Spring is in the air! The long awaited tips of tulips and hyacinths are popping up in gardens. The grass is looking greener. Buds are on the trees, and backyards are a welcome retreat. There’s no better moment than during this historical time when we are all at home to get started on some inexpensive DIY projects for your home’s exterior.

Let’s take a moment to step back from the news of COVID-19 and turn off our computers, televisions and phones to enjoy a little outdoor beauty. Now is a great time to begin planning your home to-do list. This is a great opportunity to make your wish list, prioritize, budget and plan for when the pendulum stops swinging and comes back into balance.

Not all improvements need to cost a lot of money. If you fancy yourself a bit of a DIY person, then small improvements can really make an impact to your home’s exterior.

Give your front door a refresh

First up, paint your front door – it’s the smile that greets guests! Choose a colour that will complement the home’s exterior colour as well as the style of your home. Consider a pop of colour like red or yellow, or if you’re wanting something more contemporary, try black, grey or navy blue. The important detail is to ensure the colour of your door adds that joie de vivre you’re looking for.

Painting your front door is a great way to update your house inexpensively. To add a little extra punch to your front entrance, buy a new welcome mat that coordinates with your door colour. Add symmetry to your front door to create focal points. Use matching lights or planters on either side of your door. It will instantly make your home more inviting and put together.

It’s all about the details

If you want to add a bit of flare to your entrance, change up your house numbers. We often forget that a house wears jewelry too. Consider the size of your house numbers. House numbers should be a minimum of four inches high, but depending on where you are installing your house numbers, whether it’s on the wall beside your door, above your door, on your garage, fence etc., increasing the size so it’s readable from the road is key.

Font styles can also update your look. Tried and true thick sans serif fonts like Helvetica will maximize the prominence of your house numbers, or for an all-round versatile font, use Robison Typeface. For a more modern-looking font, Leaner Typeface, an all-caps sans-serif font is nice. If you’re looking for big and bold, try Abril Fatface, which uses thick numerals and is very prominent. Be careful with script or other thin fonts or decorative ones as they will decrease the visibility of your address.

The finish or colour can make a real impact. Choosing between a flush mount house number in brushed nickel or a floating mount house number in black, polished brash or satin nickel, depends on the finishes you have used on your door handle, mailbox and light fixtures. Be sure they all work together for a cohesive look.

Replace your mailbox

Swap out your dated mailbox for something more current. It’s an inexpensive DIY project and makes a difference to your home’s curb appeal.

We could all use a breath of fresh air. Why not take it outside and do some DIY projects!