6 budget friendly ways to improve your front door’s curb appeal - SimplySwider.com
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6 budget friendly ways to improve your front door’s curb appeal

Written by

Jason Carter

6 budget friendly ways to improve your front door’s curb appeal

Front Door
Front Door

We spent the last couple of weekends working on some small and budget friendly ways to improve out front door’s curb appeal. Ideally, I would love to rip the door out and replace it with something  more modern and why not throw up a portico while we’re at it. Those plans are actually in the works but with a cost of about $2500 they are in the 2-3 year maybe we’ll win the lottery plan.  Meanwhile I didn’t want to sit around with a door I hate think could use some improvements. So, if you are also stuck with a door you despise and no money to replace it here are 6 budget friendly ways to improve your front door’s curb appeal.  1. Upgrade the lighting Our house came with these mediocre carriage style lights flanking the front door. Ideally they would be a little larger, but they actually fit the colonial style of the house nicely. They were; however, a little faded, but no fear it winds up painting an exterior light is super easy.  After disconnecting the lights the glass simply slid out and I spray painted them in a semi-gloss black. I also upgraded the lights bulbs to LED bulbs which have a softer light and better shape than our older CFLs. Not to mention they are even more energy efficient.

Total I spent $6 painting the lights and $20 on the two new LED bulbs.

2. Add planters I actually already owned these planters but they had seen better days, so I gave them a quick paint job with left over paint from the lights. As for adding plants I recommend going with one color to  make a bigger impact from the street.

2 pots refills were $14

3. Paint Everything! This is by far the biggest impact you can make.  The door was originally a dated burgundy that was faded from the sun. I painted it Glidden Roasted Red Pepper (the color was a little bright for the house so I wound up darkening the paint by adding black acrylic to it). The new color feels so much more fresh and instantly draws the eye to the entrance. I also painted all of the trim around the door a bright white. Even if you already have a color you love, freshening up the paint can really make the front door shine.

1 qt of paint was $9

4. Change up the door hardware Ok, I must confess that this was not cheap. We saved so much money on the rest of the project that we splurged on the Schlage Century Keyless Entry System in Antique bronze from Build.com We justified this purchase in part because the handset can be moved to a new door eventually. Did I mention this system can be connected to your smart phone and be unlocked remotely? Ya, it’s pretty awesome and by far the nicest handset we’ve ever bought.

New handset= $321 with free shipping If a new door set is not in your budget than consider spray painting your current one. This will completely change the look for the handset for about $6!

5.  Add large house numbers This is an easy way to add a big impact for little time and money.  This is also a great way to cement the style of your house as numbers come in everything from modern and traditional to craftsmen, cottage, and Spanish style. Larger numbers will also make it easier for friends to find your house. Consider the placement of your numbers carefully. They don’t have to go back where they were. Find a place where they will make the biggest impact.

$4 a number from Home Depot (P.S. you could also spray paint your old ones 

6. Add in a whimsical door mat For me the door mat is a place to have fun and further cement your design style. They are cheap and easy to change out, so go a little crazy. Mine is bright green with a bicycle print on it from Target.

Door mat= $7

Well there you have it. 6 budget friendly ideas to improve your front door’s curb appeal that you could easily tackle this weekend. And just for fun here is a bonus:

7. Remove stuff Too many things around the door will just make it feel cluttered so remove shoes, hoses, toys, or watering cans that may be lying around. Those of you who follow my blog regularly may also notice that we removed the glass storm door. Not only did this dramatically increase the visual appeal of the door from the street but it also improved the functionality of the steps. Narrow top steps and storm doors that open out don’t work well together. Finally, remove all the dirt. Wash the windows and power wash the steps and concrete.

front door curp apeal before and after

Here’s a quick reminder of what the front door used to look like (this is after we replaced the pediment but before we did anything else).

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