How Frontyard Landscaping Can Enhance Curb Appeal

There are several frontyard landscaping ideas which can improve the look and worth of your home. When driving through residential neighborhoods, have you noticed how some homes look really bright and fresh and well-kept?

That’s called “curb appeal.” It is accomplished when various maintenance issues are well taken care of, and kept that way. Take a walk out to the street in front of your house and imagine what a passer-by might think.

If you’re not happy with the result, figure out what’s needed in order to have the house make the right first impression. Here's a few suggestions Curb Appeal.

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• The grounds should be kept clean – no toys or debris strewn around.

• Put the cars in the garage – not in the driveway.

• The plants should be pruned and the grounds should have no weeds.

• The lawn should be green (not brown) and should be relatively weed-free. Make sure the lawn gets mowed, raked, edged, weeded, watered and fertilized.

That’s the normal stuff that should be done in any case. There are a few things to consider that only come up occasionally – like when you’re thinking of selling the house, or every 5 years or so, as a point of good maintenance.

Wash or Paint - If this can be done safely, it’s something you can probably do yourself. If it’s hazardous because of the shape or size of the walls, let a pro do it (and make sure he’s insured).

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If you use a power-washer, don’t hold it in one place. Keep the nozzle moving or you’ll take some paint off (trust me, it happens to the best of us). If you decide to refresh the house with paint, make sure you have the full color scheme pinned down before you start.

You would be surprised how many people paint the trim without knowing what color they will use on the siding. Accent colors on shutters or doors are a good way to draw attention to the house from someone at the street.

When considering various frontyard landscaping ideas, keep in mind that the house should look like it belongs as part of the neighborhood. So you don’t want to go too far from the colors of other homes on the block. This can easily be done without looking like you cloned your neighbor’s house.

Colors should be muted and natural, to reflect the surrounding landscape. This will be different in New England than in the Southwest.

In a magazine called Solutions At Hand, a home color expert named Kate Smith (no relation to the singer) wrote about how she approaches this issue.

Here are a couple of her suggestions, just to get you going:

Cream or tan walls, lighter shade on the trim, and a forest green or copper red on the shutters and front door.

Gray house with white trim, black shutters and olive green door.

Painting isn’t cheap these days, but you’ll get your money’s worth, since it transforms your house with a brand new look. In the event that painting the whole house is beyond your present budget, think about just painting the trim.

Create visual interest – Some frontyard landscaping options allow you to create more interest by adding features like fencing or arbors, or paths.

If your house has a traditional look, you might consider awnings on a few windows. Not my favorite idea because of the added maintenance, but they will add color. Something to think about.

If you have an existing path, you can upgrade the look with a brick border or a row of annuals along the edge. The annuals will add color and not put a big hurt on your pocketbook.

Focus on the small things – they make a difference. The mailbox, the way the address is shown, the front door light, and potted plants near the entry are all little frontyard landscaping items that can give the house some extra “punch.”

Make sure the front door is in good condition. It’s the focal point of the house, and should be clean and inviting.

Landscape lights - can be very effective in emphasizing your home and the frontyard landscaping features after dark. This can improve the sale-ability of your home as well. Lighting serves to enhance the beauty of your home while increasing its security (burglars don’t like lights) and safety.

There should be a combination of functional lighting (at the path, front door, or porch) so people won't trip, and accent lighting (to create nice effects at trees and plantings).

To create ambiance, the lighting should be subtle. You can achieve both safety and subtlety by using a low wattage lighting system. It’s important to the overall image of your frontyard landscaping, that the final affect look professional.

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In the event that you would like my opinion (for what it's worth), I'm always ready to give it. To submit a question about frontyard landscaping,contact me by clicking here.