Enhancing your curb appeal

When someone comes to your home, or even just drives or walks by, they get a first impression of your house. This first impression is based on the curb appeal your house has (or doesn’t have). So, how do you enhance the curb appeal of your home to set the stage that your home is a beautiful, happy place?

Color your entry
Most houses have a neutral exterior color palette. What better way to bring in some life into your home than by painting your front door in a bold color like red or yellow? A bright door will automatically look more inviting.
Check out these examples of welcoming front door colors! 

Add some life
Breathe life into the front of your home but adding some colorful vegetation. Be mindful of what will work with how much sun or shade the front of your house gets. Add some charm and beauty with hydrangeas, azaleas or rhododendrons which offer colorful blooms.

Provide a focal point
Regardless of your lawn or front yard style, every outdoor space needs a focal point to draw the eye. What works for your style? A showy dogwood or willow tree? An ornate iron fence? A charming bench or swing? A fountain or other water feature? Decide what you like and what will work with your existing home style and function. As a focal point, this feature should be bold enough to set the stage for your entire front property.

Offer direction
If you have a garage or multiple entry doors, guests can be confused about which is the main entrance to your house. Make it obvious for guests (and anyone else who’s looking) to understand where people should go to enter your home. I always think it’s odd to see a gorgeous front door that has steps going down into a perfectly, lush lawn. As pretty as it is, no one is going feel comfortable walking all over that lawn to get to the front door. Even if it’s not a door to be used daily, consider having a paver pathway connect from this front door to your driveway or the street/sidewalk. Even a less structured path of stepping stones will look more inviting.

Hide the eyesores
Even well-cared for homes may have elements that are on their property, or part of neighboring properties, that not pleasing to look at - electrical transformers; utility meters, lines or poles, neighboring houses fences or decks in disrepair. Try to hide these unpleasant distractions with large bushes, hedges, fences, trees or even stone walls. These can disguise eyesores while beautifying your property even more. Just be sure to check with local ordinances on how high fences can be and how close fences and other elements can be to neighboring properties.