The Trick to Creating Curb Appeal
The Trick to Creating Lasting Curb Appeal
By CAROLINE ANN RANOIA
We're coming upon the time of year when home exterior matters most. Not only is spring the prime house-hunting season, but spring is also an ideal time to get outside and enhance your house's curb appeal. Even if you're not planning to sell, remodeling an exterior can help raise the overall market value of an entire subdivision. Since no one can see the beauty on the inside your home, it's wise to make the outside of your house as attractive as possible.
The Land Itself: It’s all in the Details
A yard makeover is probably the easiest way to make your home more inviting. In landscaping, the obvious items are your focus: new trees, pruned shrubbery, and overall lawn maintenance. But don't forget about the little details and accents that complete any yard makeover.
Flowerbeds: Planting foliage around the perimeter of a house can serve many purposes. Adding some nature will always make your home feel more welcoming and beautiful, but it will also add a hint of color to the ground. Plus, flowerbeds hide unsightly foundation lines and lets onlookers know you've put some TLC into your home.
Flower beds are a simple addition to any yard makeover, but if you don't have the time to tinker in the garden, then seasonal window flower boxes may be the easier answer. Simply bolt a couple of inexpensive wood box-planters under your front windows, add a few plants, and you've suddenly created a quaint feature to your exterior appearance. For something different, I have a window box filled with herbs that I can pick fresh for cooking.
If your entryway simply consists of a concrete slab and a door, you're not taking advantage of its full potential. The front entrance says a lot about the rest of the house. You want it to feel warm and welcoming. A porch can do a lot to pique people's interest, so add some decking, handrails, or new stairways to lure people to your door. I often think of my front door as a barrier between me and the outside world. It's not an obstacle to turn people away; instead think of it as a friendly passageway with which to engage your family and friends. Hang a welcoming seasonal wreath, or add a pretty door knocker, or keep it simple and install new hardware. If you really want to make a small statement, put down an elegant welcome mat. It will make any visitor feel more at home.
Watch Your BackWhat about the back of your house? Curb appeal doesn't just lend itself to the front of the house. I love to walk up to the front of my house when all of the perennial flowers are in full bloom, but the back deck is where I spend most of my time. Don't forget that people notice what's going on behind the scenes, as well. I decided to extend my yard makeover into the back.
Just by planting a simple vegetable garden, having a privacy fence and a storage shed installed by Carroll Construction and Consulting, followed up by painting the shed to look like a flower garden helped to raise a couple of eyebrows, and a few nods of approval. If you love the look of flowers and lots of color, add a few container gardens (flower pots). The added splash of color will make you smile on the gloomiest of days-isn’t that what it is all about anyway? 
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