Upgrading Your Space: Smart Home Improvement Ideas for Your Home Exterior 

Table of Contents

1. Upgrading Your Space
2. Paint
3. A New Roof
4. New Siding
5. Landscaping
6. New Front Door

Upgrading Your Space

If there’s one thing that you need to work on if you want to build equity and value, it’s curb appeal. And when it comes to home improvement, particularly when it comes time to sell your home, this is going to be a driving factor for attracting buyers.

Even if you’re not looking to sell your home anytime shortly, laying the groundwork to build curb appeal is only going to be beneficial for you over time. The more you upgrade and improve your home, the better it will look and the more value you’ll build. People do look for appealing and catchy things when buying a new home. A home that consists of things that are easily accessible.

But what exactly goes into building curb appeal? And where do you begin?

The truth is, you have many starting points to consider. And though a few might seem obvious, there are particular areas that you’ll want to pay attention to.

If you’re looking to upgrade your home and build value in the process, the following will offer some smart and helpful home improvement ideas for you to consider.

Paint

Investing in a new coat of exterior paint is always a good idea. The aesthetic of painted brick or wood is timeless and traditional. Outdoor painting, like any other paintwork, will need to be reapplied from time to time. At the absolute least, you could re-coat the pain you currently have to give your home’s outside a fresh coat of paint. However, exterior paints do not have to be monotonous. You might use a two-toned color scheme to draw attention to multiple areas of the house. Alternatively, start small and you may not have to repaint the entire house. Just start with those rooms which need attention regarding paint. Choose the basic colors and not so specific. Basic colors can go with any sort of theme and you will not have to be selective for particular themes.

A New Roof

Perhaps one of the more prominent features of your home is going to be the roof. And while the untrained eye may not be able to spot a damaged roof, if you have roof damage of any kind this can drastically ruin your home value if left unrepaired.

Your roof takes the brunt of the weather, and it keeps you and your family safe. After all, the very definition of the word “shelter” includes a roof-like structure of some sort. And one way to keep your home’s value is to ensure that your roof is well-maintained, and replaced as needed.

For example, if you live in Chicago, you likely have frequent changes in weather–from high winds to snowfall and icy conditions, to hot, sweltering summers that make it painful to walk on the pavement with your bare feet. This can deteriorate your roof over time. As such, hiring a Chicago roofing contractor is your best strategy for installing a new roof, or for having repairs completed.

New Siding

One thing that can ruin your home’s overall value (and the value of neighboring homes) is by having unsightly exteriors with chipped or fading paint. And while painting can be a quick fix in this regard, your paint will again wear and begin to peel or chip over time.

One of the smartest ways to improve your curb appeal and keep value over time is to install the siding. Siding can come in a variety of styles and materials. A few of these materials are as follows:

• Wood panel
• Vinyl
• Composite
• Masonite
• Aluminum
• Fiber cement

When it comes to siding, you want to look for durability and ease of maintenance. As such, bit vinyl siding and fiber cement are two of the more preferred choices for siding on most homes because they tend to last longer and they’re both fairly easy to maintain.

Additionally, fiber cement siding is both insect and highly fire-resistant. And this is a bonus when it comes to home security and pest control.

Landscaping

You can’t create curb appeal without a bit of TLC when it comes to landscaping. In addition to tending to your yard regularly, using a bit of ingenuity and creativity with your landscaping design is sure to get people looking at your property.

The following includes a few landscaping elements that you may want to consider:

• Planting trees
• Adding planters
• Floral gardens
• Building hedgerows
• Front-facing shrubs
• Pathways
• Pavers
• Pathway lighting
• Outdoor structures (gazebos and sitting areas)

In addition to introducing new elements to your landscape design, removing overgrowth and unsightly dead vegetation is just as essential for developing a landscape that pops and lures others to come to see what your property is all about.

New Front Door

Last but not least, of all the exterior design elements of your home, you need to pay attention to your front door. You can go for a wooden door with some good designs. There are multiple options and styles for two-doors and single doors too. Start looking for the best design that you can have at the main entrance.

Everyone will notice your front door. As such, if you have a beat-up old door, or a otherwise uninviting threshold, this can deter potential buyers if you decide to sell your home in the future.

If you are not willing to invest in a new door or make something new you can do some simple remedies such as paint your door a new color that sets it apart and draws in the eye. Or having an ornate screen door installed is always a welcome solution when it comes to making your entryway inviting.

At the end of the day, creating curb appeal by upgrading your space can be done in many more ways than those listed here. But by beginning with these steps, you’ll ensure that your home retains and builds value over time. 

Thank you for reading!