning on spending some of my pension lump sum on upgrading the garden so it would be more of a retirement hobby.
The hard landscape quote alone is coming in at £10-12k. I wasn't expecting to pay more that £10k all in including plants and some nice patio furniture.
I've discussed it in depth with the designer and the builder and the main issue is that there is no access for a digger so it will have to dug out by by hand. Also paving and other materials prices are sky high at the moment.
So the question is: am I just spending the money on a hobby for my retirement or will I be increasing the value of the home as well?
I'm trying to justify the expenditure.
Thoughts please, thank you

Is there any way of a digger being hoisted over fences from neighbouring properties? It’s normally a quick process and neighbour has been ok about it - plus some wine/flowers as a thank you.

If you’ve got retaining walls that are falling down and a horrible patio, then you’ll want/need to do something as it won’t get better in the next 5-10 years, only worse! So that will devalue your house…

I’d spend the money, absolutely.

Thank you all for your comments and encouragement. Dh and I chatted it all through last night and we're going to go for it. I know its the right decision.

Good call. You'll get so much enjoyment out if it.

Surely the retaining wall needs doing as a matter of safety anyway, so you need some of the work at least.

A lovely garden/outside space is so important these days with so many people working from home or hybrid working so I think it will add value and at the very minimum you’ll get back what you put it .

I’m no property expert but I’m thinking of doing the same myself and a quick Google search told me it will add value.

Do what makes you happy.

I am looking to buy and landscaped puts me off as I’m physically not able to look after a garden. I want a small lawn which the teens can mow and no plants!