Cost-effective ways to enhance your home's kerb-appeal

8 August 2016
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Improving the appearance of a property's exterior needn't be an expensive process. As long as you're prepared to roll up your sleeves and do some of the work yourself, there are plenty of budget-friendly steps you can take to enhance your house's kerb appeal.

Paint the exterior doors

Painting the exterior walls can dramatically improve the look of a property. However for most people, this task is far too time-consuming to bother with. If you're looking for an easier, but similarly effective alternative, you might want to consider adding a lick of paint to your front and garage doors. This is a fantastic way to quickly freshen up your home's appearance without spending a fortune.  

You can also use this as an opportunity to inject some personality into the outside of the property, if you choose a particularly vivid or unusual shade of paint. A splash of cerise, emerald green or turquoise could completely transform your home's exterior.

If your garage door is noticeably scratched,  dented or has patches of rust on it, it's best to deal with these issues before you begin painting, as imperfections of this kind will affect how the paint looks.  Track down a tradesperson in your local area who specialises in garage door repairs; this is usually quite an inexpensive service and so shouldn't add too much to the overall cost of the work. Contact a specialist in garage door repairs for more information or assistance.

Do a deep-clean

Over the course of several months, mould, moss, bird droppings, leaves and grime can build up on the roof, as well as on the exterior doors and walls. Because this tends to happens quite gradually, you may not realise just how dirty these areas of your home have become. If you rarely clean the outside of your property, you will probably be quite shocked at what a huge difference washing away this mess makes to the house's appearance.

The idea of cleaning the entire exterior might seem a bit intimidating at first; as such, it's a good idea to start off with a small section, such as the front door. A bucket of warm water, a mild detergent and a sponge will remove most of the superficial grime that has built up on the main panel.

Any glass areas should be cleaned separately, using newspaper and vinegar. Additionally, components made from metal (such as the door knocker, handle or hinges) should be wiped down using a polish made specifically for this material.

When it comes to the walls and the roof, one of the best tools you can use is a high pressure hose; this will enable you to quickly wash away any dirt that has accumulated on these parts, without the need for strong cleaning chemicals that could potentially dissolve the paintwork or damage the roof tiles.