When it comes to renovating a home, more often than not, it’s the design of a property’s interior that springs to mind. But just as a book is judged by its cover, a house is initially judged from its external appearance, meaning that whatever work you do on the interior could be slightly undermined by an exterior that sets a bad first impression. It’s, therefore, a great idea to dedicate some time and resources to sprucing up the outside of your home; here are some handy ideas for areas of your property’s exterior that could use some work.
Walls and Windows
The walls and windows of your home constitute the prominent vertical surfaces which your home is instantly judged upon. Whether wooden or brick, painted or bare, you can do a number of things to improve the aesthetics of your home’s outer surfaces, such as slapping on a new layer of paint or pressure washing the bricks in order to expose their brightest and most striking colors. Hanging baskets and other plants add a pleasant and natural homely feel – you may even want to consider climbing ivy, which will spread upon your house’s walls year on year.
When it comes to windows, fitting painted shutters is both a pretty and a practical step, giving your home an extra external decorative twist while also providing privacy, security, and protection from the elements when they’re closed. Employ a regular window washer – or do it yourself with the right equipment – so that the windows into your internal life are impressively sneaky clean, shining in the sunlight.
The Roof
The typical suburban house will likely have some form of tiled roof. The problem with these roofs over time is that tiles can become loose, cracking or falling either from adverse weather, falling branches or other such debris that can ruin the geometric tiling design that the house once boasted. In order to rectify any issues with your roof’s appearance, call in the professionals for Amazing Roof Restoration that will leave your roof like new with either a full replacement or a much-needed touch-up of existing tiles.
Then there are antenna and satellite dishes for televisions that can sometimes be something of an eyesore on an otherwise visually attractive home; if possible, relocating these to a more discrete location on your roof will help your home look a little less scruffy. Maintaining guttering on the edge of your roof, removing dead leaves and sealing cracks, will give your roof a professional-looking lining, painted to match your home’s external color scheme.
Driveway and Garden
Plenty of homes in the US are set behind a driveway and garden that are in effect the connection point between a public road and your private property. It’s the first area of land that you have direct control over when it comes to how it is perceived, so it’s no wonder that the majority of US homeowners like to keep exceptional front lawns and a neat-looking driveway. You may be able to utilize local services when it comes to lawn mowing and maintenance, keeping your grass healthy and uniform, or you can do it yourself two or three times a month.
Driveways, adjacent to front lawns, are where you’ll park your car overnight or on weekends, and ought to be large enough to accommodate one or two vehicles at the very least, dependent on the number of cars your family own – and the size of your house and the provision of a garage. Tarmac surfaces are possibly the easiest to maintain, while a brick driveway complementing your home’s walls is one of the best-looking options. Think about using gravel or shingle to fill in gaps that your lawn won’t occupy, so that your front-of-house is attractive and well laid-out.
Fences and Hedges
The stereotype of the white-painted wooden fence in front of US properties may not extend to the majority of households, but fences, gates, hedgerows and flower beds nonetheless feature at the boundaries of most properties, especially to the sides where you separate your land from your neighbor. Keep these well spruced, either with new layers of paint and DIY repairs or with careful and measured hedge-cutting that will leave greenery evenly and attractively shaped.
If you don’t have some form of fence between the sidewalk and your front lawn, consider erecting even a knee-high fence for both practical and aesthetic reasons. Nicely-made and well-painted fences certainly add to the overall aesthetic effect of a household, while also marking a boundary for young children and animals, keeping them from straying beyond or into your property. Pre-grown hedges are likewise a lovely addition and are available at all extensive garden stores.
Extra Features
Besides all of the above, there’s plenty more that can be added to a home’s exterior to improve the aesthetics for the passer-by or visitor. Take a bed of roses for example – a pet project that can turn into an obsession as you grow their sumptuous petals. Intricate wooden or wicker chairs sitting out on the porch will give an open, sociable impression to your home, while the classic decorative items such as garden gnomes or stilted flamingos will provide a touch of individuality, should you so desire.
Moreover, a neat and well-constructed mailbox is the very first thing that most people may subconsciously judge a home on, so ensuring yours is up to scratch is a must, and comparable structures such as birdhouses or decorative sundials can be placed artfully in front gardens to give your property’s public-facing outside a central feature that draws the eye. Tasteful fairy lights on a front garden tree or wrapped around a pillar on a porch can add a charming finishing touch for when night falls – that same can be said for solar powered outdoor lamps, which will guide you to your front door after night’s fallen.
Bearing in mind all of the above areas that may require some improvement, set to work on your home’s exterior in order to be the envy of your neighborhood, setting an excellent first impression to visitors and passersby alike.