Is your home turning heads for the wrong reasons?
Up your property’s kerb appeal, up your property’s value.
Posted on Friday, September 23, 2022
Long before Channel 4’s Grand Designs inspired us to streamline and simplify our home exteriors, pioneering property developers of the Victorian era: Abraham and Warner were creating positive social impacts with their own grand designs in east London. Ideas such as arched porches and shared gardens, brightly painted doors and tiling.
We’re enjoying many of their designs today and original features are still a selling point for people looking for east London homes with history and character.
A beautiful home exterior is another form of how we present ourselves to the world. And for properties on the market, the outside of the home will often be the first image a buyer sees of the house. This first impression packs a punch and can increase the value of your home by thousands.
So what makes a good home exterior?
You want it to look secure, organised and welcoming. This needn’t be a big budget job, improving kerb appeal is often more about removing stuff from the area than adding it. Here are some ideas to consider.
Revamp your front door
Pick a fresh paint colour, but choose with care. The colour of your front door can add thousands to the value of your property, but it can also decrease it. If you’d like an informed opinion on your choice, our interior designer at Estates East would be happy to see your home and offer advice. Just give us a call.
Keep it original
Restore original details where possible, but do have fun with modern accents, a good mix can look stylish. For example, a traditional heavy Victorian front door painted blush pink adds a lovely twist, so long as it fits your type of home and brickwork.
Clean it, clear it
Clutter at the front of a property gives the impression of chaos inside. If it’s not in constant use, remove it, particularly childrens’ toys and old planters. Also, consider what’s being seen in the windows.
Remove old aerials and redundant wiring
Debris like this looks dysfunctional, and raises questions for potential buyers, about the quality of the wiring inside the home.
Fit out your door furniture
In the 1930s a trend for smaller, more discreet door knobs and knockers came in.
But our local Victorian houses can handle the big and bold. The right door furniture looks confident and secure, so make sure it’s clean and functioning.
Does your doorbell sound like it’s trying to sell ice cream? Is it even working? Replace it, or better still go with a knocker!
Do your driveways
If you have Victorian tiles leading up to your front door, wash and keep them looking maintained, they’re incredibly popular. Replace any cracked paving stones on driveways and pressure clean them. Scrubbing weeds away too, but don’t feel you have to overdo it. If some attractive succulents have found their way through the stones and look good, leave them and trim them.
Keep things simple
Natural greenery in hedges and pots will always trump the artificial. Living plants look and feel better to sweep past. No need to overdo it and go carefully with home exterior accessories. It’s like putting jewellery on with an outfit, less is more. In the words of Coco Chanel “Always take one thing off before you go out.”
Beautify your bins
It’s ok to see bins but make them look like a system and tuck them away if you’ve room. And every once in a while clean them, you’ll be pleased you did on bin days.
Big up your bike storage
If you have a narrow hallway, consider a bike tidy at the front with a lock. And maybe find one with a living roof. Bike stores, like bin tidies, are low enough for plants to be enjoyed above, adding natural beauty to function.
The great benefits of improving your kerb appeal are firstly, that you’ll feel good walking up to your home each day. Secondly, it’ll add thousands to the value of your home.
We’re well into selling season now. If you’re thinking of getting on the market or have viewings coming up, follow the steps above. Here’s to looking at your home and feeling the love from the kerb.
Estates East Team
Call us >> 020 8520 9300
Follow us >> @estateseast
Find your dream home >> estateseast.co.uk
