Increasing the curb appeal of your home can have a massive impact on the potential selling price. In this post, we outline 10 curb appeal ideas, backed with before and after photos.
1. Make your yard magnificent
A well manicured garden can act as an invitation to explore the home. In this before photo, it’s clear to see that the garden has immense potential. However, it lacks order, with plants and bushes growing in every conceivable direction.
After a well executed landscaping project, the entire home appears more inviting, and far more pleasing to the eye.
Instead of wild organic shrubbery, the landscaping team has removed all the clutter, adding distinct sections for plants, grass, small trees and a beautiful walkway. When combined with a fresh layer of paint, the curb appeal of the house has been magically transformed.
Image Source: https://www.thisoldhouse.com
2. Fix up your walkway
When it comes to increasing curb appeal, you don’t necessarily have to revamp the entire house. In this example, you can quickly see how an improved walkway can completely transform the desirability of a home.
From this before photo, it’s pretty clear that the homeowners let themselves down with the original walkway. The grass is poorly maintained, and peaking through various cracks in the concrete, making the entire house seem tatty from the outset.
Fortunately, some quick upgrades to the walkway have transformed it from an eye sore into a key selling point.
The drab, cracking concrete has been replaced by a mixture of small concrete tiles, and clever use of granite stair tops. The end result is considerably more pleasing to the eye. This simple walkway fix has clearly improved the value of the home, without breaking the bank.
Image Source: www.apartmenttherapy.com/
3. Redo Your Front Door
You might be surprised by how much of an impact the front door can have on the first impression of a home. In this example, the front door is unexciting at best, while the drab face brick exterior lacks visual character.
Thankfully, re-imagining the front door space has given new life to this quaint home. The plain grey front door has been replaced with a distinguished green and black equivalent, adding an instant lift to entryway.
The face brick has also been painted white, with two sophisticated grey pot plants completing the front door revamp. Despite occupying a relatively small portion of the house, this front door face lift has clearly bumbed up the curp appeal and potential selling price of the home.
Image Source: www.apartmenttherapy.com/
4. Say Goodbye To That Old School Porch
An attractive front porch can make or break your first impression of a home. Like so many architectural design trends, if your porch is over 20 years old, there’s a good chance it’s outdated, clunky and ultimately diminishing the curb appeal of your house.
For example, this front porch may have been trendy in the early 90’s. The stonewall finish was reasonably well executed, and the color scheme at least matches the rest of the house. However, the overall design simply isn’t on par with modern standards.
Thankfully, after well executed front porch facelift, this house is oozing with modern appeal.
Unlike the old school archway and stone pillars which acted like a barrier to the home, the expanded archway and open ceiling have created extra volumes of usable space. The porch is now acting like an additional room of the house, offering a wonderful space for relaxing, chatting to friends, and hosting social events.
In addition, the change to a white and black color scheme makes the entire house look more sophisticated, while the retouched window frames complete the look.
Image Source: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/
5. Upgrade Your Backyard Furniture & Finishes
Although curb appeal generally refers to the front of the house, your backyard can also leave a lasting impression that can make or break the sale of a house.
In this example, a poorly maintained yard is rejuvenated with the introduction of beautiful french doors, major improvements to the roof, and the introduction of a fireplace which serves as the center piece for the yard.
The look is further enhanced with a much improved fence, and outside table and chairs, and a gas grill for barbecues. In addition, the tatty, weed-like grass has been replaced with white and brown stones, while the landscaping throughout the yard has been cleaned up and enhanced.
The end result is literally stunning. The backyard has been transformed from an unkempt eyesore into a magazine worthy showpiece.
Image Source: www.laurahullphotography.com
6. Work With What You've Got
In some cases, a renovation just needs a splash of color and a few design tweaks to radically improve the first impression of a house.
In this example, it’s plain to see that an updated color palette combined with some clever enhancements to the windows, front porch and front garden have dramatically improved the after repair value of this home.
The major color update from sickly yellow to a natural green makes the house feel more homely and more congruent with the Forrest like surroundings. The archway above the front door has been modernized, creating a more charming and distinguished look when compared to the drab porch that it replaced.
Lastly, the front lawn has also been leveled and landscaped, while the introduction of washed brick paving and a matching chimney adds even more character to the home.
This example is particularly inspiring, because it demonstrates how powerful a few subtle changes can be. You don’t necessarily have to knock any walls down or add extra square footage. By adding style and character to the original layout, this charming home is likely to grow in value for many years to come. The owners clearly spent their money well.
Image Source: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/
7. Forget That Facebrick Finish
While not as controversial or unattractive as popcorn ceilings, outdated face brick houses often have huge renovation potential. In this example, it’s plain to see that a simple coat of paint can radically transform an unsightly face brick monstrosity into a charming and inviting family home.
Instead of making grand structural changes, the design team behind this project used relatively simple techniques to enhance the appeal of this home.
In essence, this renovation boils down to a fresh coat of warm white paint, the introduction of slate steps, a new set of khaki shutters, and a significant landscaping upgrade. If you are planning to sell your house, it is definitely worth considering if a few minor upgrades can help you fetch a much higher selling price.
Image Source: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/
8. Use all the tricks in the book
In this example, the renovators have used all the tricks in the book in order to execute a major facelift on the property.
Driveway: Old and cracked slabs of concrete have bee replaced by patterned light gray and dark gray tiles.
Stairs: The number of stairs has increased, while two new walls help define the walkway to the front door. The entry to the home looks significantly more elegant as a result of this update.
Front garden: Poorly maintained grass has bee replaced by a beautiful flowerbed filled with a number of different plants. This has added a much needed layer of charm to this small home.
Balcony: Instead of a solid wall, the design team has introduced a balcony with wooden poles. This makes the front porch seem larger and more inviting.
Updated Color Scheme: Like so many well executed renovations, the color scheme of the house has received a much needed upgrade. The earthy brown and green tones work very well with the flowerbed, the new driveway and the surroundings of the property. Instead of sticking out like a sore thumb, the new color scheme allows the house to blend in with the environment,while remaining pleasing to the eye.
Image Source: www.prettypurpledoor.com
9. Rejuvenate With Modern Finishes
In many cases, the sole aim of a renovation is to make an existing house more pleasurable to live in, rather than to sell it as soon as the renovations are complete. The following example is the ultimate case in point.
Instead of looking for a new home, the owners decided to stay put, and transform their existing house into a masterpiece that will continue to make them happy for decades to come.
While pre-rehab home was charming in its own right, the modernized version is an absolute showstopper.
The color scheme has been upgraded from yellow and brow to off white, slate gray and black, which immediately makes the house seem more distinguished.
The front door has also been shifted, creating space for a living room expansion where the old front door used to be. The garage has also been converted into a TV room. This is arguably the easiest way to increase your total living space if you have adequate outdoor parking space on a secure property.
Out back, the the entire house has been extended, further increasing the available living space below and the square footage of the master bedroom on top. Ultimately this renovation clearly shows that you don’t always have find a new home when you want to upgrade your living quarters. A well executed renovation might be the most cost effective way to move into a masterpiece.
Image Source: www.turnerandhoskins.co.uk
10. Let there be light
Poor lighting is a mistake that every homeowner should do their very best to avoid. It can make a house seem dreary and old, even if is a relatively new build.
In this example, it’s plain to see how powerful it can be to introduce a new window scheme to an existing structure. While the original barn probably served as a multi-functional building, the owners clearly had a plan to make it a full time living space.
The most notable upgrade is triple glass door on the bottom level, together with complementary windows on the left and right side. In addition, the top floor has changed dramatically, with 3 black framed glass windows further enhancing the available light in this converted home.
The overall look is completed with change from a brown and yellow color scheme to a classic white and black design.
To cap it off, newly planted flowerbeds, trees together with thick concrete slab tiles create an elegant walkway into the home.
Image Source: https://www.hgtv.com/
Final Thoughts
In the end, it should be pretty clear that you can dramatically improve the desirability of your home by upgrading the curb appeal. If you’re not sure what to focus on, this simple checklist may help:
- Color scheme
- Front Door
- Front Porch
- Landscaping
- Windows
- Driveway
- Stairs/Walkway
- Backyard
- Lighting