You may be thinking about improving the appearance of the exterior of your home. However, if you are like most people, money is tight. You are willing to make a moderate investment on improving the appearance of your home, however, you do have some pretty significant financial limitations.
Understanding that reality, you do not have to give up on your desire to enhance the appearance of the exterior of your residence. There are some important exterior home improvements that you can undertake successfully on a budget.
Refresh The Paint
A quick and affordable fix that you can undertake on the exterior of your residence is to apply a coat of fresh paint. Exterior painting is a project that many people do on their own. However, generally speaking, it is not too difficult to find an experienced, affordable paint contractor who can undertake the project for you.
Plant A Few Trees
If you are in a newer home or in a residence that is older but limited in its landscaping, consider planting a few trees on the property. You do not need to expend extra money getting older trees. Rather, you can purchase smaller ones that will add a presence to your property. In addition, if you are thinking about putting your home on the market, small, young trees are likely to be a selling point for a prospective buyer.
You really can look at a tree as an investment in the value of your residence. If you have no immediate plans to move, and will be around to allow a small tree the opportunity to grow for some years, you may be surprised with the boost in value a tree might add to your home. Some experts maintain that a tree can add between $1,000 and $10,000 in value to your residence, depending on where you reside, the type of tree, and so forth.
Install Exterior Lighting
Odds are that your residence has some exterior lighting. For example, you almost certainly have a porch lamp. However, if you are like many homeowners, the extent of the exterior lighting may not extend much beyond this minimal illumination.
You can affordably enhance the appearance, and even the value, of your residence by adding exterior lighting to the property. In this day and age, you have options beyond going the hard-wired route. In other words, you can place lighting around your property that does not necessarily need to be hard-wired. This can safe you a great deal of money, and also provides significant flexibility as to where you place lights.
Solar powered derivation of exterior lights have become very popular. They charge during the day and then function at night as you need them. Some of these products now come complete with remote controls, allowing you the ability to easily turn them on and off. In addition, these types of lights also can be found with timers, which allows you to automate the entire process.
Plant Some Plants
On a related note, you can boost the outside appeal of your residence by planting some plants around the property. You so not have to go overboard in this regard. For example, a small, but vibrant flower bed in the front yard can add a great deal to your residence. You might want to consider lining any walkway leading to your home with plants.
Consider planting perennials. This will save you time and ultimately money as well. You are likely to be able to find a wide selection of different types of perennials that will make a smart addition to your home.
In addition, consider putting some potted plants on your front porch and on your rear patio. These can make powerful statements and add a lovely touch to your home. In addition, depending on the types of plants you put into a pot, you can bring them in when the weather becomes colder, returning them to their outside perches when the seasons change again.
Refresh The Lawn
If you are like many homeowners, your lawn may be a bit spotty and in need of a refresher. An inexpensive step you can take to improve the look of the exterior of your residence is to refresh your lawn. This can be accomplished in many cases by simply sprinkling grass seed.
Take care to match the seed with the type of grass you already have planted at your residence. Making the mistake of using a different type of grass seed can result in a strange looking patchwork on your lawn.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Scaffold Store, the favorite and trusted scaffold supplier of the largest contractors.
