Want to show off your style and personality? Let your house do the talking. Along with interior decorating, you can create a one-of-a-kind look to your house’s exterior. Whether it’s painting your front door an eye-catching color or planting flowers and shrubs in your front yard, your home should resemble you both inside and out.
Personalizing your space is what shows like HGTV’s Curb Appeal, Design on a Dime, Color Splash, and House to Home are all about. So channel your inner designer and try some of these home exterior upgrades to add a lot to your neighborhood panache.
If you want your home to stand out, paint your front door a contrasting, complementary color to the rest of your house. This is a great way to set your home apart from the rest of the neighborhood. A gallon of paint costs about $30 at the hardware store or $16 at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Make sure you choose a contrasting color that complements your home's main color. For example, red adds a contrasting pop of color when used with muted neutrals. (Here's a tip: Navy looks great with any color.) Once you’ve found the perfect color, add some fun accessories to your entrance area such as a rug, monogrammed wreath, flowers, or a welcome sign.
This is a great way to make your home more inviting. If you have a front porch, add a cute seating area for small gatherings. It’s a cheap and easy way to make your home feel warm and friendly while adding curb appeal. Get some inspiration from our DIY page, where you can see how some of our customers have restored some antique chairs for their front porch. (If you don't have a front porch, a seating area placed under a tree or nestled in some shrubs or flowers will also create an inviting look.)
Adding to your home’s landscaping is a common way to boost curb appeal. Beautiful landscaping can make your home look inviting and add a bit of color. Frame your home with a tree on either side of the entryway or the home itself. You can even make some decorative fake plants that look great in any yard. Or, you can plant small flower beds along the path to your front door.
Flower boxes under the windows can also add color to your home (and they're inexpensive, to boot). With a little time and water, you can watch them grow throughout the season.
A new mailbox can make a big impression on visitors and have a big impact on curb appeal. It shows attention to detail, and if your mailbox is attached to your home, it’s simple to replace.
If your mailbox is next to the road, it’s a little trickier. You’ll need to make sure you follow regulations and mount the mailbox properly. But this is still a cheap way to update your exterior on a tight budget.
House numbers make it easy to find your home, but they also add to your home’s curb appeal. If your house numbers are old and faded, it’s time to replace them. You can buy new numbers at your local hardware store or Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore for about $2 per number.
You can also opt for a slightly more expensive customized plaque, which can help your home stand out on your road.
Lighting not only makes your home stand out at night, it also makes it safer for anyone arriving home after dark. You can add lighting to the pathway leading up to your front door or add outdoor lighting to your seating area to create a warm ambiance. Check out our DIY photo gallery for beautiful lighting inspiration from ReStore customers.
Build a playhouse. If you have kids, you probably don’t need us to tell you that a treehouse is a great idea. They’re a win-win: your kids would love the opportunity to play in their own little house and well-designed playhouses can greatly increase the appeal of your yard.
Add a court. Cut the commute to the local park by laying your own concrete pad and adding a basketball court. Of course, this option requires the space for a court – but it doesn’t need to be a full-sized one! In fact, your court could be as small as 30 by 50 feet.
Invest in a playground. There are a lot of great homemade options available for a backyard playground - and they don’t have to be as extravagant as a basketball court or a playhouse. Check out this article for more tips and suggestions on how to make a fun playground in your backyard.
The benefits of “thinking of the kids” when making exterior upgrades go beyond hosting fun activities in the backyard. They also make great selling points to future families looking to buy a home, increasing your home resale value.
Adding to your home’s curb appeal is the perfect way to welcome guests (and one day, buyers). Since you’re only limited by your own creativity, start by creating a list of the changes or additions you’d like to make. From there, you can prioritize your projects by considering factors like seasonality, budget, time, and overall impact.
If you are planning on selling your home, contact your realtor and ask what buyers are looking for in home exteriors. This will save you both time and money when giving your home exterior an upgrade.
You can find many of the components you'll need to jazz up your home exterior at ReStore, so drop by one of our locations, see what's in stock, and get upgrading!
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