The story below is from our March/April 2020 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Rethink your home’s front view this spring.
In the winter months, the outside of your home suffers wear and tear from the cold, snow, ice and wind. It’s hard to give it notice when your objective is to get inside as fast as possible, but warmer days are a great time to rethink how your home appears from the street. Does it look well cared for and inviting, or out-of-date and in disrepair?
If you’re entertaining the idea of putting it on the market, sprucing up the outside is essential to attracting a buyer.
“You only get one chance at your home’s first impression,” says Abby Hostetler, who helps clients stage their homes before listing them through her design company, Enhance. But even if you aren’t selling, Hostetler says you want to create a warm and welcoming vibe for friends and family, and that starts at the curb.
Green up the outside
If you’re unsure what plants to choose and how to maintain garden beds, a few tips can help you get your yard game going.
“Ideally you want to have color all year long with flowering shrubs or perennials,” says Emily Mangus of Emily Mangus Interiors.
Mangus suggests azaleas and peonies for the springtime, roses, lavender and hydrangeas for the summer, and camellias or hellebores for the fall and into winter. If you visit a garden center with a list in hand, along with some photos of the front of your house, you can get free assistance on sizes and spacing.
Early spring is the perfect time to prune existing trees and shrubs. Smaller trees can be trimmed with an inexpensive pole pruner from a home improvement store, though very large trees should be left to the experts.
“Make sure trees and shrubs aren’t touching the house, and aren’t blocking a view of the house from the street,” says Hostetler. “Walkways should be clear of branches…don’t block paths.”
Prune trees in a natural shape, instead of lopping off the tops, which looks jarring and can make trees susceptible to wind damage. Fresh mulch in beds will protect plants from weeds and help them stay hydrated. A two- to three-inch base of mulch in your beds looks best and provides optimal protection. Avoid red-tinted mulch, says Hostetler, and go for brown or black. To save your back from hauling bags of mulch out of the car, have a landscaping company deliver a scoop to your driveway.
Light the way
“You can also invest in quality outdoor lighting to upgrade your curb appeal,” says Mangus. “Consider updating the post lights for a walkway and the lights at the front door.”
Mangus reminds that scale is crucial, and you can go bigger than you think. A porch light that looks large in the box can be dwarfed by the size of your house. Bigger is better here—and that also goes for the planters flanking your front door.
“The biggest mistake I see with planters on the porch is that people choose ones that are too small,” says Hostetler. “You want to see it from the street, so go with something at least 20 inches in diameter.”
The bonus, Hostetler says, is that larger planters are easier to maintain. The larger it is, the less you have to water.
For a classic look, Mangus says, opt for boxwood topiaries on a covered front porch. Make sure your pot is twice the size of the root ball, and water well until established. These hardy plants can last a long time with a little care and always look on point, no matter the season.
Clean and paint
Renting a power washer can make your sidewalk and driveway look new—but be careful when power washing siding, as you are one bad aim away from a broken window. If you need extensive cleaning, it may be best to hire a professional. A fresh coat of trim paint can be just the life your house needs, but if this isn’t the year to paint the trim, consider painting the front door.
Also, take a look at the doorknob and knocker. Are they showing extensive wear? Replace them for some punch. While you’re at the front door, look down. Is your welcome mat less than welcoming? If so, get a new one.
Cleaning front-facing windows will be time well spent, as will clearing cobwebs and leaf debris that make your porch and house look less inviting. Consider snapping photos of your house with your phone to identify areas that need work. The familiarity of your home can make it difficult to spot what others see, but a photo puts it in a different perspective.
If you’re lucky enough to have a front porch wide enough for seating, make sure you are prepared for sitting outside on the long, warm days ahead. If cushions have seen better days, you can recover them in a Sunbrella or other outdoor fabric. You will pay more for a high-quality outdoor fabric, but your cushions will last through many seasons.
Ready to invest in new porch furniture?
“Buy wood furniture that is known for durability in weather. The most obvious is teak, but it can be expensive,” says Hostetler. “There are other woods that do well on covered porches that are cheaper, like acacia, black locust and cedar.”
Another option is low-maintenance furniture made of wood-look material. Some furniture lines are made of eco-friendly recycled plastics but are made to last for years and clean up with soap and water, while wood furniture does need care, such as periodic oiling and sealing to maintain.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to shake the winter blues from your house, and make it look fresh and inviting. An afternoon or weekend spent working on your front view will be time well spent this spring!
… for more from our March/April 2020 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
