12 Inexpensive Weekend Projects That Will Improve the Look of Your Home.
If you own a home, it’s never too late to think about its exterior. This goes without saying when it’s time to sell, but making small improvements gradually will allow you to worry less when it’s time to list your home, leaving you free to focus more on renovating the interior. Plus, you’ll be able to come home to a more beautiful and well-maintained exterior every day. Calculating the cost of improvements and their potential return on investment is always difficult, but it’s much easier when the upgrades don’t require a large initial investment. Many projects can be completed on your own in a few hours on a weekend, with a modest budget (often under $100). Here are a dozen of the best ways to improve the appearance of your home without breaking the bank.
Paint or stain your front door to give it a beautiful look.
Your home’s front door is one of the first things people see, and it has a huge impact on the perceived value of your home. Installing a new front door can recoup the cost by nearly 200% , but if the average cost of around $2,300 is too high, simply painting or staining your door can add thousands of dollars to your home’s value for under $100 in materials and a few hours of your time.
Install a canopy over the front door.
Installing an awning over your front door or other entrances is an inexpensive and easy project that can add beauty and practicality to your home’s exterior while protecting you from rain and drips. It will also make your front door more inviting to guests, who won’t have to stand in the open air waiting for you to open the door for them.
Seal cracks and seal your driveway before small cracks become major problems.
Your driveway should be considered part of your landscaping, as its condition is a key part of the first impression people make of your home. Cracks, crumbling, and stains on your driveway are a sign of trouble (and a warning that you’ll soon have to pay for major repairs), so cleaning and sealing it will significantly improve the situation.
-
Sweep away dirt and debris.
-
Wash the surface thoroughly with a pressure washer (or, in a pinch, use dishwashing liquid and a garden hose).
-
Fill cracks with a quality asphalt or concrete crack filler.
The total cost will be about $300.
Place paintings on the facade to make your home stand out.
A simple and inexpensive way to highlight your home’s exterior is to hang art on the walls. For just a few dollars (for example, this dog painting is only $16), you can add a touch of personality to your home’s facade, eliminate boring empty space, and make your outdoor spaces more inviting. This will make guests or potential buyers perceive these spaces as complete and encourage them to imagine themselves using them.
Plant trees to increase the value of your property.
A simple way to beautify your home’s facade is to plant trees, which undoubtedly enhance the home’s curb appeal and value . Trees provide shade, making outdoor spaces more comfortable (and can even help keep the interior cool by blocking some of the sun’s rays), and create a natural and inviting feeling outdoors. It can even be a free investment, as many cities and towns offer free tree planting programs , so if you’re willing to put in the effort and money, the project is cost-free.
Update your mailbox.
If your home has a mailbox on the edge of your property, replacing it will bring many benefits. Firstly, a spacious mailbox will allow you to send packages, which means fewer wrinkled items and “we didn’t find you” notes. A new, stylish mailbox will also slightly improve the overall appearance of your home.
While you’re at it, if space allows, consider creating a garden around your mailbox. Building a simple raised bed around the mailbox and planting it with native flowers or spreading plants will beautify the mailbox and enhance the impact of your landscape design.
Update your garage door by replacing the hardware and painting it.
Garage doors are a huge part of your home’s curb appeal, typically occupying anywhere from 50 to several hundred square feet of exterior space. If they’re looking a bit shabby, no amount of landscaping or other tweaks will improve their appearance. Fortunately, updating your garage door doesn’t require costly replacement if the door itself is in good condition. Painting it with a quality exterior paint can significantly improve its appearance. You can also give your garage door a more luxurious look by adding decorative hardware—both fixed and magnetic . Both options cost less than $100.
Add or replace exterior lighting.
If your front door is a dark and gloomy place, adding lighting (or replacing the existing one) will make your home much more inviting. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on an electrician—you can buy a battery-powered or solar outdoor light that installs with just a few screws. This will not only improve the appearance of your home, but also save you from having to fumble with your phone’s flashlight when you get home late and can’t see your keys.
Replace your house numbers with something stylish.
If your house address is hard to read, it will be difficult to find. And if the house numbers are faded or rusty, it negatively impacts the overall appearance of the house. Replacing these numbers is quite easy—and you have an incredibly wide range of styles to choose from, so you can match or even complement the look of your home. Of course, you can order custom address signs, but if you don’t want to use a drill, you can find numbers that attach with screws or glue .
Install plant boxes on windowsills to hide outdated windows.
Whether your windows are new or a little worn, you can easily improve their appearance (and, consequently, the appearance of your entire home) by adding window plant boxes . They extend your greenery into vertical space, creating a unified, harmonious look, and help frame your windows with color and architectural accents. You can simply place freestanding boxes on a windowsill if you have the space, or install something more permanent for a more sophisticated look.
Install decorative shutters to add visual appeal.
Like wall hangings, shutters can fill empty space on exterior walls and create visual interest. They also add a certain chic (that’s the technical term in real estate) to a home, making it look and feel a little more expensive. But, at its core, they’re an inexpensive and easy upgrade: you can buy a pair of durable, paintable vinyl shutters for under $100, and they’re easy to install, instantly transforming the look of your home.
Paint your gutters to make them look impressive.
If your gutters are standard white, this is a great opportunity to liven up your home’s exterior—they can be painted just as easily as any other element. Choose a bright accent color, select an exterior paint that complements the material of your gutters (usually plastic or metal), and transform them in a few hours of painting (be extra careful if you’re working on a ladder, of course).