Your home’s exterior says a lot about your personality. It allows you to showcase who you are and dazzle your neighbors with your unique style.
Whether you’ve been in your home for years, are a new homeowner, or are a house flipper, you’re looking for easy, budget-friendly upgrades to your home’s exterior that won’t take up weeks of your time or break the bank.
Sure, larger projects like a siding replacement or window replacement completely transform the look of your home. But what are some smaller ways you can elevate your home’s exterior?
1. Paint Or Stain Your Front Door
Transforming your front door with a new color is one of the simplest ways to make your exterior pop.
To properly paint or stain your front door, all you must do is remove the door from the frame by unscrewing the hinges, give your door a thorough wash to remove any dirt buildup, allow the door to completely dry, and apply your primer and paint to the proper mil.
For restaining wooden doors, you’ll want to sand down the outer layer of old stain to provide a clean, fresh surface for the new stain to be applied.
Allow your door to fully dry, reattach it at the hinges, and just like that, you have a new door!
Find the best paint and stain for your door.
2. Add New Landscaping Around Porches, Sidewalks, Or Mailboxes
Transform around your front porch, walkway, mailbox, or entire front yard with luscious greens and vibrant flowers in one weekend (and for only a few hundred bucks, too).
Even if you don’t consider yourself a master gardener, adding even the slightest bit of landscaping to the front of your home brightens and adds character to your exterior.
From shrubberies and wildflowers to succulents and trees, you can plant almost anything with some store-bought soil and fully-grown plants. Many large hardware store chains and grocers have extensive garden sections, like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, and Walmart.
Shopping at local nurseries also allows you to support small businesses and consult local experts on the best plants and flowers for lawns.
3. Incorporate Container Plants In Entryway
Do landscaping and gardening take up a little too much time and effort? Incorporate pre-potted plants around your front porch to elevate your home in just a couple of hours!
Container plants are fairly inexpensive, low-maintenance, and can be reused for future planting if the flowers perish in the winter.
Customize your container plants by purchasing fully grown plants and a container of your liking. This allows you to find the right container and plant that reflects your style and allows you to customize your outdoor decor even more.
Get inspiration for different container plant combinations.
4. Upgrade Your Exterior Doormat
Changing out your front doormat is one of the easiest ways to change up your home’s exterior (and it’s one of the quickest and least expensive ways, too).
Maybe you’ve had the same old mat for years, stained with mud, grass, and who knows what else. Or maybe you’re someone who likes to stay seasonal, so you want a mat that matches the nature of the seasons.
No matter your reasoning, you can find a new doormat almost anywhere, like Home Goods, Walmart, Home Depot, and many other places.
5. Hang An Elegant Wreath On Your Door
Adding a new doormat or wreath to your front door is the best way to upgrade your home’s exterior without taking up too much time or money from you.
You can pair your new seasonal doormat with a seasonal wreath. Or, customize your wreath and change it up as often as you like to change up your style.
Wreaths are an inexpensive way to elevate your entryway, and you can either buy different ones from the store or make it yourself.
6. Change Out Old Hardware And Light Fixtures
On top of repainting and staining your front door, you can also upgrade the door hardware and lighting fixtures in your entryway.
Whether your lighting fixtures are decades old or you just moved into a home with outdated details, replacing your hardware and lighting is simple. All you need is a few tools and a couple of spare hours of time.
Shop for new hardware and lighting fixtures at your local hardware stores, like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and even second-hand antique stores in your area.
7. Add A New Seating Area To Your Front Porch
Creating a new seating area on your front porch allows you to let your inner designer emerge. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like.
Shop for outdoor furniture pieces, like chairs, love seats, rugs, and tables to create a cozy and functional seating space to enjoy from dawn til dusk.
Adding more seating to your outdoor areas not only elevates the look of your home but creates a welcoming environment for friends and family to enjoy.
Explore Pinterest to find the right style for your front porch seating.
8. Pressure Wash Driveways And Sidewalks
Pressure washing may seem like more of a chore than a fun way to elevate your exterior. But washing away all the dirt and grime from the years brightens your walkways and overall improves the look of your home.
If you don’t own a pressure washer, you can rent one for around less than $50 for a day from many large and local hardware stores. Hiring a professional to take care of your pressure washing is also a cost-friendly solution to cleaning your exterior.
(Bonus: You can also lightly pressure wash your home’s siding to also brighten the exterior.)
9. Install Walkway Lighting
Illuminating the sidewalk into your entryway creates a path to welcome you home and (literally) brightens your home’s exterior.
Outdoor lighting features add a type of elegance to your home. Many ground lights are solar-powered, so no cords or plugs are required to keep them lit.
Small packs of these lights can cost anywhere from around $40 to over $100 or more, depending on how many you need and what style of lighting you want.
You can also add these cordless lights around your new landscaping to highlight the hard work and effort you put into improving your exterior.
10. Hang Exterior Art
One of the final ways to elevate your home’s exterior is by hanging exterior art to customize and add a personal touch to your home.
Create a gallery wall with art pieces of all shapes and sizes, or just add a statement piece to encapsulate your style. That is the beauty of art. It is unique and allows you to showcase what speaks to you.
Shop for custom, one-of-a-kind pieces on Etsy.
Upgrade Your Home’s Exterior For Less
Now you have ten simple ideas to elevate your home’s exterior for less time and money. Each of these projects you can tackle in one day for less than $500, but they also allow you to make it as simple or elaborate as you want.
Looking to completely transform the look of your home’s exteriors? Repaint or stain your front door, upgrade the hardware and lighting fixtures, and add a new seating area on your front porch.
Want to add some personality to your home without taking up an entire day? Add a new wreath, a door mat, and container plants around your front porch.
What makes exterior design so fabulous is that you can cater to your wants and goals. There are no rules you have to follow, and you can do as much or as little as you like.
To find more inspiration for your exterior design projects, check out resources like Pinterest, Homes & Gardens, and HGTV.
Want To Upgrade Your Home’s Exterior With New Windows, Siding, And Doors?
Southwest Exteriors has installed high-quality windows, siding, doors, and more since 1989. We offer the best products on the market that not only withstand the harsh South Texas climate but completely elevate the look of your home.
Whether it’s new James Hardie siding, Marvin windows, or a ProVia entry door, our expert design consultants are available to help you design the perfect solution for your home.
Ready to make your design dreams come true? Schedule your commitment-free consultation with Southwest Exteriors today, and get the look you love coming home to!