A guest blog by Kay Pascale
Your home’s front exterior sets the tone for what’s inside. Therefore, you want your curb appeal to be topnotch, especially if you’re trying to sell your home. Not only that, you may want to boost your home’s curb appeal simply for your enjoyment, as well as for your guests. With that in mind, here are six easy and inexpensive ways to rev up your home’s curb appeal.
1. Pay Attention to Your Lawn
Your lawn is the foundation for all other aspects of curb appeal. Unfortunately, it’s also the most labor-intensive and time-consuming element. By staying on top of your lawn care, however, managing it is much more doable. There are some lawn alternatives you can invest in if you don’t have time for lawn maintenance, such as shrub beds, ground covers and xeriscape gardens.
2. Think About Symmetry
You can use symmetry in your curb appeal to lead the viewer’s eye to focal points, like your newly painted front door. You can also use it to simply make the front of your home look more organized and “put together.” Another way you can create a symmetrical look is by including matching potted plants or lanterns on each side of your doorway.
3. Show Off Your Door
Your front door can offer much more than just a point of entry. It can be an accentual element to your home’s curb appeal. According to House Method, you can make your door pop with a fresh coat of paint. You can go for a neutral color, or if you want to give your house some character, paint it a deep red or blue. If you decide to paint your front door, it’s also a good idea to replace the hardware. Even with a fresh coat of paint, your door will look tired again if you keep the same old, rusty knob. Replace the knob with a fresh brass accent or metal handle.
4. Balance Your Landscaping
Along the same lines as creating symmetry for the overall look of your curb appeal is balancing out your landscaping. You’ll want to choose plants that complement each other with the seasons. For instance, if you have bulbswhose leaves turn yellow, you can choose a plant that will cover those leaves when the time comes. Also, try to choose plants that complement each other in height, color, and texture.
5. Let There Be Light
Why go to all the trouble of boosting your curb appeal if you can’t see it at night? If you don’t already have lanterns, a hanging pendant, or sconces by your front door, consider investing in some, especially if you’re trying to sell your home. You can also use solar-powered lights along walkways and your driveway, as well as beneath trees to show off their shape at night.
6. Make Your Garage Door Pop
If your garage door leaves a little to be desired, you don’t have to go the expensive route of buying a new one. A good power-washing will brighten it up or, depending on the material of your garage door, a fresh coat of paint and stain can give it a revamp.
Are you ready to improve your curb appeal? Keep these tips in mind and get started today.
Tract houses of the 1950s were designed with prominent garages not one because a garage in front had a short driveway (which used less space on a small urban parcel), but because cars were cool and worth showing off. Prominent garage doors are not exactly an asset by modern standards, but there is nothing we can do about them. Older homes had small garages in back, and in some municipalities, building codes do not allow garages that are visible from the front. In part of Beverly Hills (in the Los Angeles region) where garages must be obscured on parcels that are not particularly large, and there is a height limit on new construction, garages are underneath and behind the houses, with only a driveway going around back. It is quite nice to do without the garages.