Home Exterior Make Over - Home Improvements That Add Sizzle to Your Curb Appeal

Are you selling your home? Do you just want your home to look great and make a statement? First impressions, they say, make lasting impressions. What does your home say to people who drive up?

There are so many ways to add sizzle and improve this first impression. You can do it economically or you can spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. House expansions that increase curb appeal would be one way to spend tens of thousands. In this article, I'm going to talk about how you can improve the curb appeal without a major home addition or expansion.

Determine Your Purpose and Budget First

If you're selling your home, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go hog wild. A nice "spruce up" should be fine. If, on the other hand, your goal is to make a statement and add significantly to your own enjoyment, then you could really splurge.

Another thing to think about is whether or not you can do some or all of the work yourself. Labor costs can be higher than the materials costs. If it's a do-it-yourself type home improvement you may want to favor labor intensive projects rather than materials purchases. In addition, when you are purchasing materials, make sure they are easily installed by the homeowner.

Here are some of the most popular and advantageous curb appeal improvements that lend themselves to the do-it-yourselfer:

The Basic Spruce Up


    Fresh paint for the exterior siding and trim (color coordinated)
    Well kept or manicured front and side yards
    Flowers, bushes, and trees with exterior lighting
    Lighting for featured parts of the front elevation of your home
    Inexpensive shutters for the windows
    Simulated rock/brick for the front porch, corners, and other accents
    Well-chosen outdoor furniture and swings for the front porch and yard
    A new front door and door handle


Now, if money is no object, you'll want to do some of the following which will normally require more costly materials and a lot of professional labor:

The "Extreme Home Exterior Make-Over"

    Hire a designer to coordinate colors and home style features
    Add new siding such as vinyl, cedar, stucco, etc.
    Replace the front windows, doors and trim
    Add shutters and planter boxes around windows
    Replace the roof shingles with tile, metal, or other visible impact shingles
    Give the landscaping an entire make-over
    Real stone and or brick walls, accents, pillars and entries
    Add stone and brick accents, driveways, and walkways
    Add archways and permanent awnings to the front elevation of home


The Home Value Bonus

All your hard work should pay off financially. A good home will benefit greatly by an exterior make-over. Even a "bad" home can be helped. The final point I want to make is that whatever you do, don't over-do it! Potential home buyers won't be looking for the Taj Mahal in a mobile home park.

Wisely done, your exterior make-over can bring back double or triple the value (or more) of your invested dollars. Do some research, make some decisions, implement your plan and enjoy the beauty and financial rewards.