The phrase “it’s what’s up front that counts” never meant more than when referring to the front of your home. Curb appeal says a lot about you and your overall landscape sets the mood.
Your front door and entryway are the first things people see when they visit. How does yours look?
Why not make a lasting impression by making some exterior home improvements — there are so many inexpensive and easy fix-me-up options to choose from. Take advantage of any great weather and spend some time outdoors sprucing things up.
It only stands to reason that drab colors project a sense of lifelessness. Adding instant appeal to your home’s exterior or landscape with a splash of color will push any drab notions out of the picture.
The good news is adding color is probably one of the least expensive options in making the exterior of your home stand out.
28 Easy Ideas that Add Curb Appeal
- You can liven up muted front porches or entryways with colorful container gardens, or line your walkway with colorful ground cover, small shrubs or flowers.
- Dress up your home’s exterior by updating the wall fixtures or scones on either side of your front door.
- Paint your front door or add something as simple as hanging door decorations to draw the eye to your entry.
- Touching up the trim on your house — removing that flaking, chipped paint for something fresh will make a big difference
- Change the color of the trim around your windows with something that complements your home’s exterior
Hiring a contractor to add a little pizzazz to your front walkway can be accomplished without breaking the bank and will make a big statement about your curb appeal. Remove cracked or broken gray concrete walkways and replace with pavers, flagstone, colored or stamped concrete.- Feel good when you get a hair cut? Keep the grass trimmed next to walkways, your driveway, flower beds and retaining walls.
- Add mulch to flower beds — the mulch is good for your plants and provides a uniform, finished look at the base.
- Paint your garage door — matching your house trim can add interest
- Plant a fast-growing tree or fast-growing shrubs to fill in long expanses of blank wall on your home’s exterior
- Edge your driveway with low border plants or ground cover
- Consider a free-form, edged planting areas around large tree bases. Shade-loving plants work best.
- Add topiaries or something similar on either side of your front door if you have the space. This adds depth and color to an otherwise flat entry.
- Change your front door hardware to something with a little more style or color
- Change your front door altogether for something that has raised panels or vision glass inserts
- Add landscape lighting that meanders through your front garden areas – solar lights don’t require electrical current
- Don’t have shutters? Think about adding some – painted polyurethane or resin shutters are inexpensive and wear well
- Frame your front door by adding trim and paint it in an accent color
- Add a small welcoming wrought iron bench to a front porch
Create a sense of symmetry at the front door — while it looks great there, does not work as well in a front yard- Keep your trash receptacles out of sight — if stored on the side of your home consider screening with fencing or shrubs
- If you have a pedestal mailbox in your yard, consider a makeover
- If you have a gas or electric pole lamp in your front yard, consider changing the lamp head to another style
- Use a band of river rock to imitate a dry stream meandering through your garden — also doubles as a walk-path
- Clean up your trees my removing sprouts and cutting off any dead limbs
- Shape your shrubs — another way to project a clean, organized feel
- Clean up any concrete or natural stone staining – rust stains, water stains or efflorescence on concrete, masonry and stone is unsightly
- Consider evergreen plants and shrubs in your front yard so you have color all year around unaffected by season changes