Defining Curb Appeal And How To Achieve It
What is Curb Appeal?
The formal definition of curb appeal is the visual attractiveness of a house as seen from the street. Things to consider when addressing curb appeal include cleanliness, de-cluttered, welcoming, and updated. Why does curb appeal matter? The time where your home exterior matters most is if you are looking to sell your house, or someone on your street is selling. Increasing the value of your home is important if you ever plan to leave it, even if it’s just renting. Curb appeal involves that first impression of a passerby looking at your house from the street. Another thing that goes into curb appeal, is how your house compares to others on the street. If you like to host, curb appeal is important for guests as well, and especially if you have kids that want to have friends over. Parents don’t want to drop their kid off at a cluttered and dirty house. No matter what your reasoning for curb appeal, it should always lead to a positive emotion and experience for those who see the outside of your house. Now, the biggest reason that curb appeal matters is because it effects the value of your property listing.
Achieving it
Curb appeal starts at the side walk. Think about your walkway, landscaping, and lighting. All of this needs to look nice and inviting. Next your eyes will be drawn to what’s in the yard, so having functional features to the front yard can increase your curb appeal. This could be a fire pit, a small herb garden or raised garden beds, a nice looking shade tree with some seating or swing, or a pergola to create a nice social area.
In case you don’t take detailed care of your exterior, lets start small. Clean. Power wash everything. Siding, porches, walkways, driveways etc. Clean your windows, screens, and your gutters. Pick up everything from your yard too. If you have outdoor lighting, wipe all that down too, cobwebs, build up and maybe some fresh LED lighting for a really nice touch. And if you don’t have outdoor lighting, this key feature should be added strategically to your walkway/entryway and your social area.
Along with cleaning, Freshen up! Add a fresh layer to any mulch that has discolored to make it look tidy and new. Tidying up everything else is important too. Water your lawn and cut it in nice rows. Weed your gardens, trim your bushes and plants. Adding new vibrant colored plants is a quick easy way to update the look. A fresh paint job on some older items is helpful too, like a new color for the door. Another overlooked item is he Mailbox. Making sure that’s updated is a good idea. Having the right amount of décor will also contribute to curb appeal. Having a few items that really accent and look nice, like a door wreath or a big faux plant in your entryway. Another easy update is to replace your house numbers with a modern color and font like this one from urban concrete that you can find on amazon.
Lastly, but probably the most important thing, is to fix all the small stuff. Get new screens for those windows that have tears that you’ve been putting off or have poorly patched, replace light bulbs, replace your door handles, fence latches and window locks, and any other hardware that isn’t working smoothly, and cracks in the walkway if possible. Bigger projects include replacing siding, windows, and doors. For these items, we highly suggest you don’t DIY them. Instead, call a certified pro like Z Double B. We give free quotes and can be reached at 303-997-8168, or stop in our show room at 12860 W. Cedar Drive, Lakewood, Colorado.
