Curb Appeal Ideas That are Easy and Affordable

Adding curb appeal is a great way to add value to your home whether it’s financial (for selling/home staging) or emotional (for staying-put). And it’s not about doing glorious landscaping with ponds large enough to skinny dip in (although the neighbours would be impressed), it’s about making small changes which on the whole, create the illusion of a well-maintained, cared for and modernized property.

Curb Appeal Idea #1 – Paint your Front Door

Naturally, the most obvious update idea…

Painting your front door is a great way to add personality to your home without a huge monetary commitment (1 quart of paint will do it!) While the most common colour is red (in a variety of shades) you may find that a beautiful dark purple brings out the colours in your brick/stones or a stately black adds a strong focal point to your lacklustre front exposure (I wear black t-shirts all the time…).

Curb Appeal Idea #2 – Update Your lighting

I’ve seen my fair share of moth infested, rusted white, nasty ole light fixtures and enough is enough – time to change it up, folks! Did you know that Home Depot has a 2 pack of exterior light fixtures for under $75? Black metal, clear glass, simple lines – perfect!

Hampton Bay 2 Pack

Or add a little modern farmhouse style with this gorgeous light…

Belleair Bluffs Exterior Light

Or this more simple look…

Rettig Fixture

Or maybe you’d like this slightly more traditional, but still updated look…

Marshall Wall Lantern

Curb Appeal Idea #3 – New Address Numbers

Nasty old brass numbers won’t be doing your house any favours in the style department. For someone who has never been to your house, the house numbers will be the first thing that they look at – make a good first impression!

A cheapie but goodie will cost you about $6 per number. Something a bit more fancy shmancy will probably be between $12 – $15 – there really is no need to spend any more than that. If your old numbers were on a diagonal and your paint hasn’t faded, consider placing them vertically or horizontally which is a more modern application.

Curb Appeal Idea #4 – Refresh Bark Mulch or Gravel

Unless you live on a large property with an obscene amount of landscaping, it shouldn’t cost too much to freshen up your garden beds. At $6 a bag (for mulch) you can spend under $50 and get an AMAZING amount of work done. You’re not looking to add 3-5 inches to each bed – you’re just looking to freshen up the top surface without mixing it into the old stuff.

#5 – Trim Your Bush!

Spend a few hours on your shrubbery and you’ll see an immediate improvement in your curb appeal.

Trim back overgrown bushes, pull out any plants that aren’t thriving, pull those damned weeds and eliminate yard clutter like you would in your house. For major trees or shrubbery be sure to find out when the appropriate pruning season is.

Adding curb appeal doesn’t need to be expensive. So, if you did all of the above and made moderate, budget-friendly choices and invested a small amount of time you would be spending less than $200 – money well-spent. Hmmm, 15 bottles of wine or Curb Appeal? Decisions, decisions…

Chat soon,