4 Wallet-Friendly Curb Appeal Makeovers

We've all been taught that it's what's on the inside that counts; but when it comes to your home, the outside is certainly just as important. A drab exterior can make you cringe every time you approach the front door, while a handsome, thoughtfully designed one can turn the experience into a true pleasure. The good news is that you don't have to spend a bundle to enjoy a happy trip up your walkway. Budget-friendly shortcuts, such as reusing old hardware or choosing high-quality replicas of expensive materials-plus some good old sweat equity-can lead to major transformations. They can even put big projects, like adding on a new porch, within reach. Need proof? Read on. -Jessica Dodell-Feder

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A Charmer Revealed: Before


An overgrown yard detracted from the sweet architecture of this 1938 cottage in Carlton, Oregon. By clearing the space, homeowners Darci and Matt Haney brought the focus back to the front door-and all the other improvements they made.

Money-Saver
: "Cleaning up your yard-mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, sweeping the steps-hugely boost curb appeal and doesn't cost a thing." -Jill Simmons, Zillow

A Charmer Revealed:After


Landscaping: Darci and Matt saved all their mature trees but swapped everything else in favor of tidy boxwoods mixed with rose and hydrangea bushes for a lush look that doesn't overwhelm the walkway. Landscape lighting and a new gravel path make it easy to get around, even at night.

Entry
: Beefy posts, accented with molding and clad in PVC for durability, give the porch more presence than the house's flimsy, rotting originals. Their crisp white stands out against the mocha-hued siding, while a solid-fir door lets in light without compromising privacy.

Windows
: Energy-efficient models take the place of almost all the originals, except for the two front windows, which the homeowners kept for their handsome divided-light design. New glass and frames freshen up the eyebrow dormers and help protect against drafts. Shown: Bright red patio chairs add an easy-to-change pop of color for as little as $20 each.

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Lakeside Inspiration:

Before

When Jim and Sandy Barrett moved into their 1930s cottage, in Keego Harbor, Michigan, "it was the street's ugly duckling," Sandy says. The sparse facade and dingy siding looked forbidding but offered the perfect blank slate for making a cheerful statement that suits their lakeside locale.

Lakeside Inspiration: After


Entry

: By bringing the gable roofline forward about 10 feet (flush with the existing facade) and adding a porch, they softened the division between the house and the street. Simple porch posts and railings that angle toward the walkway help give the space dimension. Paint: A beachy combination of vibrant turquoise, aqua, and white invigorates the front and evokes the area's history as a resort town.

Landscaping
: Once a flat expanse of dying grass, the yard now features perennial beds and small shrubs, and is anchored by a walkway constructed from pavers that they got for free from a friend.

Siding
: Jim and Sandy splurged on fiber cement to replace the bent aluminum. They added character by installing fish-scale shingles above the porch and wood painted to resemble lattice at the roof's peak.

Windows
: Previously located on the side of the house, these windows let in more sun than the small, improperly aligned originals. The DIY shutters are hung on hooks so that they can be removed for painting.

Shown
: Nailed-together board-and-batten shutters cost only a few bucks each to make.

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Embraced Open Space: Before


"It was like a woman in need of a makeover," says Chrissy Doremus of the Denville, New Jersey, home that had been in her husband's family since the 1940s. An awkward enclosed porch and out-of-control juniper bushes boxed off the house from the yard; now the transition is more fluid.

Embraced Open Space: After


Entry: New composite railings define the airy porch, which the owners opened up and rebuilt on the original footings. The columns are 66s wrapped and trimmed in PVC, and the floors are meranti, a wallet-friendly mahogany look-alike. A Craftsman-style fir door adds more warmth than the boring builder-grade white one.

Landscaping
: A curving walk made from tumbled concrete pavers meanders past beds of succulents and other drought-tolerant plants. Their silvery hues complement the house's now sage-green siding.

Shown
: Use stones and concrete blocks left over from other projects to frame foundation plantings.

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Added Dimension: Before


Years of neglect had left this 1940s Cape Cod in Rockport, Massachusetts, looking battered and bare. It took a sizable addition-plus fresh landscaping-for owners John Frisone and Mark Jurewicz to give it new life.

Money-Saver
: "Update your house quickly and cheaply by changing the light fixtures. Home centers always have outdoor sconces on sale for as little as $20 or $30 each." -Rita Wolff, real estate agent, Newberg, Oreg.

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Also on ThisOldHouse.com:

Best Foundation Plants for Stellar Curb Appeal

12 Summer Upkeep Ideas To Add Curb Appeal

Entrancing Entryways