If you think you need to break the bank in order to improve your home’s outdoor appearance then you are seriously mistaken. When we bought our fixer-upper home, we had to renovate it on an extremely tight budget. This forced us to think of creative, simple and cost-effective ways of elevating the exterior of our property. So, we know that it is very much possible to upgrade the exterior of your home using affordable and creative methods.
We learned some valuable lessons from our experiences upgrading our fixer-upper. As a result, we have identified 9 easy, low-cost improvements that will add instant curb appeal to your home while giving you the best bang for your buck. Believe it or not, a simple curb appeal makeover not only gives your home a fresh and inviting look, it can also boost the value of your home, as well as peak buyers’ interest when you are selling your property.
Before you start with our 9 steps, there are a couple things you need to do first:
A. Declutter Your Yard
This is a relatively low hanging fruit, and perhaps the most important first step you will need to take before you even consider adding decorative elements for curb appeal. Although it is an important step, it is perhaps the most skipped step of the decorating process. Until you eliminate the junk, you really don’t know what you are dealing with.
By simply getting rid of old, unnecessary items from your yard, removing debris, clearing garbage and removing overgrown foliage, you will instantly enhance the look and feel of your home and importantly, you will be able to easily identify the areas that require improvement.
B. Make a List
After you have decluttered the exterior of your home, try to look at it with fresh eyes in a way that a stranger would. Are you seeing any problems with the windows, walls, lighting fixtures, gutters, driveway, roof etc.? If yes, begin to make a list of the problems and imperfections that are obvious and apparent.
Rank the items on your list based on priority, affordability, etc. and then begin to tackle them one by one starting with the easiest and most affordable. This might be a great time to get input from that friend who you can trust to be totally honest with you. We all have at least one of them!
Table of Contents
1. Pressure Wash
Whether you choose to hire a pressure washing company at an affordable rate or to rent a pressure washing machine, pressure cleaning is an effective way to remove built-up dust and grime. A good wash will brighten areas such as your driveway, walkways, roof, staircases and exterior walls and saves you from having to do a paint job.
PRO-TIP: When pressure-washing be sure to apply the appropriate pressure in order to avoid incurring extra costs. Excessive pressure can destroy paint or move decorative stones or blocks out of place. This is probably the time to hire an experienced professional if you can.
2. Update the Lighting Fixtures
Using the right lighting on the exterior of your home sets a warm, appealing and welcoming tone for your guests, showcases your landscape, enhances security and highlights architecture.
A balanced combination of entryway, driveway and walkway lighting will provide instant night-time curb appeal.
If you already have external light fixtures installed, try refurbishing or cleaning them before you think of purchasing new ones.
PRO-TIP: Use solar lights or LEDs if at all possible for energy saving purposes. LEDs, in particular, tend to be long lasting as well as cheap to run.
3. Upgrade your Front Door
Your front door is typically the first point of entry into your home and for this reason it sets the tone for you and your guests when entering your home. Even if it’s not used as an entrance, front doors are usually positioned in very prominent locations.
You can work in some serious curb appeal by applying a lick of fresh paint to your front door or even something as simple as changing your door handles, knobs and hinges or redoing the trim around the door. If you want to step it up a notch or fancy a bit of bling, add a knocker to your front door.
Depending on the existing colour scheme of your home, you may opt for a bold or cheerfully bright colour that accentuates your external walls and roof colors. Red, green, yellow and blue are perennial all-time favourites and complement traditional style homes very well. Alternatively, you may choose a neutral or subtle shade such as white, grey or brown that blends well with the rest of the external façade.
PRO-TIP: To test out your colours before applying them, there are many apps available such as the Sherwin Williams ColorSnap® Visualizer App that allows you to experiment with and visualize different colours for your front door and home.
4. Brighten up your landscape
Undeniably, landscaping can inject some instant curb appeal into your home’s exterior, but unless you are truly passionate about gardening and blessed with a green thumb, you really don’t want to be committing to a full-time job of maintaining it or having to pay someone to take care of it. Also, if you are hoping for a quick sale or flip of your property, that will limit what you can reasonably do, unless you have a huge budget.
Therefore, from a practical standpoint, it’s best to enhance your landscape using simple, easy-care foliage, shrubs and plants that will brighten your external space but not take up a huge chunk of your time. For example, cacti and succulents tend to be self-sustaining plants and will survive varied climate conditions
If you want to throw in a little bit of lawn, try using grass seeds or small pieces of grass instead of turf rolls. They take longer to get results but are way more affordable. Having tried this inexpensive technique with our own lawn, we know that with a little bit of patience and plenty of watering, it will turn out just as beautiful as turf rolls.
PRO-TIP: If your lawn is choked up with weeds, remove the old lawn entirely, lay top soil, plant your new grass and generously water for a few weeks.
5. Accessorize
- You can create fabulous curb appeal by adding a few seats and chairs to your front porch. Before you ditch your old ones, consider if you can have them re-upholstered by your local upholsterer.
- A swing or hammock can be another excellent addition to your front porch and create a sense of coziness and comfort. It can be the perfect place for rest and relaxation.
- Adding a few decorative plant containers or potted plants in your home’s entry way or creating a few garden beds, is one of the quickest ways to make your home instantly stand out. You can also include a couple of colorful hanging baskets or pots filled with some favourite flowers.
- Install an attractive mailbox, which matches the style of your home.
- Add plant boxes or decorative shutters to your focal windows to add a pop of colour and create visual aesthetics.
- Give your yard a whimsical appeal by throwing in some weather-resistant artwork. Pieces such as metal cutouts and wind chimes are relatively affordable and can be installed very quickly. Make sure they complement the external elements and overall colour scheme of your home.
PRO-TIP: To give your plants and flowers a more interesting appearance, use pots and containers of different heights. If your pots are looking shabby, simply add a fresh coat of paint.
6. Build a DIY Walkway
Not only do bricks, pavers, stepping stones, wood and gravel make your walkway pop but they are an affordable and low-maintenance option. We instantly added curb appeal to the exterior of our fixer-upper home by embedding a few whimsical DIY stepping stones in a lush carpet of Zoysia grass. These give a cute and somewhat magical feel to our garden.
PRO-TIP: Consider your home’s architecture and existing design when selecting the right material for your walkway.
7. Add a Water Feature
If plants and flowers aren’t your thing, don’t worry; not everyone was born with a green thumb. Instead, try adding a DIY water feature. It could be as simple as a bird bath. This will add a sense of serenity to your external home while giving you that curb appeal that you are seeking after.
Pro-Tip: For some amazing DIY water features, check out:
8. House Numbers
Installing a house number is important for both aesthetics and function. In other words, it will instantly add a modern touch to your home while making it easy for the pizza delivery man to find your home.
9. Install a DIY Trellis
This relatively simple construction using a few pieces of wood can add an instant facelift to your home, turn your front lawn into a beauty, add function and maximize outdoor living.
Whether you choose to use your trellis to form an open-air living space, create privacy in your garden or as the backbone for your grapevines, vegetables, climbing plants or blooms, it will create visual appeal and can even be a masterful focal point for your home.
PRO-TIP: Install your trellis in an area where it can be easily viewed and admired by you and your guests and where you can get the most use out of it
What are you waiting for? Try these budget-friendly steps and pro-tips now and in no time you will have your neighbours oohing and aahing. We would also love to hear from you so do remember to drop us a line in the comments section below.
Author
Monique Abbott
Hi, I ’m Monique, founder and editor-in-chief of Yes2Yolo, travel addict, lover of home makeover projects among many other passions, including creative and inspirational writing to embolden us to live our best lives. At my core, I am a creative artistic being and I believe that creativity knows no end.
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I’ve explored over 60 countries with my husband Nick. Together we’ve partnered on some truly exciting projects such as creating and running a successful Airbnb business, chairing condo boards, purchasing fixer-uppers and renovating them from scratch on our own while balancing all of this with full-time jobs and family.
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While my personal passions are travel and home décor, I am, by profession, a lawyer with over 17 years experience.
Great tips!
Thank you so much Michelle.
Great tips Mons!
Thank you Elizabeth