Whether you’re selling your home or just trying to make a good impression on neighbors and guests, curb appeal (how pleasing your home looks from the outside) is an essential factor.
In most cases, though, it’s hard to know where to begin: totally transforming the look of your house can be a big undertaking, but with some light research and intelligent planning, it’s easy to see where your priorities should lie.
In this article, you’ll discover four key aspects to help you make big decisions about where to place your efforts.
The Front Door
In many ways, the easiest place to begin is at the front door. If you haven’t paid much attention to curb appeal until now, your front door may be exhibiting small areas of degraded wood, flaking pain, and rusting hardware.
You can start by taking the handles and letter box off (or mask them off and leave them on) and repainting the woodwork – which includes the door itself and the door sill. The choice of color is a personal one, but deep navy blues, reds, purples, dark grey, and black are all solid options.
So far as the door hardware, you can either purchase new handles, hinges, and a letter box, or if you have original features, polish them up so they look brand new again.
Garage
If your garage has seen better days then it might be time to give this some TLC. Garages are commonly at the front of the house so they could be the first thing people see when they approach your home. It might be useful to add a new garage door, perhaps an automatic one to make your life slightly easier. If you also want to add some luxury to the inside of your garage then take a look at different flooring options and the best place to buy garage flooring.
Landscaping
The way the greenery around your home looks can make a huge difference so far as curb appeal goes. Be sure to keep your lawn short and healthy, carefully trim any bushes, trees, and hedges, and strategically populate the area with fresh flowers and new hanging baskets.
To keep things looking bright for as long as possible, choose plants that flower year-round, and make sure to keep on top of watering and any feeding schedules.
The Driveway
The driveway forms an important, central element to the aesthetics of your home, so it’s a good idea to spend a lot of time on it and invest properly.
First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure the driveway itself is free of damage like cracks and swelling – it needs to be fit for purpose, especially if you’re planning to sell soon. It’s also a good bet to get a new gate (or think about installing one if you don’t currently have anything in place). Driveway gates can add a lot of class to an otherwise boring exterior, so choose wisely: there are many options, from stylish wrought iron to classic wooden designs.
Lighting
Finally, there’s lighting. Using a variety of types of lighting to illuminate your home at night provides the finishing touches to a job well done, ensuring that even in the dark, your house stands out in the neighborhood.
There are a plethora of different types to choose from, whether it be solar-powered path lights, wall scones, or even small street lamp-style pillars that go in the garden. Carefully consider the style and architecture of your house to see what fits best.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you now have a better idea as to what goes into improving the look of your home from the outside. Take it bit by bit starting at the door, and you’ll have a fresh-looking, newly revamped property in no time.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
