Curb Appeal

First Impressions are usually the last thing people remember when they see your home. Boosting curb appeal doesn't require industrial cranes or a million dollar budget. The cost is actually appealing to some, a few Saturday afternoons.

The first thing you should do is look at your house as a guest would. But yourself into their shoes, cross the street (maybe have your camera in hand) and with a critical eye look. Can you see the front door? Do you have trees or shrubs dwarfing the house, or making it look cluttered? Are your light fixtures outdated? Does it look like the caretaker took a vacation and forgot to come back to weed the flower beds?

Think about what works and doesn't work. Really look, you may have like your landscaping when I was first installed

1. General Maintenance is the number 1 way to improve curb appeal. Mow and edge about once every two weeks. Spread a layer of mulch over your garden beds in the fall or spring to keep weeds down. Weed anything that pops up in the beds or grass areas. Prune shrubs about once a year if needed. Prune flowering ones AFTER they bloom and evergreens in the spring after new growth appears.
2. Caution Wet Paint. One of the best things you could do for curb appeal is a fresh coat of paint. Now while we personally can't help you with this, we certainly recommend it. You can either hire it out or do it yourself in about 3 weekends. Hey while your at it consider freshening up your steps, front door, arbors or any other painted surface!
3. Can you see the front door from the street? The front entrance should be the first thing a person sees when they pull up to your house. If you can't see the front entrance, trim back trees or bushes so you can. Make sure the entrance is clean and free of spider webs. Pay attention to the door and steps. Red seems to be an eye catching color for the front door. (Remember that weekend painting project?) Try some seasonal color with a few containers of annual flowers. Red roses planted at the base of your steps or hanging baskets will also help to draw the eye to the entrance.
4. Don't dwarf a small cottage. A good sense of scale brings harmony to the front of the house. Don't dwarf a house with huge trees and shrubs just like you don't want to make a huge house look tiny with a miniature tree. Examine the scale of your house and how it is working for/against your home. Remove things that are too large for the space or are too close to our home. Also, make sure that you consider scale when you are adding anything new to your landscape. For example, select plants that wont eventual block the doors or windows. Your landscape will look better if you start out with less in the beginning and allow it to fill in before adding anything new.
5. Get rid of the shag carpeted steps and lava lamp. Updating a few key elements will go a long way. While your amber-colored light fixture MIGHT come back into style eventually, it's not "hip" right now. Find a fixture that complements the house. Thin, wrought iron railings also scream 1970. Try painting them or even replacing them with wood railings. Things that you wouldn't think date a house can, junipers anyone? Some of these plants just need a good pruning, but as for those junipers, get rid of them! Really, your house will thank you for it later.
6. Add some hardscapes. Hardscapes such as paths, porches and arbors add value and appeal to your home. If you have a bigger budget think about adding more hardscapes and revamping the existing. Maybe add an arbor over your paver patio, or a paver patio under your arbor. Arbors look especially nice across a gate or entryway with roses or vines growing up and around it. Paths are also easy to add. Consider building one that leads up to the front door from the street if you don't have one already.
7. Add some color. Shrub and flower beds add color to your front yard while being easier to maintain (less expensive too) if you choose drought tolerant plants, than turf grass. Place beds where you want to draw attention, such as along the front of the house. Add a good mix of deciduous and evergreen plants, for different interests at different times of the year. Make sure you have something blooming at all times.
8. Illuminate your yard with lights. Show off all your new and updated landscape with some accent lighting. Improving lighting can be as simples as cleaning existing fixtures or upgrading to illuminate a few key points of the yard. This not only provides you with a few extra hours to enjoy your newly upgraded yard but can also be used for added security. Using a timer and low-wattage lights will allow you to save on your electric bill also.
   
9. Trees shade the house in the summer and add lots of curb appeal. Select a small, slow growing trees that will top out around 25 feet such as Spring Snow Crabapple or an Ornamental Pear Tree. Avoid anything that will drop a lot of litter this can leave a mess for you to clean up and will cancel out any curb appeal.
10. Don't forget the finishing touches. Add flower baskets, decorative house numbers, and/or ornamental lamps. Statues, benches or shutters to your windows are also good ideas. Just don't over do it. Too many items can actually hurt your curb appeal.