First impressions are always important. People form opinions within seconds, for good or for bad. Every now and then, we need an update to our look. This is not only true of your personal appearance, but for your home as well.
Neighborhood Garage Door Services of Columbus, OH has a street-to-structure walk through to help you think through kicking your curb appeal up a notch. Walk along with us.
Trim Your Hair
Have you looked at the plant life in your front yard lately? It may be time for a trim. We all know that it’s important to cut the grass each week. It’s those bigger tasks that can be tougher to keep on schedule. Be sure to trim your bushes once or twice a season as needed. Not only will neat bushes keep you home looking nice, but letting them go can have other effects as well. Letting bushes get too big and then trimming them drastically can damage them and yield ugly results.
Each year, it’s important to check the trees out front as well. If you’re going for a more private look, allowing them to grow in thick and low will work fine. But if you want a visible home with good curb appeal, you want them high and tight. Cut down any limbs that are head-level or below. This will not only save some bumps on the head, it will make sure your house is visible from the road.
Straighten Your Tie
Over the years, parts of the front of the home can start to sag. Stand back at the road and take a hard look at everything. Look for level lines on your
- Curb
- Driveway
- Sidewalks
- Porch
- Siding
- Doors
- Roof
- Garage door panels
You may find that as your house settles, things get out of alignment. Some of these can be easily repaired. Others may take considerable repairs and maybe even professional help.
Wash Your Face
It’s amazing what a power washer can do for the look of your home. Grime, pollen, smoke residue, and even vehicle exhaust from the road can build up over time. This will cause your colors to fade behind the build up and result in an unsightly appearance.
Buy, rent, or borrow a basic power washer and blast that build up away. Start with a soak using mild soap for painted siding, or bleach for vinyl, brick, or exposed wood. Wait about 30 minutes. Then come back and use the more powerful spray nozzles to rinse off the dirt.
Try Some Makeup
If cleaning doesn’t work, or if it reveals the poor condition of your siding, it may be time for some new coloring. If you have wood siding, add a fresh coat of paint. If it’s vinyl or aluminum, replace the siding. These simple measures can brighten up the whole look of your home.
While you’re doing this, it’s a good time to consider changing up the color altogether. This will give a much more drastic update to the look of your home. If you go with new siding or paint colors, make sure to update the trim color as well. Consider your options. Do you want a bright outgoing look? A more earthy, muted palette. Play with the options and make the best choice for you!
Update Your Jewelry
This one is simple, but can make a big difference for just a little investment of time and money. Update the hardware on your home’s exterior. Install new door knobs. Replace the metal railings on your porch. Put new house numbers up. Change the handle on your overhead garage door. If you have a carriage style garage door, put new hinges on. Choose a new porch light to go with the new hardware. You may also install new flood lighting as well.
Cosmetic Surgery
Now we come to the big changes. These are the updates that will require a lot of investment of time and money. Consider buying all new doors. Maybe you want to get a door with a window. This would add quite a different look to the facade.
New windows are another great option. Not only will they bring an upgrade to the look of your home, they are also more insulated. This leads to more efficient heating and cooling which lowers your power bill.
You may have never thought about it, but your garage door likely makes up a third or more of your home’s front. Upgrading to a new garage door can dramatically change your home’s curb appeal. It’s been estimated that a new garage door can even increase your home’s market value by up to 4%.
Finally, we have the big one: replacing the roof. This only needs to be done every few decades, but it’s easy to lose track of time when living in a home for a long time. When was the last time your roof was replaced? Is it holding up well? Could the shingles use a brightening up? Is the roof sagging? If you’ve changed your color scheme at all, be sure to consider your options for shingle colors as well.
If you decide that a new garage door is in your makeover plan, call Neighborhood Garage Door Services of Columbus, Ohio. Our professional customer service representatives will help you make the best selection to upgrade your curb appeal. Don’t wait, call today!
