Curb Appeal

Photo by Flickr

If you have taken on a project that includes improving a home’s curb appeal, there are a few things that you can do to make this task much easier and less cumbersome than it may appear to be. You already have the vision and the expertise, and you know what the yard should look like, so your main obstacle is getting to the bare bones of the yard and keeping it as simple and pretty as it can be without breaking the budget. Here’s what to do.

1) Go out to the curb, or across the street, and take a good look at the yard. Write down details such as broken rails and fences, drab porches, dying trees, and other obvious problems.

2) Get to work with the mowing and cutting back of all unhealthy plants, or even rent a tiller for the day to eat up the weeds and plants that are strangling the yard. Once you have a clean slate, you can see where to put the money.

3) Porch railings can usually be spruced up with a few braces and a coat of paint. The porch itself might also benefit from a fresh new layer of color. If the awning is in bad shape, but there is no money for replacement, you might go ahead and take it down. No awning is better than a rickety one any day.

4) If the lawn is unhealthy, you might think about creating a few little planting areas on the bad spots, raising the ground with potting soil and cedar chips and placing a few pretty flowering plants or easy care grass plants.

5) If steps, walkways, or driveways are damaged, you might consider asking your client if there is room in the budget for painting, tarring, or pulling up old materials for replacement with gravel or stone. If not, do the best that you can with color and natural elements to pull attention away from the problem areas.

6) A new mailbox and porch light can do a world of good for the curb appeal of a home. Ideally, you are creating an un-cluttered, easy to care for yard space with just enough color and structure to carry the home’s best features. Try to stay in the yellow family when planting flowers, as this tends to be the most gender neutral and welcoming flower color.