Easy and Inexpensive Curb Appeal

When we moved into our new house about 5 months ago, the front was anything but charming. Everything was painted the same drab shade of green, and whatever was left alive vegetation wise was pretty dated. So, with only a small budget we went to work livening things up and trying to create a more welcoming facade.

Before and After

As much as I would have loved to professionally landscape and repaint, that wasn't in our budget. So, instead we made pocket friendly DIY changes. The result was an easy and inexpensive curb appeal boost.

Remove Dated Plantings
The first thing we did was take the old juniper plants, boxwoods and hedges. These shrubs had been meticulously shaped and pruned, but they were out of date and out of style.

It took a few days with a chainsaw and a stump remover, but eventually the entire yard was juniper and boxwood free. Since we are currently in a drought, we replaced many of them with succulents and low water plants.

Paint the Trim

Repainting the whole house wasn't in the budget. So, I opted to paint just the trim. I used my favorite shade or white, Benjamin Moore's Ivory White #925 (note: this color has been continued, however paint stores are still able to mix it per request). This is the perfect shade of warm white, and it looks good with everything!

Even if you go over your trim with a fresh coat of paint and don't change the color, it will still freshen up the outside of your house. Plus, a little goes a long way. I painted the trim and the garage door, and it only used about 2 gallons of paint.


Plant a Garden
In a flower bed close to the house I added colorful flowers and plantings, sticking to a vibrant palette of vivid and saturated colors.

We have a family of deer who love to frequent our yard. I enjoy them very much, but don't enjoy providing them with an all-you-can-eat salad bar. So we enclosed part of the front in a low profile wire fence. This way we could grow some of their favorite snacks safely.

A large portion of the front is dedicated to our vegetable garden. Because we also have hungry gophers, I decided to plant vegetables in raised beds. To save on money and time, I ordered large galvanized feeding troughs to use as raised beds. They shipped for free and were delivered right to my driveway in a couple of days!

Bare beds Before

New Plantings After

Accentuate Windows
Ideally, decorative shutters should be wide enough that they could (theoretically) cover you windows when closed. Unfortunately our windows are pretty wide, so that would have meant having them custom made. That just wasn't in the budget, so instead we went with the widest pre-fab vinyl shutters I could find. They were easy to screw on, require no maintenance and help "beef up" the windows.

We also added vinyl window boxes. I filled them with colorful flowers in the same vibrant hues as the bed bellow.

Before

After

Change Light Fixtures
The porch light was very dated, and since I was trying to get away from the "Brady Bunch house" aesthetic, it had to go. The amber glass and metal scrolls screamed 1972. This was relatively easy to switch out ourselves. Just be sure that you shut off the power before attempting any electrical work!

Brady Bunch Before

Updated After

We were also able to swap out just the top portion of the amber glass light fixture at the end of the driveway. Now guests are greeted with a much more modern light guiding their way!

This was a relatively small (and inexpensive) change, that had a large impact.

Add Interesting Elements
Visually, the yard needed a little punch. So in addition to new plants, I added items of interest. Hardscaping can get expensive, and it isn't necessary for increasing curb appeal. A few well placed items can have a similar impact visually, for a much smaller price tag.

Funky flower pots and a shell collection welcome guests near the porch. The black and white designs echo the black shutters, and fresh white trim. Planted with white flowers, their colors are further accentuated. 

Spray paint is your friend! This old christmas wreath now mimics the shutters' black color, and hides a faded spot on the house siding. 

An inexpensive wind catcher (found at Costco for only $20) adds interest to an otherwise dull corner.

The biggest ticket item for this project was a new front door. 

All of these small changes work together for a big impact!

Before

After

1 year later, with established plantings

Thank you for stopping by, and have fun increasing curb appeal!

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