How your house looks from across the street doesn’t just say a lot about your personality; if you want to sell the house sometime soon, a better curb appeal would significantly improve your resale value. Most upgrades that enhance your curb appeal are inexpensive and take little time. You can also DIY many of the renovations!
Here are some easy ways you can increase the curb appeal of your home, making it the talk of the town:
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Maintain a Lawn
A neatly trimmed lawn around your house is a cornerstone of the American dream. Ensure your yard isn’t messy and overgrown. It would help to mow it regularly, as an overgrown lawn suggests you don’t prioritize taking care of your property.
In summer, your lawn may be browned out because of less rainfall. Ensure you water your grass regularly to keep it green. However, avoid watering it so much that the soil gets muddy, as it can waterlog your grass and stunt its growth.
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Improve Your Siding
Siding is the cladding material around your house’s exterior walls that protects it from weather conditions. But siding can be more than just practical; it can improve your house’s look, too! Consider contrasting colors and blending stone, wood, or metal for a picturesque siding. There’s nothing like pulling into your driveway and marveling at your house’s beautiful exterior; you would also get more attention from your neighbors!
Installing siding is a delicate process, so you would want to hire experts like Ladder Legends who have a proven track record in roofing and siding.
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Upgrade Your Front Door
Painting your door is an easy way to upgrade your home, and you can do it yourself. Improving its look can significantly enhance your curb appeal.
Painting your door black or slate blue is a proven way to add to your house’s value, but don’t be afraid to try bolder colors if they fit your house’s aesthetic! Additionally, your door’s paint is just one factor in curb appeal. Be sure to clean the knob of any stains or rust and use metal polish to keep it shiny.
Consider adding decorations, like laurel wreaths or a flag over your front door for a more personalized look.
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Landscape
You can significantly improve your house’s curb appeal through aesthetic landscaping techniques. Landscaping can result in an increase of 15-20% in your home’s value, which is why you should ideally invest around 10% of your home’s worth in the process.
Even if you don’t have much of a budget, you can regularly weed your landscape and add colorful annuals, perennials, or seasonal flowering shrubs. Add in mulch so your flowers grow better. Consider making a hedge out of beautiful, scented flowers and place trees for shade.
Consider growing an edible garden, too. As concerns about microplastics and fertilizers in food grow, it makes sense that prospective homeowners would prefer buying a house with an established garden where they can grow their own veggies.
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Add Outdoor Lighting
Well-placed outdoor lighting can completely transform your house’s exterior. You can play with outdoor lighting in several creative ways. For example, you can decorate the trees with multi-colored fairy lights to create a whimsical vibe. You can also illuminate the walking paths to make nightly walks more pleasant.
Remember to be energy efficient when choosing outdoor lighting. You should consider LED lights, as they consume very little power. Also, consider battery-powered or solar lights as they are budget-friendly, easy to install, and you don’t have to worry about managing circuits.
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Add Outdoor Art
Consider adding some outdoor art to accentuate your landscape. Remember to get weather-resistant decorations, as they will face the sun, rain, and snow often.
Choose artworks that complement your house’s exterior, and don’t go for pieces that are in contrast to the style of your garden. Sculptures and birdbaths make incredible outdoor decorations.
If you have the budget, consider installing a water fountain with lighting. A well-illuminated water fountain is mesmerizing and can considerably improve your curb appeal.
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Upgrade Your Front Porch
There is nothing like sipping tea sitting on your porch on a sunny afternoon and keeping up with the neighborhood. You can upgrade your patio for curb appeal by building a new one or adding new roofing.
If you’re on a budget, consider more straightforward upgrades like adding new seating. Instead of plastic or collapsible lawn chairs, get Adirondack chairs, metal seating, or wicker furniture. Such furniture would complement a porch well and is suitable for outdoor use. You can also forego seating and instead install a porch swing.
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Decorate Your Driveway
No one wants to return home on a patchy, broken driveway. The better your driveway looks, the more resale value it will have.
Driveways can be made of different materials, including concrete, asphalt, brick, and gravel. Each material can give your driveway a different aesthetic and costs differently, so decide on the material according to your budget and desired look. Mixing and matching materials is one easy trick to improve your driveway’s look and add some personality to it.
Illuminating your driveway with LED lights can make it look enchanting at night. You can also give it a gate for that fairytale look!
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Power Wash Your House
Over the years, houses accumulate dirt, mud, and grunge, making them look dull and dirty. You can likely see this in effect if you have older pictures of your house. But worry not: you can restore your home to its former glory by power washing it.
Power washing involves cleaning a building with a high-pressure stream of water. The pressure ranges from 750 to 30,000 psi and can easily wash away all dirt and grunge.
Conclusion
Focusing on your curb appeal is a good idea whether you plan to sell your house or just want to come back to a beautiful home after a long day. From landscaping to your driveway and your front door to your roof and siding, small details can add up to your overall curb appeal. A budget isn’t a bother, if you have the right attitude and creativity.