12 Easy Ways to Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal

When you pull into your driveway after a long road trip or typical day at work, the first thing you see is your home. A home with plenty of curb appeal offers a welcoming environment to come back to. It’s a gift you give yourself! This post looks at twelve ways to boost your home’s curb appeal.

The truth is, curb appeal is a gift to not only you, but to your visitors and guests, as well as potential buyers, should you ever be in the market to sell. This “first impression” can draw buyers in or prevent them from ever entering your front door.

From DIY to contracted, simple to difficult, low-budget to pricey, there are countless ways to boost your home’s curb appeal. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Siding

Repaint siding if the paint is peeling, or the current color is outdated or doesn’t really vibe well with your home’s architectural style.

Repainting may be as simple as touching up trim work! While painting, do a quick check of your window casings.

If you find they are in need of repair or replacement due to damage or rot, take care of that.

2. Shutters and Gutters

Shutters are often exclusively decorative. While shutters can provide a pleasing aesthetic, as they age and endure weathering, they can sustain significant damage.

If shutters are in disrepair, repairing them can do wonders for your home’s curb appeal.

The fix– sanding and repainting– is simple and affordable, though a bit time-consuming.

Pro-tip: Remove the shutters and work on them on a flat surface.

3. Porch

Inspect your porch floor, railings, and trim. If you discover any of the aforementioned are peeling, loose, or damaged, they need to be repaired.

A shabby porch implies a home not cared for. Loose railings and rotted floor boards do more than that– they’re a safety hazard.

Sometimes loose railing repairs require nothing more than a quick tightening of their lag bolts.

Other times, especially for railings screwed into brick, you may need to replace both the screws and their sheaths.

4. Doors and Windows

An old door doesn’t necessarily need replacing, but if it is worn or outdated consider replacing it with a new wooden, steel, or fiberglass door.

Sidelights or a transom window can make a huge difference in the brightness inside your home, while also adding curb appeal.

If there’s nothing wrong with your current door, but you’d like to spruce it up a bit, paint it! Drive through your neighborhood and pay attention to homes with similar exteriors to yours.

Find color schemes you enjoy that seem to work well together.

Windows are a large expense, but if yours are in poor condition, replacing them is often a better option than performing major window repairs.

A new style of windows can not only bring more light into your home, but can drastically improve its exterior appearance.

When it comes to cost, opting for thermal windows may be the way to go, as they often help pay for themselves in energy savings.

5. House Numbers

House numbers need to be clearly visible from the street. House numbers that are recessed into the home’s facade (stone, brick, etc.) can be difficult to read. Painting them can add curb appeal value. Additionally, the house numbers on your mailbox need to be clear, complete, and easy to read, as well.

House numbers are functional, but don’t have to be boring. Mounted on a tile or stenciled on a glass transom window, you can make your house numbers work to your curb appeal’s advantage.

6. Planters

A large pot or a pair of planters, overflowing with seasonal plants will do wonders for curb appeal.

Whether opting for flowers or greenery or a mix of both, placing a planter or two near the front door is a quick and easy way to create a welcoming environment.

7. Driveway

Your home’s driveway contributes to curb appeal more than you can imagine. As one of your home’s largest features, it’s impossible to visually ignore if a driveway is in terrible shape.

Similarly, an extra lovely and well maintained driveway is also impossible to visually ignore.

Yes, the driveway needs to be functional, but it can also be given a bit of character.

If your driveway is a rectangle, consider landscaping on either side.

An arbor built over part of the driveway adds charm to the front of your house (and can add some protection for vehicles parked under it, as well!).

If a curved or circular driveway works with your yard, opt for those as their natural shape is visually appealing.

Brick, gravel, or concrete paver driveways are other options that can be great aesthetically.

And if your current concrete driveway is in good condition, staining it can improve its appearance.

If your driveway is chipped or has potholes, consider hiring our asphalt driveway crack repair services.

8. Lawn

Check for bare spots or weed infestations in your lawn.

Remove all weeds and re-seed or sod the bare areas.

If areas around your walkways, driveway, trees, etc. could benefit from a trim, take the time to do that.

9. Flower Beds

Along the driveway, across the front of the house, near other pathways or the doorway, and even at the street, flower beds can greatly enhance curb appeal.

Opting for tall specimens of plants between properties helps to delineate your yard and gives you and your neighbors added privacy. In addition to flowers and plants, rock features and rock gardens contribute to the beauty of a home’s curb appeal as well.

10.Shrubs

Shrubbery allowed to go unattended negatively impacts curb appeal. Homes appear overwhelmed by shrubs allowed to grow too large for the front of a home. These shrubs obscure windows, block natural light from flowing into the home, and can make it near impossible to walk along a sidewalk or even enter a door.

The good news is, pruning is easy, inexpensive, and one of the quickest ways to boost curb appeal. If shrubbery is so overgrown it can not be attractively pruned, remove the shrubs completely. Replace them with various plantings that add both texture and color, as well as enhance your home’s architecture.

Protip: Make sure that your shrubs and trees are healthy. Nothing will ruin your curb appeal like unsightly half-dead trees. Not sure how to check? Here’s quick and easy ways to know if your trees are healthy.

11. Walls and Fences

While more expensive than some other curb appeal enhancements, adding walls or fences can give a property great character.

Whether opting for stone, brick, or wood, a wall can help define a property’s border and provide texture and a backdrop for landscaping.

12. Lighting

Landscape lighting adds warmth and can highlight a home’s special architectural features, trees, or plantings. Choose decorative fixtures that compliment your home’s style in both the daytime and after dark.

To see how Coastal Paving can help you increase your property’s curb appeal, contact us today! We can’t wait to hear from you!

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