Enhancing the Kerbside Appeal of Your Home
The front of your home is normally on view 24 hours a day. Passers-by, visitors and potential buyers make snap decisions about the inside of your home from what they can see from the outside. But as owners, we don’t always notice the exterior of our property, we just take it for granted. We don’t stop to look at it as we rush inside the front door. Things have often deteriorated without us realising. If you want to sell your home, or you want to update it so you feel proud of the place again, there’s a lot you can do to refresh the way it looks.
How to Improve the Exterior of Your Home and Give it Kerbside Appeal
1. Your front door is important, it’s where visitors and buyers stand waiting to be welcomed in so they have time to inspect the entryway and form opinions. Take a long look at it and assess whether it needs to be replaced, or if a new lick of paint is all that’s required. Often a careful clean and polish works wonder without spending any money at all. Check that the frame, the letterbox, the handle and the doorbell look stylish and match each other nicely. The house number or name should also be clearly displayed and easy to read so locating your place is easy to do. If anything looks out of place, spend some time sprucing up your front door. Interested in investing in a new front door? Take a look at some of the choices we have available here.
2. The pathway leading to the front door should be neat and tidy. If the path is damaged, look at repairing the problems. It could be a good time to change the path’s material such as installing new tiles or cobblestones for example. If the path is sound, ensure that it’s free of weeds, moss and algae.
3. Windows are very visible from the street, and outdated styles will make your home look unloved. Replacing or repairing the windows will lift the look of the property and it also gives a place added security and insulation at the same time. Here at Benchmark Windows, we have a variety of different windows available, to suit every type of home. Whether you’re looking to replace just a few old windows or would prefer to replace all of your windows with a new style to transform your home, we can help. Take a look at some of the windows we have available here.
4. If you are lucky enough to have a garden to the front, give it a once-over so it looks well cared for. A maintained garden will improve the overall appearance of your home and much of it can be done in an afternoon. A manicured lawn, tended flower bed and trimmed shrubbery creates a neat and tidy impression. Add a few new bedding plants to add a splash of colour and the whole area will appear cheerful and bright – you don’t have to spend a fortune.
5. A driveway or off-street parking area is a sought-after bonus feature that should be shown off to its best. If yours is looking tired, consider resurfacing it for an instant facelift. If your budget won’t stretch to that, make sure it’s weed-free and jet wash the space so it’s clean and bright. Make sure it’s clear of things like rubble and broken objects you should’ve got rid of months ago. Cut back plant life that has overgrown along its edge so it looks as big as possible and sweep up the leaves that tend to collect in corners.
6. Bins are never very attractive, so if you have space down the side or at the back, get the rubbish out of sight. For some properties, the bins have to stay at the front so look at the different stores or camouflage ideas that are available. It just makes them less of an eyesore. At the very least, scrub the dustbins clean and arrange them as neatly as you can.
7. Step back from your property and have a look at the way the walls of the building look. Whether they are rendered, pebble dash, bricks and mortar or timber cladding, cast a critical eye over the surface. Often just a soft wash will improve the look of things, but painted render needs regular repainting to keep the outside looking its best. Timber requires treatment periodically to keep it protected from the weather.
8. Complete the job of adding kerb appeal to your home by inspecting the boundary fences and walls. Fix what is broken and apply new paint or stain to areas that need it. Gates are often forgotten about but they need attention too to ensure they open and close properly and latches work efficiently. Gates also look best with a new coat of paint.
