When you think about home décor, you probably focus on the interior of your property. After all, that is where you spend most of your time. However, it’s the exterior of your home that really sets the overall tone of your house.
Unfortunately, most homeowners never focus on their home’s curb appeal until they decide they want to sell. Don’t wait till then! With the right exterior décor, you can enhance the overall appearance of your home and create fabulous visual impact from the street.
To give your home instant curb appeal, take a look at these:
5 Top Tips To Enhance The Exterior Of Your Property
1. Create a walkway
Whether you have a grass lawn or a paved driveway, the entrance to your home should be a major feature of your property. By adding a walkway or relaying existing paving, you can revamp the route into your home. This will help guide foot traffic the way you want it to go.
We re-did our walkway a few years ago because it was off center and led people more to the garage than the front door. Though good for those of us driving up to the property, it was not so nice for guests or delivery people. They often ended up trekking across my lawn.
If you are looking at creating or re-doing a walkway to your front door, first thing you should do is decide where to lay it. We used a couple of garden hoses as a guide. It gave us a real life visual. I suggest you leave the hoses in place for a few days and pretend it is your new walkway. Is it working for you? It is a lot easier to move the hoses than bricks and concrete once laid. Don’t rush this step.
Next, explore design and material options. This is where your budget comes into play. Materials and installation can vary greatly. Some types of walkways you could probably lay yourself while others will need a professional. Either way, you want your new walkway to not only look nice but to last a long time. Check out ideas for walkways online and discuss them with a representative at your local home builder store.
A new walkway creates an impressive visual impact for guests and you’ll benefit from the improved aesthetic/functionality every time you enter or leave your home. Make it work for you.
2. Add greenery
Many people choose to maintain a well-manicured front lawn, and this can certainly create a stunning aesthetic. If your lawn isn’t looking as nice as you like it, visit your local garden centre for tips. They can help you choose the right fertilizers and/or pest/bug control products to get your lawn looking its best. You could also relinquish all your yard duty to a gardener and get them to breathe new life into it. Check out online ads in your area to find one near you.
Of course, sometimes it is just easier to start new and replace your entire lawn. It can be costly but when you factor in all the costs to fix a bug/thin/sparse lawn, it may actually be cheaper in the long run. You have a few choices here too. You can lay new sod, seed it or even go with a maintenance free synthetic lawn.
And here is a tip for those of you that have very small front lawns because of huge driveways: add a border at the edges of your driveway to give the illusion of more greenspace. This gives you the opportunity to plant shrubs, flowers and even small trees, so you can combine the practical necessity of a drive with the enriching appearance of nature.
I personally know what it is like to go from a single to a double sized driveway and the angst of feeling like we were paving over everything! Creating a border really softens the look.
3. Overhaul your doors
Your front door is the first thing you’ll notice as you approach your home every day and it’s the most noticeable part of the exterior for guests too. Make it stand out for the right reasons.
- Is it clean or dirty?
- Is it in pristine shape or does it have cracks or chipping paint?
- Is it a focal point for your home or does it blend in or seem hidden from view?
Installing new doors and perhaps windows can transform and instantly update the exterior décor of your property efficiently. Fiberglass doors are a fantastic option for most properties, particularly if you want to increase the thermal insulation and security of your home. In addition to this, fiberglass windows and doors are available in a range of styles and colours, which means you can create a beautiful colour palette when renovating your property.
While I must admit that I stick to very plain colours for most of my interior and exterior decor, the front door is one area that I believe you can go wild with. Bright doors look so modern and inviting. And isn’t that what an entrance should be?
4. Upgrade the lighting
Exterior lighting doesn’t just have a stunning visual impact on your property, it provides a safer environment too. Used as a simple security measure, appropriate lighting can also reduce the risks of slips, trips and falls on your property. Furthermore, exterior lighting can be used to accent the most attractive features on your property and enhance its overall appearance.
If it has been a long time since you have shopped for exterior lighting, be ready to have your socks blown off. From all styles to solar to timers to smart apps, your choices are endless. And believe it or not, exterior lighting can really date your house and make it drab and boring. Updating to newer lighting can be one of the most cost effective ways to upgrade your curb appeal. (Though you could blow your budget here too if you are not careful.)
5. Maintain clear borders
When the borders of your property are well-maintained, it brings together your design elements and creates clean lines. Fences, decorative features, lighting, and even lawn borders are a simple way to establish where your property extends to. Once installed, a well-defined border can be like a beautiful frame for your home plus make it easier to maintain your garden or driveway too.
Benefits From Enhancing Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Giving your home curb appeal doesn’t just improve its appearance. It helps your home retain (and possibly increase) it’s value. Which is really important in both times of rising and lowering housing markets.
Revamping and maintaining the exterior of your property, including addressing problems like leaking gutters or cracked paving stones as soon as possible, helps take care of your biggest asset. When your home has curb appeal, you’ll feel a sense of pride in the property and be able to enjoy it for many years to come.