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Improving a home’s curb appeal is done for numerous reasons: Get the building ready for a sale, maintain the house’s structure and materials, and even burnish the owner’s neighborhood pride.
If you’re getting your house in shape to put on the market, keep in mind that sellers are notorious for overestimating the value of their castle and assuming buyers will envision the property’s potential for improvement even before any fixes are made. Shoppers, however, see the here and now. Making updates to a home’s exterior can be the difference between interested buyers stopping their cars or driving on to the next offer on the market.
If you plan to take on any of these projects yourself, be sure to consider all the costs that go into home improvement before starting. For example, you don't want to take a sledgehammer to your driveway without having a dumpster ready for the debris. Not sure what a dumpster costs? Sometimes getting an estimate can be as easy as searching for "dumpster near me." Other times, you may need to call up companies to learn rental fees, rental periods and the types of materials they accept.
Before you get to that step, here’s a list of wallet-friendly ways to improve the curb appeal of your home.
Cladding
Adding an exterior protective wall or surface to a home shields the building’s structure from natural elements and gives the walls a facelift. Pallside cladding, which originated in Australia, is a popular choice because the vinyl layer withstands extreme temperatures, protects against fire and salt and is reasonably priced. The thin layer also insulates a home and reduces energy costs.
Driveway Paving
The driveway is an important and often overlooked part of a home’s presence. The paving is one of the first things people see and deteriorating gravel can reflect poorly on the building it leads to. Keeping a driveway in neat condition is a must. You may need to repave or resurface as well as remove unwanted clutter around the edges. Building under a driveway to add a garage extension, for example, can add value, but not necessarily improve the curb appeal.
Living in the south and want a home with great curb appeal? Here are houses for sale Fayetteville, AR.
Courtesy of Flickr / Hickr
The right doors and winds can be an excellent investment for security and better insulation. Double glazed or even triple glazed windows are recommended. Replace any panes or frames that are looking tired. A coat of paint can help with minor weathering. Replacing windows with cracking or splitting frames is usually best. For the door, a coat of paint can do a lot to improve a buyer’s impression of a home and let visitors know a house is well-maintained.
Do the Yard
Cutting the lawn and pruning the bushes may seem like obvious tweaks that every homeowner would do, but they’re often overlooked. The front yard should be tidy, low maintenance have some color. Plants are best placed in pots and the lawn neatly cut. Trim the hedges or even consider replacing ones that are a bear to maintain. Weed the lawn, flower beds and pathways. Repaint those fences and walls to ensure they look their best.
Lighting
Not everyone visits a house in the daytime. The right lighting can make the driveway or entryway more dramatic or homey. Security lights can also be a smart choice, although depending on where you live you may need to deal with the sensors being set off by little critters.
Your Mailbox
Who cares about a mailbox, right? Having an old, battered or leaning mail drop can quickly impact curb appeal, often for the worse. Changing out or just repainting your letterbox is an easy and low-cost fix, probably just requiring a couple of hours of a weekend.
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