How Much Does a Home Exterior Makeover Cost?

Planning to give your home a much-needed curb appeal revamp is all fun and games when you’re in the dreaming phase. Scouring Pinterest, Instagram, and home magazines can leave you feeling excited and inspired. But when the time comes to actually calculate the cost, you might not know where to start.

An average home exterior makeover cost is around $15,000 to $20,000, which includes exterior painting, door and window trim updates, porch railing, and decorations. Although that may seem like a pretty penny, it’s one of the less expensive parts of your home to revamp, and the value that it adds to your home makes the investment well worth it.

Also, the actual amount you might pay varies depending on the size of your home, the work you want to be done, if you’re merely making cosmetic updates or are replacing building materials, if you plan to do the work yourself, and whether you choose a virtual exterior designer or a traditional one.

Average Cost for Exterior Painting

The national average cost of an exterior home painting project is $3,060. Several factors play a role in the cost of a paint project. Paint quality and home size can cause the project cost to increase. If your home has lots of windows and doors with trim that needs to be painted, this could also make the project more expensive.

Even if you’re on a tight budget, it is worth it to hire a contractor to paint your home’s exterior. From both a safety and quality standpoint, professionals will get the job done with ease. Keep in mind that bright sunlight typically isn’t forgiving on uneven paint lines.

Average Cost for Updating Trim on Exterior Doors and Windows

When budgeting for your home exterior makeover cost, you can expect to spend about $150 each on installing or replacing the trim on doors and windows, with labor as an additional cost. It is amazing how a fresh coat of paint on a door and clean, new trim on your windows can affect the look of a home.

Also, window panes can also dramatically change your home’s appearance. If you want to give your home a midcentury modern look, swap out your vertical window panes for wider, horizontal window panes. Or, ditch window panes altogether and go for spacious windows (especially if your home has a beautiful view). On the contrary, vertical window panes are perfect for traditional, French country, and farmhouse homes.

Installing a new exterior door has an average cost of $1,119, and the average cost for installing new windows is $6,347, though note that there’s a huge range of options impacting the cost of the latter. The cost of materials can vary greatly.

Average Cost for Front Porch Railings

Replacing porch railings can cost anywhere between $15 and $850 per linear foot, with a national average of $93 per linear foot. Standard porch railing is typically pretty boring. Most railings just have straight wood planks. Why not mix things up and go with railings that have “X” shapes? On the other end, sometimes simple is better. Intricately wrought iron railing can sometimes date a house, and this type of railing doesn’t go well with every house style.

Another option for updating your railing without installing a new set is to stain the wood a darker color or paint it. Consider matching the railing color to your shutters to create a cohesive look.

Exterior Home Decorations

Decorations can bring new life to your curb appeal. Of course, there are many different types of exterior decorations you can choose from. When budgeting, be sure to factor in line items for furniture (porch, patio, and/or deck), exterior lighting, and miscellaneous items, like throw pillows, planters, and other accessories.

When planning your home’s redesign project, think about how you want to use your front yard and back yard. Do you imagine having outdoor dinners with your loved ones? Invest in a firepit, picnic bench, and cozy string lights. Do you want to have your morning coffee on the porch where you can greet the neighborhood good morning? Purchase comfortable porch chairs with cushions and throw pillows. Perhaps you have a pool and want to make your space a blast for entertaining.

Even if you aren’t planning on staying in your home long, decorations will help potential buyers envision what the home could look like once they add their own personal touches. In addition, exterior lighting — think lamp posts and porch lights — will give your home a safe look, just in case interested buyers drive by at night to check out the neighborhood.

Average Cost for Home Landscaping

On average, Americans spend $3,200 on installing new landscaping. And new landscaping is well worth the investment. A home should blend seamlessly with the yard around it, and adding plants can achieve this look.

If you’re planning on selling your home one day, adding shrubs, small trees, and bright flowers will attract potential buyers. Don’t wait until you decide to sell your home to invest in quality landscaping. The more time the plants have to grow, the better they will look when it comes time to put your home on the market.

While you can certainly grow many of your own plants, partner with a professional landscaper for the difficult projects, and don’t forget to do your research. Choose plants that are native to your home’s region. You should also contact your state’s underground damage prevention organization. They will send contractors to mark sections of your yard that aren’t safe to dig.

How Much Can an Exterior Makeover Increase a Home’s Value?

With all the time and money that goes into a curb appeal revamp, you might be wondering if it’s really worth the trouble. After all, it would be a lot easier to list your home on the market as is or move into a new house that already has a dreamy porch, stunning windows, perfect bushes, and a bright door. However, an exterior makeover costs next to nothing in comparison to the return on investment you’ll see once it’s time to resell. Exterior paint can provide a 141% return on investment, and the first impression of your home can add 20% to your home’s value. Plus, the markup on house with a picture-perfect exterior is high, so it is certainly worth it to take on the project yourself.

Take a look at the return on investment for these common exterior makeover projects:

• Exterior painting: Homes with fresh exterior paint sell for 5–10% more than houses in the same condition with old paint. So a $500,000 home will sell for $25,000 to $50,000 more with fresh paint.
• House siding: If you replace your house siding, you can expect to get an 84% return on investment.
• Front door: Replacing your old door or giving it a fresh coat of paint yields a 101.8% return on investment.
• Landscaping: Thinking about planting an expensive rose bush or hiring a professional landscaper? We say go for it. Landscaping shows a 105% return on investment.

Average Cost for Home Exterior Design Services

Are you having a hard time envisioning how a certain paint color will pair with your window trim? Or is something missing from your home, but you just don’t know what? Seeking help from an industry expert is the way to go.

Unfortunately, exterior designers don’t come cheap. In fact, the average exterior designer’s hourly rate falls between $100 to $200. Let’s say the project takes 20 hours to complete. You’re looking at a total of $2,000 to $4,000. Most exterior designers have preferred contractors they work with, which means you won’t get to chose your own, more affordable contractors.

Don’t let your home exterior makeover cost stop you from investing in your home’s curb appeal. Instead of partnering with an exterior designer, work with brick&batten, a virtual home exterior design service.

Here’s how it works: Send us a photo of your house, and we will create a photo rendering to show your home’s potential. We’ll work with you to determine paint colors and find ways to display your personality through curb appeal. Furthermore, you’ll get a complete shopping list with direct links to all of the products and materials our experts recommend using.

Remember the beautiful home at the top of this post? That’s a client’s actual after photo, which they completed based on the design we created for them:

When you work with brick&batten, you’ll get the benefit of a professional designer’s expertise, but you can complete the projects at your own pace, and your own price. Get started today!

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