By: Tom Ingram – Coastal Windows & Exteriors
Have you ever had someone say, ‘I think I passed your house?’ Maybe you need to add to your home’s curb appeal. Whether you are looking to sell your home or improve your home to truly make it yours, curb appeal is critical when it comes to that quick sell and/or having the warm fuzzy feeling inside (the wow factor) when you pull into your driveway after a long day. Great curb appeal is something that everyone wants, but few know where to start. Some projects can be a little expensive but there are many ways to save yourself money by doing the little things to improve the aesthetics of your home.
Here are 12 ways to improve your home’s curb appeal from the huge projects that will cost you thousands to the little ones that take little to zero money, but make a big difference.
- Enhance the front entry way.
The front door should be your home’s exterior focal point. A home’s appearance can be dramatically improved by sanding, painting, staining or replacing the front entryway system. The most dramatic would obviously be replacing the plain front door with a beautiful front entry door with a gorgeous glass package that contains beveled glass and well-done brass/nickel inlays.
- Unclutter Your Yard.
When someone has lived in a home for a long time they tend to overlook the many things, both big and small, that add clutter to the yard. Imagine you could look at your front yard for the first time. What would you see? Garden hoses? Toys? Tools? Branches? Lawn gnomes or pink flamingos? If so, remove or put away these items, and buy a garden hose box to keep the hose out of sight. Clutter will make a home that is very respectable look like a disaster. Besides, if they see clutter on the outside, what do you think the impression of the insides of the home will be? It’s all about that first impression!
- Add plantings on the street side of your fence.
Remember, curb appeal starts at the curb. Instead of just planting inside the border of your fence or stone wall, plant flowers, perennials and spring bulbs just outside it as well. The extra layers of plants with their colors and thickness will make your front yard appear larger and as if you spent thousands of dollars on landscaping. If you don’t have a fence, planting perennials in the strip between the curb and sidewalk can have a similar effect.
- Check that house numbers are easily visible.
Being that I have been in sales for quite some time now, this is the most stressful and annoying thing that most homeowners do not consider on their home. I am sure the pizza delivery guy doesn’t appreciate it either! Go across the street from your home to get a better idea of how easy it is to find your house number. Large house numbers in a clear font are the easiest to read from a distance. Place them where they are not blocked by trees or porch railings, and position the numbers horizontally rather than vertically if possible — they’re easier to read that way. Ideally, you want to place house numbers beneath a porch lamp or landscape light, where they will be well lit in the evening.
- Carve out space for front-yard living.
If you’re fortunate to have a deep front yard, but find you rarely use it, consider whether it would be better put to work as a fun and functional hangout zone. A bench curved around an outdoor fireplace is sure to become a favorite gathering place for friends and neighbors. If you don’t like your neighbors, a garden with a nice bench overlooking your hard work can be a simple but dramatic addition.
- Care for grass and mulch flower beds.
If you have a lawn, take care of it. If you are on an acre lot or more, your home only takes up so much space. Let’s try to assure the property has the same beautiful appeal as your home. Re-mulch your flower beds, plant the grass seeds in the patchy areas during the early spring and trim your smaller bushes and plants appropriately.
- Check the condition of the roof.
Ask any Realtor about the conditions of a roofing system and the appearance of the home and they will tell you about how the roofing aesthetics are crucial to the overall appeal of the home. If you have curled shingles, separated shingles, missing shingles, tar streaking, algae growth and/or old patch work – you may want to consider calling your local Master Elite Roofing Contractor to give you a beautiful and functional roof to add to your home’s curb appeal.
- Windows and Siding.
Give your siding a fresh start this spring by washing off the dirt, road salt and cobwebs. Using a power washer or a regular hose with washing attachment can go a long way (just make sure to check this won’t void your warranty!). A hose with a window washing attachment can get windows shiny and clean. Make sure to use the window washing attachment to preserve the integrity of the windows – particularly if they are wooden windows. Just remember to clean inside windows too for that truly deep shine. If the siding is beyond cleaning because of the fading of paint or vinyl, contact your local siding contractor or painting pro to find out what options are available to you to improve your home’s overall appearance. After all, certain types of siding are the number one return on investment for all remodeling and replacement products that anyone can upgrade their home with — for the past ten years!
- Plant flowers with the looks and fragrance you love.
Even though you can’t see it, fragrance can have a big impact on a person’s experience when walking up to your home. It also adds a dramatic visual response too. Adding two pleasurable senses will make anyone feel great about seeing or walking up to your home. It is also known that when someone can affiliate two physical senses to a place or thing, it is more likely to be a memorable place or thing. To this day, I can still recall the exact scent of walking to my Grandmother’s house as a kid from her rosebushes and honeysuckle plants around her walkway. Consider fragrant roses, lilacs, honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender or even fresh herbs, like rosemary.
- Check the condition of the garage and driveway.
The garage and driveway often take up a lot of visual real estate in the front of a house, so problems here can seriously detract from curb appeal. Make sure that the garage door is in good shape. A nice garage door is relatively inexpensive. Adding possibly a nice glass package to the garage door can also be a nice touch. Have any driveway cracks repaired and freshen up the garage with a coat of paint. Make sure the windows on the garage look presentable. Many homeowners ignore them since they are not in a living space. Also, add a flower bed or some foliage around the garage. Again, little things like that go a long way.
- Clean Gutters
Over time, gutters fill with leaves, branches, and debris that can potentially be visible from the street. Make it a habit to clean out your gutters regularly during the spring months, during dry weather (starting at the downspout and working back), and also be sure to fix any broken or damaged areas.
- Upgrade lighting.
A well-lit porch can easily add the wow factor to your home. If you have a simple overhead light, consider upgrading the fixture to something more of this era. If you have a single light next to your front entry way – consider hiring a lighting professional to come to your home and install a matching light on the other side. If you have a garage, you may want to consider taking the same actions around the car ports. If you have a nice elegant walkway – consider adding landscaping lights down your pathway. Your home will be more inviting when you make that walkway pop. More outdoor lighting ideas from lighting expert Lucy Dearborn of Lucia Lighting & Design.
