Curb appeal in the winter is as important as it is every other season of the year. When young flowers and plants are burgeoning in spring, it is easy to spruce up the exterior look of your home. Similarly, in the summer, ideas for having fabulous curb appeal seem endless. Once fall comes, you can easily take advantage of the vibrant colors of the season to create fantastic curb appeal. But, in the winter, the task is much more difficult. Often winter days are full of gloom and it seems like there is stark white and bare trees everywhere. But there are ways to make your curb appeal pop amidst the often cruel backdrop of the season. Here are a few great ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Improving Your Curb Appeal in the Winter
Flowering Winter Plants add Curb Appeal in Winter
Plants and flowers are normally associated with warmer months, but there are plenty of plants that bloom when others lie dormant. Many winter-blooming plants provide both color and privacy for homes. Some great choices include camellia, winter hazel and blue holly.
A Bright Entry Door
A brightly-colored entry door may easily be looked past in the spring and summer. But, it is a welcoming sight when the winter comes. Coming home to an entry door that is bright blue, red or yellow can be the perfect elixir for a tough day at work or a long day of holiday shopping. Plus, the door will become the focal point of your exterior and will brighten up the entire outdoor area around your home. Keep in mind that if your door is not already painted a vibrant color, you need to plan ahead. Acrylic-based paint should not be applied in weather under 50 degrees Fahrenheit and oil-based paint should not be applied in weather under 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lights
Adequately illuminating your house at any time of year is beneficial, as it increases the safety of your home. In the winter, it also adds to its curb appeal. Stringing holiday lights amidst the bare branches of your trees and structures like birdbaths and fountains helps to create ambiance and brightens the landscape. But, you do not need to stop at holiday lights. You can also add motion-sensored lights to your home’s exterior as well. Motion-sensored lights can highlight beautiful areas of your exterior while simultaneously casting shadows that will hide less desirable features. Either way you look at it, motion sensors will increase the curb appeal of your home.
Clear the Snow Away
Allowing snow to pile up on your driveway and walkways is both unsafe and unsightly. Clearing the snow away can do wonders for making the exterior of your home look better and increasing its overall curb appeal in the winter. Also, do not forget to remove the snow from any man-made structures that adorn your yard, like pergolas or statuary to help these objects stand out and add to the beauty of your landscape.
Do Not Ignore the Garden
Gardening is great during the spring and summer when you get to quickly see the fruits of your labor. It is all too easy to forget about your garden beds in the winter when all of your plants are gone. Before the harshest weather hits, take some time to clean out any garden spaces that are not holding winter blooms. Get rid of any dead branches, weed the flower beds and put down fresh mulch. Having empty gardens and flower beds will benefit your home’s winter curb appeal far more than letting them stay cluttered with the remnants of your summer plants and flowers. Here are some more tips from Garden.org for getting your garden ready for winter.
Clean Your Windows
There is no understating how much having clean windows can improve the curb appeal of your home in the winter. Do not let cleaning your windows wait for your spring cleaning “to-do” list. Take a lazy early winter day and get the chore done then. The sparkling-clean windows will make your house shine in the sunlight and enhance the overall appeal of both the exterior and interior of your home.
Add a few Winter Embellishments
There is a fine line between decorating your yard for the holidays and going overboard. Resist the temptation to make your exterior look like a holiday exploded on your yard. But, feel free to adorn your outdoor space with items that denote the season and the holidays. Hang up some tasteful decorations on the outside of your house and place a holiday-colored light bulb in a lantern near the front of your property.
Taking a few proactive steps before the weather gets too cold outside can really help your home’s curb appeal in winter.
If your goal is to increase your curb appeal before you sell your home, contact BenBuys.wpengine.com to see how we can help you sell your house in no more than 30 days.
