Have you ever picked up a book and thought to yourself, “Wow, this cover is extremely boring?”
Well, the same goes for a home.
If you’re shopping at the local Barnes and Noble, and you have NO IDEA what you’re looking for, what’s your next move? Think about it: You love reading books. You read all kinds of books. This time, in particular, you’re interested in finding a good romance novel, or an interesting thriller. So, naturally, you find the section of the bookstore that houses these categories. But you’re not going off of recommendations today; no. You’re simply browsing through the shelves to see if something catches your eye. And, as you expected, something does catch your eye. Eventually.
Now let’s transition that whole book story over to houses – What do you take into consideration when shopping for a home?
The outside of a home – the lawn, the porch, the front door, the exterior in general – is what catches a potential buyer’s eye. Technically speaking, the home’s exterior is what catches everyone’s eyes – visitors, friends, family members, even the people who live in a dark place.
So, our next question is: What do you see when you get home from work? Or from a shopping trip? Or from a day vacation? Or from school? Or from wherever you’re coming from?
Do you see a pleasant exterior to your home? Do you want to change things up, or switch things up, to make it look more appealing? Maybe you’re trying to sell your home, or maybe you just want the exterior to give off a new and improved vibe; whatever the case may be, we have your back.
Let’s dive right into some awesome suggestions for the remainder of this article; by the end, you’ll have a ton of options in front of you that you probably won’t know what to do with. Implement the changes you admire the most, and your lawn’s curb appeal will shine brighter and be more beautiful than ever before!
Add some greenery
It sounds like such a simple thing to do – and such an obvious thing to do – but you’d be surprised at how many homeowners need reminding.
Add some greenery. Add some flowers. Hang some planters up from the porch’s ceiling. Attach some planting pots to the bottom of your windows. Accentuate the frames of your house, like the entryways and windows, with flowers.
You’ll add a little life to the house by doing this, too.
Keep up with your lawn
Mow the grass regularly. Rake those leaves once they start falling from the trees. Get rid of the weeds as soon as you see them growing in. Water your grass, if you need to, to avoid brown spots from appearing.
And, if you live in an area where grass doesn’t necessarily grow too often, think about getting shrub beds or artificial turf installed.
Paint your front door
Neutral toned doors that blend in with the color of your house is no longer a thing – go brighter, bolder.
Painting your door, a different color is not costly at all, and you’ll be able to get the job done in a day or less – by yourself! Brighten up the front of your home with a red or a blue door – but be sure it matches the overall theme of your house.
Add lights to the walkways
You don’t want your doorway and walkway to be super dark – that’s not welcoming at all.
So, keep up with cleaning your light fixtures; get rid of those cobwebs and debris from the surrounding lights. Hang some porch string lights or install some solar powered lanterns to liven up, and brighten up the place.
Symmetry is becoming popular, too
You can achieve this look at the doorway or at the garage door opening – all you have to do is put matching plants, or lanterns, or small pieces of art on either side of the door you’re looking to spice up. It’s an inexpensive way to improve your lawn’s curb appeal.
Wreaths are fun
You don’t need to wait until Christmas to hang a wreath on your door – in fact, we suggest NOT doing this. You don’t need to only hang a wreath when the season permits; instead, try hanging a wreath made from dried florals, greens, or fruits. That way, you won’t have to keep spending unnecessary money, and you’ll be able to keep it up for more than a few weeks.
Change your house numbers
You don’t need to have the same house numbers as every other person your street – and when we say this, we mean the font size and font type.
Choose a unique font that’s distinctive, and that has the ability to grab everyone’s eye. This project will only take about half an hour, so no need to stress over this being the first thing to get done.
Power wash EVERYTHING
Power wash the dirt and grime off the siding. Power wash the porch. Power wash the walkway. Power wash the driveway. Trust us, everything will look brand spanking new.
What’s more, is that renting one of these babies is not super expensive – and you can go to your local Lowe’s or Home Depot any day of the week.
Fix those minor things
Your screens could be ripped. Your light bulbs could be burned out. Your paint could be chipped. Whatever the case may be, walk around your house and fix all the little things on a random day where you don’t have much to do. People will notice the subtle changes.
Construct a clear path to the front door
If you don’t already have one, build a pathway to your front door. You can do this using stone or brick – but what many homeowners don’t know is that you can also get this job done by lining lights or plants up. Do this, and people will automatically know the path you’re trying to cut out for them.
After clean up, think about lawn edging
If you don’t trust yourself to get the job done the right way, hire a landscaper. Either way, lawn edging will take the sloppiness out of your grass.
You can achieve this manicured look by cleaning up the grass that lines your driveway and walkways – along with the grass that lines any flowerbeds you may have. This is extremely important for curb appeal.
If you’re looking to get really fancy, create borders using bricks, stones, or any other material – that way the outline will look super professional. You can visit here for more information about lawn edging.
Furniture – not too much, not too little
Too much furniture on the porch can look cluttered. Too little can look neglected. Find your happy medium if you have enough room on the porch to experiment with furniture.
Switch up your hardware
The front door’s hardware is probably the most important thing to keep in mind – everything else can be taken into consideration later on.
Choose a tone of hardware that will contrast with your door’s paint color. For instance, buy something brassy if you have a black door, or go with black hardware if you have a red door.
And now that you’re aware of all the details you need to know in order to get your curb appeal and beautiful again, it’s time for you to be on your way! Take this gorgeous weekend and go wild with the suggestions above – I’m sure your home will be looking brand new by Sunday evening.
