Four Secrets to Love the Curb Appeal of Your Home

They say you only get one chance at a first impression and this couldn\’t be more true than when you consider the design of a home. When a visitor (or let\’s say…a prospective buyer) pulls up to your house for the first time, the impression they immediately get will be the foundation of what they think of your entire home. Your curbside appeal has a huge impact on your ability to sell your home, as well as the sense of pride that you yourself have in it.


If you want to \”paint the barn\” in a literal sense, check out our expert list of ideas for dressing up the exterior of your home to amp up the curb appeal.


Four Design Elements That Have a Huge Impact on Curb Appeal

1. A Traditional Pergola
   
   Installing a traditional pergola is a simple way to add a huge amount of beauty to your lawn area. Traditional pergolas are less expensive than many lawn structures, and simple enough to customize to really flatter your exterior. You can dress a traditional pergola up with beautiful patio lights, or let a vine grow up and over it, for an incredible garden dining area.
2. Amish Gazebos
   
   If you have the space and resources to do so, looking into custom gazebos is a great way to take your lawn area from drab to fab. Like a pergola, a gazebo provides a lovely outdoor dining area, but with a roof that makes it more functional during raining days (which we think is the best time to eat outdoors!) In addition to increasing your living area outdoors, a gazebo instantly adds class and beauty to the exterior of your home. Have you ever seen an ugly gazebo? Neither have we!




3. Garden sheds
   
   If the exterior of your home has plants and flowers, you will need equipment and supplies to maintain it. And the equipment and supplies that you need to maintain your garden will need a place to call home. The two greatest curb appeal killers are an un-maintained lawn and garden, and clutter in your yard. Investing in a beautiful garden shed prevents both of those issues: the shed gives you a place to collect lawn-mowers, hedge clippers, watering cans, fertilizers, and so on to keep your lawn looking beautiful. This prevents weeds from growing and the intended greenery from dying and looking ugly. It also prevents your lawn from being cluttered with said equipment.
   
   
   Plus — surprise — the garden shed itself can add elegance to your outdoor area. A beautiful garden shed can make an otherwise plain living space look really interesting and appealing to perspective buyers.




4. Living areas
   
   One often overlooked exterior element that really contributes to curb appeal is when you create functional space outdoors. We\’re talking swimming pools. We\’re talking brick patios. We\’re talking outdoor kitchens. We\’re talking outdoor bar and entertainment areas. Consider your own lifestyle, and what aspects of it are well-suited to outdoors, and then build from there.
   
   
   If your joy comes from making meals, add a nice built-in BBQ for awesome cookouts. If you\’re physically active, why not build a tennis court, or other area that will allow you to get your fitness on in your own yard. If you\’re a parent, turning your backyard (or front yard, if it makes sense) into an awesome play area will give your kids a place to burn their energy, and will add to your curb appeal (if done right). Are your babies of the four-legged, furry demographic, maybe creating a great doggy park is what\’s right for you.
   
   
   Not only does this increase your own enjoyment of your home, creating great, functional outdoor areas has a powerful impact in the sell-ability for a home. What better way to make a perspective buyer yell, \”Take my money!\” than to give them an awesome house that offers usable space from the moment they pull into your driveway. That is if you bring yourself to sell it at all.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. In the home-building industry, we think it\’s more aptly said that the windows (and other exterior elements) are the eye make-up of the home. Wait, does that make sense?