Home Matters: Five Simple Ways to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal

By Our Town Gwinnett Staff

With the spring season here before long, now is the perfect time to spruce up your home – both indoors and out. It’s a well-known fact that homes with strong curb appeal not only tend to sell faster, but also have higher perceived home values – as much as 7%-14% more. While there are many large-scale renovations that can add curb appeal to your home, there are just as many simple refreshes you can make without spending a lot of time or money.

Here are five easy ways to boost your home’s curb appeal, and its value, in as little as a few hours:

1. Clean or repaint your front door:

Since your front door is exposed to the elements, simply washing away some of the builtup dirt and grime can breathe new life into this focal point of your home. For an affordable, more eye-catching upgrade, consider painting your front door a bold, vibrant hue that coordinates with the rest of your home’s color palette to help draw buyers in. You can also add visual interest with a simple seasonal wreath.

2. Ensure your doors, windows, and siding are sealed: With warmer months there often comes rainy and wet weather, so ensure your doors, windows, siding, and other exterior surfaces won’t fall prey to water leakage during the next storm. Perfect for exterior touch-ups of any size, DAP’s AMP All Weather Window, Siding, and Door Sealant delivers a 100% weatherproof and waterproof seal for windows, doors, siding, trim, gutter, flashing, and concrete. It outperforms silicone in key performance attributes such as wet surface application, paintability, and crystal-clear clarity, while also offering exceptional weatherability, durability, and mold and mildew resistance, providing maximum performance for every project. It also has a 30-minute paint and rain/water ready time, making even the smallest touch-ups a breeze while giving you added peace of mind. Additionally, the sealant line includes a kitchen and bath-specific formulation perfect for all your interior touch-up needs as well.

3. Update outdoor hardware and lighting:

House numbers, the entry door handle, and porch light fixtures are all elements that add style and interest to your home’s curb appeal, whether you realize it or not. Replace old house numbers with a customized or DIY number display, or simply choose larger, more modern numbers for a few dollars each. Also consider updating your porch light fixtures for added appeal and safety. Be sure to consider your home’s style and the fixture’s configuration to ensure it illuminates your walkway or porch adequately, and for added time and money savings, choose fixtures that use the same mounting system as your current ones. Complete your entryway upgrade by choosing a new entry door handle or lockset that complements your house numbers and light fixtures for the most cohesive look. For all three, bronze finishes often look best with traditional homes, while brushed nickel suits more modern ones.

4. Repair any unsightly cracked concrete: Driveway, sidewalk, patio, and other outdoor concrete cracks are both common and inevitable given they are in high-traffic areas and are susceptible to the annual freeze/thaw cycle. Without proper attention and repairs, these cracks are not only unsightly, but can lead to more serious issues or worse, pose safety concerns. Thankfully, fixing them doesn’t have to be a costly headache with the help of Textured Concrete. This premium latex sealant simulates concrete with the durability needed to properly move and flex with heavy-trafficked concrete surfaces while providing a long-lasting, crack-resistant seal. Perfect for use on concrete, mortar, brick, metal, stone, stucco, grout, and textured walls, it’s easy to use and apply, won’t stain or bleed, and can be cleaned up with just water if needed. While most latex sealants require a 24-hour dry time before painting, this one is ready to paint in just two hours so you can perfectly match any substrate and move onto your next project in record time.

5. Add color with flowers or plants:

From adding flowers around your mailbox or planters on your porch, to installing window boxes for an added pop of color, this is an easy and affordable afternoon project that instantly makes your home look more welcoming, approachable, and modern while adding to its perceived value. Be sure to choose varieties that will get enough sunlight based on where they’re planted, and mix and match colors based on your home’s color scheme for the best results.

For more tips to help tackle your home improvement projects, visit DAP.com. (BPT) from JA,” she said. “My personal experience with JA is the heart for my initiative, ‘Unveiling Juvenile Arthritis: #kidsgetarthritistoo.’ My mission is three-fold: to spread awareness, raise funds, and support those affected by this painful yet often unseen disease.”

Addie Freeman Continued from page 11

Family Fun

Working closely with the Georgia office of the Arthritis Foundation, she is an active volunteer and was named the Teen Honoree for the 2021 Atlanta Jingle Bell Run.

“One of my favorite things to do is run,” Addie explained, “and I’ve been a member of my school’s cross country and track teams since sophomore year, so my goal is to set up a 5K race one day in all 159 counties of Georgia so I can raise money and awareness for JA.”

When asked what doors she hopes winning the Miss Georgia and subsequently Miss America titles would open for her, Addie replied, “Competing for the title of Miss Georgia, and possibly Miss America, is like interviewing for the job of a lifetime. Being able to continue my advocacy of JA and my partnership with the Arthritis Foundation on a national level would be such a blessing and an honor.”

Addie plans to attend the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and major in speech language pathology, and being Miss Gwinnett County is a plus on her resume.

Congrats again to Addie Freeman, Miss Gwinnett County 2023.

Continued from page 13

4. Throw a party. Planning a gathering is sometimes just as fun as the party itself. Host a party with your kids and let them be involved in coming up with the theme, menu, and guest list. Let them get creative by making up games for a game night that both kids and adults will enjoy. Take it one step further and have them create handmade party decorations and a trophy for the winner to take home.

5. Volunteer together. Brainstorm a few simple but meaningful things to do at home that can benefit the world. Small things like starting a compost pile, collecting food shelf donations, or contributing to a charity event at school are great ways to get involved and make a difference. Or consider signing the entire family up for volunteer and fundraising opportunities, such as working at a food bank, participating in park cleanups, walking, or running to raise money for a charity.

Most importantly, infuse some fun and positivity during the short days of winter to help your kids keep their spark and revitalize them for the rest of the school year! (BPT)