How To Improve Your Curb Appeal
Things You Can Do Right Now to Improve Your Curb Appeal
One of the best ways to boost your home’s value is by improving its curb appeal. In addition to adding this extra equity to your home, enhancing your curb appeal is an important part of routine home maintenance. Let’s discuss the reasons why it’s important to improve your curb appeal, along with actionable ideas for getting you started on it today.
3 Reasons to Improve Your Curb Appeal
You might’ve already decided it’s time to improve your home’s curb appeal, or maybe you still need some convincing as to why it’s a good idea. To help you decide what’s best for your home’s exterior, value, and neighborhood, let’s discuss 3 reasons why you should consider improving your curb appeal.
1. Refresh an Outdated Look
It might be time for a refresh! Making the decision to improve your curb appeal is a great way to refresh your home’s potentially outdated exterior. Not only will improving your home’s curb appeal refresh its outdated exterior, but it will also increase your home’s value, present a more inviting appearance for guests, and maintain the standards of the neighborhood. You will benefit from this fresh new feeling of your home’s exterior, and so will your neighbors and guests.
2. Increase Your Home’s Value
When done properly, improving your home’s curb appeal can yield you a positive return on your investment. Boosting your curb appeal can increase the value of your home, which can be helpful when trying to refinance or sell your home.
In addition to providing a tangible increase in value, improving your curb appeal also makes it more visually appealing in the eyes of real estate agents and buyers. Making a great first impression by having a welcoming exterior can make your home a must-see when scheduling showings, appeal to more buyers, and sell faster.
3. Maintain HOA Standards
If you reside in a neighborhood that has an HOA, maintaining your home’s curb appeal could possibly be a requirement. Oftentimes HOAs have specific requirements and minimum standards for the exteriors of the homes in their neighborhood. These standards can include lawn maintenance, allowable front door colors, landscaping guidelines, and more.
While HOA standards for your home’s exterior must be frustrating to some homeowners, they help maintain the positive reputation of the community along with providing a welcoming environment for guests and neighbors. By maintaining the appearance of the community, residents benefit from these more inviting homes, improved safety, and boosted home values.
4 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Now that we understand why curb appeal is important for increasing its value, maintaining HOA standards, and refreshing an outdated exterior, let’s explore 4 different ways homeowners can improve their curb appeal. Each suggestion has its own degree of difficulty and expense.
1. Pressure Wash or Replace Your Siding
Depending on the type of siding you have, you can refresh your home’s curb appeal by pressure washing, repainting, or replacing your siding. Refreshing your home’s siding by power washing is a great way to breathe new life into a tired-looking exterior. Power washing can remove years of build-up from your siding, taking your home’s exterior from dull to polished.
Choosing a new paint color or replacing your siding altogether is another great way to improve your curb appeal. Choosing a fresh new color for your home that goes with the style of the house and the neighborhood can give your home an entirely new feel. While repainting or replacing your siding can be a more involved and expensive option than some of the other ideas on this list, it will yield a positive return on your investment if done properly.
Standard Zeeland Roofing & Siding supplies a range of siding options to match any home’s style. Shop Standard Zeeland Roofing & Siding for vinyl, cedar, or fiber cement siding from top manufacturers like LP SmartSide, TruExterior, James Hardie, and Gentek.
2. Replace Your Front Door
Refresh your home’s exterior by updating the most welcoming part of it: your front door! Switching out your front door is a simple yet effective way to improve your curb appeal.
You can add a pop of color with fiberglass doors, provide a traditional look with wood doors, or go modern with steel doors. When debating wood vs. fiberglass doors, you really can’t go wrong with either choice. They’re both great options and it’s up to your personal preference and the needs of your space.
Standard Supply & Lumber proudly carries Therma-Tru Doors for their high-quality craftsmanship, exceptional durability, and superior security. Therma-Tru’s exterior door solutions won’t rust, warp, rot, or dent. With more than four times the insulating properties of wood, Therma-Tru doors also provide function by keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When looking to replace your front door and improve your home’s curb appeal, Therma-Tru Doors are a great option. To learn more about Therma-Tru Doors, contact our exterior door experts here.
If replacing your front door is outside of your current budget for your curb appeal overhaul, you also have the option of painting your front door, switching out the hardware, and adding decorative items like wreaths and rugs. No matter the size of your budget, there are still options for improving your curb appeal. It’s all about finding the right options for you.
3. Install New Outdoor Lighting
While it might seem like a small change, installing new outdoor lighting can have a significant impact on your home’s curb appeal. Switching out old sconces, pathway lights, and string lights for new, fresh versions can make your home look more updated and inviting.
Having bright exterior lighting in the evening is also a great way to keep your home safe and allow your beautifully updated exterior to still be visible. After doing the work to improve your home’s curb appeal, it should be visible to neighbors and visitors in the evening and nighttime as well.
If you don’t want to get involved with the wiring requirements for sconces, there are other options that don’t require an electrician. Consider adding solar pathway lights for your walkways and garden edges, along with string lights that can easily be hung across your porch.
4. Update and Maintain Your Landscaping
Updating your landscaping is a great way to improve your curb appeal without needing to hire professionals, rewire your exterior outlets, or replace any doors in your home. With a little bit of effort and some intentional plant choices, you can improve your home’s curb appeal all on your own with landscaping.
A few ideas for updating your landscaping to improve your curb appeal include:
- Placing flower pots or hanging baskets on your porch
- Adding shrubs, trees, or bushes
- Planting a new garden
- Adding window boxes filled with plants to your porch
In addition to updating your landscaping, executing routine maintenance on it every season is another way to improve your curb appeal. Raking leaves, pulling weeds, removing dead branches, fertilizing the lawn, and more, are all great places to start when it comes to routine lawn maintenance. Once you’ve started maintaining your yard, it will become easier every year. If this is not something you want to dedicate your time to, you can always contract it out to a lawn maintenance company.
Start Your Project With Standard Supply & Lumber.
Standard Supply & Lumber carries a wide range of high-quality products to help you improve your curb appeal. Whether you’ve decided to switch out your home’s front door or replace its siding, our experts are here to help you choose the right products for your project. For product questions, pricing information, and more, contact us online or visit us in stores!
