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7 Easy Ways to Create Maximum Curb Appeal

Ah curb appeal! We know a fantastic house when we see one and stop to stare at it. In just one weekend, you can be the envy of the neighborhood!

There are a few small changes you can make that will instantly add curb appeal to your home.

I’ll share with you the updates I’ve made, so now my home oozes southern charm and made my front entryway the envy of the neighborhood.

Hopefully, my makeover will inspire yours and invite you to improve your own home’s curb appeal and feel proud of your front entry.

Defining Curb Appeal 

There are expensive and inexpensive ways to create curb appeal.

We are going to talk in-depth about the inexpensive options, but I’ll mention the expensive ones to keep them in mind:

  • Exterior Paint Color
  • Trim Color
  • Landscaping
  • Shutters
  • Architectural Details – like a front porch or a stone wall
  • Landscape Lighting (how to install)

In our neighborhood, we live very close together and all of the single family homes have a front porch. 

This is a neighborhood curb appeal dreams are made of!

But, what makes one home stand out from another? It really comes down to the little details and luckily those details are easy to create!

Yes a beautifully landscaped yard, with bushes trimmed just so, and freshly mowed green grass will instantly grab your attention.

Beyond that what can we all do regardless of our home size to create maximum curb appeal?

As the proverb goes, “eyes are windows to the soul.” My feeling is the front entry area of a home are the eyes to a home’s soul!

blue house with double front porches charleston style house with southern charm

Curb Appeal on a Budget

The best bang for your buck is to focus on the front entry of your home, townhouse or condo.

Having a beautiful front entry makes you want to see what is inside of the home.

If you are selling a home, it’s the most important feature to set the tone of what to expect on the interior.

Realtors are saying AMEN sister!  Curb appeal helps sell houses for sure. 

Even if you aren’t selling your home having a nice front entryway can give you a sense of pride.

The front entry tells your guests a lot about you. It provides a little glimpse into your personality. 

When It’s Time to Update Your Front Entry

After my front porch makeover, I noticed the front entry was showing signs of wear and tear after 8 years.

Look around at your entry and pretend you are someone new walking up to the front door. How does it look with fresh eyes?

When I did this same exercise and looked at my entry, it wasn’t matching the rest of my home.

It was time for a mini-makeover to maximize my own home’s curb appeal.

I’ll help you with some easy front entry update ideas to consider and show you how it all turned out at my house!

Easy Front door curb appeal updates

  1. Exterior Sconce Lights
  2. Front Door Hardware
  3. Paint Touch-Up
  4. Flowers and Plants
  5. House Numbers

Typically the two biggest offenders that will show wear and tear are the front door, exterior lights and the door handle.

My exterior lights and my door lock set were definitely in need of a major update!

They were looking TIRED and were the original builder grade quality.

From the street it really wasn’t noticeable, but once you came up to to the front door it was OBVIOUS that I needed to make some changes.

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Tired and Worn Front Entry
Old Lights
Rusted and Worn Wall Sconces
Door Handle Finish Failing
Peeling and Faded Door Hardware

The paint on the treads was beat up, moss was growing, the flowers were blocking the walk way, and the cement landing was dirty. 

It was time to update my front entry for sure!

I’m going to share with you the 7 easy and affordable things I did at my home to improve the curb appeal that you can do at yours.

Post contains hand selected products, with some affiliate marketing links {full disclosure here} 

7 Easy Ways to Add Curb Appeal

These principles can be used to create a beautiful front entry and curb appeal in any type of home.

The bigger the home the more “stuff” you need. What you can update is relatively the same.

What increases a home’s curb appeal:

  1. Fresh coat of paint on the door and stair treads
  2. Containers of flowers and trim landscaping
  3. Decorative touches like candle holders and planters
  4. New door hardware
  5. Updated exterior lighting
  6. Metal house numbers (mine have been removed for privacy)
  7. A new welcome mat

Easy and affordable front entry updates right?

Easy ways to update your front entry and create curb appeal
Updates that INSTANTLY Improve Curb Appeal

Outdoor Cleaning Hack

Something I do at least 3 times a years is BLEACH my trim and railings (plus my outdoor cushions and pillows too).

What’s great about this solution is it gets rid of dirt, algae (the green stuff), and mold,

Instead of adding bleach to my pressure washer (which can ruin it), I make a simple solution of bleach and water in a spray bottle.

Outdoor Cleaner Recipe

clean-painted-white-railings-bleach-water
Clean Outdoor Trim and Railings with Bleach and Water
  1. Start by pouring the bleach into the spray bottle and fill with hot water.
  2. Spray onto all dirty surfaces and leave on for 5 minutes.
  3. Using the highest spray from a hose rinse clean removing all bleach. For maximum cleaning, use a pressure washer.
  4. Make sure to immediately rinse off any flowers and plants to ensure bleach doesn’t remain and damage them.
  5. Repeat as needed until all surfaces are clean.

Easy Projects to Instantly Increase Curb Appeal

Here are the items you can tackle in a weekend! In just a couple of days, you can completely refresh your home’s curb appeal.

  1. Thoroughly clean the front entry
  2. Paint the front door and stair treads
  3. Install new door lock set
  4. Install new exterior lights
  5. Add a Welcome Sign
  6. Trim the landscaping
  7. Update the flower containers or planters

The first thing I did was pressure washed the porch, siding, treads and door with my outdoor cleaning solution.

This pressure washer is easy to use and PERFECT for beginners. Having a clean surface was important for all of the updates.

DIY Replace the Door Lock Set

Changing out the door hardware is an easy DIY project. Make sure to have it “keyed” at the store BEFORE installing it!

Also, pay attention to the configuration of your door handle as you look at buying a new one.

Some things to consider when buying a replacement door lock set:

  • Is the deadbolt separate from the handle?
  • Do I need a backplate for the deadbolt?
  • How is it attached to the door?
  • Is the new door lock set going to cover over the same area, so I don’t have to paint?

I decided to stay with the same type of door lock set, and considered several options ranging from traditional to a bit more streamlined:

Schlage is a brand I’ve installed previously and KNOW their finishes last. The have a finish guarantee, so I stayed with Schlage.

I liked the traditional styling and settled on this door lock set because I only needed the front set and it was budget friendly!

It matched my previous door lock configuration, so installation would be easier.

update front door wall sconces

If your wall sconces or any front entry lighting is looking dirty, the finish is faded, or it’s looking outdated REPLACE them!

Replacing your outdoor lighting can be a DIY project, if you are comfortable with doing the electrical and caulking.

Check out the tutorial below, where I show you how I installed the new outdoor wall sconces.

Replacing Outdoor Wall Lighting: What to Consider

Woman-removing-exterior-sconce-outdoor-lights-from-siding

The challenge you may face? Do you stay with the same look or try something completely new?

In my neighborhood, EVERY house has the same traditional black lights.

The wall sconces have been on our houses for over 10 years and had taken a beating. I decided it was time for a change.

Since the new theme for my front porch was a modern coastal style, I decided to bring that same look into the exterior lights!

This exterior sconce captures the coastal feeling and reflects the design of my home’s architecture.

Plus I loved the idea of doing a satin nickel finish with the black handle to tie together the other elements I had in my front entryway.

For the size and finish, they fit my budget and I liked that they came in other sizes so I could replace all of my exterior wall lighting.

Paint Touch Up: Front Door, Trim and Siding

The EASIEST way to refresh your front entry is with a fresh coat of paint!

Think about trying a new front door color or just touch it up with the same paint color.

Just a heads up, if you you replace the door handle or wall sconces be prepared with touch-up paint!

After installing the door lock set the dead bolt wasn’t an exact match to the previous one.

My Front Entry Paint Colors

  • Door Paint: Valspar Duramax, Semi-Gloss 5011-2, Very Black
  • Tread Paint: Valspar Reserve Exterior, Semi-Gloss Valspar White
  • House Paint: Valspar Duramax, Semi-Gloss 4007-2B, Iron Frost

I gave the front door a fresh coat of black paint, along with the stair risers so they were bright and white again.

Then after installing the exterior lights, I touched up the paint on the siding where I had removed the old mounting bracket (I cover this in this post). 

Front door curb appeal

Randomly, while looking for decal letters for another project I saw this welcome sign and had to have it!

It’s an inexpensive and fun way to add a little charm to your front door.

You can also add your house numbers to the door with decals as well.

Make sure any touch-up paint is COMPLETELY dry before adding any decals to the front door.

The welcome sign was easy to install. My tip is to clean the area first with a little rubbing alcohol, so you get maximum adhesion with the decals.

If you have a lighter paint color, the welcome sign comes in black too.

Maximum Curb Appeal in One Weekend

Here is the final result and I couldn’t be happier! Even Mick got a hair cut, along with the flowers in the pots 🙂

The stairs look so bright and clean with the new coat of white paint and the door looks revived!

A fresh coat of paint makes all the difference in the world.

Now the door handle, lighting and lanterns all have a beautiful silver hue that brightens up the entire front entryway. 

What’s amazing is years later I still LOVE the look and have updated my front porch to match the new modern coastal wall sconces.

curb-appeal-on-budget-front-door-decor-ideas
Updated Front Entry the Following Summer

There is something about that “Welcome” decal that just makes me smile and happy!It’s truly what I want guests to feel 🙂

Here is a picture of my front entry a couple of summers after this initial update.

UPDATE: I added a CUTE and happy new door mat that I love.

black-front-door-windows-rainbow-door-mat
Happy Door Mat at Front Door
curb-appeal-southern-front-porch-charm-front-entry-ideas
Charming Southern Front Entry

However, the BIGGEST change and the item that really sets the front entry apart are the new Union Square lantern outdoor sconces from Progress Lighting.

The simple design reflects the coastal vibe and complements the rest of the porch better than any other light I could have selected.

Plus the full pane of glass reflects the beauty surrounding my home. Loving the Edison bulbs versus using a standard candle style bulb. 

Coastal Front Porch
front-porch-furniture-small-space-arrangement-swing-sectional-chairs-rug
charming-southern-front-porch-maximum-curb-appeal
Small Front Porch with Maximum Curb Appeal

Here is my front porch a couple of years later! You can see I updated the furniture too and even painted the bench to match.

Shop the Front Porch

The outdoor blue and white rug is easy to clean and the perfect foundation to decorate around each season.

I’m a BIG fan of the pillow covers you can shop them here: Wild Flowers, Hot Pink Buffalo Check, Denim Blue, and White and Blue Stripe.

The all-weather wicker barrel chairs are the perfect addition to tuck in a small space and are comfy with cleanable cushions.

Here are the front porch projects to consider:

I love my outdoor candles that are on a battery timer and WON’T MELT lighting the porch in the evening. 

The porch even has nighttime curb appeal! A little subtle glow welcomes you in the evenings for a glass of wine. 

nighttime view of front entry with curb appeal union square outdoor scones progress lighting

After the hard weekend of work, I sat on the stoop chatting with my neighbors that Sunday night watching the sunset.

Now they are starting to think about their own front entry curb appeal.

Yep, that’s positive peer pressure and I am so glad my next neighbor inspired my outdoor exterior light update. 

Please consider following me on Pinterest and Instagram for daily inspiration.

Until next time…

Porch Daydreamer

Tracey

23 Comments

  1. Beautiful changes, such small changes providing a big impact.. I love your porch and even more so after the changes. I long to have a front porch maybe when I move From VA to Charlotte or close by I will.

  2. Lakesha Terrell says:

    Ha! I live in Charlotte as well. What a lovely home and even lovelier front porch. I’ve been saying that I would like to change out the front porch lanterns as everyone in my neighborhood has the same style. Thank you for the tips.

  3. Good morning from Canada! This post really started me thinking on the few up grades that I need to make, lol! It’s still a little cool for painting here, and we are in lockdown mode, so getting supplies is a little difficult, but planning for the end result can definitely be put in place! Your home is just beautiful and an inspiration for all of us to get moving on our own improvements!

  4. What a beautiful house! All the changes truly made it more lovely. One question about leaving the house number off for “privacy,” how does anyone find your house? E.g. delivery services, emergency vehicles (fire or ambulance, police) or even friends who’ve not been there before. I’ve tried to deliver goodies to women in my professional organization or deliver books to kids in my Sunday School class and had to drive up and down the street multiple times looking for any house with a number so that I could determine which house was the right one. I’ve knocked on doors (wrong door!) and gotten the wrong people out of the shower just to find out it was the wrong house.

    1. I removed the numbers from the images to not advertise where I live 🙂 Funny enough, when my Christmas garland covered the numbers they still found me using GPS!

  5. Love your updates! The inspiration I need to get started on mine before summer sets in. Noticed your tile floor ….. have been thinking about this for mine. Did you install? Any tips?

  6. First, let me say, your home is beautiful. I love the changes you made, as well as what you choice to make these fabulous changes. I can hardly wait until its safe again, and we can freely go out and about. Meaning have a cure!
    Stay safe and healthy!

    1. Ivory, thank you! I’m so ready to eat at a restaurant and travel for sure. Luckily, I do love my home so I am enjoying it as much as I can while I stay safe and at home 🙂

  7. Beautiful! I am jealous of your long traditional front porch and second story balcony. Alas, I have only a 4 x 6 concrete stoop to work with, but did change the look of my house as well using many of the same ideas you put into place. I didn’t consider switching out the lockset, that’s certainly an option. And I have yet to get motivated to take the final step and paint my front door. It’s going apple red and will really wake up the neighbors. Like you, I noticed that after I did a number of improvements outside to the front porch similar to yours and installed some shutters on a large 1950s style picture window, new items began appearing on my neighbors’ houses too. It’s like a positive virus! Thanks for the inspiration. I love seeing beautiful homes – and especially outdoor spaces – like yours.

    1. Jan, what a nice note! I LOVE the idea of a red door and have considered it myself. But I gravitate toward pink flowers, so the black has been my go to 🙂 Yes, positive peer pressure is always a good thing!

  8. Hi there, we are also thinking about getting the Union Square Lanterns for our porch and next to the garage door. Question: are you happy with illumination at night? And what size lanterns did you get?

    1. Hi, Sara! Yes, I have been very happy with the illumination. The size I have is the large and instead of a regular bulb used an Edison bulb, which give a more yellow glow. They’ve been great!

  9. Mary Anne Russo says:

    I love your home! You’re decorating is so welcoming!

  10. Carole Russell says:

    Very interesting to read.

  11. The make over you did gave your entrance a very high end appearance. The change in the lighting to me made the biggest difference as they were not your typical light fixture which in turn completed the look. Nicely done.

  12. You seriously have the prettiest house! Love the updates you made the front door looks great and those lanterns look amazing!

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