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How-to Workshop
Quick Fix Curb Appeal Projects Help Sell Homes
Watch any home improvement television show or speak with any realtor and you’ll soon discover that what’s inside your home doesn’t matter if you can’t get potential buyers to stop outside your door. While some people may recommend spending thousands of dollars on your exterior, the experts at Fypon recommend investing just several hundred dollars and one weekend to create instant “curb appeal" for your home.
“Start with a critical eye and take care of basic problems," says Greg Wolf of Fypon. “Trim hedges, plant colorful flowers and replace old mulch. Clean the exterior of the home and repaint areas if necessary, add a decorative flag out front, polish the hardware on your entry door and make sure your exterior lights are operating. These are basic ‘fast fix projects’ that can be tackled in one day."
On day two of your weekend, Wolf recommends adding focal accent pieces to key exterior areas to enhance the curb appeal. “Any homeowner with even modest do-it-yourself capabilities can install lightweight urethane decorative pieces around doors, windows and garages," says Wolf. “Whether you decide to add shutters or replace rotting window trim, easy-install projects can be done in less than a day. The results are eye-catching and result in ‘stop in your tracks’ looks from potential buyers."
Wolf suggests the following curb appeal projects to create instant success:
Project #1 – Flank the vertical portion of your entry door with a set of fluted or plain pilasters. Top off the door with a lightweight pediment. Available in unique styles to match different home designs, decorative pediments come in rams head, broken bonnet, acorn or sunburst profiles.
Project #2 – Add a one-piece crosshead above every window on the front side of the home. Insect- and moisture-resistant urethane crossheads can be installed alone or accented with accessories such as keystones in the center or a piece of dentil trim.
Project #3 – If your garage faces the street, surround the entire entry opening with a large crosshead and a pair of pilasters. Use the same style materials as you do on the front entry door to create a uniform look for the exterior.
Project #4 – To heighten the look of your home’s exterior, flank your street-side windows with low-maintenance urethane shutters. Fast and easy to install, styles include a variety of louvered and plank shutters that can be painted or stained to accent your home’s exterior.
Project #5 – Grab a ladder and add a no-rot cupola to the top of your home or garage. Made of decay-resistant urethane and PVC, cupolas from Fypon have real copper roofs and can sit on the top of flat or peaked roofs. Twenty-five styles are available featuring center portion options of louvers, glass or wren birdhouses. Accent with a weather vane for a classic look.
“Several of these projects together can be tackled in a weekend," says Wolf. “An added benefit to enhancing the curb appeal of your home is that you can ‘sell’ potential homebuyers on the low-maintenance aspects of your decorative investments. Urethane products resist warping, rot, insects and moisture, so your potential homebuyers can enjoy years of maintenance-free curb appeal of their own!"
