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mdmom20

Help me improve curb appeal

MDMom20
11 years ago

We live in a very shady area and our front yard is mostly ground cover, hostas, ferns, a small Japanese Maple and some hydrangeas near the house. I'm looking for some cost effective ideas to help spruce things up before putting the house on the market next spring. In particular I think we need some large shrubs under the front windows to better disguise the basement windows and help add some proportion. I'd really love to hear what others thinks. Also - I'm very open to suggestions re color of shutters, portico and door. Thank you!

Comments (7)

  • deviant-deziner
    11 years ago

    High end beautifully detailed window boxes made from either zinc and wrought iron or wrought iron or copper or very high end painted and detailed wood.

    Have each box span the length of the windows without the shutters.

    You can change out the planting design with the seasons to keep up to date with the season that the house is on the market.

    If you don't feel you have the flair, then hire a garden designer or a florist to 'do up ' your window boxes before the house goes on the market.

    Huge curb appeal.

  • MDMom20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Deviant. Any ideas where one would get such window boxes? Would they have to be custom made to accomodate the length? Would appreciate links to any vendors or pics of what you have in mind. Thanks again.

  • puffie
    11 years ago

    Here are some pretty window boxes:
    http://www.grandinroad.com/ProductSearch?storeId=11103&catalogId=11103&langId=-1&searchTerm=window+box

    Personally, I think the forest green doesn't compliment the bricks on your house. I'd go with a more classic combo (red white black). After photoshopping this, tho, I might choose copper or wood for the boxes, because the black makes the house look like it has two black eyes. Also, since the windows are asymmetric, I'd cheat a little with the window boxes to make the house look more balanced (make the right hand box a little smaller than the window, and the left hand box a little bigger).

  • MDMom20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Puffie. I like the black. Our neighbors to the right have black shutters and a black door but they get a lot more sun. I can't tell - are you suggesting a true white for the portico or an off-white? Also, our gutters and down spouts are currently light brown, would you suggest painting those white too?

  • puffie
    11 years ago

    I'd probably paint the portico to try and match the white on the windows. It might be worth it to buy some samples and see which ones look good, though, because some whites look really cold in the shade (so an off white might work better for warmth). I wouldn't paint the gutters, the light brown makes them less visible, which is good for gutters.

    I like black shutters because I think they make the windows look bigger (like mascara on eyes), and I think a bright colored door draws the eye and feels welcoming. Red is classic and it won't offend most people (good for selling).

    It's a cute house, I'm sure you will have no trouble selling it :)

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    11 years ago

    Actual window boxes that work well would probably be custom made, which might be more than you want to spend on a house you're selling. You might slap some decent ones together yourself since it's a fairly simple operation to build an "open box." The key to good window boxes is making them large enough to hold enough soil to actually grow plants that aren't panting for water on an hourly basis. To make them look good, hang them somewhat below the window so that what grows in them doesn't screen the window itself. Include pendulous plants so that much of the window box itself is covered by foliage and/or flowers and works to obscure some of the blank space below the windows. If you want shrubs below the windows, you might consider regular Nandina for a look that is not too "tight." (Your photo does not allow us to see the ground space in that vicinity.)

    I like the portico being white much better than the dark green. For shutters and window boxes you might explore one of the many variations of TAUPE, a color that goes almost anywhere with almost any thing. Trying some paint samples will be more productive than discussing color theory for hours or days.

  • louisianagal
    11 years ago

    Just saying if I were a buyer I would be worried that the rock wall would collapse, it just looks a little disheveled. Not sure if that can be changed. If you put on market in the spring maybe a whole lot of tulips and/or daffs planted this fall.