Nothing screams more to the outside world than the front of your home. Keeping your driveway, porch, and front yard looking good is not always easy, but below are some tips to help keep things looking their best. And most of these are easy fixes. I swear. Now depending on the size of your front yard, it might be or need to be landscaped. That can be a pretty large feat. If it needs this, read a book, hire someone for a design, consult a neighbor, but put something together that has flare. It does not have to be expensive. I was lucky, our whole front was for the most part done.
How to Keep the Front of Your House Looking Better
But here are the things I do all the time:
Pull out weeds in the cracks on the driveway and sidewalk.
Pull out all weeds in the landscaping.
Have a couple of really nice ceramic pots by the garage with easy to care for evergreen plants, a few in each looks really nice. Make sure you water them. Nothing looks worse than dead or dying plants.
Keep the trim color fresh. Sometimes that needs to be redone every year or so. I noticed my white trim at the bottom of my big front window last summer was so chipped, I just had not seen it-so of course I fixed it!
Try not to park in the driveway unless you have to. My husband parks his Expedition in the driveway-he uses part of the garage for his work area so I have had to succumb. It is not my ideal, I love a clean and open driveway.
Don't park other things in front of the house-like boats, campers, jet skis-c'mon, you know what I mean! I live in a neighborhood with CCRs, which makes it great, as no one can park that stuff all over. But if you don't have CCRs, you cannot change your neighbor, but you can change your front appearance
Don't have oil spot or other stains on the driveway.
Keep the path to the front swept and open.
Have potted plants that are in good shape near the front door.
Perhaps hang a wind sock, wind chime, something seasonal like a 4th or July drape, but do NOT overdo it! Your front door area should be free of bugs and spider webs, and totally swept. Have you ever stood at someone's front door and hoped nothing would fall on your head??
The front door-should be clean and free of marks. Paint it 1x a year if you have to
Keep the hardware in good shape
If you have brass or pewter door kick plates at the bottom, keep them polished. Mine are starting to weather, but I still polish them with furniture oil to give them a pretty finish.
Make sure you have a door mat that fits the space and is in good shape-don't put out some sorry ass old mat-that does not say WELCOME in any way.
Just like your face, the front and especially the front door are so important. It does not need to be expensive or fancy. Don't let yourself down.
Remember, neat and tidy-keep these words in mind for all spots inside and out, and your life will be easier.
