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You can overhaul the landscaping, changing the shape of the driveway, path, steps, and natural surroundings. You can refurbish the siding or roofing. You can get new windows and doors. All of these projects are pretty time-consuming and fairly expensive. This article will focus on the little tweaks that can make a big difference in the appearance of your home in an afternoon to as little as an hour or two.

Paint The Front Door

The front door is one of the most symbolically important parts of your home. It is by this entrance that most of your coming or going happens. This is often one of the first things people notice about your home, and it’s something that can change the whole vibe of your space. Think of the door as your statement piece in an outfit. It’s here that you can really play around with a pop of color or choose something that creates the emotion you want people to feel when they come over.

Once you’ve selected your color, purchase the paint. You won’t need too much, but be sure to find something that can withstand the weather in your area. You might also want to take the door directly off the hinges while you work, although you can leave it up on the hinges if you prefer (you just need to be really careful around the trim and the door frame). You can amp up the power of this alteration by seeking out a few other things that could be painted to match, like window shutters.

Reconsider Your Mailbox

In today’s digital world, more of us than ever are ordering packages online. Suddenly, our rusted mailboxes that were designed to hold the occasional bank statement (which now we get in our emails anyway) aren’t able to do the work we need them to. We’ve got more packages, and they’re bigger. If you’re looking to give your mailbox a fresh new look, you might also want to seek out a new shape. A selection of parcel boxes and other alternatives have become very popular as of late (people steal packages left out front all the time) and can give the look of your home a little refresh in the process. When purchasing or building a new mailbox, be sure to think about weatherproofing and how long materials will keep their finish and color outside in the elements.

Plant Vines

You knew there was going to be at least one gardening-related point, right? Vines are plants that climb, and this means that a well-placed vine can become a complete redecoration of the face of your home if you let it. There are flowering and non-flowering vines that can add a ton of whimsy, romance, or class to the exterior of your home. Vines, once they’re given a good start in life with some careful tending and directing (using a vine trellis or similar tool), don’t need much tending or care. Once or twice per year, you might need to trim the vines that are reaching for your windows to keep your view from inside lovely, but for the most part, vines are incredibly independent plants. Of course, you need to be sure that your home is sturdy enough to handle the weight of the vines and not so delicate that the tendrils will be able to damage the exterior. If your home is hundreds of years old or crumbling in places, or has cracks vines can reach through, this might not be the right choice for you.

Think About The Sound

One of the most underlooked aspects of creating a good ambiance is the sound. There are many ways you can go about cultivating a soothing or dreamy, or natural audio aesthetic in your yard. You can start simple with a single wind chime (wood and metal chimes make drastically different sounds) or a bird feeder that is filled with seeds that attract songbirds. Birdbaths or features with bubbling or running water can also result in some gorgeous background noise while you sit out on the porch.

The above four steps can help you quickly improve the exterior of your home. It is worth noting that if you are prepping the exterior because you’re planning on selling, there are several other considerations you need to keep. It’s always best to speak to a real estate agent before doing any alterations with the goal of increasing value or speeding up the sale—what actually results in a home to worth more money is sometimes counter-intuitive.