How to Give Your Home Curb Appeal for Low Cost

Outdoor lighting can make a huge impact on the curb appeal of your home.  One trick you can do is consider the outside angles of your home, and amplify the corners and dark spaces.  Not only will it give your home added security at night, but it makes the house transform into something completely different.  On our website at www.matternandfitzgerald.com, I have a lot of exterior photos of homes.  Look at the ones with night shots and pay close attention to the lighting.  On these attached pictures, we have some different elements going on.  First, we have gas lanterns.  They are about $1000/each when you consider the fixture and the gas run, but that is probably one of my most favorite elements.  It's switch operated, and natural gas is so cheap that you won't be stung with a large bill. The other thing we have is called soffet lights.  Soffet lights are actually down lighting, vs. up lighting and it gives the house a very cool look.  These are basically recess cans in the eaves of the roof, and they run about $85/each installed.  We also have low cost landscape lights to concentrate eye focus on the planting beds.  I think a kit of 6 is close to $80 without the transformer.  Lastly, in this case we have a beautiful front door that can be showcased with ample lighting.  If that light wasn't on, it would make for a dark entry anyway.  If you are designing a home, or considering reinvesting some dollars into your current home- consider the exterior lighting which you will enjoy and get a high visual return on investment.