Easy Ways to Add Curb Appeal to Your Home and Front Yard

Even if you take good care of your home’s inside, having beautiful curb appeal is just as important. The term curb appeal refers to how your home, lawn, and garden appear and how this area looks in terms of visual appeal, cleanliness, and upkeep. When you have great curb appeal, your home is much more enticing to potential buyers. Homes with beautiful curb appeal tend to have a higher property value and a higher asking price when they sell, it is a great real estate investment to improve your home’s value. Even if you’re not looking to sell your home, it’s still important to make sure that your front yard and the exterior of your home are updated and well-kept. Read on for some inspirational curb appeal ideas that will help you make the most of your home’s exterior.

Curb appeal projects

Improving curb appeal might seem like an overwhelming task, but there are several easy projects you can do to make major improvements in your home’s outdoor design.

Paint your front door. Simply changing the color of your front door can do wonders for your property’s curb appeal. Updating the front door will add a splash of color that makes your entire home look and feel more welcoming, cheerful, and inviting. Consider painting the front door in a trending color, like an eye-pleasing turquoise blue or a bold update on classic red with a spicy, vibrant twist.

Create a welcoming entrance. Elevate your entryway by adding some decorative elements outside your front door, like a charming welcome mat, potted plants, or a decorative wreath. Simple changes can help to make the front entrance of your home appear cozy and inviting. If you have a front porch, add a new outdoor area rug and some charming wooden rocking chairs.

Replace hardware. Get rid of that old, rusty, or tarnished doorknob, and replace it with a sleek and modern handle in a trendy finish. Matte black and bronze are both popular options that will give your front and back door a brand-new look. Just make sure that the new hardware is keyed correctly for easy access, and that the front and back door match so they both use the same key.

Update your garage door. If your garage door is dented, peeling, rusting, chipping, or just out of date, considering installing something new. Try a gorgeous, modern garage door with frosted glass panels to give your curb appeal a sleek new aesthetic.

Refresh your driveway. Install new concrete or stone pavers to replace your old, cracked driveway. You can have concrete dyed in a variety of colors to complement the rest of your home. Stamped concrete is another great way to add visual interest and texture.

Update the sidewalks. Make your sidewalk look new again by resurfacing it with new concrete. Get rid of weeds and overgrowth in the seams and along the sides so that the sidewalk is clean and free of obstructions.

Update walkways. Enhance walkways around your home and garden by installing stylish pavers. A paved walkway makes maneuvering around the outside of your home easier, and you can find them in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and styles to coordinate with the rest of the home.

Curb appeal landscaping

Besides of upgrading your porch and entryway, updating your landscaping plays a major role in improving curb appeal.

Add greenery with trees, plants, and pots. Plant some new trees and shrubs to give your curb appeal a pop of fresh, green color, or add some decorative outdoor pots and planters filled with a variety of colorful plants including seasonal flowers and native plants that will thrive in your specific climate and zone. Adding new plants to your landscaping will make the entire exterior design look fresh and appealing.

Outdoor furniture: Make the most of your backyard by incorporating some stylish, comfortable outdoor furniture. You can use this furniture to designate different areas for relaxing and entertaining. A nice bistro set on the front porch is a perfect breakfast nook where you can relax and enjoy a morning cup of coffee while watching the goings-on in the neighborhood. A patio conversation set with a bench, chairs, and coffee table makes a nice reading nook or a relaxing conversation area. A front porch swing — bonus if it’s brightly painted! — is a fantastic way to boost your curb appeal, and it will make your home appear more welcoming if you’re selling your property. If you don’t have a lot of natural shade, consider installing a shade cover, like a fabric awning, shade sails, a pergola, or a freestanding patio umbrella.

Curb appeal illumination

While most homebuyers won’t drive by your house at night, having some great lighting outside is still a fantastic, useful feature that will improve your curb appeal for the enjoyment of your neighbors and drive-by admirers alike.

Create a clear path with lighting so that it’s easy and safe to walk around your home at night. Solar lights lined up along each side of a walkway help you see more clearly and avoid potential injury. Bright spotlights installed near the front of your home are a great way to highlight the home’s unique architectural features and discourage interlopers. Hang string lights around the edge of the porch awning or under a patio umbrella to give it a fun, festive touch. A gorgeous new light fixture on the front porch is another easy yet effective upgrade to your entryway. The ways in which you can decorate your home’s exterior with outdoor lighting are endless, so have some fun and see how many ways you can incorporate more light into these spaces. 

Exterior upgrading and cleaning

There are many other ways you can give your curb appeal a boost through cleaning and doing some simple — yet highly impactful — upgrading.

Pressure washing your exterior. Use a pressure washer to clean excess dirt, debris, and mildew from your home. You can hire a professional pressure washing service or rent a pressure washer if you don’t already have one. This simple task will make siding, brick, and wood-look brand-new again.

Choose the latest, trendy paint colors for your home: Investigate the newest trends in paint color if you want to completely change the color of your property. Some of the hottest paint colors trending right now include light gray, turquoise blue, mint green, barn red, and deep blue, just to name a few.

Focus on symmetry. Make your home look sleek and well-kept by ensuring that everything is symmetrical. You can do this by placing matching planters on either side of your front doorway, installing matching decorative shutters or awnings on every window, or planting a balanced selection of plants along the front, back, and sides of your home.

Add contrast. Create bold visual contrast to enhance curb appeal. Painting your front door and trim in a different color from the rest of the home is one easy way to accomplish this. You can also paint the front porch floor and ceiling a bright, bold color that complements a more neutral palette. 

Redo your windows. You don’t have to install new windows to improve your property’s curb appeal. Consider enhancing your window design by adding some beautiful shutters, installing window boxes and filling them with colorful flowers, or simply by updating the indoor blinds or curtains to something modern and new.

Add fencing. Unique fencing can do wonders for curb appeal, so consider installing some around your backyard or garden area. Black metal fencing is trending right now. If you want to add a border or fencing on a budget, consider eco-friendly bamboo fencing panels.

Update your roofing If your roof needs to be repaired or replaced, consider changing the material to something different. Metal roofs, ceramic or clay tile, and cedar shingles are popular alternatives to asphalt shingles, and they’ll help your home stand out and appeal to a wider range of buyers.

Hardscape design. Add some hardscaping features throughout your landscape or yard area to give your home’s outdoor space a beautiful touch. Hardscapes can be anything from decorative pavers for a seating area out front or a custom fire pit patio outback. This addition is worth the cost, and it will make the exterior of your home much more functional, beautiful, and enjoyable to use. Popular hardscaping materials include flagstone, brick pavers, granite cobblestones, and outdoor-rated tile.

Hide exterior cables. Outdoor cables and wires can be an unsightly mess, and they can negatively impact your curb appeal. Keep exterior cables hidden using exterior-rated channel raceways that you can run the wire underneath. Weatherproof boxes to hide wayward wires are another good option to keep these items neatly hidden from view.

Whether you add new landscaping and plant new trees or update the material of your roof, making a few changes can greatly enhance the curb appeal of your yard and home. Consider making major changes like updating your garage door or installing hardscaping to make your property fresh, modern, and new. No matter what you decide to do, any changes you make for the better will increase your home’s value and make it more beautiful for you, potential buyers, and your neighbors.