CurbAppeal 101
No doubt—improving the look of your entryway is a surefire way to make an impression. But curb appeal doesn’t begin and end at your front door. A swoon-worthy street view is created by multiple elements coming together, and you don’t have to do them all at once. By making a few upgrades at a time, it won’t be long before you’ve arrived.
Choose Palatable Paint Colours
Deciding on exterior colours can be daunting. It’s the first thing people will notice about your home, and it’s a big project, so whatever you go with is likely to stay a while.
One reliable technique is to use two hues of the same colour for the main exterior—one lighter and one darker—and hit the front door with an eye-catching bold neutral (such as charcoal) or a bright pop of contrasting colour. And don’t forget the door at your other entryway—the garage. We can customize a new door to match nearly any paint palette with 6,000 colour choices offered through the Wayne Dalton TruChoice Colour System.
Flaunt a Sexy Accent
Aside from a bold front door, you can pull on hardware for accent. Handles, locksets, hinges, door knockers, house numbers—when coordinated in colour and style, these pieces add up to serious clout for curb appeal. Our Wayne Dalton Classic Steel Doors and Carriage House Doors feature black-powder coated-steel hardware with a hand-hammered look and a variety of styles.
Another luxurious accent is copper gutters and downpours—you can even match these to your garage door with the Martin Door Copper Elite Series—and witness their rustic beauty bloom over time with a natural patina.
Get a Handle on Hardscaping
Give your concrete and stonework a once-over. Fill cracks in your driveway (or resurface for a refresh), secure loose bricks in retaining walls, and replace crumbling pavers in walkways.
Add Flourish with Foliage
Whether it’s a stately planted urn on the front stoop, ornamental grasses lining a pea gravel path, or the romantic drape of fast-growing vines around your garage door or windows, flowers and foliage are always in style. Plus, they soften hardscaping by bringing contrast.
Paint with Light
The welcoming glow of well-placed lighting is a safety feature as much as a décor element. Lightscaping with solar-powered lawn torches along the driveway, LED exterior pot lighting in the entryway, and sconce lanterns flanking the garage door (made even more luminous if your garage door has windows) are just a few ways that lighting can add depth and dimension.
Gussy Up the Garage
If you did nothing else in this post but upgrade your garage door, you’ll have improved 30% of your home’s street view in one fell swoop. That’s how much visual real estate a garage door typically occupies. Moreover, this continues to be the most valuable home upgrade with 98.3% of its cost recouped at resale according to Remodeling magazine’s 2018 Cost vs. Value Report.
Durable classic steel, sophisticated wood, or full-view glass panels? If you’re going to do it, be sure to choose the right style of garage door for your home. This will not only increase resale value and return on investment, it will demonstrate to your neighbours your excellent grasp of architectural style. (Don’t worry—our Virtual Design Centre let’s you try on various looks, and we can customize any garage door to match the style of your home. It’ll be our secret.)
Ready to rev up your curb appeal? Request a free quote today from any of our eight locations across Western Canada.