AW: Curb Appeal Project

AprilZ81 · May 2016

Since it has been slow I thought I would AW our latest home improvement project.

We ripped out the old paver sidewalk that was too narrow, too close to the house and too ugly. We raised the patio area and extended it out about 2 1/2 feet to make it easier to get around the storm door to get in the house and added a step at the front of the patio.

When the concrete guys were here laying out the sidewalk I ended up making a last minute change to make it a little wider and longer to make it look better. It increased our cost of labor and materials by and additional $450 but it was worth it.

Before: Please ignore the brick color as it is an old/bad picture from an old listing of the house. We've also since painted the door a soft navy blue to increase curb appeal.

After: This was before the cleanup was finished and we still need to move our flower pots and front door mat back up there but it is still a huge improvement!

hoffse · May 2016

That looks SO much better!

Xstatic3333 · May 2016

Agreed! That change made a huge difference.

AprilZ81 · May 2016

The sidewalk makes the house look more welcoming and adds a touch of softness with the curve that the front really needed. Everything was all straight lines.

The old patio was barely big enough for someone to stand on it while I opened the door (it opens out) to let them in. I would open the door and they would have to step to the side or off of the patio so they could get around the door.

We will be adding a hand railing for sure but I can't decide if we should do a rail around the whole porch for safety. I don't want to block the view of the door but I also don't want anyone to get hurt.

Eventually the area between the sidewalk and the driveway will be a flower bed as will the area to the left of the porch (currently an ugly paver patio). I'm hoping that will be a project we can do this fall.