Homeowners know the value of curb appeal. After all, you likely were drawn to your current home because of its curb appeal. Fortunately, there are several DIY projects you can tackle to maximize curb appeal, saving money in the process so you can hire professionals for more extensive work.
- Make Your Front Door Stand Out
No matter what type of home you have, the front entry is its focal point. Make your entry memorable by painting your front door a bold color to make it stand out. While neutral paint colors are best inside the home, don’t be afraid to go with an eye-catching front door color. The key is to choose a color that complements your home without being too wild.
Make sure you go one step further by cleaning your entryway, washing sidelights, and updating the door hardware if it looks old compared to your updated door. If you have a fiberglass door or another material that makes it difficult to paint, make it stand out with a swag or wreath that reflects the season or your decorating taste.
- Add Accents
Once you’ve made your front door more appealing, continue to dress up your entryway with accents. Better Homes & Gardens recommends creating symmetry with light fixtures, planted urns, or lanterns. Coordinate your accents to give your home a sophisticated look.
If you want to accent your entryway with a fountain or new landscaping, leave it to the professionals. While you can handle pulling weeds, mowing, and trimming trees and bushes, you should hire professional landscapers if you want to put in a new flower bed, remove sod, create a water feature, or dress up the front of your home with any other type of extensive landscaping project.
- Clean, Clean, Clean
A clean and well-maintained home will always be attractive, so this means you need to get to work cleaning. Wash your windows, sweep your sidewalks and driveway, clean your front porch, and scrub your garage doors.
If you have windows in your garage, don’t neglect them. The cleaner your home, the fresher it looks. (Tip: To get a streak-free shine, Great Day Improvements recommends mixing one part hot water with one part distilled vinegar and then cleaning with a sponge or squeegee on a cloudy day.)
One cleaning project you should leave to the professionals is cleaning your gutters. Keeping your gutters clean is essential to protecting your roof, walls, and foundation from damage that occurs when water cannot flow freely. But, needing to clean your gutters does not mean that you need to clean them yourself. Most homeowners opt to hire professionals to tackle this job because you will need to climb and work from a tall ladder. You also will not be able to recognize areas that need to be repaired the way that professional gutter cleaners can.
- Upgrade Your Mailbox and House Numbers
Every detail matters, and the smallest of touches make a difference. You can kill two birds with one stone by updating your mailbox and mounting numbers on your house. A new mailbox and house numbers instantly enhance your curb appeal, especially when you coordinate with your other exterior accents or light fixtures. If you put a full-size mailbox near the road, ensure you follow the regulations of your city or municipality so you don’t have to move it.
Curb appeal is a must for a home that shines both inside and out. Attempt DIY projects, such as painting your front door, adding entryway accents, cleaning your home’s exterior, and upgrading your mailbox and house numbers, to improve your curb appeal. Hire professionals to complete extensive landscaping projects and clean your gutters.
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