Improve Your Home’s Exterior with These Tips

There are so many reasons to improve your home’s exterior, from adding value when it comes time to sell to making sure that your property keeps up with the others on your street. The good news is you can find out all about how to give the exterior of your property a facelift in the detailed article below. Read on to find out more.

1. Invest In a Replacement Door

Your front door is often the focal point of the exterior of your home, so replacing it with a new one makes sense if you want to improve this space. There are several things you’ll need to consider when choosing a new front door.

The first of these is the style that you will choose. Remember as a rule modern doors look best on modern properties, and you should always choose a door that fits with the period that your home was built.

The next consideration should be color. You can really dramatically change the exterior of your home by changing the color of your door. Although it’s worth checking with your housing association to see if they have any rules on the colors that are acceptable to use in your neighborhood.

Security is the last consideration you will need to make when choosing a door. If it’s a major issue, then it may be best to avoid doors with glass and windows and choose solid options. The reason for this is that they can be harder to break into and so offer increased security.

2. Landscape Your Gardens

Whether it’s the front or the back yard or both, landscaping can vastly improve the exterior of your home. Landscaping is all about optimising the outside space you have, both for beauty and function. Indeed, a good landscaper will always check with you on what you intend to use your garden for before going ahead with their plans. After all, a garden designed for growing vegetables will look quite different to one whose main purpose is entertaining alfresco.

3. Add Flower Beds

Flower beds will always add to your home’s exterior if they are properly maintained. This is the kicker ,though, as if left to get into disrepair, a flowerbed may detract from the look you are trying to create.

What this means is that if you are concerned about your ability to maintain your flower beds by weeding them and planting new bulbs, you’ll need to come up with some clever tactics beforehand. For example, one way you can make your flower beds more low maintenance is to raise them up. This makes it much easier to tend to the soil and planets within them, without getting pain in your back or needs.

Another opinion is to plant flowers that bloom over and over again. This means you’ll get a beautiful display and you wont need to rotate the bulbs too often.

Lastly, you can make it easier to grow and maintain beautiful flowers by adding wood chips around the bottom of your plants. This will allow water to trickle through, but also help stop weeds from springing up.

4. Add Flower-Filled Window Boxes

Flowers don’t just improve your garden if you plant them in beds. They can also make the exterior of your home look stunning when growing in window boxes as well. Indeed, a good window box with some brightly colored blooms can cheer up even the most dull home exterior.

Although you may also wish to consider adding herbs to at least one of your window boxes, as this can provide you with free resources for your kitchen, while also improving the overall look of outside of your home.

5. Replace Old Fences

Old and worn fences will always bring the tone of the exterior of your property down. That is why it’s important to both maintain these exterior items, and replace them regularly. Of course, this is a task you can do yourself if you have all the equipment needed such as a circular saw for cutting the struts to length, and a concrete mixer for laying them in the ground.

Although if you’d rather avoid all that hard labor and dirty work associated with installing a new fence, then working with a trusted fence and stain company can be a better option. Indeed, why choose a provider that builds and stains fences for a living? You can be sure that they will provide the very best service and end product, which will revamp the entire exterior of your property with ease.

6. Replace Windows

Just like old fences, old windows can age your property and make its exterior look degraded and dingy, too. Indeed, rotting or peeling window frames can make the exterior of your property look unloved and much older than it is. Not to mention that good windows are crucial for energy efficiency inside.

With that in mind, replacing your windows with double or triple glazing, and hard wearing smart looking plastic frames is a no brainer. You can even get frames in a range of colors now including white, black, brown and the increasing popular grey.

7. Maintain Your Pathways

You can also improve the exterior of your property by making sure that your pathways are properly maintained. Safe and aesthetically pleasing pathways are unimportant not only because they reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls, but also because they enhance the look of the front and back yard.

At the most basic level, this means checking your pathways regularly and making any repairs that are needed. For example, when a stepping stone becomes dislodged or a slab is uneven.

You can even get creative with your pathways, adding additional lights like solar lights, spot lights or fairy lights. You can also add additional coverings to make them more practical, such as shades that keep them cool in the sun or pergolas, which allow you to grow plants over the walkways in your garden and add to the aesthetic appeal.

8. Take Care of Your Roof

While you may not glance upwards much, those passing your home or viewing it from the street do, and if they see a poorly maintained roof, the image of a well-looked-after property will be instantly broken.

Missing tiles should always be replaced as soon as possible. This will then not only ensure that the aesthetics of your roof are maintained, but that its structural integrity is as well. Something that is crucial if you want to use energy efficiently, and keep your home damp free.

If you are considering replacing an old roof be sure to consider things like style and materials beforehand. Remember you’ll want a roof that not only uses efficient and long lasting materials, but that fits with the style of your neighborhood and property as well.

9. Replace Your Gutters

Gutters, they’re not glamorous, but they do go a long way to making sure the exterior of your home looks its best. This is because gutters capture the rainwater that hits your home’s walls and roof and transports it away from the building. This is an important function because it stops leaks and damp forming which can not only lead to unsightly exterior damage but interior damp as well.

To that end, if you notice a green or black color building up underneath a gutter on your wall, it’s important to take a look. If the staining is caused by a blocked gutter be sure to remove the blockade and add a cage so it cannot happen again. If it’s caused by leaking, you may need to replace your gutters to prevent this happening in the future.

10. Give Your Property a New Lick of Paint

Simple, but effective, painting the outside walls of your property can improve its look. To make this task as easy and low-cost as possible, it’s a good idea to choose a common paint colour such as cream. The paint you choose will also need to be suitable for outdoor use, as you’ll want it to be waterproof and hardwearing.

Also, investing in the proper materials, including extendable rollers, will help you get to the higher points without needing to work at height, something that can be costly and more dangerous.

11. Consider a New Drive

Last of all, while it might be one of the most expensive options on this list, you can significantly improve your home’s exterior by installing a new driveway. Indeed, a new drive will not only make the outside of your home look neater, but it can add value too.

However, there are some important caveats to remember when considering putting in a new driveway. The first is that you should stay away from gravel wherever possible. This is because it can look great but it can also be very problematic in terms of damage to the vehicles that use it.

Secondly, when having a driveway installed, be sure to find a trustworthy and reputable company to work with. This is because unfortunately, not all driveway companies will give you a clear quote and then can try and scam you out of additional money once the project has finished.

Feature Image by Landon Martin