June, 2019
As estate agents we talk a lot about ‘kerb appeal’ to our vendors. You may have a couple of steps leading to your front door or you may have a sprawling lawn, whatever type of front garden you have it needs to be in the best condition it can be when you decide to sell your home.
House Beautiful UK have listed their top 7 tips for creating the perfect entrance to your home...
(Read the full article here https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a1974/how-to-increase-value-of-home-kerb-appeal/)
1. Fit in with the street scene. Every road has a 'look' and if you take your front garden too far away from what's normal for your street, you will create a 'wow' but not in a good way. But you can still raise the tone, if other front gardens in your street are neglected you can go for quietly smart, and if every other garden has been made over like a daytime TV programme, you might have to work a bit harder. If in doubt go for low key, neat and formal.
2. Symmetry and structure will give a great look, so look for well-defined flower beds, straight lines and solid planting. The hardest look to pull off in a front garden is a wildflower meadow with plants flowing everywhere – go for the opposite of this and you'll be on the right track.
3. Structure like this will also work in winter as well as summer – and winter is a key time in the front garden. This will likely be your one glimpse of greenery on your way from house to car, so getting the winter look right is crucial. The shapes of the flower beds will be seen, and the structural bones are visible in winter, so it's essential to make sure those bones look good.
4. The layout – the bones of the garden – needs to signal where people should go. It's an obvious point but one that's often forgotten. When folks walk to your house the front garden needs to show them the way to the front door; it's purpose, if you like, is to direct. The easiest way to do this is with a clear path and a big signal to mark the front door. Big pots either side of the front door will do the job.
5. When you're putting in the structure, work with the house and the windows. So planting is high between the windows, low in front of them. Accentuate the patterns of house, don't work against them. This will often give you a good pattern to copy around the rest of the front garden. The pace of the lower and higher planting can be used at the sides and alongside the road. Use the same spacing and the whole thing will come together like a symphony.
6. You may not think about selling right now, but it's likely to happen at some point, so if you're putting money and effort into your front garden think about kerb appeal to buyers. What would you like to see if you were thinking about buying this house? It's another really good reason to avoid anything whacky at the front. Kerb appeal is about looking neat, well maintained and cared about. Case in point: Dustbins can be a real eyesore,? so screen them with shrubs or trellising, or, as horticulturist Alys Fowler suggests, 'Make your garden so pretty your eye won't be drawn to the bins at all!'
7. Finally, watch out for planning rules. These are often specific to front gardens and can cover anything from the height of your front fence to the colour of your house. To find out what applies in your area, the planning department of your local council will be a good place to start.
