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Boost Curb Appeal With Top-Down Home Improvement Tips

By Kate Smith
Color Expert

August is the perfect month to enjoy your outdoor living spaces. It is also National Curb Appeal Month, so while you are outside, it’s a great time to think about your fall home improvement projects. To help your home make a great first impression I put together Roofing Rules and Top 10-Tips to Boost Curb Appeal from the Top Down.

These tip sheets are designed to make sure your home grabs the right kind of attention and that you know how to get a good return on your investment of time and money.

Boost Curb Appeal With Your Roofing

The roof plays a significant role in creating curb appeal because it can be a. large percentage of what you see as you approach a home. Blend the color of your roofing material with other home exterior elements to create an overall cohesive look.
Broken, loose, discolored, or damaged shingles give a negative impression about the overall condition of your home. Repair your roof or replace it with a colorful composite slate or shake roofing with a long-term warrant.

Your Siding, Trim and Garage Doors

You don’t need to go wild with color to get noticed. A home with neutral siding can make a statement with paint on the front door, shutters, or trim.
Add color to trim and decorative mill work to call attention to architectural details and enhance the design appeal of your home.
Garage doors are a prominent feature of many homes, taking up 30 percent of the front view of the house. Replacing old garage doors with fashionable new doors can instantly increase your home’s curb appeal.
Downplay garage doors by painting to match the home’s primary color and adding complementary trim elements, like a trellis over the opening.

Don’t Forget Your Windows

Window frames can blend in or stand out; it all depends on your chosen color. Selecting a green, chocolate, or bronze painted frame can add a powerful punch to your home’s curb appeal.
Update the color of your shutters for significant curb appeal results. Rather than black, try inky blue, chocolate brown, or deep forest green. Consider soft gray or taupe to replace white.
Cover any wear and tear with a fresh coat of paint. Power wash the entire exterior and repair any outdated, rotted, or rusted areas before applying paint. Investing in sweat equity can dramatically increase your curb appeal.
Cover any wear and tear with a fresh coat of paint. Power wash the entire exterior and repair any outdated, rotted, or rusted areas before applying paint. Investing in sweat equity can dramatically increase your curb appeal.

Create a Focal Point With Your Front Door

From classic and conservative to punchy and playful, the color of your front door tells the world something about the people who live inside. Think about what the color of your front door says about you.
The front door offers the most flexibility in color choices and is a great place to add a “pop of color” to a home’s neutral color scheme. Think out-of-the-box and consider a pumpkin orange, nautical blue, or harvest gold color for your front door.
An easy-care-stained or painted fiberglass door creates a focal point for the front of your home. Surround the door with decorative trim — such as pilasters and a crosshead — to make a powerful statement

Other Exterior Elements — Porch, Patio, and Landscaping add to Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Draw attention to the front porch by adding bold hues. A colorfully painted ceiling or new outdoor furniture can update your patio. Pillows and cushions in a mix of colors and prints create a welcoming tone.
Replace rotting or peeling wood porch rails, columns, or porch posts with low-maintenance polyurethane or PVC pieces for a clean, attractive look.
The colors of your home’s exterior and landscaping should complement each other. Choose colors for your plants with the same eye for design you use when selecting accessories for your interior.
Add window boxes, accent pots, or hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers and plants to draw the eye and make people smile.
Surround your home with colorful shrubbery and plants with landscape lighting. Invest in hiring a professional to help plan your landscaping for maximum impact.
Bushes and plants surrounding the base of your home add color, soften the transition between the lawn and house, and hide the foundation. Fill in any bare spots and tame any overgrown areas.

Boosting Curb Appeal Using a Few of These Tips

Your next step is to go outside and use this information to focus on ways you can add more value and design appeal to your home’s exterior.

The 20 tips can get you started. Below are a few other articles to give you great ideas for creating curb appeal:

Even More FRESH Ideas for Selecting Colors for Your Home Exterior

For more help finding the perfect color scheme for your home, our ebooks offer easy-to-follow processes for choosing the colors in every part of your home. Download a free ebook
Visualize from roof to ground the products and colors that complement your home. Go to the DaVinci Color Visualizer
See pictures of homes and buildings that feature DaVinci Slate and Shake. Visit the photo gallery

About the Author

Kate Smith is an internationally recognized color expert, consultant, and designer. She is a skilled colorist & a color consultant who, for more than a decade, has lent her expertise to DaVinci Roofscapes. Kate helps YOU select colors you will love for many years.