Budget-Friendly Ways To Give Your Home More Curb Appeal

Most people spend the majority of their decorating budget making the home’s interior look its best. This makes sense, since people usually spend more time inside. Still, your home’s front yard and façade are the first impression people have of your home. Sometimes, it’s the only impression they get. While some exterior home improvements are costly, there are many ways to spruce up your home’s exterior and add curb appeal on a budget.

Some cost-effective ways to give your house more curb appeal include painting the front door, pressure washing the exterior, and planting a tree. You can paint the gutters or window trims to make them look newer, or swap out an old mailbox for a new one. Cut back overgrown bushes and hedges, and plant more colorful flowers. Give your lawn some love and add more exterior lighting.

If your home’s exterior could use a face lift or a little something extra, but you don’t have much money to spend on the upgrades, then keep reading. Increasing your home’s curb appeal is all about finding unique ways to make your home stand out (in a good way) from the other homes on the block. Below is a list of ways you can make your home’s exterior look better without spending much money.

13 Ways To Give Your Home More Curb Appeal On A Budget

1. Paint Your Front Door A Bold Color

One effective way to help make your home stand out and look upgraded is to paint the front door. When painting the door, don’t simply add an extra coat of the same paint. Instead, paint it a bold color like red, a rich blue or black. This will add a focal point and some additional color and contrast.

It might sound strange, but painting your door a bold color can actually increase your property value. This is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to boost your property value a bit.

2. Pressure Wash Your Home

If your home looks a bit dirty and dull, it might be time for some pressure washing. You can use your pressure washer on a lower pressure setting to give your home a good washing. This will remove dirt and grime that collects over time.

While your pressure washer is out, you can also clean your sidewalks and driveway. Making this a seasonal task will help keep your walkways and home looking clean and fresh.

3. Add More Exterior Lighting

Curb appeal is just as important at night as it is during the day. If your home has limited exterior lighting, then you should add a few well-positioned lights. Lighting up your house at night has several benefits. 

It can keep nocturnal pests out of your garden and help ward off burglars. Outside lights can even help make your home stand out and look luminous in the evening.

4. Try Mulch Or Gravel Above Your Soil

If you don’t have mulch or some type of gravel covering your topsoil, consider adding some. Using mulch has all sorts of benefits, from water retention to root protection. A quality mulch and several decorative types of gravel can also elevate the look of your landscaping.

Red cedar mulch is beautiful, as is river rock and lava rock gravel. Adding these on top of your dirt can bring some class to your garden beds.

5. Tidy Up Your Bushes And Hedges

One thing that can take away from your home’s exterior appeal is overgrown plants. They cover your home, lack symmetry, and can make landscaping look unkempt. To avoid this undesirable look, prune your plants and keep your hedges neatly trimmed.

Keeping your plants trimmed and pruned makes your yard look cleaner and keeps your plants happy.

6. Add A Beautiful Tree

If you don’t have any trees in your yard, you should consider adding a special one to set your yard apart from the rest. You can opt for a beautiful maple, like a Japanese Maple, for providing fall foliage, a cherry blossom tree for spring flowers, or even a citrus or palm tree if you live in a warmer climate.

Trees can add privacy and also give your yard some added personality. Sometimes they even give you flowers and fruit. It’s a win-win no matter how you look at it. 

7. Plant More Flowers And Colorful Perennials

Flowers are a natural way to bring more color and life to your yard, and almost always add some curb appeal. Consider planting more perennial flowers that grow back each year. This will cut down on the amount of planting you need to do, which saves time and money.

8. Give Your Lawn Some Love

Other than the house itself, people notice your lawn most when looking at a property. A healthy lawn can significantly elevate your curb appeal, especially if you mow and maintain it properly. 

Show your grass some love. Provide it all the attention your lawn needs in the spring so it can flourish in the summer and fall. Lawn care doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as you plan properly and do the work yourself.

9. Paint Your Gutters

Gutters are definitely not the most attractive part of your home’s exterior, but that doesn't mean they have to be ugly. If you have white gutters that are getting rusty, then paint them. Remember that your gutters don’t have to be white, either. You can paint them black or a different color that helps them match your house color better.

10. Put A New Mailbox

If you have the same old rusted mailbox that came with your home, then it might be time for a new one. Your mailbox might be an afterthought to you, but if it’s in bad shape, then you can guarantee everyone is noticing it. A new mailbox is an easy fix, and it can turn an eyesore into a visual gem.

11. Paint Window Trims

One way to add some contrast to your home while also breathing new life into old windows is to paint the window trims. Your window borders can start looking shabby over time. Consider taking the time to seal up any cracks, sanding them down, and then repainting them. You can paint them a classic white, or go with black, which has become more fashionable in recent years.

12. Add Tasteful Decor To Add Color And Contrast

Sometimes your home just needs a dash of vibrant colors to help it come to life. There are several ways to achieve this tastefully. You can buy a few bright flower pots, add a flag, or some seasonal decor. 

If you like celebrating holidays, consider having a wreath on your newly painted door for each holiday. These small, colorful touches give a bland and generic home a welcome dash of personality.

13. Clean Your Roof

To give your home’s exterior more curb appeal, don’t forget to consider your roof. Your eye might not naturally gravitate towards it, but a clean roof makes a home look more expensive and well-maintained than a dirty and green one.

In addition to power washing your roof, there are several solutions you can spray on it to get rid of dirt buildup. Try this on a small section of the back side of your roof first. If the spray works, then continue the process on the entire roof. This project can take some time on a ladder and needs patience, but in the end, your roof will look brand new.

Wrapping Up Ways To Inexpensively Give A House More Curb Appeal

They say it’s what’s on the inside that matters. This might be true to an extent for homes as well, but you also want the outside to look great. Whether you are selling your home or have just moved in, everyone wants their home to have curb appeal. 

To help boost your home’s exterior aesthetic, start by painting the front door a bold color and washing the house and the roof. You can plant a tree or flowering perennials, and remember to give your yard some love. Add tasteful pops of color in the form of seasonal wreaths and colorful flower pots, and swap out your old mailbox for a new one.

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