10 Ways To Create Curb Appeal
Ten ways to create curb appeal. No matter if you are trying to make your home more attractive to potential buyers or just sprucing up to suit yourselves or the HOA, these curb appeal tips are all viable.
As homeowners, we have experienced the need to create curb appeal when we had our home listed for sale. After we moved into an HOA neighborhood, we needed to follow the rules and keep our front yard neat and appealing.
We have done all ten of these things to keep our curb appeal strong.
We begin with some outdoors Spring Cleaning. Pressure washing will result in an immediate noticeable difference.
Table of Contents
- 1. PRESSURE WASHING OUTDOOR AREAS
- 2. ADD NEW MULCH TO THE FLOWER BEDS
- 3. TAKE CARE OF YOUR LAWN
- 4. ADD ANNUAL FLOWERS & PLANTS
- 5. ADD PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS
- 6. CLEAN, REPAIR, REPLACE, OR ADD GUTTERS
- 7. SPRUCE UP YOUR MAILBOX
- 8. GIVE THE FRONT DOOR SOME TLC
- 9. OUTDOOR LIGHTING
- 10. PAINT
1. PRESSURE WASHING OUTDOOR AREAS
Hubby ordered this handy little attachment for the pressure washer, and it saved a bunch of time. This task would take more than twice as long without the Hard Surface Cleaner attachment. (Amazon affiliate link)
What To Pressure Wash
- Brick house
- Porches
- Driveway
- Concrete patio
- Sidewalk in front of your house
- Mailbox
2. ADD NEW MULCH TO THE FLOWER BEDS
BEFORE
All of our beds had black cedar chips when we bought our home, which seemed to be fairly new, so we left them. However, two summers later, those chips looked terrible. We were having trouble keeping some plants alive in the soil and wondered if those colored cedar chips might have something to do with it. We decided to remove them all and replace them with a natural element, pine straw.
AFTER
Raking all those wood cedar chips from the beds turned out to be quite the job. I’m not sure which job is worse, raking out the old mulch or putting down the new pine straw. Either way, the final result really perks up the curb appeal! The flowers and shrubs seem to be enjoying their new mulch, too.
Be sure to keep all of your flower beds weed free.
3. TAKE CARE OF YOUR LAWN
EDGE THE LAWN
Edging the lawn after mowing adds a nice finishing touch to any yard. You do not need to buy a special tool to edge the yard. It can be done with a weed eater, which you probably already own.
Water the grass, shrubs, trees, and flower beds during the growing season.
During the heat of the summer with no rain, the lawn should be watered at least 3 times per week.
Always water early in the morning when there is dew on the ground, and the air temperatures are at their lowest, so the water will soak into the ground. Some grass seed and fertilizer companies recommend that watering in the evening will invite disease due to the ground being wet overnight.
4. ADD ANNUAL FLOWERS & PLANTS
Adding color to the porch or entry is always a nice touch for curb appeal. I enjoy adding colorful annual flowers to my front porch every Spring. This year, we added Petunia hanging baskets to a double shepherd’s hook in a front bed and Begonia in the planters on the porch.
We have this Geranium still blooming from last summer, which amazes me because it has continued to bloom year-round! Now I want to see how many years it will last. Go HERE to see my trick for saving dirt when filling a larger flower container.
We added hanging basket hooks to our front porch this year so we could hang ferns, which we both love for how big and lush they get in the summer. Ferns grow well and tolerate the heat here in the south. They also add a classic look to a southern front porch.
5. ADD PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS
You will save time, money, and effort if you add perennials to your flower beds like Day Lilies or Hosta.
Last year, we attended a Master Gardener Flower Show in search of locally grown Hosta and were not disappointed. Hopefully, we can keep these perennials alive to thrive. They have the potential, with proper care, to continue to grow larger every year and fill in lots of space in our front flower beds.
Once the Hosta was in the ground, they looked so small and spread apart, but we know they will grow and become larger year after year. We learned the hard way that Hosta dies back during the off season. They are a shade-loving perennial, so keep that in mind when you are making plans for your beds.
Notice the baby Japanese Boxwoods behind the Hosta. There are full grown Boxwoods on the other side of the porch, but there were none on this side when we bought the house several years ago. Keeping shrubs symmetrical creates a well organized look, so we added these, but we will have to be patient and wait years for them to catch up. It will be worth it eventually. They did prove to be big enough for decorating with Christmas lights, so that was fun!
Be sure to keep all of your shrubs and hedges neatly trimmed.
6. CLEAN, REPAIR, REPLACE, OR ADD GUTTERS
Our home had dilapidated gutters and very few downspouts. In one area, there was a hole in the gutter, which caused a giant mess on the ground when it rained. We bit the bullet, got a few quotes, and added new gutters with the proper amount of downspouts. It totally changed the look of the front of our home.
7. SPRUCE UP YOUR MAILBOX
Repair, replace, or paint your mailbox. Ours is brick, so we cleaned it with the pressure washer and planted some perennials around it for a pop of color.
Don’t forget to replace the house numbers on your mailbox if necessary.
When giving the entryway a little TLC, consider adding door decor like a seasonal wreath. This is my DIY Red, White, and Blue Bandana Wreath. It whips up in a matter of minutes with no skills and no tools.
8. GIVE THE FRONT DOOR SOME TLC
Paint, stain, or wash the front door depending on what the need may be. Update the door hardware for a more modern and fresh look.
Add a nice wreath. We tend to add a little extra decor in the fall, which is my favorite time of the year. Curb appeal isn’t just for summer!
9. OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Clean outdoor light fixtures and make sure all bulbs are working. In some cases, you might need to paint or replace lights.
Solar Path lights can be a nice addition if they fit the style of your home.
10. PAINT
Paint the exterior if needed. Painting is a big one and can be expensive, but if you plan to put your house on the market and it is in need of painting, then just that alone will make a huge difference to curb appeal.
Recap 10 Simple Tips To Create Curb Appeal
- 1. PRESSURE WASHING OUTDOOR AREAS
- 2. ADD NEW MULCH TO THE FLOWER BEDS
- 3. TAKE CARE OF YOUR LAWN
- 4. ADD FLOWERS & PLANTS
- 5. ADD PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS
- 6. CLEAN, REPAIR, REPLACE, OR ADD GUTTERS
- 7. SPRUCE UP YOUR MAILBOX
- 8. GIVE THE FRONT DOOR SOME TLC
- 9. OUTDOOR LIGHTING
- 10. PAINT
That pressure washer attachment looks interesting. Our truck was leaking some type of fluid, so I think this might be what we need to clean it off.
I love this post! My wife and I have been trying to really add to the curb appeal of our home and will definitely try to follow some of these ideas. We also discovered that your garage door can really say a lot about a home. Thanks for the post, Shirley!