ADDING CURB APPEAL TO YOUR HOME
July 25, 2018
6 steps to immediately improve your curb appeal:
The curb appeal of your home will not only make it look more pleasing and enticing, it will have a substantial impact on the resale value of the property. Homeowners who plan to sell their properties often strive to add curb appeal for greater value appreciation. Every house will need some kind of renovation or upgrade in the long term to retain its curb appeal or to don a new look. Here are six ways to add curb appeal to your home.
- Paint the exterior. This is the most obvious of all the strategies. It is important to mention that you cannot paint the exterior if parts of the façade are damaged. So you need to repair the exterior wherever necessary, perhaps replace some of the siding if it there is visible or structural wear and tear, upgrade some windows if needed, and replace flashing or anything atop the roof that would otherwise ruin the aesthetics of a newly painted house.
- A lawn or landscape is a quintessential element of curb appeal. Not every property will have a sprawling lawn or garden. You don’t always need an elaborate feature. Potted plants, manicured grass or well pruned shrubs can be sufficient to add curb appeal to your home. Keep your driveway neat, the fencing or the boundary wall well-maintained and try to add some color. Just as you would repaint your house for a dash of hues, you must go for some flowering plants that will make the setting brighter and livelier.
- Give it a bath. Your home is probably dirty. Don’t take it personally, but years of dust, pollen, tree sap, and dirt accumulate on your exterior and roof, which makes it look old, dull, and tired. Simply hiring a professional to pressure clean your house will improve its appeal and make it look years younger.
- Pay attention to the roof. A new roof can make a huge difference on the curb appeal of your home. Roofs usually don’t need to be replaced unless they are too old and are at risk of falling apart. Replacing a few damaged shingles or tiles from time to time suffices for most homeowners. Aging roofs don’t contribute to curb appeal. In fact, they can counter the other strengths. It is almost futile to repaint the entire exterior and not touch the old roof. It would just look odd and the resulting impact on curb appeal may be stringently limited.
- Use smart lighting to enhance the curb appeal after sunset. There should be some lights for security and safety. Also use a few for decorative purposes. There are accent lights and other affordable solutions that do not consume much power but accentuate the setting.
- Clean up the driveway and garage. The driveway and garage are two features of homes that are almost always noticeable from the roadside. A neat driveway with recessed lights, a prim garage with a sleek door, and timely maintenance of the entire gateway will add curb appeal to your home.
Cleaning your pavers can make a BIG difference in the way your home looks.
When people move to Florida from other places, they are often surprised at how quickly their home's exterior needs to be cleaned. Why does this happen? Florida has a lot of rainfall and much more humidity than northern and western areas. Once your house, driveway, or pool deck gets wet, the mildew formation process begins. We also tend to get algae build-up much worse in Florida.