Renovating The Exterior of Your Home the Easy Way
While many people do minor repairs and interior remodeling jobs, they often hesitate about doing exterior remodeling or renovating. There’s not really a big difference between the interior and exterior of your home except for the size of the DIY jobs.
Most of the time when homeowners choose to remodel their home, there is something on the outside that needs to be done. If you allow yourself enough time, you can look for great deals on many of the supplies you’re going to need. Some of the exterior jobs that may need to be done are gutters, siding, windows and window trims or perhaps adding a patio or deck to your home.
If you plan ahead, you can not only save money but also get yourself organized, whether this means getting the time off from work or arranging for the rental of some of the tools you’ll need for the job. You’ll be spending enough on the supplies, so you won’t want to have to buy tools as well, especially when you can rent them for a fraction of the cost.
If purchasing new siding is not quite in your budget this year, repainting your home is a great DIY job that will brighten and spruce up your home. Again, planning is very important. You may have to prepare the siding for painting such as sanding old paint off or washing the home. Some people don’t understand the logic of washing if it’s going to be repainted. It’s the best way to give it a professional look. If your home is tall and needs ladders and scaffolding, doing one section at a time will save you a lot of time and energy. Many make the mistake of trying to get the whole house done at one time. You’ll find working in sections at a time not only is easier but also makes you feel you accomplished more at the end of each day.
If you are going with new siding and windows, you may want to hire a professional if you have no experience in this type of work. However, many books and online sites have step-by-step guides for the DIY jobs. The stores where you buy your supplies (siding, windows, roofing, etc.) may also be able to give you many much-needed tips. If you’re lucky, you have a friend or family member knowledgeable in home renovations that are willing to help you. You will save a fortune on labor costs!
Staging a Home’s Exterior – 5 Tips to Enhance Your Curb Appeal During a Buyer’s Market
Staging a home’s exterior is probably the most important thing you can do to sell your home during a buyer’s market. That’s because during a buyers market there are too many houses available and just getting someone in to look at your house can be quite a challenge. This is where attention to exterior and curb appeal will help maximize your chances of selling your home. Exterior home staging is important not only for attracting potential home buyers and investors but also for hyping them up before they even step foot inside the house.
Interior home staging is important for decluttering a home and allowing the potential home buyer to imagine their own belongings in it. Exterior home staging is completely different, however. Your goal is to represent a near final product. Most home buyers are hoping that the houses lawn, landscaping, and curb appeal are near complete if not a finished product already. Having a plain lawn can mean a lot of extra work and hassle for the new home buyer. Here’s a few sizzle items and tips to help get you started on maximizing your curb appeal to sell your house:
Tip 1: Declutter your lawn. Make sure to rake up any leaves, prune the bushes, pull existing weeds, and remove branches, trash, and any other items that can make your lawn look bad. It’s a good idea to mow the lawn too. Nothing is a bigger turnoff than an unkept lawn. This makes the home buyer wonder what else was not maintained very well in the house.
Tip 2: Removing or replacing any exterior rot is crucial to staging a home’s exterior. Exterior trim and windows are most susceptible to rot and are a huge turnoff for potential home buyers. Some trim and windows can simply be repainted and revitalized and may not need to be replaced yet.
Tip 3: Use hardscaping to create more than just a lawn full of grass in your front yard. Mulch around your trees to create garden beds and create a boundary around them with rocks or other natural looking stone. Create flower beds near the driveway entrance and in front of the homes entrance to offer a welcoming touch.
Tip 4: Add some color to your home if it doesn’t already have it. This can be done by purchasing vinyl shutters if the house doesn’t already have them. Another idea is to add a window box to a window and create a dramatic focal point on the house. These are great for blending the landscaping with the home or for splashing some color or character on the house that will keep it generalized and not too personal. Consider painting your door or other architectural accents a contrasting color that will compliment the home and energize it.
Tip 5: Add a nitrogen fertilizer to your lawn that can turn it greener in 2-3 days and give it a healthier look. This one-time, short term solution will help a neglected lawn get a kickstart on life again and rapidly improve the looks and curb appeal of your lawn.
Easy Home Improvement Ideas to Add Curb Appeal
Are you looking for some easy home improvement ideas to add curb appeal when selling your home? There are many things you can do. Don’t worry these things can be done by you not a professional so they won’t cost a lot of money. Let’s look at what some of these ideas are…
Spruce up the yard is the first thing you can do. If it is the spring or summer get the lawn in better shape by cutting it and fertilizing it if possible. Feeding it necessary nutrients will green it up quite nicely. Also plant some colorful flowers if needed. Trim up bushes and add some fresh mulch. This will give your whole yard a facelift.
Now you can pressure wash your house or have it done by a professional if you have siding. Get all the pollen and dirt off of it. This can make a house almost look brand new at times.
After pressure washing your house you need to paint the trim and any other parts that need it. Painting brightens the whole outside of the house. If you have a single-level home you can probably handle the job yourself. However, if you have more than one level you may want a professional painter to come paint for you. You’ll be amazed at the difference a fresh coat of paint can do for a home.
Wash down your driveway too. Have any cracks repaired or do it yourself better yet. If the driveway is too big of an eyesore though, you may consider replacing it. This could be a major expense though but is easy to get done.
If your roof is noticeably in bad shape, look into getting it re-shingled. This is a big expense, but can help make a good impression for a potential homebuyer. Remember if you can see it needs to be fixed from the street it spoils the curb appeal for the house.
Replace the old mailbox with a brand new one. This is such an easy and inexpensive thing to do. Plant some fresh flowers around it if the season is right for it.
Make sure the windows are all in good shape including the screens. If any windows or screens are cracked or broken replace them. This is a must and quite easy to do.
Remember that any of these things that you do, improve not only the curb appeal for you house, but could also increase its value. So go out and examine your house as if you were looking to buy it today. What would you want changed before you would buy it? You will not be sorry you made these and other improvements to your home.