Selling your home? Even if you’re not, it’s important to keep your property in tiptop shape. If you’ve neglected routine maintenance, it’s time to undertake curb appeal renovations and restore the value & grandeur of your home with the help of a landscape contractor and other service professionals. If you’re worried about cost – keep reading.
Most homeowners want to renovate or remodel their homes when needed – hence neglecting the property in the first place – but cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on renovations.
Fortunately, there are some tweaks that you can do to your home that won’t cost a fortune, while doing wonders for the value and appearance of the house, including eco-friendly ideas* for the environmentally-conscious buyers. Check out these home blemishes and the low-cost improvements you can work on to boost your property’s home curb appeal.
With a little bit of work, you can increase your home’s curb appeal in no time!
Add colour to a standard black or brown front door
The front door is one of the first things that a visitor will notice about your home. An attractive front door makes a great first impression. If you have the standard black, brown or grey front door, try giving it some punch and add colour to it. Bright red or blue are great color options, but make sure your colour selection blends in with the overall colour scheme of the house. After all, it should stand out, but not like a sore thumb! A gallon of paint is likely all you need to give the front door an upgrade.
Need a painter? Take a look at our directory of painting professionals. Read through customer reviews and take a look at their portfolios to get an idea of the type of work they’ve done. Give one of them a call to quote your house project!
What do these front doors have in common? They don’t have boring front doors!
Replace your generic mailbox with one that will truly stand out
This may be a small thing, but it can add to the appeal of your front yard instantly. If replacing your mailbox is out of the question, pick a fun and vibrant colour to spray paint your existing box. The same goes for the house numbers – you can paint them to match the colour of your new front door. If you can spare a few extra bucks, buy house numbers made of metal and replace your old ones.
Spend your weekend shopping for new accessories at a local furniture store. Let the design experts help you choose new numbers for your ‘new’ home.
Now these are cool house identifiers!
Secure your fenceless property
Putting a fence in your home will significantly boost curb appeal and value of your property. Fences aren’t just for security: they’re for aesthetics as well. Be prepared to shell out anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 for the fence – depending on square footage, material and style. There are a few options that will match your price point: wood, metal or vinyl. The money you’ll spend is worth the security and style that a fence can provide for your property.
We have just the people you can contact to get the job done. Use our directory of fencing contractors to find a professional in your area.
Fencing adds a nice touch of class to any home’s exterior.
Illuminate your dark gardens with enchanting lighting
Don’t underestimate the power of proper lighting in improving the appearance of your home. If your landscape is looking a bit blah, surround the area with little twinkling lights for an enchanted garden appeal. This way, you can use natural elements to your home’s advantage. You can find affordable exterior lights at home improvement stores for as low as $20 each. If you’re not that confident with your lighting skills, better contact an electrician to do the installation for you.
Who can resist a well-lit backyard?
Add life to your bare porch by using decorative plants
If you want some green on your yard but do not have the budget to hire a landscape architect, why not do the job yourself with the help of potted plants? Putting more plants on your property** is just one of the eco-friendly redesign ideas you can easily do. The end result may not look as immaculate as an architect’s work, but you can still do a decent garden with carefully placed decorative plants. You can place these pots on your front door or near the steps. You can also hang plants from the roof of the porch for a more refreshing look.
If you’re willing to spend the extra money, have a landscaping expert check out your property. They can offer some advice on where to put plants and do some of the work for you.
Breathe life into beat-up porch furniture with a little paint
It doesn’t cost that much – you can check out pretty and functional porch furniture at thrift shops for as low as $20. If it looks a little beat up, add $10 more to the cost for a can of paint. Rocking chairs and swings can make your porch look more appealing. Free furniture is also an option – find friends or relatives who have plans to let go of their old furniture. You can just paint or apply varnish to make it look new.
If you’re not interested in recycled pieces, then shop around at a few local furniture stores. Maybe they’ll have a sale on a piece that will be absolutely perfect for your porch.
Change your generic-looking garage doors with one that has mouldings or windows
If the most prominent feature of your house is the garage door, make sure that you have visually appealing ones. Replace dull and generic-looking steel or vinyl doors with ones that have mouldings or windows for an instant aesthetic appeal.
Why yes, of course we can put you in touch with garage door contractors who are equipped with the tools and expertise to transform your home!
Repair a poorly-maintained roof by replacing shingles
Lots of homeowners take their roof for granted, which is just a shame since the roof is one of the first things you will notice on a house. Check your roof for dents, missing tiles, or shingles falling off. A prospective buyer will certainly get discouraged with a poorly-maintained roof.
Roof repairs should not be a DIY project! Please do us a favour and hire a roofing contractor to complete any roof repairs.
Roof repairs pose serious risks. Leave them to the professionals who are properly trained.
Call a professional to repair damaged gutters and downspouts
Damage to gutters and downspouts can add more problems to your house. Breaks and leaks can result to damage in roofs and sidings, which will take lots of money to fix. Hire an eavestrough and gutter professional to assess what needs to be done and conduct the repair.
Brighten up a bland exterior with paint
If your entire exterior is in serious need of enhancement, there’s no cheaper way to do it than with paint. You can use eco-friendly paint to color accent areas, such as the front door, shutters and trims. If you’re willing to spend more on paint, then you can apply colour to the sidings as well. Painting sidings should be left to painting professionals. Incorporate the labour into your budget.
No homeowner is spared the costs of home improvement, so you should always check for home blemishes and do repairs and maintenance before more costly problems occur. A properly maintained home will show its worth when it’s time to put it in the market. If you intend to keep your house, proper maintenance will give you the peace of mind that all homeowners should aspire to have.
*Source: DMCI Homes
**Source: York Region
More in Home Improvement
Home renovation has your house upside down? It can be a smooth transition with our help
