Image above: design guide by Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest

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Why Curb Appeal Is Worth a Weekend

The front of your house is the first thing guests, neighbors and buyers see, and it sets the tone for everything behind the door. Real estate agents take it seriously. In NAR's Remodeling Impact Report on outdoor features, 92% of REALTORS® said they have suggested sellers improve their curb appeal before listing, and 97% believe curb appeal is important in attracting a buyer (Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, National Association of REALTORS®).

Even if you're not selling, these updates change how it feels to pull into your own driveway. I walk across the street before I start any exterior project and look at the house the way a stranger would. Whatever catches your eye first, good or bad, is where the weekend should go.

Curb Appeal Ideas on a Budget: Start at the Front Door

1. Paint the front door. This is the single most effective project on the list. Benjamin Moore points out that painting your front door a different color can completely transform your home's look, and that with the right preparation it's a project you can complete on your own in a weekend (How to Paint a Front Door, Benjamin Moore). Their steps are the ones I'd follow: take off as much hardware as you can, clean the door well, sand with fine-grit paper, prime, then paint. Choose a color that contrasts with the body of the house; my guide to exterior paint colors and front door combinations has the pairings I use most.

2. Update the door hardware. While the hardware is off for painting, decide whether it's worth keeping. A tired, pitted handleset undoes a fresh coat of paint. Matte black, aged brass and satin nickel all read well; pick the finish that matches your light fixture and house numbers so the entry looks planned.

3. Replace the house numbers. House numbers are both decor and safety. The Los Angeles Fire Department's address guide says numbers must be easily readable from the street and contrast with their background, and it gives a formula for size: the height should be 2 inches taller than 1/10 of the setback distance, so a house 30 feet from the street needs 5-inch numbers (LAFD Street Address Number Guide, Los Angeles Fire Department). Check your own city's rules, then choose a clean modern style like these 5-inch black floating house numbers. Mount them where they aren't hidden by shrubs or the porch light's shadow.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from Studio McGee). View the pin

Light the Way

4. Swap the porch light. An outdated or undersized fixture makes the whole entry look smaller. Go larger than you think, especially beside a tall door, and look for a dusk-to-dawn sensor so the light comes on by itself. This extra large black dusk-to-dawn wall lantern has the scale I like for a standard front door. If you're replacing a hardwired fixture and you're not comfortable with wiring, this is the one project on the list worth an electrician's hour.

Add Life With Plants

5. Flank the door with matching planters. A pair of tall planters on either side of the door is the fastest way to make an entry feel finished and symmetrical. Choose a size that holds its own next to the door, like this set of two tall outdoor planters, and fill them with something that suits your light: boxwood or a small olive tree for structure, seasonal flowers if you like to change things up.

6. Mulch and edge the beds. Fresh mulch and a crisp edge make a yard look maintained even when nothing new was planted. The EPA's WaterSense program notes that a landscape with colorful shrubs can provide curb appeal, and that mulch helps reduce evaporation so soil holds water longer, while also inhibiting weeds and moderating soil temperature (Landscaping Tips, US EPA WaterSense). It recommends choosing water-efficient, regionally appropriate plants, which also means less work every weekend after this one.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from GrowYardLife). View the pin

Clean Up the Details

7. Refresh the walkway. A cracked or weedy path is the first thing people walk on. Pull the weeds from the joints, reset any wobbly pavers and add a defined border of gravel or plantings along the edges. If the path itself needs replacing, simple materials like gravel or pavers can look custom when the edges are clean.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from Fowl Family). View the pin

8. Wash the house, windows and driveway. Dirt and mildew dull every color you already have. A gentle wash of the siding, the front windows and the driveway costs very little and often looks like a new paint job. Use a low setting on painted surfaces and stucco so you don't strip paint or force water behind the siding.

9. Upgrade the mailbox. If your mailbox is visible from the street, it's part of the front elevation. A new box, or a can of exterior spray paint in the same finish as your door hardware, ties the curb to the house.

10. Finish with a good doormat. A doormat is the last thing people see before they knock, so make it generous and natural. A coir mat like this square-pattern coir doormat wears well and suits almost any door color. Layer it over a larger outdoor rug if you have a deep porch.

Where to Start This Weekend

If you only have one weekend, do the door: paint, hardware, house numbers and a mat. It's the part of the house people look at longest. The next weekend, tackle the planters and mulch, then the lighting. For more ideas, see my earlier post on steps to improve your home's curb appeal and these two ways to update your home's exterior.

• Walk across the street and note what you see first.
• Paint the front door and update the hardware in one finish.
• Install house numbers you can read from the street, day and night.
• Add a pair of planters and fresh mulch.
• Swap the porch light for one in proper scale.

Curb Appeal Ideas on a Budget FAQ

What adds the most curb appeal for the least money?

A freshly painted front door, new house numbers and a pair of full planters. Together they change the whole entry for the cost of a few supplies and a weekend.

What color should I paint my front door?

Choose a color that contrasts with the body of the house and works with the roof and stone or brick that are staying. Black, navy, deep green and red are reliable choices, in a durable exterior paint with some sheen so it wipes clean.

How big should house numbers be?

Big enough to read from the street. The Los Angeles Fire Department's guide sizes them by setback: a house 30 feet from the street needs numbers 5 inches tall. Check your local fire department's requirements.