Reasons to increase your house’s curb appeal are easy to find. Whether you want to clean up your yard to make your house more appealing to potential buyers or you just want a nicer place to come home to at the end of the day, some good curb appeal tips can take your front yard from unkempt to unmissable.
Even if you’ve never had a green thumb, you don’t have to resign yourself to being the neighborhood eyesore. There are plenty of steps you can take to make your property more appealing that have nothing to do with gardening. Your yard is an essential part of your curb appeal, sure, but there are other ways to increase curb appeal, too.
Of course, you will have to put in some work, but it’ll all be worth it when you stand back and admire what you’ve accomplished. Here are our best tips on how to make that happen.
1. Get your landscaping in order.
Now, the simplest way for you to get a complete overhaul of your front landscaping is to hire a landscaping company to do it for you. They’ll take care of your planting and lawn care needs. There’s something to be said for designing your yard yourself and putting in all the hard work necessary to increase your curb appeal, but not all of us have that kind of dedication or knowledge. Call in the pros if you want a whole transformation.
On the other hand, you can probably do some simple landscaping tasks on your own. You could, for example, plant a bed of bright flowers along your driveway. It’s a great way to define the space and offer a pop of color.
2. Install outdoor lighting.
If you’re putting all this effort into your landscaping, you’ll want to be sure everyone can admire it any time of day or night. That’s where outdoor lighting comes in. You can place it around your pathways and garden to increase curb appeal when the sun goes down. Replacing the lights around your front door can also add a nice little aesthetic bump. You can pick fixtures that match your style to increase curb appeal and your self expression.
This is one of those curb appeal tips that has many other benefits, too. Putting in the right outdoor lighting can be a security boost, too, adding to your peace of mind.
If you’re working with a landscaping company, they can often include outdoor lighting as part of their design. Definitely keep that in mind if you’re looking for that complete overhaul we mentioned in the first section.
3. Get new hardware.
This is definitely one of the easier curb appeal tips on this list. There’s nothing too difficult about picking out a new mailbox, house numbers, and maybe a door pull. You can decide to swap out just one hardware element, or you can opt for a whole makeover. If you’re switching up more than one element, try to make sure they all go together. For example, they could all be the same color or made out of the same material. That’s a quick way to freshen up your curb appeal.
4. Put up window boxes.
Bright flowers just underneath your windows can work wonders for a plain house. Pick out some of your favorites and slap them up under your windows. You can either buy the boxes or make them yourself, depending on how handy you are. And then, of course, you have to take good care of the flowers. It would be a pretty fleeting curb appeal tip if you just put them up and forgot all about it.
If gardening isn’t really your thing, don’t worry. We’ve got other curb appeal tips that are more up your alley. Like…
5. Paint your front door.
The DIY curb appeal tips on this list don’t get much easier than this one. All you have to do is find a paint color you like (that goes with the rest of your house) and
Do keep in mind any Homeowner’s Association requirements when you’re doing any kind of external renovations like this. Painting your front door may not seem like a big deal, and it’s not for many people, but some HOAs will want to approve your color choice before you can move ahead. We’ll mention this here, but it applies to a lot of the different ways you can increase curb appeal.
6. Make a grand entrance.
We already mentioned how much of an impact a fresh coat of paint on your front door can make, but there are other ways to make sure your guests are wowed by entering your property. Not only can you dress up your front door with molding, you can add an impressive gate or arbor to the entrance point of your yard.
If you’ve got a rickety old fence and dilapidated gate, it’s a good idea to replace them for safety reasons, and getting something aesthetically pleasing can be a way to increase curb appeal in the process. You can even mix it up by adding in an archway. There are plenty of ways to stun guests and passersby with an eye-catching entrance, whether to your home or yard.
7. Replace gutters and downspouts.
Nobody gets excited about gutters. We get it — they’re not a very fun way to increase curb appeal. However, these kinds of curb appeal tips are important in ensuring the integrity of your yard. Leaky gutters can be a drainage nightmare, and if you add downspout extenders, you can keep pesky water out of your basement. This one goes a lot farther than just curb appeal, but old gutters are also an eyesore. By replacing them, you’re increasing your curb appeal and making sure water isn’t going where it’s not supposed to. It’s a win-win.
8. Put up some art.
Not all installations in your yard have to be organic. Placing a sculpture you really love can give your property a little personality and reflect your unique tastes. Plus, you won’t have to water it. This is one of those curb appeal tips that doesn’t require any maintenance, and those are few and far between, so take advantage of it.
9. Give the driveway some love.
Your driveway might seem like a vast expanse of concrete with no potential for curb appeal tips, but we’re here to prove you wrong. You can start by pulling any weeds that have cropped up in the cracks. Once that’s done, you can resurface the driveway if you choose. You can also place pavers on either side, adding a nice border to the different areas of your property.
You can also get a whole new driveway — sometimes it’s best to start with a clean slate. If that’s the boat you’re in, then you’ll need to carefully consider your options for materials. Gravel, concrete, asphalt, and pavers are some of the possibilities. Each has its own properties and ways to increase curb appeal, so do your research before deciding.
10. Don’t be a doormat (but do have a cute one).
For the shop and dump types out there, this is a great way to increase curb appeal. Just pick out a welcome mat that speaks to you and place it right outside your front door. Curb appeal tips really don’t get any simpler than that.
11. Optimize your porch.
Porches are excellent opportunities to increase curb appeal. If you don’t have one, you can skip this point, but if you do, we’ve got plenty of ideas for you.
What you can do with your porch is largely dependant on how big it is. If you’ve got enough room for a seating area, take advantage of that. You can’t get much more quaint than rocking chairs on a front porch, and if that’s the kind of way you’d like to increase curb appeal, then go for it. If you want a more modern touch, you can get some curtains to go around your porch, and you can pick out some sleeker furniture.
You also can’t go wrong with a porch swing. Lay down an outdoor rug that matches your color palate, place the kind of seating you prefer, and boom, you’ve got a picturesque porch.
12. Plant a tree (but plan it out first).
This is another pretty quick way to increase curb appeal. However, it’s going to require a little bit of forethought and some maintenance once you’ve got it in the ground. You don’t want to plant a tree too close to your house — the shade can be great, but the roots can also cause quite a few headaches. You should also keep any underground components (like irrigation pipes or drainage systems) in mind when planting. Make sure you’re not digging anywhere that’s going to cause problems.
13. Keep an eye on the roof.
When most people think of curb appeal tips, they’re probably thinking about the ground level — landscaping, mailboxes, driveways, all stuff on the ground. However, you also need to make sure your roof isn’t ruining all your efforts by capping off your house in an unsightly way.
Sometimes a good cleaning is all your roof needs. Other times, there are structural issues that need to be taken care of, both to increase curb appeal and to keep your home structurally sound.
This is one of those curb appeal tips that you probably want to let a professional handle. Scratch the DIY bug elsewhere and let roofers do their jobs.
14. Clean it all up.
How much difference a good pressure washing can make might amaze you. Sometimes even a regular old garden hose will do the trick. If that’s not enough power for you, you can rent a power washer for the day and really go to town on your decks, siding, driveway, or walkway.
For those going the pressure washing route, don’t wield that power lightly. Keep it far enough away from windows and doors that it won’t damage them. You should read up on operating power washers safely before using one, but we probably don’t have to remind you of that.
15. Keep it symmetrical (or don’t).
Okay, we get it, this might seem like a nonsensical curb appeal tip. But all we’re trying to say is that you need to pay attention to how all of your landscaping elements play off of one another. Symmetry is visually pleasing, and it can give off put together, purposeful vibes. Arranging lights, potted plants, and other elements in this way can increase curb appeal by giving your yard and house a polished look.
If you prefer a wilder place, though, ditch the symmetry. That doesn’t mean you can just place things anywhere and have the final result turn out pretty, but it does mean that you get to make the rules.
16. Upgrade your irrigation system.
So this isn’t one of the fancier items on the list. We get it. Irrigation systems don’t seem to have a lot to do with curb appeal tips on the surface. However, if your lawn isn’t getting enough water, it’s not going to look all that great. A big way to increase curb appeal is by making sure you have a healthy, lush, green lawn.
Curb appeal tips are just the beginning.
We’ve given you all our best curb appeal tips to help you take your house to the next level. Whether you’re just wanting to impress your neighbors, or you’re dressing your house up to be more appealing to potential buyers, ways to increase curb appeal are always welcome. We’ve listed out plenty of them here.
However, if you don’t act on any of these curb appeal tips, they’re pretty worthless. The next step is getting out there and getting your hands dirty — or hiring someone to do it for you. You’ll also need to stay on top of maintaining whatever work you do to increase curb appeal.
So get out there! Take your favorite curb appeal tips and get to work.
