5 Quick Tips to Spring New Life into a Dreary Facade

Want to improve the curb appeal of your home without splurging on a new paint job or a remodel? Here are five easy ways to spruce up your home, without breaking the bank!

1. Paint your mailbox, or simply get a new one! The mailbox, in suburbia at least, is the first thing people see when they go by your house. A metal one that looks like teenagers tried to destroy it in a drive-by baseball bat adventure doesn’t help your curb appeal. So spruce it up! Add a coat of paint, put stickers on it with your street number, and if you’re feeling creative and kitschy, add some seashells from the seashore.

2. Lay out some pavers. One way to avoid going to that Orange Box Retailer for them is to find a home in your area that is set for demolition. My mom went and asked the builder if she could take the pavers. They said yes! Construction debris is what they would have become and filled even more precious space in our landfills, but instead, they now make a beautiful path from the sidewalk to the front of the house. Keep in mind though that not all builders are this nice! Laying pavers might seem difficult, but there are many tutorials out there for the beginner.

http://www.groundtradesxchange.com/pavers/brick-pavers.htm : This link shows how to install a paver patio, but a simply path works the same way.

3. Landscaping. It IS easy to be green. Planting colorful flowers or leafy bushes in your yard (in a tamed manner that is) makes your home look well-manicured and taken care of. Planting along the driveway, along the sidewalk, and along the house give more life to your property. Plant pricing typically begins at $5 for a flowering plant that will cover around 1 square foot of space and then the prices go up from there. If you feel inclined, buying a small tree (investing around $20) will  turn into a beautiful source of shade and privacy. Another planting tip is to add window boxes. These handy inexpensive planters add color to the façade of your home without the responsibility of maintaining a massive garden. (It also hides an exterior that might need a little bit of paint.)

4. Replace hardware. Getting new doorknobs, door knockers, house numbers, and more all make your home look fresh and well-kept. A rusty doorknob just looks sloppy and it makes people want to wash their hands right after touching it!

5. Outdoor Lighting. Lighting your front path or your front porch makes the house feeling more  welcoming, and now you can even buy solar powered lamps that simply stab into the grass, soak up the sun and provide a little bit of outdoor lighting for a very reasonable price. This type of lighting is low maintenance and it is possible to find these types of lights home improvement stores for roughly  $4.00/each.  Nicer ones tend to start around $10.00/each.