Keeping the outside of your home in good shape adds curb appeal and value while saving money on more expensive exterior fixes later.
Dozens of small, inexpensive do-it- yourself projects can revitalize outdoor areas.
Try these:
Refresh house paint. A gallon of exterior paint costs $25-$34, depending on quality. For a cheaper option, tackle this project yourself to touch up or to change the color on your trim, shutters or the front of your home.
“It’s one of the best improvements you can make in your home’s curb appeal,” says Duane Prokop, a Mentor contractor.
Change or paint your front door. If your front door is looking a little sad, replace it or repaint it. Choose a color that works with your home’s exterior.
Plant something. Noelle Akin, Petitti Garden Center’s director of communication and education, says creating flower boxes or beds are less time-consuming alternatives to painting.
Dirt, mulch, plants and a shovel are all you need for flowers beds. If you have a porch, patio, deck or courtyard, constructing or installing flower boxes will add a touch of color. Brighten curb appeal with container gardens, especially near the front door, Akin says.
“Container gardens are an easy DIY project,” she adds. “You can start with a recycled container, use inexpensive plastic containers or you could purchase something larger and more exotic, but (you) don’t have to.”
Akin suggests choosing flowers that “attract the eye, especially bright red and yellow flowers that pull the eye toward the entry way.” Pastel flowers can be used “to soften the approach” to the doorway.
Make your lawn greener and healthier You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on your lawn to make it attractive and healthy. Sometimes, all it takes is cutting grass the proper length and pulling weeds to help your lawn look good, Prokop says. Start with fertilizer and whatever can be used to prevent the growth and spread of pesky crabgrass. Ask for advice at your local hardware or garden center, or do online research. Get a new mailbox If your old, weathered mailbox is showing rust, consider a new one. Look for a mail- box that accents your home’s front yard or curb area.
Plant a few perennial flowers at the base of the mailbox to add color, Akin suggests. “You need perennials that are salt and drought tolerant because this is the furthest point from the house.”
She recommends planting deer- resistant coreopsis, sea thrift or bluebells.
Install new address numbers Eye-catching house numbers can be planted, placed, or otherwise displayed in your front yard to showcase your personal taste and design, Akin says.
Hide your garbage cans Most people place their cans in locations visible from the street. If you’re handy, build and paint a decorative fence around the area where you store garbage and yard waste containers. Plant flowers around the fence. The project costs $250-$300, if you have the proper tools, Prokop says.
Welcome warm weather with paint, plants and a few easy and inexpensive outdoor projects. Then pull up a chair and enjoy your spruced up living space.
