As a homeowner you are always considering how best to spend any investment on home improvements. External home improvements can offer the best rewards to deliver curb appeal and ROI. Here are some great ideas to consider when planning your external home improvement projects.

Outdoor Home Improvement Projects with High ROI

After a long winter, many homeowners start stretching their legs outdoors and begin planning their exterior to-do list. While this is often in the form of sprucing up the yard areas and flower beds, milder weather is perfect for tackling more taxing home improvement projects. Let’s take a look at a range of outdoor projects with a high return on investment.

External front door

We’re working from small to large with this list of outdoor home improvements. While replacing your front door may not seem like a project, it’s still an update that yields a solid return on investment. And don’t forget to paint it in a bold color to make a statement. This is, after all, the focal point of your home’s exterior and the first place you welcome guests. If you’re currently working with a wood door, replace it with one made of steel with inset window panes, and you’ll recoup most of your money when you go to sell your house.

Don’t forget the garage door

If your garage door requires repair or replacement, add this to your to-do list. Homeowners who replaced their garage doors with new mechanical systems recoup almost all of the money spent on the fix. 

Landscaping

Depending on your skill level, tackling landscaping on your own can be one of the most rewarding outdoor home improvement projects. Consider adding a stone walkway or stone planters with bright buds to make outdoor areas pop.

A rectangular planter can be a great way to frame a walkway and add visual appeal. With the right supplies and careful planning, you’ll have a beautiful outdoor area that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Mulch your flower beds for hands-free weed maintenance, in addition to creating a clean canvas for flowers to stand out. 

The addition of trees and flowering shrubs to your yard adds an elegant and romantic feel, especially when they’re in full bloom. Anything that helps with curb appeal is going to provide an excellent return, and landscaping tops the list.

Patio or deck area

If you’ve invested in landscaping, but don’t have a formal patio or deck area, you’re missing out! Now that you’ve put the time and effort into beautifying your property, you need a space where you can be outside to enjoy it. Decks and patio areas are a hit with millennial buyers, who, in addition to enjoying entertaining, want to use their outdoor living areas actively.

Home improvements that top agents recommend

If you want to plan your outdoor home improvements strategically, it’s best to follow the advice of experts. HomeLight surveyed agents across the country to gather top agent insights for Q1 2020. In the survey, agents were asked to provide estimates about three of the top warm-weather projects: window replacement, siding replacement, and full gutter replacement.

At around $3,000 to complete, a full gutter replacement will return approximately 60 % of your investment when you sell your home. Replacing windows, which can cost upwards of $12,000, will yield increased energy savings and an 80 % return on investment. Likely the most impactful outdoor home improvement, is replacing siding. While siding replacement is a little more expensive than window replacement, around $14,000 on average, homeowners will recoup 85 % of their initial investment.

In conclusion

When it comes to outdoor home improvement projects, these are excellent ideas for every size budget. They will yield a high return on your initial investment. To ensure you get back what you put into home projects, always research before jumping in. And choose projects that will benefit your overall home value.