I live in a brand new house that, fortunately, doesn't need much by way of improvement (though my husband is working on improving the garden, building pergolas, and fences, and we hope to put in a wooden deck). For those living in older homes, though, and want to improve the value of the hope, hopefully this post by a reader will be helpful to you.
You pull up to your house and sigh, your lack of curb appeal is really starting to become embarrassing. Not to worry, you can invest some time and money into the exterior of your home for a pretty decent ROI. In fact, curb appeal projects like new doors and siding generate higher returns than improvements done on your home's interior. In other words, first appearances really do make a big impact.
You can start with the small stuff like lighting and expand into the more expensive territory to slowly expand into bigger projects that impact your ROI. Here's how to get started and what to expect in your exterior home improvement journey.
Lighting
If siding feels like it’s out of your reach, consider some low-cost options to help your curb appeal without breaking the bank. According to Inman Research, even inexpensive outdoor lighting can give you a 50 percent ROI. Get creative and look for outdoor wall lighting or lights and ceiling fans to turn a hot summer evening into a festive event with family and friends. Landscape lighting, solar lighting and post lights can also give your lawn a boost of curb appeal and illuminate your home at night. Best of all, your total cost could come in at less than $100.
Outside doors
Although installing an exterior door can run $1,500 on up, there's good news if you've been hedging on moving forward on replacing old doors. According to Inman Research, replacing exterior doors gives you a 101 percent ROI and replacing your garage doors gives an 88 percent ROI.
However, if curb appeal is all you're really looking for, there are less expensive ways to freshen up your exterior doors without buying something new. Sand down any damage and paint them with high-quality exterior paint and come in under a few hundred dollars. Choose an eye-popping color to catch people’s eyes likes red or cobalt blue.
Deck or patio
A deck or patio doesn't just add a competitive edge to your home in the neighborhood when you want to sell, it's also a perfect way to turn your outdoors into an oasis. Even an inexpensive deck or patio can bring 87 percent ROI to your home's value and expands the entertaining area to your yard, says Realtor.com. According to HGTV, a professionally built pressured-treated wood deck starts at about $15 square foot, including materials like the ones you can find at G&B Quality Cedar Products. Meanwhile, a paved patio will typically run under $1,000 if you’re going for a space that’s less than 120 square feet.
Even if you go for an economical option, you can still dress up your patio or deck with potted plants, lounge chairs and update your grill. Everyone will compliment you on your exterior design style without noticing the size or style of your deck and patio. Decorative concrete Orlando is one of the leading concrete flooring contractors that may help you with this kind of project.
Siding replacement
At some point, you may need to splurge on an upgrade that brings curb appeal, ROI and potential energy savings. According to Bankrate, the average cost of siding replacement runs $14,518 and its average resale value runs $11,093 for a cost recoup of 76.4 percent. Although the sticker shock may feel like a big investment, you could pay for it by using your home's equity. But it’s not all about resale value. When you couple a siding replacement with insulation, you can also lower your home's overall energy costs.
Remember you don't have to tackle all of your exterior home improvement projects at once. Choose the one that's the most important to you and fits your budget. Soon enough you'll actually want to embrace your home with open arms instead of running from the eyesores.
See my disclaimer.
You pull up to your house and sigh, your lack of curb appeal is really starting to become embarrassing. Not to worry, you can invest some time and money into the exterior of your home for a pretty decent ROI. In fact, curb appeal projects like new doors and siding generate higher returns than improvements done on your home's interior. In other words, first appearances really do make a big impact.
You can start with the small stuff like lighting and expand into the more expensive territory to slowly expand into bigger projects that impact your ROI. Here's how to get started and what to expect in your exterior home improvement journey.
Lighting
If siding feels like it’s out of your reach, consider some low-cost options to help your curb appeal without breaking the bank. According to Inman Research, even inexpensive outdoor lighting can give you a 50 percent ROI. Get creative and look for outdoor wall lighting or lights and ceiling fans to turn a hot summer evening into a festive event with family and friends. Landscape lighting, solar lighting and post lights can also give your lawn a boost of curb appeal and illuminate your home at night. Best of all, your total cost could come in at less than $100.
Outside doors
Although installing an exterior door can run $1,500 on up, there's good news if you've been hedging on moving forward on replacing old doors. According to Inman Research, replacing exterior doors gives you a 101 percent ROI and replacing your garage doors gives an 88 percent ROI.
However, if curb appeal is all you're really looking for, there are less expensive ways to freshen up your exterior doors without buying something new. Sand down any damage and paint them with high-quality exterior paint and come in under a few hundred dollars. Choose an eye-popping color to catch people’s eyes likes red or cobalt blue.
Deck or patio
A deck or patio doesn't just add a competitive edge to your home in the neighborhood when you want to sell, it's also a perfect way to turn your outdoors into an oasis. Even an inexpensive deck or patio can bring 87 percent ROI to your home's value and expands the entertaining area to your yard, says Realtor.com. According to HGTV, a professionally built pressured-treated wood deck starts at about $15 square foot, including materials like the ones you can find at G&B Quality Cedar Products. Meanwhile, a paved patio will typically run under $1,000 if you’re going for a space that’s less than 120 square feet.
Even if you go for an economical option, you can still dress up your patio or deck with potted plants, lounge chairs and update your grill. Everyone will compliment you on your exterior design style without noticing the size or style of your deck and patio. Decorative concrete Orlando is one of the leading concrete flooring contractors that may help you with this kind of project.
Siding replacement
At some point, you may need to splurge on an upgrade that brings curb appeal, ROI and potential energy savings. According to Bankrate, the average cost of siding replacement runs $14,518 and its average resale value runs $11,093 for a cost recoup of 76.4 percent. Although the sticker shock may feel like a big investment, you could pay for it by using your home's equity. But it’s not all about resale value. When you couple a siding replacement with insulation, you can also lower your home's overall energy costs.
Remember you don't have to tackle all of your exterior home improvement projects at once. Choose the one that's the most important to you and fits your budget. Soon enough you'll actually want to embrace your home with open arms instead of running from the eyesores.
See my disclaimer.