All the rest
Garage
Most people don’t want to spend a lot of time or money on their garage, but a little can go a long way. Bare bulbs and the socket holders for them are inexpensive and beat the look of old style fluorescent bulb fixtures. You can use energy saving LED bulbs.
If you have bare concrete steps, dress them up a bit with inexpensive vinyl matting. It’s easy to cut the matting to size with a straight edge and box cutter. Utility sinks are nice, but usually come with unattractive faucets. Here’s a good-looking, lower-cost pull-out faucet upgrade.
Driveway
If your driveway is in bad shape, consider replacing or resurfacing it. Concrete and asphalt are the most common options.
Concrete is more attractive and durable, but it is also more expensive.
Recently pressure washed concrete
If your concrete driveway is in decent shape, but no longer has that new look, think about pressure washing it. Hiring this task out is not too expensive. Alternatively you can easily do it yourself. All you will need is a pressure washer that you can either rent or buy. Karcher is a well-known brand.
Tips: Make sure whoever does the work does not use too high pressure that can damage the concrete. Hearing protection and other safety measures are advisable.
Walkways and sidewalks
Similar to the case with your driveway, replacing a worn walkway or sidewalk with new concrete can enhance your house’s appearance. And again you can pressure wash tired looking concrete to markedly improve its appearance.
Back lights
Like front lights, lights in the back of a house are generally not particularly attractive and come from the same overly ornate mold. Here’s a modern looking alternative.
Mailbox
A nice looking mailbox does wonders for the curb appeal of your house. Depending on its condition, you may want to keep your current mailbox or replace it. Standard mailboxes are not particularly expensive.
Whether new or old, you will get the nicest look if you repaint the mailbox so it’s no longer the standard black. A color complementing that of your house is one idea to consider. Use modern fonts for your street name and number.
If your print shop does not offer modern fonts, it will likely allow you to choose your own from any number of websites. www.1001fonts.com is one example. You will also want a fresh coat of paint on your mailbox post.
Some modern mailboxes can be found here.
Tip: If your community has a homeowners association (HOA), check your covenants to make sure your mailbox updating conforms to applicable requirements.
