Celebrity Tips to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Driving up to a home, it is always great to see a well manicured lawn, a beautiful undamaged roof, and downspouts nicely directed away from the house. The contractor in me likes to look a little deeper to make sure everything is as good as it looks. To be fair, some elements do require a closer inspection; however, there are basic maintenance tips that can keep the outer envelope of your home in top condition.

Check the caulking around your windows and doors. Look for shrinkage or cracking. Re-caulk if necessary. Do a walk around the home and check for foundation cracks. Make sure the downspouts are pointed away from the house. Check those eavestroughs for damage and/or blockages (this is especially important in early spring, when leaves and debris are likely to cause blockages for melting snow runoff).

Make sure you’re covered. Now is a good time to look at your home insurance plan and make sure your coverage is adequate. Spring weather events (like heavy rain, wind storms or flooding) can make your home more susceptible to damage. You can easily manage your policy online with companies such as Esurance, freeing more time to enjoy all that summer has to offer.

Water will do its best to find a way into your home. Do your best to keep it out.

I like to develop a monochromatic colour scheme with trim such as windows, soffits and fascia, rather than having too much contrast.

TIP: With a brick house, I like to go rich with mid to dark tones.

If you are replacing your windows, try to find a colour that you can match with either aluminum or paint for the rest of the trim. If you already have white windows and do not intend to change them out, go for a lighter grey or shades of taupe so that the white will blend.

As a homeowner, you have a lot to choose from when it comes to exterior columns. While some might think of it as just a structural item that is required to support a section of your home, it can actually transform the look of your home and give it compelling curb appeal. The details are so important, whether giving an existing home a facelift or boosting curb appeal for resale. You want to be very selective of your column choice in order to give your home the best possible look.

Columns are not only functional but can be decorative as well and, in some cases, just adding columns can dramatically change the overall exterior appearance. The single most important item to consider when selecting your column is to ensure that the column matches the architectural style of your home. Another factor that is just as important is the column size, is it has to be proportionally sized with its surroundings in order to give proper balance.

Another consideration when choosing your column is the type of material. Columns are most commonly made out of wood, fiberglass, composite and vinyl. Selection of material also can depend heavily on architectural style as well as whether or not the column is load bearing. In most cases decorative columns can be wrapped around load bearing points which opens it up too many different options. In addition to material, columns also come in many different shapes such as square, tapered, round, fluted and a variety of others.

If you are designing a new home or remodelling an existing home look for ways to incorporate stately architectural elements into your plans. Adding small details such as brackets, corbels and shutters can give your home a little extra flare. The front curb appeal of your home is the most important, lets face it everyone can see the front of your home and the first impression has to be a lasting one.