The concept of curb appeal is well known in the real estate industry. After all, enhancing curb appeal before putting your home up for sale is the equivalent of putting your best foot forward. But upgrading curb appeal should not be limited to sprucing up your home for sale. It is an opportunity to make your home more inviting and, in some cases, more functional. By making transformative additions to your home, you can give your home a fresh start. Here are some ideas:

• Add Low Voltage Lighting: Fixtures can illuminate a walking path or add accent lighting for trees. Solar fixtures are an excellent alternative to wired lighting with the caveat that solar lighting typically is not as bright or reliable as wired options.
• Replace Tired Shutters: If your shutters are long in the tooth, replace them with new versions. This is an opportunity to make a statement with colors or new material (think cedar).
• Clean Up Planter Beds: Prune growth, pull weeds, plant flowers, and add mulch to generate optimal results. If your beds are old, upgrade to stone or consider a decorative cast-concrete edging system.
• Create a Permanent Welcome Mat: Tile or paint a design that contrasts with your front step or floor. An added benefit is you’ve just eliminated the need to replace your mat when it begins to look worn.
• Update Porch Furniture: Take a good look at your existing furniture and determine if it delivers the ideal balance of form and function. As the weather warms, you’ll be spending more time on your front porch, so why not make it as comfortable and beautiful as possible?
• Add Depth with a Fence: A low fence around your property can be perfect between a busy street and your home. An added benefit is that it will make your front yard seem larger!

If you seek the ultimate transformative curb appeal upgrade, there’s no better solution than adding a porch or portico. You will be amazed at how dramatically either of these additions will change the look of your home. A front porch will extend your living space while a portico offers protection against the elements while accentuating your front entry areas.

To see how we have transformed our customers’ homes, view our portico gallery or our porch gallery of before and after photos.