They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. They also said that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, we all do.
Fact of the matter is, people do the same thing with your house. It’s important to the curb appeal of your home. You will feel a greater sense of pride when you roll up to the front of your home. You’ll make an incredible impression on friends and family come over and visit. You’ll also get more bites if you are listing your home to sell.
Let’s look at 15 charming curb appeal ideas you should try.
Give Your Home a Good Bath
Just as you need to everything else in your life for it to keep that fresh look and feel, the same holds true for your house. Because it happened so gradually, most homeowners don’t notice the buildup of dirt and grime, stains, mold, mildew, rust, and other contaminants that build up on the exterior of your home and property.
These contaminants actually deteriorate your home. Most home don’t just need a paint job, they need to start with a good cleaning. The best way to do this is to have your home professionally power washed by a company. The exterior siding, brick, stone, or other material walls of your home. They can pressure wash your words, driveway, and other hard surfaces. You’ll be amazed at how fresh your home looks after a good pressure washing.
Splash of Accent Paint to Your Front Door
You can easily spice up your home by adding nice accent color to your front door. Of course, you can go even bigger by adding a new door, entirely. However, adding a great accent color to your front door can really make the exterior of the front of your home pop. Some homes may choose to go with the bright and bold color red, while others may choose a more subtle color.
Pave the Perfect Path to Your Front Door
everybody loves walking and driving down those cobblestone streets that are in some historic areas of towns. They look rich, charming and cultured. The same holds true for paid walkways on a person’s residential property. Whether winding walkways like a snake or straight as an arrow walkways, paving the walkway that leads to your front porch or door is a great way to add unique curb appeal to your home.
Add Symmetry
Symmetrical design, whether it be a painting, furniture in a room or landscaping provides a stately and pristine appeal. We all appreciate balance and order. It’s beautiful to see homes that are decorated symmetrically. That symmetry may come from bushes, shrubs and trees that are equally placed on both sides of your yard. It can come from furniture in the yard decorations that are symmetrically placed. There are multiple ways that you can add symmetry to increase your home’s curb appeal.
Dress Up the Front Porch
if you have a porch, you should consider dressing it up. You can add painting flowerpots, well-placed furniture and maybe a few ornaments to spice it up.
Fertilize the Lawn
A healthy looking lawn communicates health and vitality. That’s why it’s a good idea to stay on top of fertilizing your grass. When you have those brown patches start to develop in your lawn, they become a real eyesore. So, staying on top of the winter and spring fertilization schedule is important.
Add Color with Trees, Bushes, and Shrubs
The best way to add color to your front yard is by adding colorful vegetation. One of my personal favorites is to see lawns with maroon leafed trees such as Bloodgood Japanese Maple and Purple Leaf Plum Trees. You can also choose bushes and shrubs that and a splash of color as well.
Accent with New Hardware
You can add a lot of style to your home’s exterior curb appeal with the right hardware. If your hardware is old, dull and rusty it may be time for a makeover. When we talk about hardware, we’re talking about your mailbox, overhead light fixtures, house numbers, yard lights, and entry door lockset. It’s important that you add these elements as a group, not a rot-iron mailbox with a rustic colored door entry lockset – for instance.
When these elements are chosen as a set, they make a bold, classy statement.
Simplify Your Look
Let’s be honest, some homes need to tone it down a bit with their decorations. Some people’s yards go over to the tacky, messy side of decoration and could improve curb appeal by pruning the look and feel of their lawn. Whether it’s too many overgrown bushes, handing plants, bushes, shrubs, and other vegetation, or, the home has too many yard or porch decorations, simple is sometimes better.
Add a Bench or Bench Swing
Some yards look homey and quaint with a well-placed bench or bench swing. These work well in neighborhoods that have more of a country feel to them.
Brighten Up with Lighting
Lighting is a big deal, not only inside the home but also outside. You can add a lot of flavor to your home’s curb appeal with a makeover of your lawn lighting.
Tuck Away the Trash Cans
If you have things, like trash cans, that are outside and visible, you can tuck them away in a nice horizontal refuse storage shed.
Revive Your Old Wood Fence
If you have a wood fence that’s old, dull, may have mold building up on it or leaning to the side, then you can easily spruce up the look and feel of your home by treating it. You can re-paint the fence, Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso style, or you can hire someone to do the job for you.
New Roofing
Your roof may be nearing the end of its life. When you look at it from the road, is the thrill gone? Does it look drab, have stains on the shingles or is it dull colored? It may be time for a new roof, and for more than one reason. If your roof is old, you could more easily develop leaks in the roof.
Another issue with older roofs is that if you do develop small openings in the roof, you could soon find yourself with a pest problem. Rats, squirrels, and other rodents often climb from trees to your rooftop and barrel their way inside.
Clean the Windows Semi-Annually
Windows make a huge difference in how a home looks. If you have stained windows, your home could look old and dirty. You can bring back a sparkle to your curb appeal with clean windows.
