How to Smarten Up Your Home’s Exterior

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The outside of a house is an often neglected part of the building. While you spend plenty of time inside your home, it is unlikely that you spend hours looking at the outside of your house. Taking the time to take care of your home’s exterior is well worth it. It is so easy to become so familiar with the sight of where you live that you stop noticing it. If this sounds familiar to you, it is time to start showing the outside of your home some love. 

While many people spend time planning their interior design to get the inside of their home looking fabulous, usually less thought is given to the outside. This is likely to be because making changes to the exterior of a home can feel more daunting than merely getting a new carpet, or changing the color of your bedroom walls. However, sprucing up the outside of your home doesn’t need to be scary. Taking your project one step at a time will help you to achieve really impressive results. 

 

Benefits of Smartening up Your Home’s Exterior
While the benefits of decorating inside your home are immediately apparent, you may wonder if it is worth showing the outside of your home as much love and attention. The answer is, yes! Here are just some of the benefits of improving the exterior of your home:

Boosts your home’s curb appeal, so if you decide to sell it, it will look far more attractive to prospective buyers.

You will fall in love with your home all over again. Seeing a fresh new look at your home will remind you why you loved it so much when you first bought it.

When the outside of your home is refurbished, it will be far easier for you to maintain, and keep it looking amazing.

Improvements to the outside of your home should help it to increase in value.

 

Planning Your Home’s Exterior Renovation
As you can see, smartening up the exterior of your home offers many benefits. Taking the time to improve your home can provide both financial benefits as well as making it look fantastic. However, before you get started, it is a good idea to get some plans in place so that you can achieve the results that you want from the makeover.

It is useful to put a budget in place so that you know the improvements that you make are affordable. Once you have your budget, you can then track what you spend so that yuu don’t go over the limit.

Addressing any issues with the exterior of your home is the best place to start with your project. This could mean that part of the project is spent rectifying problems, such as rotten window frames, or broken tiles.

It is also helpful to prioritize the improvements so that you can focus on what you want from the project. Take some time to think about the changes that you would love to see and then make them your primary focus. If you aren’t sure where to begin, try walking up to your house as though you are seeing it for the first time. Viewing your home with fresh eyes may seem like a crazy thing to do, but it will help you to notice which areas would benefit the most from improvements.

 

Inspiration and Ideas for Smartening up Your Home’s Exterior
Once you know how much you want to spend on your renovation, it is time to put your plan into action. Read on for some ideas and inspiration for elements of your home’s exterior that can be smartened up as part of your makeover project.

 

Add Some Wow Factor to Your Windows
Upgrading your windows can make a significant change to the appearance of your home. Changing your windows alone can entirely transform the look of your home, even without making any other changes. 

Getting new windows not only makes your home look so much better, but it can also offer other benefits too. New windows will keep draughts at bay and will improve your home’s energy efficiency too. If you do decide to upgrade your windows, make sure that you choose your supplier carefully. For the best windows, you will need to use a reputable company supplying windows that not only look great but are of the highest quality too, such as Boulder window

 

Create a Great First Impression with Your Front Door
Is your front door looking a little unloved? Peeling paint and tarnished door furniture can leave your front door looking far from its best. 

Depending on your budget, you may decide that you want to replace your front door. Alternatively, you could stick with your current front door, but give it some care and attention instead. Polishing up the door furniture, such as the knob and door knocker can make a whole world of difference. The most significant change that you can make to your front door is to paint it a new color. Painting your front door is your opportunity to add a pop of color to your home and brighten it up.

 

Get Your Green Thumb Ready for Some Gardening
A front lawn full of weeds will never add to your curb appeal, so it is time to get that green thumb ready for some serious gardening. Tidying up your front yard can be time-consuming, but it is actually one of the simplest, and least expensive changes that you can make to improve the appearance of your home.

Depending on the level of your gardening skills, you may opt for a simple tidy up of the garden, by raking up leaves, pulling out weeds and cutting the grass. If you want to take things a step further, you could plant some flowers to add some extra color. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the garden on a regular basis, it is a good idea to choose low maintenance plants and flowers so that they will look better for longer.

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Give Your Woodwork a New Lease of Life
When was the last time that you treated your garden woodwork? To keep fences, sheds, and decks looking at their best, and to prolong their life span, they need regular treatment. 

Garden wood that is left untreated will become susceptible to issues such as rot, mold, and other damage caused by exposure to the sun, wind, and rain. Wood treatments and preservatives help to prevent this damage, and keep garden wood useable for longer, as well as looking more attractive. 

Wood treatments can be painted or sprayed onto your garden wood and depending on the type that you choose; you may only need to repeat the treatment every five to ten years. The great thing about wood treatments is that they are available in a wide range of colors. You can find wood treatments ranging in color from the traditional white of a picket fence, right through to the brightest of pinks. With so many options available, you will be able to release your creativity while painting your fences.

 

Don’t Forget the Basics
When improving your home’s exterior, it is important to remember essential maintenance too. Don’t forget to make sure that your guttering is in good condition and free from debris. You should also make sure that your roof is in good order too. Once you have the basics sorted, you will have a home that is not only well-maintained but looks fantastic too.