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Curb Appeal
The following exterior tips will help spruce up your home
and give it the curb appeal it deserves.
1. Clean
up the yard. Unsightly weeds, scattered mulch,
and overgrown grass don’t do much for the appearance of your
home (nor your relationships with the neighbors). Spend a weekend
getting your yard into shape with this easy makeover. Trim the
hedges and pull the weeds. Take a picture of your front yard
to a local garden center for suggestions for plants and ground
cover that can improve the look of your home’s exterior.
2. Clean
the shutters, porch, doors, and windows. A nice
color may be hiding underneath all that pollen and dirt caked
onto your shutters, porch, doors and windows. Buy an attachment
for your water hose (an actual pressure washer can be too harsh)
and spray these areas clean. Remove the screens from the windows
and clean the glass with glass cleaner.
3. Brighten
up the exterior lighting. Another easy exterior
home makeover involves upgrading the lighting. You can add more
lighting or simply upgrade the fixtures that you currently have.
Consider putting in either solar-powered or electric walkway
lights. Add lighting to highlight a tree in your yard. Or, be
creative and hang paper star lanterns from your front porch
for a unique look.
4. Paint
the shutters and trim. Painting the whole house
can be expensive. If a full paint job is not in your budget,
painting just the shutters and trim can give your home a fresh
look. You may want to consider hiring a professional for this
home makeover.
5. Create
an outdoor room. This can be an impressive makeover
for the exterior of your home. It doesn’t have to mean that
you add an expensive deck or screened-in porch, either. Instead
work with the space that you have. Add furniture and personal
touches to your front porch to create a welcoming, outdoor room.
Or, you can define a space in the backyard to use as an outdoor
room. Include some indoor elements such as fabric for an eye-catching
makeover.
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