Curb appeal ideas for Front Entry?

11 years ago

We are first time homeowners who moved into this cottage just before summer. Up until now we focused on changes on the inside, but now we are thinking about the outside. FYI, the door is a storm door with black privacy film. Then there is a small enclosed porch which leads to the real entry door which has all the locks etc. which leads into the living room. The real entry door is just plain solid white wood. The small entry is not insulated and is cold. So there has to be a door between the foyer and the living room. Our main door could either stay where it is or be moved to where you step out onto the patio.

Eventually, finances permitting, we want to proceed with several DIY projects: paint this house a deep dark blue, with the white trim remaining. Maybe move the "real" entry door to where now the storm door is (or just buy a new security door). Next spring we also want to do a stone slate walkway DIY project leading to the street.

But meanwhile, how can I improve the curb appeal with landscaping? I am perfectly fine to pull out the cypress and the unknown bush/tree (?) that's to the left of the entry and replacing it with something else. I am hoping for something low maintenance and something that's not a tree, as this one huge tree next to the house already is about all I want to deal with....

The patio and everything to the left of it is mostly shaded during the days because of a huge tree to the left of the house. The right side from the concrete forward (to the right) gets perhaps 6 hrs of sun a day.

I am looking for low-budget ideas.
Thanks.

Featured Answer

elcieg

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

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First of all, let's warm up that entry. Check with Lowe's to see if a heated floor is possible. Paint the front door a pretty color (you can remove the storm if the door is weather proof). Continue the front walkway to welcome your guests. I bet the inside front door is where you need the insulation so that is the first place I would spend my money.

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Comments (19)

Darzy
11 years ago
I've gotta say that a professional landscape designer is WELL worth the expense. Even if you just pay for the design plans and do the work yourself you can save. But, when the landscapers get discounts and your labor involved, it's really worth it to get it done professionally and a lot quicker. Plus, with drip systems and water savings, etc, it may even be cost effective. Get a couple of bids. In this economy, landscapers are willing you give you a break, to get some work! But, be up front if you want to do the work yourself and just pay for the plans.
User
11 years ago
What a sweet house! Look at other houses in your area and find out what kind of "foundation" shrubs they use that is appropriate for your region. Boxwood is popular, low maintenance and good looking. Those could go along the house on the street side as well as around the corner to the concrete. Take out or relocate the shrub/bush that is at the corner. Move the trellis to the small portion that has your house numbers on it, and plant hopefully a climbing evergreen. In my area coral honeysuckle is popular because it is an evergreen and blooms spring through early fall. An ornamental tree on the street side (in line with where the exisiting trellis is) would also be pretty. I don't know what part of the country you are in so can't say what would work for you. Best wishes in your new home.!
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Consider creating a monarch station, maybe in a raised round or contoured bed made of the same kind of bricks that are on your house. There's an organization called monarchwatch.com. You might check it out. Maybe you could line the driveway somehow, with a garden bed or hedge. I think your yard would benefit from more curved shapes. Another thing you might do is to create a small grove of river birch. They are so pretty, and the colors of their bark would blend so attractively with your house. I've seen them in beds toward the front of the yards, along with natural-looking shrubs and flowers. Beautiful. The main thing I would recommend for your yard is to minimize the grass. Not only do lawns use a lot of water, take a lot of work and expense, but a large lawn, in my opinion, is monotonous. And replacing lawn is much better for the environment and the other plantings attract birds, squirrels, and so on.
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Thanks so much, this is hugely helpful. That glass awning shared is amazing. I will see about talking to a local awning company about it to start. The current awning is actually burgundy, not that it makes it much better :). Definitely agree on the landscaping too and have considered starting with yanking that bush out the blocks the front door, even if we wait on the rest until spring. I never thought about the downspout color being different, and now it stands out like crazy. We’ll definitely have that painted to match the brick. Would you leave the other paint as is? On the door, I also like the idea of having the sides be the same color. What color would you paint it? I wouldn’t mind replacing the door but the side lights are matching to the glass - does that matter? There is also a storm door if that makes a difference. The windows are definitely dated but haven’t been the highest on my priority list to change out - as you can imagine, several things inside look like 1995 too. Thanks so much!
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Your visitors need to be guided to your front door. Take out the overgrown shrubs and, as has been suggested here, re think the sidewalk to your front door. This can be done by widening both the bed in front of your house AND installing a wide sidewalk (modern paving stones) to the right side of your home. With planting beds on the street side of the pathway. You might consider low level lighting, too, to guide your guests to the right door. As has been suggested…placing your house numbers in a more obvious place, making them larger, and lighting them will help people see where they should enter. Have you ever considered creating a gate across the front of your carport? One that could be opened (or even have a small gate for family access) so that people see that area as “private?” Just a thought. Note: Installing a sidewalk to the street in front of your home, as some have suggested, only works IF your neighborhood has sidewalks. Many neighborhoods do not have them.
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Paint the door, path lights, deck lights, planter and some landscaping. You need to make it look inviting.
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Connie
Original Author
11 years ago
Wow, thanks for the suggestions, Patricia. I will have to look up what "foundation" shrubs even mean.... not only are we new homeowners, we are new to gardening also. I will now go ask Mr. Google to tell me how "coral honeysuckle" looks like! As far as an ornamental tree goes... very good idea! Between the two windows, where now the trellis stands, is really just an empty area -- I am not even sure why the trellis is there.... there is no plant to climb it. -- As far as paying a professional landscaper, I am afraid my husband would say that's absolute luxury. He is more concerned about fixing the interior, replacing the old pipes, and we need to first get the budget together for those things. I guess curb appeal is not on his list at all:-(

We are in WA State, in zone 8b. Mild summers, mild winters. This past winter we probably had only 1 week of snow.
yvonnecmartin
11 years ago
It looks as if grass grows where you live. If so. The first order might be to start a lawn now. Fall is a good time to do so. Which is the part of the house thar faces the street? The side facing the red car?

If you are in the country you might consider planting a meadow of native plants. What horticultural zone are you in--what state? Are you rural, small town, or city? This will help us make suggestions.
Connie
Original Author
11 years ago
The entry (second photo) faces the street, and the side where the cars sit, also faces the street. We are at an intersection across from a school so there is LOTS of traffic twice a day. People park all along both sides of our house; some park their cars really close to our house (where the cars sit), so I have not much space there. Maybe 2-3 feet out from the house.
But the front of the house is an empty canvas. The cars park down a small slope (3 feet up or so), and then there is maybe 10-15 or so feet left between the house and the street. And of course all the width of the house. We have deer wandering our town streets though, like every day and without fear of people, so we can't have just whatever pretty flowers there. Also, I don't have any water connection in the front of the house - haven't watered the front "lawn" all summer, so that's why it is all dried out....
Connie
Original Author
11 years ago
Here is a photo of the entry. So storm door only, then this "foyer", then behind the baby gate is the real entry door, plain white wood. This space is not insulated. The walls and the floor seem to be some recycled/reclaimed wood, flooring included.
sugarhillplace
11 years ago
Look online or the library for front foundation landscapes to get ideas. When designing, think gently curving beds, plantings in odd numbers (ex. three boxwood, five daylillies) And plant like plants together (it looks more natural) Double knockout roses are a shrub that is really easy to grow and blooms from late spring through early fall. Also think odd number of different types (ex. 3 types of plants; boxwood, knockout, daylilly) or five, seven or nine. Under the high placed window you may want to consider a tall flowering shrub like lilac.
Sigrid
11 years ago
You need a path to your door. You can use a garden hose to play with shape. You probably want a curve. Next, walk around your neighborhood and look at other people's lawns and see what you like.
The library is good, too, as you might overlook spring flowering trees or bushes in the fall. Flowering shrubs usually require no maintenance. You might do with a clump of, say, Rhodos.

Then draw a plan. Plants are a lot cheaper when you buy them small. They grow. Be sure to give them enough room, which might make your plantings look a bit sparse for a few years. This means paying careful attention to what the nursery you buy from says about full size.

For example, Burpee has a blue hydrangea for $15 and Whiteflower Farms has one for $30. The difference is likely to be size.

I like fruiting shrubs. The generally require little work, are attractive and give you free fruit. Blueberries are good where you have acid soil, currants (where legal, check your state) do well in slightly alkaline soil. My experience has been that all the pruning, mulching, and fertilizing that some books recommend really aren't needed. If it's really dry, do water.
User
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Connie, here's a site from your area that will give you some ideas for shrubbery for your area. Look at the section " smaller shrubs" and check with your local plant resources to see what they have.
http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/mg/gm_tips/GreatShrubs.html
User
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
one more idea, Connie. This is blue star juniper
infinityfloorsandcabinets
11 years ago
What a cute little house! It reminds me of my great grandmother's home when I was a little girl.

The first thing I would do would be to plant some flowering bushes to the left of your entry area, under the awning window. Lilac or Rock Rose would be pretty- something to bring in some color. Then I would add the slate walkway you've been thinking of, but make sure it curves- nothing straight.
Some small flowering plants would be lovely where your current shrub is - I'd pull that out and replace with lower plants.

Where the trellis is, you really do need something with some height to balance your roof peak and disguise the fact that there is not a window there. I would surround whatever you decide to put there with more low growing flowering plants.

Your home is simply darling- I think with patience and a few years time, you can make your yard as sweet as your cottage is without spending a fortune.
Margaret
11 years ago
I second Sigrid's suggestion of walking around your neighborhood and looking at what everyone else did. This is particularly useful if the other houses are similar in size and style. When you find one you like, take pictures. Your hardscaping (path, any dug flower beds) are going to be a lot of work to put in and hard to change. Plan them carefully, and if you aren't much for design crib from someone else who is (hence my advice about checking out the neighborhood).

Shrubs and flowers can be moved relatively easily if they don't work out where you first plant them. Look at what plants are popular in your area - most people don't like work :-) and that's going to be a good guide to low maintenance.
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Roots and Rafters
11 years ago
Fall is the best time to plant bulbs that will come up in the spring. Tulips, daffodils, and irises would be very pretty along the front of your stoop, along with the many plants that others have suggested. Flower bulbs are fairly inexpensive if ordered online.

If your soil is not very good (your local agricultural extension can test it for you), then bulb flowers work in pots as well. Get a few nice large pots and put them around your stoop.

Consider also getting a climbing rose bush and planting it at the bottom of the trellis on the side of your house. David Austen Roses will be able to recommend one that suits your climate.

You might also consider putting a "winterizer" fertilizer on your lawn so that it will come up green in the spring. I'm not sure from looking at your photos whether your lawn is dead or just dormant -- but in the worst case scenario you're out $20 for a bag of fertilizer.

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Connie
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for all your great suggestions. The lawn in front of the house is brown because we didn't water it. Although we get very little rainfall, if any, throughout summer, out town is VERY water conservation oriented. We lived here over a year now and I have yet to see a sprinkler out in the open! So most all lawns here are the same. I have seen rainwater collection barrels and we are considering them to irrigate the front, in connection with a pump run on solar (we already have cheap solar panels, 90 Watts in all, but not installed). But if there's no rain in summer then the
barrels are empty too. -- I also forgot to mention, the side of the house where the trellis is has an entire row of daffodils and some irises growing but it looks messy once the flowers are gone. I must figure out how to take care of them once the blooms are gone. Steep learning curve for sure!
PRO
Roots and Rafters
11 years ago
Hi Connie -- You might look into something called "succession planting." The idea is basically to plant a number of different varieties in a single bed, so that when one plant goes dormant another one is just blooming. I garden in Vermont, so I'm afraid I'm not going to be of much use with ideas for the Pacific Northwest, but there are many books written specifically with garden ideas for your area, so perhaps that would be a good place to start. :)
vineyardflute
11 years ago
Hi Connie, congratulations on the new house. How exciting it all is for you. I would like to suggest perennial plants when you go shopping. This way they will come back each year and multiply nicely for you over the years so it cuts on accumulative cost. I would also suggest you fine the Cooperative Extension Office for your area. Thay can help you with native plants that will grow great in your area as well as test your soil for the best plantings.
Vicky
11 years ago
You mentioned that there is a lot of traffic, and alot of cars parking right in front. I would consider putting in a fence as your first move to get some privacy. A little picket fence is not a gigantic project, and then you can add some plants along the fence as you have time. Once you have a fence up, you will feel more like spending time in the front yard.
sheilaskb
8 years ago
I would suggest you make a fairly large ground-level patio the entire length of the house as shown in Photo 2. I would suggest you measure out 10-15 feet from the outside of the little protruding room and then keep the same line along this side of the new patio. I also would suggest you dig up the shrubs and save them for border plants you can space out along the outer edges of the new patio. Then, you can place large pots of plants on the outer edge of the patio stones and have them "framed" by the relocated shrubs. I would estimate the shrubs should be spaced 10-15 feet from each other. Your house has a lot of potential and can look quite charming with the addition of an outdoor entertainment/living space.

Curb appeal ideas for Front Entry?

elcieg

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