While home exterior renovations have numerous benefits, the entire process can be complicated and highly stressful. To save you from costly mistakes and wasted efforts, here are ten essential things you need to know while updating your house exterior.
1. Invest in Quality Materials
When updating your exterior, think long-term. Even for minor exterior updates or if your budget is limited, avoid buying cheap and substandard materials. Low-quality renovation materials will not give you more savings and might result in more unnecessary expenditures. Inexpensive materials can also compromise your property’s safety and value.
2. Work on the Landscape
Not paying attention to your front yard can be a costly mistake when doing exterior renovations. While flashy landscape designs are a bit much, you shouldn’t leave it barren or completely empty. When updating your landscape, ensure it blends well with your house’s overall look.
For instance, avoid dark plants or grasses if your house exterior paint is mostly in dark shades. Your landscape design can make or break your curb appeal and affect your house value, so be strategic with your design choices.
3. Revamp the Driveway
The driveway is often overlooked during exterior renovations. Check for cracks, weeds, and potholes, and assess your driveways’ overall condition. If your driveway is filled with trip hazards and affecting your house’s curb appeal, it is best to replace it. Some common driveway materials you can use include concrete, gravel, asphalt, brick, and pavers. Select materials that align with your renovation budget, but make sure they can make your driveway safe, efficient, and durable.
4. Add a flower garden
Creating a flower garden is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to enhance your home exterior. Before heading to the flower garden store, conduct a soil test first in the location where you intend to start your flower garden to ensure it thrives. If this is your first time gardening, start small and select low-maintenance plants. Some of the easiest flowers to grow include daffodils, marigolds, cosmos, aster, peonies, sunflowers, petunias, zinnias, and yarrows.
5. Build a Covered Entryway or Porch
Adding a covered entrance can boost your home’s facade. Measure your front outdoor area and choose a design that not only suits your home’s style but can efficiently provide enough cover overhead from the rain, snow, sun heat, and other harsh elements. If space allows, you can add outdoor seating, plants, rocking chairs, or hanging swings. Remember to clean your porch regularly and remove any clutter that can make your home messy and uninviting.
6. Enhance the Exterior Lighting
Your outdoor lighting is equally important as your interior lighting. It elevates your property’s natural beauty and makes your outdoor space more efficient. Therefore, it is vital that you make it safe, functional, and energy-efficient. Do a walkthrough of your exterior and take note of the areas that need more illumination.
Install more lights in trip-hazard places such as stairs and walkways. Add task lighting in outdoor areas you typically occupy, such as patios and cooking spots, to increase their functionality. Add soft or warm lights in the trees or accent bushes to create a glowing exterior look. Install light fixtures near your house numbers to ensure your address is visible to visitors, delivery people, and other guests.
7. Update the Front Door
When updating your exterior, your front door should be of utmost importance. Choose a door that blends well with your property’s architectural style and can add more personality to your home exterior. If you’re unable to replace your door due to a limited budget, you can give it a fresh coat of paint, replace its hardware, or hang lanterns or a unique light fixture.
8. Prioritize Functionality Over Aesthetics
Enhancing your exterior goes beyond aesthetics. While boosting your curb appeal should always be the objective, it is important you address urgent repairs first before tackling cosmetic exterior updates. For instance, instead of adding a porch, check your roof and see if it needs to be replaced. Or if you need a more durable and low-maintenance garage, investing in metal garage buildings might be more ideal than its wood counterpart.
9. Consider the Return on Investment
Whenever you make updates to your house, you should always consider the impact on its resale value, even if you have no immediate plans to sell. Knowing the exterior renovations that can generate the most profit can also help you make more informed decisions.
10. Seek Professional Help If Necessary
While DIY-ing your exterior renovation may seem beneficial, financially speaking, handling this project without professional assistance is no easy feat. An experienced and trusted contractor can give valuable insights on how you can efficiently enhance your exterior while staying within budget.
Endnote
Before starting this renovation project, know and understand your local regulations and building codes. Disregarding these rules can lead to costly fines and wasted resources. Do your research properly, and don’t hesitate to seek professional guidance.
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