6 Simple and Affordable Ideas to Add Curb Appeal to your Home

Sometimes the outsides of our houses get neglected, since we spend most of our time inside them. Here are 6 simple and affordable ideas to add curb appeal to your home.

Before

This is a picture of our house when we bought it 2 years ago. We ended up hiring someone to paint the house just a few weeks ago. We’re pretty positive that the house had the original paint still and it just needed a little refresh.

While it looks SO much better now that it’s repainted, that’s definitely not necessary to up the curb appeal of your house. Check out the list below.

#1 – Paint your front door

One of the first things I did to the outside of our house was remove the storm door and paint the front door. Originally I painted it black, but recently it got a new coat of blue (Gale Force SW).

With just a quart of paint ($10-$15), you can totally transform your front door in an hour or less.

#2 – Paint your concrete porch/steps

If you look back at the before picture, the steps just looked really dingy. I picked up a can of concrete/porch and patio paint, sprayed the concrete first, then painted it with a roller. It took maybe 30 minutes and was such an upgrade.

It actually needs another coat, which I’ll be doing here really soon. You can check out the full process here.

#3 – New lights

The exterior things that seem to be forgotten about most often are lights. I often see the original, builder grade lights that are brass and rusted (sometimes they even have rust running down the house underneath them). I think it’s something we just don’t really pay much attention to. And I get it, but it’s also really simple to change them out. My dad and my husband changed them out and it made such a difference.

*I don’t recommend doing any sort of electrical work without the proper training or skills. Hiring an electrician is the safest option and doing it yourself does involve potential risks*

Before

After

Such a big difference, right?? I bought them from Costco 2 years ago, only $20 each.

#4 – Decorate your front porch and stairs

Obviously what you put out there will totally depend on the season. But during the spring, summer and fall months (in most climates) you can totally have plants out there.

Head to your thrift store and look around for pots/planters. A lot of the time they have a whole section of them. Pay more attention to shapes that you like, rather than colors. You can easily spray paint them to be the color you want.

Terra cotta pots are also pretty cheap at your local Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, etc. Usually anywhere from $2-$6 each, depending on size. I like to get the matching plate to go under them too. I’m usually a mix and match type of person. I think it looks more collected and cozy. So don’t be afraid of them being different. Grab anything you like and go with it. You just might be surprised at how well it all comes together.

#5 – Add decorative accents (shutters, corbels, etc)

The shutters in the picture aren’t actually on our house yet. This is just a visual brought to you by PowerPoint. Fancy, I know. I have some of the boards cut for the shutters, I just need to go buy the last piece of wood to finish them up. I’ll plan on sharing that process as I get those built.

But regardless, they’re going to add so much and it’s a simple, beginner level project.

#6 – Landscaping

Even if it’s just cleaning it up, it can make such a difference. We plan on landscaping to the right of our porch. We have large rocks in the backyard that I’ll be using to create a border (cost: $0) then I’ll be buying a few plants and adding mulch to create a nice, clean finished look. Overall, very affordable and it’s going to look so good.

Sometimes people give away free rocks or mulch too, assuming you haul it away. Check your local for sale listings for that, if budget is an issue.

Thanks for reading! I hope this gives you hope that even on shoestring budget, there are definitely things you can do to improve the exterior of your home.

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