August Is National Curb Appeal Month
Fypon launched the first annual “National Curb Appeal Month” in August, 2014, to create a month-long period dedicated to helping homeowners focus on ways to add value and design appeal to their home’s exterior. Among home improvements that can affect curb appeal are roofs, garage doors, residential doors, lighting, easy-care options such as Fypon and similar decorative trim, and manufactured stone,
“Realtors tell us that potential home buyers make a ‘street decision’ in less than 12 seconds on whether or not to view a home that’s for sale,” says Niki Decker of Fypon. “That’s a very short time to make a large impression and it all relies on the curb appeal of the house.
Different curb appeal elements, such as well-maintained shrubbery, decorative millwork and trim, colorful plants, and an appealing front entryway can have a fast, positive impact on home buyers. Even if your home is not for sale, curb appeal is important in setting a welcoming tone for your family and visitors.
John Gidding of HGTV’s Curb Appeal show will be a guest speaker at this year’s Nashville Home Show, scheduled Sept. 8-10 at the Music City Center.
ROI on Curb Appeal
The study “What Today’s Home Buyers Really Want” from the National Association of Home Builders reports that the three most wanted outdoor features consumers desire for their home exteriors are lighting, a patio, and a front porch.
Whether you’re adding a new component to the home’s exterior or “sprucing up” existing elements, color plays a major role in creating curb appeal. Adding color to the home exterior should be done in a ‘top-down’ approach so there’s a unified flow that creates an overall pleasing impression.
The front entry door, shutters, and trim are the ideal locations for major color additions that complement the overall color palette of a home,
Tips for Adding Curb Appeal
Here are some additional tips from Fypon:
• Make your entryway more welcoming with an elegant door surround. Start with fluted pilasters on either side of the door and then top the door with a decorative pediment — try a rams head, sunburst, acorn or peaked cap style
• Replace a rotting wooden porch system with a new structural balustrade system which includes porch posts, top and bottom rails, balusters, and all the other pieces essential to create a great, weather-resistant porch.
• Trim out exterior windows. Use crossheads for over a window and top with a solid, decorative or recessed panel keystone accent piece. On the sides and below the window, use molding pieces with plinth blocks in the corners to eliminate miter cuts.
* Replace older, rotting wooden louvers with low-maintenance polyurethane louvers. Functional louvers have a noncorrosive fiberglass screen backing to keep insects out while allowing maximum airflow and ventilation to enter the attic.
• Flank windows with easy-care polyurethane shutters. Choose from a selection of white and wood grain louvered solid panel and louvered slatted panels shutters or wood grain timber plank panel shutters in two-plank, three-plank, elliptical top and arch top styles. Paint or stain the pre-primed shutters to complement any home exterior.