Top Curb Appeal

A home is an investment. It is a place of shelter for you and your loved ones. You want to make sure that all of the items are functioning properly, and you want to make sure that your home is a safe place that provides protection and a place to relax from the outside world.

You take the time to clean up your roof after a rainstorm or remodel your kitchen to rejuvenate your home and the most trafficked area. You build up your backyard to have a wonderful place to enjoy those lovely summers in Sacramento, CA. What we sometimes overlook is the front of the house or the curbside area. We simply drive up into our garage or park on the street, quickly head into our home, and possibly overlook the entrance area of our home.

Remember – that part of your home is extremely important as well. To be clear, we are talking about the part of the home everyone else also sees. This is also one of the most cost-effective enhancements you can do to your home, while at the same time increasing the value of the home by making it aesthetically pleasing. Remember, people subconsciously shop with their eyes.

Driveway and Walkway renovations

You have multiple options for redoing your driveway. These can be either gravel, asphalt, concrete or pavers. Gravel is your cheapest option, while brick can be the most expensive and sometimes 25 – 50x more expensive than gravel. Here you are directly paying for quality and pavers will offer a sense of luxury while lasting a lifetime at the least.
When it comes to your walkway, your options are a type of stone as well, ranging from concrete to brick to pavers again, to natural stone. The most cost-effective is using concrete which is the lowest cost, and accent certain parts of your walkway with the other types of material mentioned. Keep in mind you need to make sure that there is proper drainage, and the materials are set properly, or you are looking at basically redoing the walkway.

Front Lawn and landscaping

Here we can consider a variety of options. You can simply use this as a DIY project while handling all the flora needed, and you can place your own plants, flowers, and trees as you see fit. This ends up being the lowest cost option with the cheapest maintenance. If you build out special walkways when renovating that area, you can end up creating beautiful pathways, with plants placed in strategic locations to accentuate the overall look.

You can look into hydroseeding your lawn, because they have a better success rate of growth due to the moist mulch that goes into the land, and we all know Sacramento can be a bit dry at times, so this could really help with the growth. It is relatively budget-friendly and a good way to get you started.

You could also consider using sod. This is typically more expensive as it is “ready to go” grass on your lawn. They can even stop pesky weeds from growing through your lawn. Keep in mind though that they require more maintenance and can require specialized chemicals otherwise some plant diseases can pop up.

It is always a good idea to partner up with a landscaper that can help you pick out the best materials for you, as they are local experts and understand the weather patterns in Sacramento, CA. They can help you with your lawn, and what types of plants would thrive if you choose to make a garden. They can turn a standard square lawn into a beautiful tapestry of nature.

Building a front porch

Sacramento has amazing weather usually all year-round, and after a long day of work, maybe theres no need to rush inside, but simply walk up to your front porch and take a breather from the world while enjoying the lovely weather. Installing a porch from scratch isnt as daunting as you might think. Definitely work with a contractor and ensure that you have all the building costs necessary because you are extending your home size. Since it is outdoors all year round, working with a local contractor in Sacramento, CA also has the added benefit of them knowing what types of veneer flooring to have, and how best to connect to your existing electrical system, while protecting that system from the outside elements.

The cost is dependent on the size you want and can range from several thousand up to around $25,000, again depending on the size and mix of materials used. Adding a porch on average provides a return on your investment of 84% (which is one of the highest), meaning it is a great idea to go ahead with this!

Sprinkler system

This is a great way to conserve water, instead of taking a hose to your front lawn or garden. With a systemic and timed distribution of water, this is taken care of itself with the automated system. Keep in mind, this is one of the more complex enhancements you can do to your front lawn, as there are a variety of factors that need to be considered. You are trenching or digging into your lawn and setting up a superficial piping system to distribute water.

Working with a local contractor or landscaper in the Sacramento, CA area will ease a lot of the issues that you might run into. They will check the soil type, work with you to confirm the underground piping (so you know where you can actually dig), and help install and hook up the system to work properly. The pricing can vary and it is based on a large area, but these can range upwards to $1,000 to install properly. Once installed, expect a beautiful green and lush landscape!

The above-mentioned ideas are a great start on your journey to really have your curbside appeal pop out and really increase your home value. There are some additional ideas that definitely lean towards the more expensive side, such as building up walls, but as always it is better to start in a smaller and more iterative process.