5 Ways to Crank Up Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Whether you’re looking to put your home on the market, or just want to enjoy your outdoor space more, there are dozens of small changes you can make that will spruce up your home’s appearance and make your neighbors jealous. Giving your home a makeover doesn’t have to take a long time or cost a lot.

You’d be surprised at the huge difference something as small as a fresh coat of paint on your shutters or a new porch light can make. Bring some color to your home and front lawn with new flowers in beds, window boxes, and planters. Put in some landscape lighting to create a unique and magical ambiance after dark. Replace those old, worn outdoor fixtures, and invest in some outdoor furniture to make your space more inviting.

1 – Use Window Boxes and Planters

Arranging plants around your porch and front door is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to bring some class and color to your entryway, to attract buyers, win that local home award, impress the folks next door, or simply feel better about the impression your home makes from the curb. 

Arrange flowering plants, potted trees, and other greenery in planters on either side of your door; use matching planters and plantings for striking symmetry. Train climbers, like jasmine, wisteria, or honeysuckle around your front entryway or windows for a Victorian touch. Window boxes are perfect for adding color and depth to your exterior décor.

2 – Paint Windows, Shutters, and Doors

A fresh coat of paint can breathe new life into exterior doors, shutters, and wooden window frames. Paint your front door and shutters to match; choose a shade that coordinates well with the color of your siding. Freshen up door and window frames with a gleaming coat of white paint. It’s easy enough to paint your own front door, but if the painting prep work is too much for you, search for “house painters near me” to have your painting job done professionally. It may be safer to hire professionals to paint shutters and window frames that require a ladder to reach, anyway.

3 – Install Landscape Lighting

Thoughtfully arranged landscape lighting can create a stunning visual that will make your home truly eye-catching after dark, as well as guiding guests and residents safely to and from the front entryway after hours. Plenty of landscape lighting options exist, ranging from the bold and dramatic to the soft and subtle. Showcase your home with uplighting, incorporate fairy lights into your garden décor, invest in light-up planters, or simply push some solar lanterns into the soil of your front yard and garden bed. You’re limited only by your creativity.

4 – Replace Outdoor Fixtures

Door knobs, locks, porch lights, and mailboxes all get worn over time, and replacing them can update the look of your whole house. Invest in a stylish wall lantern to light the way for your return late at night, and replace your old, run-of-the-mill brass doorknob with a newer, more fashionable one. Maybe it’s time to update your door hardware with a high-tech option that allows you to eschew keys in favor of a fob, smartphone app, or code entered into a keypad, or maybe you’re in the mood for a low-tech but lovely entry set. 

Couple your new door knob or pull with a unique door knocker, and replace your front door or curbside mailbox while you’re at it. Replace those beat-up old house numbers with a new set – make sure they’re visible from the street, so that delivery people, visitors, and first responders can easily find your house. These new touches will go a long way towards giving your home that updated, lovingly maintained look that will set it apart.

5 – Invest in Outdoor Furniture

What good is a beautiful outdoor space if you can’t enjoy it? What happened to the days when people sat on their front porches or in their front gardens, watching the world go by and perhaps enjoying a bit of conversation with their neighbors? Bring those old days back. Put in a front porch swing, or install a bench in the shade of that tree out front. Search second hand stores, antique shops, tag sales, flea markets, and architectural salvage yards for potential porch and front yard pieces. Outdoor furniture makes your home seem more inviting, and gives you a cozy place to entertain friends and family in the fresh air.

It’s not difficult or costly to improve your home’s appearance, whether it’s for your own satisfaction or to make your home more marketable. With a little creativity and a small investment of time and money, your home can boast the kind of curb appeal normally found on glossy magazine pages. In no time, you’ll have friends and family begging to know how you did it.

Gail P
I am a beachy type of person, living in Newport Beach, and oftentimes I’ll go for a swim with my daughter. When I’m bored, I’ll help make package boxes for my little girl’s sticker company on Etsy.