A beautiful home is a source of pride. 
There are many reasons to keep your home looking its best. You could be inviting people to your bed and breakfast, selling or renting your home, or simply inviting people to dinner. You could live in a neighborhood with a homeowners’ association that has specific guidelines for the look and style of your home. Whatever the reason, you need to be able to present your home’s best face to the world. That face is called its curb appeal. 

Curb Appeal Adds Value to Your Home 

When people are buying a new home, you might think that they would look at the interior first. What do the bedrooms look like? Is there a lot of counter space in the kitchen? While these things are important, what your house looks like from the outside can greatly influence how much people will pay for your home. 
Quoted in the National Post, landscape designer Carson Arthur states that “curb appeal is the No. 1 place to invest, as excellent landscaping will up the house’s value by 7%.” 

Simplify and Beautify to Make Your Life Easier 

The wonderful thing about adding more curb appeal to your home is that the changes you make don’t need to be fussy. Easy to maintain landscaping is a great option. 
Of course, a cottage garden filled with gorgeous plants will be a haven for those who love to garden. However, as beautiful as it may be, a high-maintenance garden may be difficult to maintain while trying to sell the home. In comparison, a simple landscape design that incorporates native plants can be easy to maintain and look great.
If you’re thinking of selling, you can simplify and beautify your home landscape at the same time. Savvy landscaping decisions will result in a low-maintenance, high-impact selling feature for your home.

Landscaping to Add Curb Appeal

Landscaping choices that can add curb appeal to your garden… 

• Declutter your front garden space. Make it feel easy and low-maintenance.
• Prune dominant trees and shrubs to let the light in and allow people to easily see your home and garden beds.
• Reduce the lawn. Add other landscaping elements instead.
• Hardscape, adding pathways that are made out of stone or other slow-wearing materials. 
• Create tidy, attractive living spaces such as porches, decks, and patios to add both beauty and functionality. 
• Clean up your garden beds, focusing on a few feature plants with intriguing flowers and foliage.
• Define your garden space with a picket fence or other small fence.
• Add mulch to the garden beds to make them look tidy and easy to maintain. 
• Use paint to synchronize the tones of your furniture, pots, and window boxes.
• Define your garden beds with edging.
• Add perennials with foliage that’s both low-maintenance and beautiful. 
• Make sure your landscaping matches your home style. For example, a Spanish-style house can have heat-loving, warm-colored plants that complement its character. 

As you landscape your home, consider talking with a landscaping professional. That way, your landscape features will fit your home rather than take away from its visual impact. You’ll also ensure that your landscaping is there to stay and that any plants you place in the garden will last for a long time, adding beauty to your home landscape.

Light Up Your Home 

Make your home a lighter place with exterior lighting choices that also add to your home’s curb appeal. According to Better Homes and Gardens, “low-voltage landscape lighting makes a huge impact on your home’s curb appeal while also providing safety and security.” What can you do to improve your exterior home lighting? 

• Add lights to trees
• Place smaller lights around pathways 
• Improve the safety lights around your home 
• Add lights to the front doorway 
• Place small lights around your deck or patio to delineate the space and provide lighting for evening events 
• Use landscape lighting to highlight specific plants or garden beds that look striking in the evening 

Use landscape lights to add a feeling of safety to your home, to highlight feature areas, and to create a mood around your home. As you focus on curb appeal, don’t skimp on the lighting. Rather than considering it as simply a functional part of your garden landscape, use lighting to create an intentionally magical atmosphere.

Quick Fixes to Make Your Home Beautiful 

You need to sell your home, and it’s been on the market for a while. You’re hosting a large gathering, and you need your home to look just right. Whatever the reason, you need a quick fix for your home’s curb appeal. Turn your home from shabby into stunning with these quick and inexpensive fixes: 

• Add a deck chair and pillows to your front porch or patio. Make sure that the colors you use complement your home and garden colors. 
• Install new house numbers.
• Install window boxes or flower pots.
• A doormat welcomes guests and gives them a place to wipe their feet before entering the home.
• Clean or replace small, inexpensive and older items. You know that old mailbox that’s been gathering rust? Find a new home for it or shine it up for visitors.
• Create a container garden on your deck or near your front door. Add them along your walkway as well. 
• Add artistic creations to your garden, porch, or front door. Make sure that they reflect your personal style and that they’re appealing to guests as well.
• Add symmetry to your front door with plants, planters, and other striking objects that give your visitors the visual impression that your home is well put-together.

If you’re willing to spend more time and money, these fixes can make a high impact on visitors.

• Even if you can’t clean or paint the entire exterior of your home, you can add a sparkling touch to specific features such as the porch or front door. Make your home look fresh and new. 
• Awnings define your windows, cool the interior of your home, and add shade to your patio. 
• A new roof adds value to the home and can even be a selling point. After all, an old or damaged roof represents a costly investment for potential buyers.
• Add gutter covers or do a full gutter replacement if your gutters are sagging. This has the added bonus of reducing your home maintenance so that you and any prospective owners won’t need to clean the gutters in the future.

Are you considering selling your home? Do you want to make a stunning first impression? At Harry Helmet, we’re here to help your home put on its best face. Talk with us today about gutter replacement, gutter covers, roofing, and awnings – click here to schedule a free estimate now.

Written by Del Thebaud