The curbside view of your home is naturally the first thing people see when they drive past or even come over for a visit. It’s the face of your house, and as such, can say a lot abouts its occupants. And when the time comes where you do want to sell your home, having a striking facade is akin to a winning headshot.
Beautifying your home’s street frontage can mean different things to different households – from trimming hedges, to doing an extreme makeover replete with new exterior cladding, or even just buying fencing supplies online to bolster your property’s barriers.
Need a little inspiration? Here are just a few ways that you can effortlessly elevate your home’s curbside appeal.
Power wash
If you’ve got peeling and chipped paint on your exterior, and you’re not trying to repaint your house anytime soon, you might want to hold off on this one. But if you’ve got stained brickwork and grimey windows, cleaning with a power wash will be sure to work wonders.
If you have time, be sure to give your pathway and your curb a blast too. You’d be surprised by how transformative a good power wash can be for your garden pathways and exterior tiling. And if you don’t have a power washer handy, then jump online to see if you can lease one out for the day from your local hardware store.
Fix The Small Things
Restyling your house doesn’t have to mean rendering and renovating – it can also mean simply updating your accents. Updating small details like your door handle, house numbers, welcome mat, and light fixtures can have an astounding effect on elevating the aesthetics of your home facade.
But try to think critically about the swapovers you do make. Take some time to consider your house’s current aesthetic, and a style update that would gel well with it. For example, traditional homes can be updated with oiled bronze fixtures, while contemporary properties may benefit more from the brushed nickel look.
Decorate With Window Boxes
If your home’s street frontage is lacking in style or greenery, window boxes are likely to be the perfect solution. These delightful, decorative planters allow you to enjoy happy shrubbery right from your lower window sill When installed correctly, your window boxes can be a superb way of not only elevating your property’s curbside appeal, but also of bringing the outside in and adding an extra organic touch to your home’s interiors.
When picking your window boxes, take care to make their design with the style of your home. Once again, if your fixtures are brushed silver metal, then your window boxes should be too, or at the very least, should be a darker tone to complement these darker metallic accents.
Paint the Front Door
Any dings or stains on your home’s front door can naturally make a big difference when it comes to first impressions. Thankfully, you can easily refresh your front door by polishing its metal fixtures, replacing damaged or out of style door knobs, and varnishing your wood.
Your door should make a statement and show a little decorum. If that means adding a wreath or decorative sidelights, it’s worth it – and make sure it doesn’t squeak either!
Additionally, don’t overlook the impact of a new house address plaque. These sophisticated touches not only enhance curb appeal but also add style to your front door. An elegant address plaque can serve as a focal point, complementing the overall aesthetic of your home.
Dress Up Your Porch
Seeing cosy chairs and effects on the front porch instantly tells visitors two things: this is a home with a happy family, and a home whose occupants appreciate the simple things in life. Why else would you be drinking hot cocoa or reading a book out the front? If you want to create this sense of cosiness that starts from the outside and makes its way all through your home, investing in comfortable patio furniture is an absolute must.
If you have a big, bare wall on your porch, consider positioning an outdoor couch right against it, as well as some deck chairs and perhaps even a small table or two. And if you don’t have space for chairs and a table, try just a chair and a shoe rack so visitors can comfortably take off their shoes before entering.
Install Outdoor Lighting
Accent lighting for paths and doorways improve the atmosphere for your guests and add security for the homeowners. For the best landscape lighting, we recommend trying to incorporate a variety of fixtures and lighting types. Even some cute yet powerful solar lights can work wonders for thoroughly illuminating your front garden pathways.
A Makeover For Your Mailbox
Our mailboxes are an oft-overlooked element of our front garden designs. But this is the first decor item that your neighbours and any visitors are likely to see. Like your nose, your mailbox sticks out to guests and viewers. Because of this, you want your mailbox to speak for your house’s personality, and for its style. So find a box that fits the style and aesthetic of your home’s street frontage.
If you don’t want to replace your mailbox, you can varnish or repaint it to match your house. And for all you green thumbs out there, consider planting flowers or shrubbery around your mailbox to accent it as well.
Lawn Work & Weeding
Cutting your grass gives your front yard a haircut, but take care not to dismiss the fine details. Leaving edges untrimmed and lawn clippings scattered makes a nicely cut lawn look slapdash and rushed.
Similarly, weeding, pruning and fertilising your front garden is second only to your house’s facade. Flowers, fruiting trees, and luscious leaves add colour and luxury to a home. With your plants organised, we also recommend adding stone borders to your garden beds or refreshing your old ones to show that you care. A little TLC in your suburban greenery can go a long way with regards to freshening up your home’s curbside appeal.
Pretty Your Paths & Driveway
Walking or driving to a house usually involves your guests using the driveway or garden paths to navigate to your front door – so cracks, weeds and potholes are often the first things to be noticed. If your driveway is concrete, a good pressure wash and crack filling will give it a simple, clean look. For gravel, the biggest concern is noise and potholes, so consider repaving for better curbside appeal.
Repair Or Replace Your Gutter System
Finally, gutters and downspouts are often the most neglected part of an old house. Since they’re up high, few remember to check and clear them regularly. But the knock-on effect of droopy gutters is leakage and perhaps even water damage to your property.
With that, it’s imperative that homeowners add clearing their gutters as a routine chore on their annual property maintenance checklist. Doing so will not only help keep your home’s facade looking fresh, but can also help keep your property in a good condition, ensuring a reduced risk of experiencing issues like flooding, waterlogging, and mould production.
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Working to improve your home’s curbside appeal is a process that can take days, weeks, or months, and requires plenty of attention to detail. But with the right approach, you can transform your home’s tired facade into a beacon of style and a standout property in your neighbourhood.
