11 Budget-Friendly Curb Appeal Ideas
We all want visitors and families to feel welcome when they visit our homes. You also want your home’s exterior looking its best when you are getting ready to sell. Whether you are planning on staying in your home for a few more years or preparing to sell it because you want to move to Dallas, TX, these budget-friendly curb appeal ideas will keep your home’s exterior looking beautiful, and better yet, you can complete them in just a few hours.
The great thing is most of these curb appeal ideas are simple projects that can be accomplished for less than $150, depending on the brands you choose to buy. Improvements like these will make your home look stunning from the outside, and boost your home’s curb appeal – and possible home value – when you go to list it for sale in an often competitive US Housing Market.
1. Illuminate with outdoor lighting
Outdoor lighting is one of the easiest ways to brighten and update your home’s exterior. Most homeowners shy away from projects involving electrical work, but if you’re up to the task adding outdoor lighting can be straightforward, especially if you are familiar with standard safety precautions. If you are not comfortable with this type of work consider hiring an electrician to assist you.
Choose an outdoor lighting fixture appropriate for your style of home and décor – there are many stores that sell attractive fixtures starting at around $30. Turn off the power, connect the new fixture, and prepare to be delighted by this curb appeal idea when you turn the power back on.
2. Refresh your front door with a new coat of paint
If you’ve always had a front door that blends into the exterior of your home, it may be intimidating at first to step up your game and paint the front door in a contrasting color. But a bold, bright front door helps your home stand out and adds a warm, inviting feel—a gallon of exterior paint costs around $25. It’s a small amount of work for a huge impact on your home’s character.
3. Update your exterior hardware
Does your hardware, such as doorknobs, doorbell or door knocker, and house numbers date back a couple of decades? With small, relatively inexpensive details like hardware, you can express your home’s personality and style. Do you appreciate a modern look even though your home is anything but? House numbers with clean lines might be perfect for you. Check online for stores that sell these items to find something that speaks to you. These new decorations will enhance the look of your home’s exterior.
4. Add potted plants, flowers and window boxes
Flowers add a welcoming touch to any setting. Whether you set them next to your front door, on the front porch, under a window or along your walk, flowers and plants add a burst of color and design. Choose flower pots or window boxes that fit your style and personality – contrasting colors also work well here. Plant brightly colored annuals to add curb appeal and invite anyone passing by to take a closer look.
5. Clean up your landscaping
Before planning any project to enhance curb appeal, it helps to start with a blank canvas. Trim back any overgrown bushes or plants around the exterior of the home. Mow and edge the lawn to give it a manicured, well-maintained look. If your home landscape is too much to handle consider hiring a landscaper to help. They can have your front yard looking great in no time. When you take time to clean up the landscaping, you’ll get a better idea of other changes that will improve your home’s appearance.
6. Refresh the entryway and porch
If you live somewhere with constant sun, like Miami, FL, your entryway and porch can quickly look dated due to the amount of sun exposure it gets. After spending a few years in your home your front porch can become dull and dirty. Clean off the wood trim around doors, windows and the front porch. How’s the paint?
A fresh coat or two will immediately improve the look of your front porch. Whether you choose a neutral color or something bright, new paint will cover up any blemishes or wood damage caused by weather or wear and tear. This easy fix comes in at the cost of paint – $25-30 a gallon – and should be a curb appeal no-brainer. This curb appeal idea could make all the difference.
7. Wash the exterior of your home
When you wash the exterior of your home – which most of us don’t do often enough – you remove dust and other environmental grime that can’t help but give your home a dirty look. You might even be surprised at the color of your siding. In most cases, a regular garden hose with a high-pressure nozzle will do the trick. You can rent a pressure washer if you don’t already own one. If there is enough dirt and grime to justify using a pressure washer, be careful – the extra pressure can damage trim and siding and cause the paint to flake off. If this is the case, consider hiring a team of professionals to take on the task. They can get the job done quickly and there is no risk of damaging your home’s exterior.
8. Clean the windows
No one likes to look through spotted and streaked windows. You’ll be amazed at how much cleaner and brighter your home seems when your windows are spot-free. This is an easy and budget-friendly project to improve curb appeal. If you have tilt-out or crank out windows, wipe them down with warm water, vinegar, and dish soap to have them sparkling in no time. Rinse and thoroughly dry with lint-free towels, microfiber towels, or even newspaper, which many people swear by. If you have large or hard to reach windows use a window washing company that can assist you in making your windows look brand new.
9. Paint your garage doors
Garage doors rarely get any love. They work hard every day, yet we let them fade and accumulate dust and dirt. Wash your garage door thoroughly and find a nice color of paint to bring it back to life. Just like with the front door, a bright or bold color that complements the rest of the house, will boost curb appeal. Or going for a nice neutral color is great too. If you don’t think your painting skills are up to the task, think about hiring a painter to help.
10. Clean or update outdoor furniture
By default, outdoor furniture weathers, and frays, even under the care of an attentive homeowner. A great curb appeal idea is to clean up frames and consider a coat of exterior paint for an updated look. You can also replace the old fabric or find new cushions and pillows in designs to showcase your style. Exterior fabric from the craft store is inexpensive and requires only basic sewing skills. Clean, updated outdoor furniture can go a long way to realize one of the curb appeal ideas you have for your home.
11. Add small accents
While you will spend a little bit of money, you can make your front porch or entryway more inviting with a custom doormat, brightly colored flower pots, and solar lights along the walk. For a small investment, consider these little accents to improve your curb appeal.
You don’t need to take on every one of these projects. By completing just a few small budget-friendly improvements, you can add a number of curb appeal ideas to your home – for your enjoyment now and for any prospective buyer down the line. See how to increase your home appraisal value.
Originally posted on Redfin May 19, 2020