How to Kick Up Your Curb Appeal

First things first, after all. If you aren’t thrilled with the exterior of your house, consider these tips before hitting it hard with HGTV-type enthusiasm.

Blend in. Hey, it’s only fair to your neighbors. If you live on a tree-lined street with streetlamps and wrap-around porches, you may want to steer clear from building that glass loft you’ve had your eye on. Otherwise, you’ll have a few rocks (or glares, at the very least) tossed in your direction.

Stand out. On the flip side, don’t be afraid to make your home personal. We opted for a cheery yellow door and modern aluminum house numbers to brighten up our curb appeal. We also cleared away two Dumpsters’ worth of dead plants and bushes so that you could actually see the house, and spent 12 (12!) days tearing out rotting siding and replacing it with new fiber cement gray shingled siding.

Consider first impressions. We plan to paint the trim and brick white, install matching garage doors, and add sweet window boxes filled with yellow tulips. And we can’t forget the entryway, which acts as a segue from curb appeal to the home’s interior personality. We chose scattered knobs, hooks, and hangers to welcome our guests, and a chalkboard wall decal in lieu of a floor mat as reminders to our guests that we don’t like to take ourselves (or our home!) too seriously.

To read the stories of our other featured first-timers, click here.