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7 Simple Upgrades That Can Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

A new roof is one of the best ways to raise the curb appeal of your house.

When you think “curb appeal,” you might think of the front door or the lawn first. And it’s true that they make a big difference. But the roof is the largest single surface on any house. Whatever its color or style, it frames all the other elements. You literally can’t help but look at it.

But what if you’re in a hurry or have a more modest budget?

Curb appeal is essential to attracting the right interest in a home. What people see, hear, and even smell on their way to the front door influences their feelings for the entire visit. Carefully presenting the most curb appeal is your best bet as a seller.

Even if you’re not sure you’ll be selling any time soon, curb appeal is still worth it. Every time you come home from work, you have the opportunity to enjoy your efforts. In just a few hours, and all without spending too much money, you can dramatically transform your home’s first impression.

Let’s look at some of your options (and no, they’re not all about the roof!):

1. Spruce Up Your Front Door

Curb appeal starts with your front door – it is literally the portal to your home.

There are many different ways to make your door even more appealing than it already is. No matter the style of your door, it’s a wise idea to start with a new paint job – or, if your door is real wood, a fresh finish. Don’t forget to include the trim, too.

A door can communicate a lot of personality with timely touches. For example, there’s never a wrong time for a wreath. The specifics should vary by season, of course. A festive winter wreath may have red and gold tinsel, while a spring wreath should focus on flowers.

The way you frame your front door also makes an impact.

Creative use of statuary can draw more attention to your door and give a sense of your own personal style. There is a big difference between flanking your door with eagles compared to dancing frogs, for instance. A variety of small lawn sculptures are often priced $30 or less.

Don’t forget the welcome mat. There’s no snow to knock off your shoes here in Florida, so the mat does not necessarily have a functional purpose, but it is still an integral part of traditional decor. Choose your mat to communicate a tasteful message that has personal flair. To maximize its curb appeal, be sure you take time to wash it once a month or whenever it might need to be refreshed.

Last, but not least, accent lighting can add a special mystique to your door in the evening. Accent lights are often solar powered, charging up during the day and shining in the evening, so they won’t cost much to run. They can give a warm, serene, and secure feeling to any Florida home.

2. Do Some Creative Landscaping

Landscaping is a terrific way to direct guests’ attention as they approach and enter your home. You have an immense number of options. And while it may be possible to go a little bit overboard at your local garden store, virtually any landscaping option you decide on will cost less than $100.

No matter what your front lawn currently looks like, one way to enhance your curb appeal is to make a path right up to your front door. This is usually achieved with paving stones, which have a variety of fetching looks. You can fill in the spaces between with gravel, river stones, and much more.

Another way to achieve this effect is by using hedges. Ornamental hedges can help break up the lines of your home with an organic touch. Or, if you prefer, you can go formal with straight and tall hedges. They come in squared off or tapered varieties to help you achieve your exact vision.

Naturally, keeping the lawn itself neat and tidy is one of the best ways to spruce up your curb appeal. Most people are attracted to nice-looking grass. Depending on the rules in your neighborhood, you might wish to add color and variety by introducing native plants that grow low to the ground.

A water feature can spice up your front lawn like nothing else – but it doesn’t have to be as big or as complex as a pond or waterfall. You can get a small fountain at your local garden supply shop. Just be sure you are following any water rationing rules in your area, especially during the summer.

3. Touch Up Your Exterior Paint

All in all, your roof has the biggest impact on the color scheme of your house – it ties all of the other colors together and creates the overall sense of balance. That said, you can get a huge amount of mileage out of updating the paint on your exterior walls.

Not only will you get the opportunity to try out new colors, you will also make the walls look newer and in better condition. Choose your paint to complement any features that you can’t or don’t wish to paint, such as exterior brick. If painting exterior brick, be sure to use at least two coats of 100% acrylic paint.

All in all, your paint job will look best if you go “all the way” – a primer, two layers of paint, and a topcoat. The topcoat is especially crucial here in Florida because it strengthens the waterproofing protection. That allows your paint to look newer for longer and stand up to weathering much better.

While there are plenty of different options to compare paint online these days, we recommend that you visit your favorite hardware store and take a close look at physical paint chips. This will give you a much better sense of how the paint will look when dry, and you can also see it under many different lights.

If you are planning to sell soon, most experts recommend that you choose exterior paint that matches what’s popular in the neighborhood. If selling isn’t an issue, decide whether you plan to update your roof before you start painting – that way, the roof and exterior won’t clash in the future.

4. Paint Your Roof

You knew it had to be here somewhere – there’s just so much you can do with your roof!

Shingle roofing is the most popular roofing option in Florida, and it lends itself to a touch up any time you wish. You can paint asphalt roof shingles, but you have to approach the project carefully. It is much more involved than painting your home’s siding.

Roof painting can be tough work, so plan things out in advance. You will need 100% acrylic latex paint to ensure your shingles are not damaged in the process. If you’re not sure about your paint or need some personalized advice, your friendly neighborhood roofer can give you some pointers.

Clay or wood shingles can also take 100% acrylic paint.

The problem comes in when you are comparing paints with different performance qualities and special features. It might sound like a good idea at first, but you should actually avoid waterproof paints. When they are applied to the roof, they often serve to trap moisture and prevent it from drying out correctly.

You can also paint residential metal roofing in Florida. All in all, though, this is much more challenging. You need to move carefully to prevent denting the metal sheets that make up the roof. The upside is that there are specific paints especially formulated for this job.

Painting your roof is less expensive than roof replacement, but it will typically take longer – potentially even weeks – if you are doing it yourself. Before you start painting, always be sure that the weather is on your side and there’ll be sufficient time for your paint to dry. Try to start any painting project early in the morning, so you won’t need to worry about the sweltering heat of a Florida afternoon.

5. Upgrade and Update the Roof

If your budget allows it, you might consider upgrading the roof.

If your shingle roof is looking shabby, with cracked and dented shingles, or shingles that are missing their reflective granules, then you can go a long way with roof repair in Florida. Shingles that have visible damage should be replaced, and this will certainly smooth out the appearance of your roof.

One thing you should definitely consider is installing roofing gutters. Most Florida homes have gutters, but they can become less efficient with age. New gutters are more likely to serve you well in the future. They also have the potential to be surprisingly stylish. Gutters function to keep rainwater from seeping into the foot of your building, so it is definitely a good idea to renew them every once in a while.

If you are more interested in making big moves, roof replacement is always an option. When you replace your roof, you have complete control over the styles, colors, and qualities you get. Roof replacement is a big job, but experienced professionals can get it done for you in as little as a day.

When roof replacement is an option, it will save you time to connect with a roofer from the start. That way, you can look at shingle samples. Don’t overlook the potential of residential metal roofing, either: It now comes in a wide variety of different colors, not just black and white! That said, lighter colors further expand its ability to reflect solar radiation. That keeps you warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

To get an idea of what’s out there, check out the Top 3 Shingle Roof Colors from GAF. Sheegog Contracting is a Master Elite Roofing Contractor certified by GAF, one of the industry’s leaders.

6. Consider New Window Treatments

Floridians love windows! Some Florida houses have a room completely dedicated to the window, known as a solarium or sun room. Unfortunately, those windows can prove to be a liability when high winds roll in. The right window treatments can be both strong and stylish.

When it comes to windows, double-glazed (also known as double-paned) may be the very best you can get in the Sunshine State. These windows trap a pocket of air or inert gas between two panes of glass. This makes them incredible insulators. When it comes to curb appeal, people are more likely to look at your frames than the window itself, but they will be impressed by your savvy.

Likewise, consider adding storm shutters to your window. While they will be up most of the time, they are sure to be appreciated when they are actually needed! Florida storm shutters are required to meet high standards. Of the different kinds, colonial storm shutters are especially designed to be decorative and will enhance the appearance of your home.

7. Add a Container Garden

Florida may be known for palm trees – but here in Central Florida, you have many more plants to choose from. A container garden allows you to add greater color, texture, and depth to any location around your home. You can even pair them with window boxes to create a consistent theme for the property.

When you’re planning out a container garden, your selections aren’t limited to the flowers themselves. The choice of pot – in color and texture – also influences the visual effect. An eclectic selection of different colors can all come together to create a whole greater than any one part.

If you want fresh produce, there’s nothing more “local” than your own garden. Some selections that work well include pumpkins, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, eggplant, peppers, and even kale. And just about any herb or spice you can name will also grow in containers.

Be sure to reserve your most colorful and impressive plants for the front of your home so they will capture that immediate curb appeal you want. Just remember to position them so that they get the right level of sunlight or shade to meet their needs. For a vibrant curbside appearance all year long, plan your seasonal plantings ahead so you always have something impressive set out front.

Check out this container gardening guide from the University of Florida for more information.

Keep Your Home Going Strong with Winter Park Roofing You Can Really Trust

We know that most homeowners won’t completely replace the roof before putting their home on the market. But it’s also a fact that informed buyers always check out the roof. It’s a big part of a Florida home inspection, and most mortgage lenders won’t give out a loan package without it.

If you suspect your roof might be getting on in years, it’s crucial to connect with a Central Florida roofer you can count on. We will inspect your roof, get to the root of any issues, and give you the clear facts so you can make an informed decision. In many cases, roof repair is enough to add years to a roof’s life.

Whether you’re boosting your appraisal before going to market or you simply want to enjoy peace of mind, it’s vital to have a “roofer near me” you can rely on. At Sheegog Contracting, we have more than ten years of experience with homeowners and business owners throughout the Sunshine State.

With a 4.8 review score on Google, odds are good that your friends and family have already worked with us in the past. We would be glad to welcome you as our next satisfied customer – we don’t give up until we have exceeded your expectations. And no job is too big or too small.

Thinking about giving your home the ultimate facelift? Give us a call. We’ll be glad to walk you through your options for the best shingle roofs, tile roofs, residential metal roofing, and much more. And there’s never any hard sell – you have as much time as you need to make a decision.

Contact us today to learn more or get started.

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