5 Ways to Increase the Curb Appeal of your Home

1. A freshly painted front door.   This is probably the easiest way to spruce up your home and make it feel new.  A freshly painted front door, especially if it is a new color, will give your home a new look.  Make sure if you’re selling your home soon it’s a color most will also like; standing out with a unique color may not be in everyone’s taste and you may have a harder time selling your home.
   
2. Landscape your Yard and keep it well maintained.  Keep your lawn cut and select plants that fit with your home.  There are many tools online to help you plan your design. (Click here for a Garden Planner from Better homes and Gardens).  You may also want to make a stone, stamped concrete or brick path to your front door or through your plants.  A lit path with plants will give your front entrance a welcoming look; if will show off your landscaping as well as your home.  A brick path or concrete path is always a good choice as well for your sidewalk or driveway. (Click here for some unique path ideas).
   
   
   
   
   
3. Take care of your homes structure.  A fresh tuck-point for your home, fixing broken bricks or repairing crumbling concrete or bricks can add to your home’s appeal and may help the structure as well from further damage.
   
   
   
4. Repair or replace your roof.  Not only is a roof repair practical for your home or business, but it will also give your building a fresh look.  It’s probably on the top of the list of things you may need to do if you’re going to sell your home soon.  A new roof is practical and can make a good selling point to potential buyers.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Repair or replace your gutter.  Your roof and your gutter system are important to divert water away from your home.  Faulty roofs or gutters can be the cause of leaks and other more serious issues such as foundation problems.  A new gutter system also can make your home look better.

Signs Your House May Need a New Roof

The St Louis area has seen its fair share of rain lately, which may be good for plants but not someone with potential roofing problems.  Tell-tale signs of a bad roof can occur during the rainy seasons.

 

The following are just a few common signs you may need roof repair or to completely replace your roof:

• Clear and obvious signs of water damage; “spots or streaking” that appear on your ceiling. 
• Visually check signs such as loose materials such as shingles or areas near your chimney.
• Signs of mold.  Mold loves water.  Roofs and gutters are meant to repel your water away from your structure.  A sign of mold may be mean its time to call a roofer.
• Shingle damage. This can be loose or cracked shingles (or loose or broken tiles).
• Gutter Damage – gutters should be cleaned on a regular basis (most yearly).  Water damage from faulty gutters can also cause your foundation harm among other things.

Whatever style roof you have (pitched roof or flat roof with asphalt or wood shingles, tiles, or a metal roof) it is a good idea to make sure the roof and the gutter system is in decent working order to spare your home of potential problems.   An annual gutter and roof inspection is a good idea even if these signs don’t seem to be an issue.  Not only does a new roof make for better curb appeal, it can help your building be functional as well.

 

While this may not be what someone with a bad roof wants to hear, fixing a leak before it gets worse may be your only option.  This may mean getting a new roof or fixing your existing one, which may be your only option and save you future repair or replacement work.  

Moes Masonry is more than just brickwork—we fix and build new roofs of all kinds:  flat roofs, pitched roofs and more; if you find yourself needing a new roof give us a call at 314-255-8940.

5 Ways to Improve the Curb Appeal of your Home

 

If you’re in real estate, you already know about curb appeal.  If not, you may not be aware.  Simply put, curb appeal is the ‘first impression’ visitors get of your house.  These first impressions can be very important when selling your home.  Having good curb appeal is also just a good idea for you and your house.

1)      Pick up clutter.  Nothing say’s “I don’t care” like trash laying outside your home.  Picking up trash is not only good for the environment, it can make your neighbors happy and can help your curb appeal.

2)      Painting your house.  Making your home more appealing by painting is another option.  Look at other homes in your neighborhood, you don’t want to stick out especially if you plan on selling your home.  Sometimes all you may need is to paint a specific section of your home such as your door to give that ‘pop’ of color.

3)      Tuck-pointing your home.  Tuck pointing your house can make it stand out and look new.  A freshly done brick tuck point job can transform your home and help with stability of your house.   

4)      Replace hardware.  Door knobs, mailboxes, house numbers and various other hardware can really help improve the look of your home.  Consider also replacing your mailbox with a brick mailbox; not only are these sturdier than most mailboxes, but this can really help the look of your residence.

5)      Consider a new roof.  When was the last time you had your roof replaced?  If your roof is leaking, chances are not recently.  People look at the whole picture, including your roof when considering whether or not it has good curb appeal.  A new roof is not only good for you, but probably a good investment in your property.