Giving your house and garden a facelift
Index
When you think of a typical home renovation, bathroom overhauls, kitchen upgrades and extensions often come to mind. But there’s a part of the home that isn’t often talked about, and it’s equally as important when it comes to making a good first impression. It’s your home’s exterior. Whether you’re embarking on home improvements for your forever abode or looking to add value for selling down the track, improving your home’s kerb appeal isn’t something to ignore. To help you on your way, we’re revealing some of the top tips for updating the outside of your home. From the best exterior house colours to trending house front designs, getting ideas for your home’s facade has never been easier.
Paint your exterior
- Add accent colours to windows, balustrades and gutters to save on painting the whole house
- Popular colours that work on most houses: Slate, Classic White, Grey-Blue, and Charcoal
Create striking perimeters
- Three ideal types of perimeters: Hedges, retaining walls, or picket fences
- Perimeters make a home both feel more secure and add value
Dazzle with doors
- For a contemporary home, consider a metal or glass door
- Add a pop of colour with a purple, yellow, blue or red door
Lay some lawn
Ditch the standard grass for some of these popular Australian varieties:
- Buffalo grass
- Zoysia
- Couch grass
- Kikuyu
Lighten up
Use outdoor lighting to add security to your home and light up:
- Gardens
- Front doors
- Walkways
Get a grand garden
- Find flower and plant varieties that complement your home
- Consider your home’s climate, colouring, and how much time you’ll have to maintain the garden
The above ideas will make the biggest impact, but if you’re looking to go all out, there’s plenty of other home improvements you can make for a jaw-dropping exterior transformation. For your front yard, you can add stepping stones or install a path that leads to your front door. You can also consider updating tired driveways, which will go a long way towards making the exterior of your home a sight for sore eyes. If you have a visible roof and it’s seen better days, a fresh spray of paint can make all the difference. Since painting a roof can be dangerous, it’s a good idea to hire a professional. Make sure the colour you choose matches or complements the colour of your exterior walls – if you choose your colour scheme wisely, you’ll end up with a very striking result.
Tip: get your painter to take on all exterior paint jobs at once – this way the cost to paint the exterior of a house might be cheaper.
Don’t just invest in the bigger jobs, because the little things count as well. Some of these smaller details include repairing things like lopsided gates, visible rust, peeling paint, cracked tiles and sagging fly screens. When you fix a bunch of smaller, unsightly things, collectively they can make a big impact on the outside of your home. While you’re at it, why not accessorise? Replace sad-looking letter boxes, add furniture to front verandahs, buy a decorative urn, install a water feature or update your house numerals. Something as simple as a welcome mat or a plot plant by your front door can help take your home from drab to fab.