Curb appeal is that extra something that our customers add to the front of their homes that makes passersby do a double-take. Some homeowners want home renovations to enhance their home’s curb appeal for no particular reason or because they want their house to stand out from its neighbors or because adding more home curb appeal is a fun project. Others enhance their curb appeal because they’re going to put their house on the market and a pleasing frontage will help the house sell faster. Here are some appealing exterior home renovation ideas from our professionals to add some curb appeal:
Swap Out the Hardware
One thing that can be done in less than a day is to swap out the hardware. If the light fixture on the porch ceiling is uninspiring, or indeed, if it’s nothing but a bare bulb, now’s the time to replace it with something much more aesthetically pleasing. Try a wrought iron pendant lamp with hammered glass panels. A boring lockset, mailbox or house numbers can all be replaced with hardware with more pizzazz for not much time or money.
Add Window Boxes
Window boxes are other embellishments that can be installed in less than a day. They can be made of all types of material, including metal or wood. There’s no need to plant seeds and wait for them to germinate. Flowers and plants can be bought at the local nursery and tucked into the window boxes on the same day.
Put Plants on the Steps
A collection of plants on the edge of the steps makes the house look especially welcoming. Brightly colored flowers such as geraniums, gloxinias or gerbera daisies make the welcome that much more cheerful.
Create Symmetry
Symmetry around the entryway gives the home a formal look, but it’s also an inviting aspect of home curb appeal. Flank the steps with the same kind of plants, put two urns full of the same flowers by the front door and place two coach lamps on either side of the door. Flank lanterns, door, and urns with windows painted the same color as the door.
Spruce Up the Front Door
The door is the first thing a person notices when they look at a house, so it’s worth it to splurge a bit with this exterior home renovation. Install a new exterior front door, or paint the old one. Even polishing up the metal fixtures on a door improves its look to a surprising degree. If you need help in replacing a door contact our Atlanta remodeling experts for a free quote.
Use Flowering Vines
Flowering vines such as clematis, wisteria, or rambling roses are show stoppers when they are trained in great masses around the front door, especially if the door is painted a bold, complementary color.
Put Some Furniture on the Porch
Make the porch serve as an outdoor living space. Add rocking chairs with comfortable pillows and an occasional table between them to hold drinks, maybe an old buffet table or a mirror on one wall. A colorful indoor/outdoor rug or two will add to the appeal. Furniture encourages friends, neighbors, and prospective buyers to come and sit awhile. Don’t have a porch but thought about adding one, contact FD Remodeling of Atlanta for a quote.
Add Outdoor Lighting
When it comes to exterior renovations, landscape lights have changed the look of many a front yard. Some of these lights only need to be planted in the ground. They soak up energy from the sun during the day and turn on at night. Other are low voltage lights and add surprisingly little to the monthly energy bill. Besides being lovely to look at, they add security and safety.
Beautify the Mailbox
Some mailboxes are right at the entry of the property, so why should they be drab? Let them be part of the home renovations and reflect the preferences and personality of the homeowner. Surround them with plants or paint the post the same color as the front door and window frames. Buy a mailbox that’s a bit more alluring than the standard-issue white box with the red flag. A box made of hammered brass may be just the thing.
Add a Beautiful Gate and Fence
An elegant gate and fence are timeless exterior renovations. An attractive fence can be made out of white pickets or ornate wrought iron, and a gate can be a simple wooden gate with a latch or a wrought iron or latticed wooden arch where climbing roses grow. Some homeowners forego the gate but place masonry pillars at each end of a brick wall. The pillars can be topped with lions, mermaids, polished granite balls or pyramids, or anything else that the homeowner can imagine.
Put in a Planting Bed
Put a planting bed in front of the house or along paths or the driveway. Make sure that the plants have contrasting and complementing colors, heights, and textures. One tip is to plant some flowers that bloom in spring, some that bloom in summer and others that bloom in the fall. Don’t forget plants that give winter interest either through unusual seedpods, colorful branches, or shapes that are best seen when the leaves fall.
