Add budget-friendly curb appeal to your home with these upgrades you can do in a day, weekend, or month, from freshening your garden to replacing your mailbox.
Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics that range from film and beauty to science and the automobile industry. Her plant biology degree has a focus on sustainable agriculture, and she's an expert on growing your own food, environmental sciences, and all topics relating to houseplants. Grenight Stone
Update your front yard, porch, and entryway to welcome visitors with a beautiful first impression. Check out these simple, low-cost curb appeal ideas for improvements you can do in a day, a week, or a month while on a budget. When your home looks good at first glance, everyone (including potential homebuyers) will want to see what's inside.
House numbers, the entry door lockset, a wall-mounted mailbox, and a light fixture are all elements that can add style and interest to your home's exterior curb appeal. However, if they're dingy or need to be updated, your home may not convey the aesthetic you think it does. These curb appeal ideas have the most impact when they function collectively rather than as mix-and-match pieces. Oiled-bronze finishes suit traditional homes, while brushed nickel suits more contemporary ones.
Window boxes are a curb appeal idea that offers a fast, easy way to bring color and charm to your home. Choose boxes made from copper or iron for a traditional look. Select painted wood for a cottage feel. Mix and match flowers and plants depending on whether you get full or partial sun and your home's color scheme.
Your home's front entry is the focal point of its curb appeal. Make a statement by giving your front door a coat of color with paint or by installing a custom wood door. Clean off dirty spots around the knob, and use metal polish on the door fixtures. Your entry should also reflect the home's interior, so choose a swag, flag, or wreath that reflects your style.
Symmetry is not only pleasing to the eye but also the most straightforward layout to arrange. Symmetrical compositions of light fixtures and front-door accents are curb appeal ideas that create welcoming entryways. Two sidelights flank this door. The lantern-style sconces safely guide visitors to the door and coordinate with the door hardware and urns.
Invite guests to pull up a chair and stay a while with welcoming porch furniture. Look for seating with skids to help prevent damage to your surfaces. Add the cozy feel of a living room with rugs, throw pillows, and end tables.
If you don't have space for a rocking chair or two, adding a small chair or bench on your porch can serve as a resting spot or a convenient place to slip off dirty shoes. Comfortable outdoor seating is a curb appeal idea that encourages everyone to engage with neighbors and participate in street-side activities.
Low-voltage landscape lighting significantly impacts your home's curb appeal while also providing safety and security. Add accent lighting to trees or the house or illuminate a walking path. For the best landscape lighting, plan to incorporate a variety of fixtures and lighting types. If you aren't able to use lights that require wiring, install solar fixtures. Solar outdoor lights (like these Better Homes & Gardens LED lights) are budget-friendly and easy to install.
Mailboxes should complement the home and express the homeowner's personality. If your mailbox is attached to the house, pick a style and finish that matches your home's trimmings. For a mailbox that sits closer to the road, surround your mailbox with a beautiful flowering garden to instantly make your front yard more welcoming and approachable. Consider painting the mailbox and post to coordinate with the home's color scheme, or personalize your mailbox with vinyl decals that list your address.
Get garden beds into shape by pruning growth, pulling weeds, and planting flowers. Add new mulch to restore color faded by sunlight and harsh weather. If stone or brick borders your bed, consider cleaning and resetting any soiled or dislodged pieces. If your border needs to be updated or more modern-looking, try upgrading to stone or a decorative cast-concrete edging system for improved curb appeal.
Container gardens are a curb appeal idea that adds a welcoming feel and color to any home exterior quickly and affordably. You can buy ready-made containers from garden centers or create your own with your favorite plants. Pots come in a variety of materials, such as terra-cotta, wood, and plastic. For durability, look for chip-resistant ceramic planters. A staggered, asymmetrical arrangement works best for most landscapes to create a dynamic setting.
Planting small ornamental trees is worthwhile if you're preparing the house for sale soon. If you're staying put, think long-term and try oaks, maples, honey locusts, or other large and robust species suitable for your region. Consider fast-growing species or small ornamental trees, such as pagoda dogwood, redbud, flowering pear, river birch, or Japanese maple; these can add dramatic interest without requiring years to get established.
Add a pop of color to your front porch with outdoor furniture in a bright shade. Use the color wheel to find a complementary color for your home. Here, tangerine orange perfectly contrasts the dark blue-gray siding. Updating your porch with colorful outdoor furniture is an easy way to boost curb appeal on a budget.
Address numbers, mailboxes, locksets, and porch lights are simple curb appeal upgrades. Although these elements are small, they add a lot of polish to your home's look. Keep the finishes consistent, so the pieces look like an ensemble of accessories, not a batch of mismatched hardware.
Take a weekend to freshen up your home's exterior. Aluminum, wood, and vinyl siding are safe surfaces to power wash, as are wood decks and concrete sidewalks. If you don't own a power washer, you can rent one from your local home improvement center. Cleaning the siding is an easy way to boost curb appeal on a budget.
Many homes have inexpensive aluminum screen doors that hide a more attractive entry door. For an eye-catching look, paint your storm door in an accent color, or look for one with larger glass panels and a sturdier frame. Install a full-view storm door design to allow the front door color to shine through.
One of the least-expensive improvements you can make to improve curb appeal requires two simple steps:
Whether placed on your front door or beside it, a wreath is a simple way to personalize your entry. This living monogram planter was created using spray-painted cedar boards and chicken wire. The interior is filled with peat moss and a variety of succulents.
Use these easy curb appeal ideas to take your landscape to the next level:
Even with a small budget, there are curb appeal ideas that will draw attention to your front door and entryway. Add a few well-chosen and nicely arranged plants on the front porch to create an inviting focal point. Molding is an architectural detail that adds definition when applied to the sides and top of the doorway. Notice how the white door casing makes this door stand out.
Add contrast and color to your home exterior with a new planting bed. Prime spots for improving curb appeal are at the front corners of the yard, along driveways or walkways, and immediately in front of the house. When creating a new garden, choose features that frame your home rather than obscure it. Opt for stone or precast concrete blocks to edge the bed. Include a mix of plant size, color, and texture for optimal results.
Shutters and trim are curb appeal ideas that add a welcoming layer of beauty to your home. Exterior shutters can be made of wood, aluminum, vinyl, composite, or fiberglass. New composite materials, such as PVC resins or polyurethane, make trim details durable and low maintenance.
If your home has an older gutter system, odds are it's also suffering from poor gutter maintenance. Peeling paint, rust spots, drooping, and other problems indicate repair or updating is needed. Replace old gutters and downspouts with a new gutter system.
If you're on a tight budget, vinyl gutter systems that you can install yourself may fit the bill. However, they become brittle and crack over time in cold weather. Copper systems, while pricier, convey an unmistakable look of quality and pretty curb appeal. For the best results, we recommend hiring a professional to install gutters.
Arbors, garden gates, and short sections of decorative fence panels are curb appeal ideas that will enhance your garden and increase the appeal of your home. These simple additions can become a backdrop for a bounty of blooms. They're available in easy-to-build kits or prefab sections that you simply connect. For best results, paint or stain these items with colors already on your house.
Give your yard a little whimsy and curb appeal by adding weather-resistant artwork. Choose pieces that complement your home's natural palette and exterior elements. Birdbaths, metal cutouts, sculptures, and wind chimes are good choices for outdoor decor. Water sculptures function as yard art; the gurgling is soothing and makes hot days feel cooler. Place fountains on level ground in optimum hearing and sound vantage points.
Planting colorful flowers is a surefire curb appeal idea to boost your home's beauty. Use bold, bright hues to create a big impact, even with limited space. Greet guests with a colorful garden in your parking strip (between the street and sidewalk). For an easy street-side garden plan, feature native plants such as Aster, Baptisia, and purple coneflower.
Line your driveway with lush greenery for a curb-appeal-boosting effect. The colors and textures of plants soften a driveway's expanse and make it look less utilitarian. Groundcovers and low-growing plants are best in beds along one or both sides of the driveway.
For exterior design on a dime, use an arbor or trellis to give form to your front yard and complement your plantings. To make this curb appeal idea even more budget-friendly, build a DIY trellis. Then train a flowering vine up it for a gorgeous living wall treatment.
Porch and stoop railings can deteriorate quickly if not properly cared for. If your railings are past their prime, look for quality wood or metal components to replace the existing material and improve curb appeal. As with other improvements attached directly to the house, make sure the color, scale, design, details, and material are compatible with the home's main features. Porch railings supply an integral part of a home's exterior aesthetic, helping to reinforce a home's style.
An exterior update (new paint, siding, or trim details) automatically transforms the look of a home. Regular maintenance of exterior surfaces is the surest way to keep your house and its curb appeal looking great. Any apparent defects, such as cracked or rotting material, can downgrade the aesthetic and quickly turn away potential home buyers. Once weaknesses are repaired, look for ways to add personality with color, trim, or shingles.
Create a permanent welcome mat by upgrading your front steps. Installing tile, pouring new concrete steps, or painting a porch floor or front stoop are curb appeal ideas that can drastically change the look of your home. If you decide to go the tiling route, select a tile that's slip-resistant and rated for outdoor use. If installing tile on sealed concrete, you'll need to grind the surface down before starting so the thin-set mortar will bond.
If your driveway is cracked or stained or has vegetation sprouting, you can easily clean it up or upgrade the surface. First, repair the cracks and stains (and kill the weeds), then dress it up by staining the concrete or affixing flagstones. For more room to move your car or park, add stone, brick, or pavers to the sides of the driveway to widen it. Establishing a crisp, clear shift between paved and unpaved surfaces can help to set off a driveway and enhance curb appeal.
A well-designed walkway is a curb appeal idea that will make your home warm and inviting. For a dramatic improvement to a straight concrete path, replace it with a contoured walkway made of stone or brick. For a less labor-intensive upgrade, apply a colored concrete resurfacer to the old walkway, then edge it with brick or stone borders. Brick pavers offer traditional, classic beauty to the landscape of any home.
Nothing carries pedigree and permanence like stone. It's great for dressing up exterior features such as concrete foundations, column footings, and other masonry details. Natural and manufactured stone can be costly options for large expanses, but both are affordable and well-suited for use as an accent material. A faux stone patio is a long-lasting curb appeal idea for your home.
Refresh a plain concrete walkway to boost your exterior's character. Install brick edging or apply a colorful concrete stain to the surface for a playful touch. This inexpensive curb appeal idea is a quick way to transform your front entry, driveway, or garden path.
An attractive garage door is an essential part of curb appeal. Sectional doors can feature windows in an upper panel, and some higher-end versions mimic the look of traditional carriage-house doors. If a new garage door is out of the question, add character with a pergola, new lighting, or by painting it to coordinate with your exterior color scheme.
Glacier White Granite Use cut stone or precast decorative wall blocks for a high-end landscaped look for sloped areas that need terracing. To save on landscaping costs, build a retaining wall yourself.