7 Great Ideas For Your Home Exterior

When you come home after a busy day, nothing says, “welcome home” better than a good-looking house and garden. You know your hard work accounts to something when you see that your home is in good shape and is an asset to the neighborhood.

Painting, roofing, siding, gutters, landscaping –all these major investments keep your home solid. But once the critical maintenance, renovations, and repairs are done, you still might want to enhance the exterior of your home.

Here are seven special ideas for quick fixes to complement your garden and make the outside of your house stand out.

1. Put in a New Path.

Tired of walking over wet grass to get to the garage? Put in a path. If you are looking for a DIY project, you can lay the stones yourself. Or hire a landscape gardener to do the job. Paths are not just practical; they lend structure to the garden design.

2. Add Window Boxes.

Major renovations to the landscaping may seem like an overwhelming task, but you can liven up your front entrance with colourful window boxes. Fill them with bulbs for spring, annuals in summer, mums in the fall, and evergreen bows for winter.

Water that collects at the bottom of a downspout erodes the turf, breeds insects, and can rot your foundation. Drainpipe extenders let you direct the water away from your foundation where it can filter through the soil.

4. Install a Trellis.

A trellis can add interest to an empty vertical space. Quite a variety of flowers and shrubs will be happy to climb up the wall with the support of a trellis. Consider climbing roses, climbing hydrangea, morning glories, wisteria, passionflower, honeysuckle, and clematis.

5. Highlight Your Steps.

f the outside lights don’t shine directly on the steps to your front door, you may have a tripping hazard. Paint a two-inch line on the edge of each step to make it easier and safer for you and your guests to navigate through your garden to your door at night.

6. Paint Your Front Door.

A good house paint job can last 15 years, but you can change the colour of the door whenever you want. For a warmer look on a white house, change the door from black to aquamarine. A beige door on a brown house is a conservative monotone; paint the door a contrasting colour (maybe red?) if you want to shake things up a bit.

7. Get a New Doormat.

How long has your doormat been at your front door? If you’re like most people, probably a long time. A new doormat is an inexpensive way to spiff up the outside of your home. Show your commitment to the environment with “green” products such as water absorbing mats and mats made from recycled materials.

If you are a ‘do-it-yourselfer’, you can put any of these ideas in place in a weekend. It won’t take you long to add special touches to the outside of your home.