Front Yard Fix Ups to Create a Good First Impression

First impressions last a lifetime.

Which is probably why the saying is: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

So what has this got to do with your garden?

More than you think.

You see, a good first impression of your front garden and façade can impact the market value of your home by tens of thousands of dollars.

Crazy, right?

In fact, your front façade and garden is the first dependent on how your neighbours and potential buyers perceive you and your home. So if you get this right, the value of your home may just increase.

So, where do you start?

Improving your home’s appeal is as simple as giving your yard a little makeover, fixing the fence or simply slapping some paint on it or adding a stone veneer or wall cladding to liven an exterior wall. Of course if you want to make bigger changes, you can opt for a more more drastic makeover – all this depends on your budget, time and lifestyle.

We decided to put together an article outlining a few simple (and nifty) ideas on how you can quickly improve your front yard and create a better first impression for all those who pass by.

Clean it up

The easiest place to start sprucing up your front yard is actually the most obvious: i.e. doing a bit of spring cleaning. You see, regardless of how recently you’ve tidied up your front garden, there is always something more that can be done to beautify it.

Here are some simple checkpoints: Are your windows spotless? Have the weeds been pulled? How’s the grass looking: dry, too long, patchy? Does your furniture need to be cleaned or replaced? Take a good look at everything and make some executive decisions.

You can also transform your front yard by doing a few simple things like: Sweeping the pathways, fixing torn screens, trimming hedges, cleaning the gutters, throwing away any junk that has accumulated in the front yard and mowing the lawn. Take a good look at the actual house: Does it need a touchup paint job? If so, get it done. If you’re on a budget, a trick of the trade is to spruce up the trimmings with fresh paint: it might not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference!

Yes, cleaning up your front yard requires work. However, you can do most of it yourself by applying some elbow grease and taking the time to get it done. The best thing is that most of these tasks won’t cost you a cent and if you want to be extra productive, get the whole family involved!

Fix the pathways

Another simple way to spruce up your front yard is to look at your pathways: are any of them cracked or broken? If yes, then either fix them or replace them. Alternatively (if you don’t have any pathways) perhaps it’s time to install one? A pathway is an excellent way to divide your outdoor space and guide your guests around your garden, not to mention a perfect way to protect the natural vegetation from trampling foot traffic.

A pathway can provide a clean entrance to your front door and you can use pavers or cobblestones, stepping stones or pebbles to easily create one. Pathways have a way of drawing a person’s attention to a focal point which means that if other parts of the front yard still need to be tidied, people will focus on the pathway rather than those unsightly parts buying you more time to fix them. In essence, a pathway is a quick fix that adds another dimension to your yard.

As your pathway leads to your front door, if your doorsteps are tiled and in need for some TLC and re-tiling, make sure you get onto this quick-smart. The landing to your home sets the tone for your entire yard. You can even get creative and design the tiling to contrast against the path to make a point of difference. Finally, replace the old mulch surrounding the pathway with a fresh batch. This can make a huge difference to flower beds and allow the bright flowers to pop against the earthy backdrop.

Stepping Stones Create a Clean Entrance to Your Home

Look at the parameter

The fences you have installed may do the job, but do they look the part? If the fence seems a bit haphazard and disjointed from the rest of your home’s aesthetic and design, we strongly recommend replacing it. A timber picket fence can give your home a more traditional “Australian Dream” backyard look. Alternatively, if your home has a more modern or contemporary aesthetic, use stone or wall cladding to give your home’s parameter a rustic look. Either way, the fence is generally the first thing people see so if it looks shabby, chances are that your visitor will also have a shabby first impression of your home. While you’re at it, do you need to replace or update your letterbox and/or house numbers? These features may seem only insignificant details compared to the big stuff, however, they can really change a person’s perspective and first impression of your home. Just think about how many times you’ve stopped to appreciate a beautiful letterbox or easy to see house numbers?

Wall Cladding is an excellent way to tidy up your front yard fence

Spruce up the lighting

Though you might predominantly have visitors call on your home during the day, let’s consider everyone who drives or walks past your home at night (not to mention all the guests who visit after hours or when daylight savings ends and it’s dark at 5:30pm at night). There’s nothing worse than a dark, dingy-looking home where you can’t see the next step in front of you – wouldn’t you agree? Luckily, fixing this is as simple as investing in some outdoor lighting. Whether it’s lighting the pathway with landscape lighting, fixing the porch down-lights or adding some sconces to the front façade: these little changes can make powerful statements. Lighting your front yard will add another magical dimension to your home and also make your passers by and visitors feel safe. If you have some trees or plants in the front yard you can also accent these with fairy lights. If there’s no electrical points nearby, don’t be discouraged, you can always install solar lighting: their light is a bit more subdued and they’re excellent for the environment so it’s a win-win-win solution!

Add some greenery

Now that your front yard has the main features set and spruced up, let’s review your garden: is there enough greenery or foliage to create an earthy and welcoming space? If you don’t have a lot of garden space, that’s okay! Adding potted plants can accentuate spaces and even make a statement. On the other hand, if you do have the garden space, add some garden beds with flowers or shrubs. This is where your creativity can really shine. Picking and choosing the types of plants you want, designing your garden and purchasing matching feature pots is an exciting and fun task. Before you get too carried away with the fun and creativity of it all, remember that the function of your front garden is to give a good impression and frame your house as the focal point. To achieve this, make sure that the elements you choose always complement your home and match its overall aesthetic and design. So if you have a modern home, choose greenery that is as elegant and contemporary as your exterior. If you have a traditional designed home, you can spruce up the space with older trees and romantic rose gardens. If you really want to make your front yard pop, add a water feature! You can buy these in a store and they are fairly easy to install. Water features give your garden a delightful focal point and add a point of difference from neighbouring front yards.

Garden pebbles make an excellent addition to your greenery and water feature.

Hire an excavator

Outdoor landscaping is a lot easier with the right tools and equipment. Hiring an excavator for small to medium sized projects is simple and affordable. It also helps you get the work done quickly. Whether you’re creating a path or installing a water feature, you’ll save time and see better results if you do it properly. When hiring an excavator, there are plenty of different sizes and attachments to choose from to suit your individual needs.

Small improvements go a long way

The amount of time and effort you will need to spend on improving your front yard really depends on what you had to work with from the beginning. But you really don’t need to spend too much time or money transforming your front yard to create a good first impression. As we’ve highlighted in this article, small and simple improvements really go a long to create a positive first impression in your visitor’s mind.

We hope you learnt something helpful and in case you have any questions, please reach out to our team of experts at Armstone online or at 1300 560 560. We’ve 10 years experience in the industry and love guiding our clients to make the best choices for their home improvement projects.