Upping your Curb Appeal for Spring
Summer and winter curb appeal is easy. I mean, in the summer, all the trees are beautifully green, the grass is perfect (if you are like my meticulous husband), and the house just seems to look brighter and happier in the full summer sun. For winter, the grounds are covered in the glistening blanket of snow and houses radiate warmth under all those glittering lights. But, now, when the snow begins to melt and the clouds come in full gloom, our porches seem to get lost in the mix. That shouldn’t be the case – we should love the drive up to our homes all year long. Thus, read on for some tips to up your homes’ curb appeal this spring.
Spring Clean
While a number of us do a quick spring clean inside our homes, this is something we should also do to the outside of our house. Take a look around the exterior and make a list of what needs done and tackle them starting with the smallest and easiest task first. Change the burnt out light bulbs. Throw away the dead plants around your porch. Rake out the debris and leaves around your front door. Wash windows and window seals. Maybe do a quick power wash and make sure to check gutters for cleaning if needed. As you complete each task you will immediately see a difference in the exterior of your home. Just being clean is a good place to start.
Tackle the Big(ish) Projects
While summers’ months lend us to handle big house projects like redoing the concrete on our driveways, spring is a good time to start thinking of what you need to do this summer. And while some of the projects need to wait until the heat rolls in, smaller projects around your house can be tackled now. For instance, take a look at your gutters and roofing. With all the heavy winter snow bearing down, do your gutters need to be replaced? Are parts of your roof allowing leaks into your attic? Any molding around your windows need resealed? Spring is also a great time to look at your house overall and start to implement quick curb upping odd jobs. Do you need new house numbers? Or would your house look more appealing with shutters around the windows? Another often overlooked area – how do those windows look from the outside? Are the curtains a mess or the blinds dirty from afar?
Plan for Green
Nothing says spring like flowers and growing green shrubs and grass. First, take inventory of your current bushes. Do they need trimmed back to see the windows or the porch? Are your trees overflowing from last year’s summer heat? If so, plan to trim them now. It’s best to do this in the spring or fall as the cooler temps will stimulate even more growth. Make sure to also replace any unhealthy shrubs. For flowers, start with hardy plants (we love Forsythia and Heath) that can endure the rest of winter. Ground still covered in snow? Start planting the flowers in a container garden and layer them around your front porch or garage. You’ll smile when you see the greens and bright colors as you enter the house.
Paint
Ahh, paint – one of our favorite spring clean up items. While painting the entire outside of the house probably needs to wait until the summer, you can start small. Freshen up your porch railings with new bright white or re-do the front door with a new coat of red. Another quick paint area that will save you the trouble later is to do a coat of paint on the trim of your garage. Now is also a great time to take down the shutters and repaint them in your garage – a quick easy over night job. And last but not least, why now paint those flower boxes for added color this spring?
Tackling one spring project at a time will increase the appearance of your home on these grey snowy days. Every completed task will help you prepare for the spring weather ahead and will welcome guests into your home.
Have more spring clean up ideas? Comment below. We’d love to read what you have planned this year.