Ideas to Add Some Charm to Your Home Exterior to Improve Curb Appeal

The saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This holds true at job interviews, cocktail parties, and yes, home exteriors. Home exteriors are your calling card to the neighborhood and can give passersby and guests a reasonable idea of what to expect on the interior. 

You don’t need to have an extremely large, ornate yard to give your home some additional curb appeal. You don’t even need to spend a whole lot of money to up your curb appeal and earn a second look from passersby. In this article, we’ll share our favorite and most effective ways to improve your home’s curb appeal, all without breaking the bank. 

1. Maintain your Lawn and Landscape 

This one is a given, but it’s often the simplest and first change you can make. If you have a big lawn in your front yard, make sure to maintain it—sprinkle grass seeds if swathes of your yard have died or yellowed. Make sure to mow it If it’s overgrown. If you’ve spread mulch around your trees or plants, change it out if the colors have faded. Power wash pathways and pavers and remove garbage, junk, and litter. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what landscaping or decorations or pavers you have—if they’re not maintained, they won’t last, and they’ll be an eyesore. 

2. Plant Some New Tress

Trees are simply nice things to appreciate and can give your lawn a touch of color and decoration. You’ll have plenty of options to choose from, no matter where you live. Pine trees will add a touch of green in the wintertime. Fruit trees like apple, pear, and cherry trees will take some time to establish, but add value and bear fruit in some years, in addition to adding visual charm. Visit your local nursery and see what you can find. 

3. Upgrade Your Mailbox

If your mailbox is rusted, old, or looking a little shabby, it might be time to upgrade it. A mailbox is often one of the first things guests may notice since it sits at the end of the driveway. They’re not terribly expensive to replace either—check out your local home improvement store for some good options. If your budget allows, you can also contract a quality stone mason and see if they can come up with a bespoke design. It can also be a focal spot for you to add a small mailbox garden around once it’s finished. Just be sure to make sure it’s compliant with the United States Postal Service regulations.

4. Decorate the Front Wall

This can be as simple or sophisticated as you’d like. Simply adding some new stylish house numbers—you can buy quality ones for cheap online or at your home improvement store—adds a classy ounce of curb appeal. You can go a step further and paint your front door a color that better fits your home’s color palette, or adding window boxes and gardens to your exterior can substantially brighten your home’s facade without a whole lot of labor or money.

5. Add Lighting

Remember that front wall decor we just talked about? And the trees and mailbox a little earlier? You’ve taken the time and money to replace or install them, why not go the extra mile and add some elegant lighting to really show it off and elevate it at night? You can get fairly low-maintenance and easy-installation lighting that operates on timers. They’ll illuminate your yard and showcase the hard work you’ve put in at night. A sneaky little bonus is that they can double as holiday decorations if you select multi-colored ones. For instance, you can illuminate your yard in red and green for Christmas, red, white, and blue for the 4th, and so on. 

6. Reseal the Driveway

This one is probably the more expensive and invasive option on the list, but if it applies, it’s no less important. Asphalt driveways occupy a lot of surface area in the yard and might even serve as a landing pad for other decorations to come off of (hedges, pavers, flowerbeds, etc). If your driveway has cracks, bumps, and discolorations, it might be worth considering having it re-sealed. Besides looking much cleaner and sprucing up your exterior, it might be helpful for vehicles driving over it, too. 

7. Installing a Fence

This can be as simple as buying sections of white picket fence and installing it around your landscaping. Or, it can be as big as installing a metal and mortar fence around the front perimeter of your property to frame the driveway. Installing a fence might be expensive and require local permits and permission from your neighbors, but it adds an air of elegant curb appeal that the other ones on this list can’t. 

And there you have it, our favorite ways to add curb appeal to your home’s exterior. Any one or combination of these seven tips will be sure to steal second looks from people passing by, as well as adding more functionality and value to your property. You don’t need to have a whole lot of time or a big budget to install some nice lighting fixtures or upgrade your mailbox. You can go as crazy as you like with decorating your front wall or which trees you decide to plant. Be sure to follow local laws and guidelines when it comes to installing fences and new mailboxes. And last but absolutely not least—whatever you decide to add to your home, please make sure to maintain it! We made sure to put this first, but whatever you add, make sure to keep it neat and tidy. Other than that, let your imagination and creativity be free, and have fun with your curb appeal project!