Easy And Simple Ways Of Improving Your Curb Appeal

There is no doubt that first impressions are important. For some, a house is only a shelter, an inanimate object. But many people actually want to give their homes a personality, they want it to be breathtaking and to chime in with who they are. There are countless ways to improve an appearance of a house and, believe it or not, those changes are quite simple and can be performed in just a couple of hours. Here are some great ways for enhancing your curb appeal.

Edge the Driveway

Edging the driveway with stone, bricks or pavers will provide a nice, elegant look.  Besides that improved esthetic appeal, elevated edging can also prevent other vehicles from driving into your front yard. The edging process is fairly simple: remove grass along both sides of the driveway (the width of your edging); next, dig the soil down the depth of your edging, plus two more inches for the sand layer; then add a two-inch sand base and line up the materials. If you plan to use some masonry, make sure you sweep the sand over the edging so you can fill the gaps between edging pieces.

Repaint The Driveway

Get rid of the dull, gray asphalt and give your driveway a fresh look. Driveway is the first point of entrance onto your estate, and a freshly painted, brisk driveway can make a great first impression with your guests. Old layer of paint must be removed (whether it is faded, flaking or chipped) with a paint scraper and a wire brush, so the asphalt can absorb the new paint better. You can get some driveway paint online or at a local paint shop and off you go. Do not forget to prepare the surface thoroughly before you start applying the paint. This project takes only a few days to be done.

Cover Up Dead Spots

Dead spots on your lawn (spots without grass) appear due to the constant shade the trees in your yard make. The shade, along with the trees’ roots (that kill grass around it by absorbing water and nutrients from the soil) leaves unappealing dead spots on your lawn. Trying to enrich that part of your land won’t be a fruitful action, so improve the appearance of your yard by covering a dead spot around a tree with some mulch. Avoid applying a thick layer of mulch (2 inches is enough), because you will only make a home for pests. That is the easiest solution. You can also plant flowers around the base of the tree.

Light Up The Sidewalk

Having soft sidewalk lights can be beneficial in more ways: it makes your house look more welcoming, it increases safety by illuminating dark spots around your house and it emphasizes interesting yard elements that you want to be pointed up during dark hours. One of the best sidewalk light ideas are solar lights. They don’t require the use of cables and extension cords, or any power supply from the house. Installation can’t be simpler, you just have to stick them in the ground and they can illuminate your sidewalk for at least six hours every night.

Garage Doors

Nothing around your house has to be just functional. Garage doors are a striking element, so a little improvement on them would greatly improve your curb appeal. They are made of different materials – steel, wood and fiberglass – and come in various sizes, shapes and colors. Also, different garage door designs are there to match different exterior house designs. Modern garage doors have better insulation, thus are more energy efficient, but also stronger and safer for your residence.