After practically eight years of chipping away on the exterior of our home, I can verify—entrance yard curb attraction tasks are among the most rewarding. Typically, it simply takes slightly sweat fairness and a sunny Saturday to make a giant first impression.
We’ve achieved our justifiable share of weekend warrior tasks round right here, and I can say with confidence that the “earlier than” and “after” moments are at all times value it.
This spring marks 8 years of us residing in our brick colonial home (onerous to imagine), so I’m taking you on a recap journey of all the curb attraction makeover course of. That is the place we began 8 years in the past.
As at all times although, we all know each “after” is absolutely simply “progress”. As a result of truthfully, is a home ever actually “completed”? (If your own home is inform me what that’s like… I doubt I’ll ever know.)
When you’re observing your entrance yard questioning the place to even begin, listed below are 16 entrance yard curb attraction improve concepts we’ve achieved through the years.
Entrance Yard Curb Attraction Concepts
1. Limewash Brick
In December 2017, we took the massive scary leap of getting our brick exterior limewashed within the colour Romabio Bianco White. A few years later, it’s nonetheless going sturdy! Usually, I like a deep crimson pure brick, however I wasn’t a fan of the orange brick in our case.
What I like most about limewash is it nonetheless permits texture to peek by way of. Not like many paints on the market, limewash permits the bricks to breathe to forestall peeling or cracking. (Our contractor Hans at Reflections of Italy is a specifically skilled artisan, and he’s completely superb!)
2. Paint the Storage Door
An upgraded storage door has been on our want checklist for some time, however portray our present storage door Behr Cracked Pepper helped give it a giant facelift for simply the price of paint. We used the identical colour on our shutters and exterior doorways. That is what it regarded like proper after we completed it in 2017, and it nonetheless holding up completely.
3. Paint the Porch Flooring
A superb porch flooring paint could make a dated concrete slab or scuffed wooden look model new. I stenciled our terracotta porch flooring a number of years in the past however not too long ago determined I most popular the simplified grey colour (Behr Battleship Grey), so I painted over the stencil design.
We used Behr Porch & Patio Flooring Paint; it’s held up nice!
4. Widen and Clear Up Flower Beds
Huge flower beds = huge wow issue. We did a serious DIY flower mattress makeover a number of years in the past by extending them. Ripping out weeds, pruning shrubs, and throwing down contemporary mulch is immediate gratification.
These have been our flower beds earlier than:
And right here is the after:
5. Add Stone Backyard Edging
Stone edging creates such a sophisticated border round flower beds and retains mulch in examine. It was again breaking work, however we couldn’t be happier with the tip outcome.
We used Tremron Munich Stone within the colour Sand Dune (the identical stone we used on our DIY yard hearth pit).
6. Set up a New Mailbox
Bonus factors if it’s one with character or slightly backyard mattress round it. This white mailbox now we have is HUGE!
All collectively, it made such an enormous distinction in our entrance yard.
Earlier than:
After:
7. Improve the Movement Sensor Lights
I used to be decided to have a “fairly” choice for movement sensor flood lights. Movement sensor lanterns have been a fairly improve with perform in thoughts round our storage.
8. Spray Paint Planter Pots
By no means underestimate the facility of spray paint. We stretched our low cost pots and spray paint stash to make these DIY concrete look planters.
9. Use UV Handled Pretend Crops
As a lot as I like actual vegetation, they inevitably die inside 2 weeks in my care. So I’m a giant fan of utilizing lifelike UV handled fake vegetation for porches. Perhaps in the future as soon as my children are grown I can deal with caring for actual vegetation. However it’s not in my wheelhouse at this level in my life.
10. Restore the Garden
Rescuing our dying garden was a tough journey. For years, our youngsters couldn’t play within the grass due to brambles and thorny weeds. However now it’s as mushy as a luxurious inexperienced carpet.
It took a few yr of babying our grass to encourage wholesome progress. Now now we have a neighborhood garden care buddy (Tanner at Palmetto Garden Companies) who helps us hold it wholesome.
11. Exchange the Entrance Door
We actually liked our outdated entrance door and needed to maintain it. However it was an vitality effectivity nightmare actually leaking cash into skinny air. And our darkish entryway wanted extra pure mild.
We discovered our new door at a neighborhood constructing provide warehouse right here in Charlotte (Pop’s Constructing Supplies) and employed a neighborhood contractor (Mike Bates) to do the heavy lifting that was past our DIY skillset. We instantly noticed a lower in our vitality invoice!
12. Paint the Entrance Door
After set up, we painted the door the identical colour as our shutters: Behr Cracked Pepper.
13. Replace Outdated Porch Lights
You’d be shocked what a lightweight fixture replace can do for nighttime allure within the curb attraction division. This copper lantern was a splurge for us, however not practically as a lot of a splurge as a actual gasoline lantern.
14. Strive a Flame Bulb for a Gasoline Lantern Look
Since operating an expensive gasoline line to a lantern was out of our finances, I did some analysis to search out the most lifelike flame bulb to search out the clear winner. It’s unimaginable how a lot it appears like an actual flame!
15. Add Photo voltaic Panorama Lights
We had photo voltaic panorama lights out right here for just a few years, however these stone look photo voltaic spot lights are subsequent degree! Line the walkway or tuck just a few in your flower beds for fast cozy glow, no wiring required.
16. Replace the Roof
This was an expensive improve however because it was one we needed to sort out anyway as a result of our outdated roof was broken, we took the chance to get designer shingles (CertainTeed Belmont in Colonial Slate). They added a lot character!
(Our contractor right here in Charlotte was Taylor Roofing – couldn’t be happier with their work.)
That’s it! 8 years value of curb attraction tasks and fairly a metamorphosis.
We nonetheless have entrance yard issues on our to-do checklist like:
- Repave the cracking walkway and driveway (possibly even substitute them with pavers)
- Exchange the too-small gutters (we’d love copper cutters however not completely certain in the event that they’re value the associated fee)
- Improve the storage door
- Hold giving the landscaping some like to encourage extra progress
Even when nothing else occurs from right here although, we’re content material with the place the outside of our dwelling is correct now.
Right here’s a full “earlier than” and “after” with a nighttime take care of 8 years of progress.
What’s in your curb attraction to-do checklist proper now? I’d love to listen to what you’re engaged on within the feedback.
