Published by Programme B
People take care of their houses as they would another human being. You want the exterior of your home to reflect the love and warmth you put into the interior. You might have an eye for design, but it can be challenging to increase your curb appeal unless you know exactly what you want for your front yard. Start with these techniques to make your home’s exterior look prettier.
1. Pull the Weeds
If you haven’t tended to your yard in a while, you may notice that much of the grass is made up of weeds. Weeds may also clutter flowerbeds, blocking the street’s view of your beautiful flowers. Many people have an unfavorable opinion of weeds, and when they clutter your yard, they make your home look unkempt.
You may need to dedicate a weekend to go through your yard with a weedeater. If the tool still doesn’t eliminate all the weeds or if they’re close to other plants, consider getting down in the dirt and pulling the remaining weeds yourself. If this doesn’t exactly sound ideal for you however, then all is not lost. You can instead hire a company that offers weed control in Salt Lake City or wherever you live, and they’ll quickly be able to take care of the issues for you. Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll be impressed with how much your home’s appearance improves with just a little weeding!
2. Plant a Garden
Gardens are beneficial for several reasons — you can grow your own vegetables and fruits to provide for your household, they teach you a new skill and they are gorgeous to look at when planted correctly. Whether you choose to have a garden in your front yard may be up to the space you have, but it’s an excellent option for a smaller sitting area.
Plants should be treated with care, as they can be delicate, especially in harsh weather. Flowers may not always be the most viable garden option for winter, but they can add a pop of color to an otherwise green lawn. The best flowers for your garden can be cut and put in a vase inside once they’ve served their purpose outdoors — so look for beautiful, resilient flowers like peonies and black-eyed Susans.
3. Add Some Landscaping
A tidy and well-kept lawn is beautiful, but it doesn’t feature anything to draw the eye. Landscaping, such as adding interesting features or natural elements like trees, can make your home appear much more attractive from the street.
You want to create an enticing and beautiful front yard to increase curb appeal. Landscaping can be costly — upwards of $50 per hour — but relying on a professional to improve the look of your lawn can ensure that you get the quality you want. You can try to add landscaping features yourself, but you may find that it takes more time and money than you thought it would.
4. Decorate Seasonally
What better way to celebrate the comings and goings of seasons than to decorate appropriately? Decorating will increase your curb appeal and inform others that you love living in your home and can celebrate every day.
Make your door the focal point of your home’s exterior by highlighting it with a seasonally appropriate wreath. You can learn to DIY wreaths independently or supplement your entryway with decor from a store. By accentuating the beauty of your front door with a wreath, you may make guests feel more welcome in your home.
5. Repaint Your Exterior
As time goes on, bright paint fades. Your home may look duller than it used to. If power washing the grime off of your home doesn’t bring back its shine, consider applying a new coat of paint that will breathe life back into your home. Using a neutral color, like white, brown or gray, can give your house a fresh appearance without making it stand out too much — and potentially in a negative way.
Bricks are easy enough to handle, but the tricky part of painting comes when your home is made of another material, like vinyl siding. Vinyl siding can be a bit more challenging to handle. Because vinyl expands depending on the temperature, you need a paint that is specifically designed for vinyl siding, else you’ll end up with cracking, peeling siding. If you want to change your siding’s color, choose a lighter hue, as it won’t attract as much heat as darker colors, leading to less potential for warping.
6. Create Walkways
The right walkway can spice up your curb appeal. Anything from stepping stones to concrete paths, including the option to install interlocking pavers, will delight your guests and give them somewhere solid to walk without fear of walking through dirt or potential pests. Plus, you can adorn your path with colorful flowers or dynamic plants. You can install interlocking pavers to enhance the beauty, adding durability and ease of maintenance to your walkway.
If you already have a path to the front door of your home, brainstorm ways you can make it friendlier or look more beautiful from the curb. Can you fill in the cracks? Is it clean, or are weeds popping up through it? Keeping a neat walkway is just as crucial as the walkway itself.
Keep Your Home Beautiful Inside and Out
When you want your home to look nice, you have to consider both the interior and the exterior. Your interior design may be exquisite, but it won’t help your curb appeal. To increase your curb appeal, you must tackle any messes in your front yard and leave it shining and beautiful — just like you envisioned it from the start.
Photo by Vlado Paunovic from Pexels