Creating Curb Appeal: Before and After Photos of Home Improvements

Do you love watching others create curb appeal out of outdated patios or old homes? Have you ever seen the before and after photos/renderings in home improvement magazines? Have you ever wished you could have a new designer makeover done for your home?

I enjoy seeing what a place is like and what it can become. I guess it gives homeowners hope that their place can look fresh and new again…a place they can be proud to come home to.

With all the different houses I’ve owned, I can never resist making them the best they can be. I’m sure if you like home improvement magazines like I do, you’ve probably seen these pictures (before and after). I like to think of them as a (problem before) and a (design solution after).

It’s a results-oriented approach that I like. These before and after images speak to me in a way that a single rendering alone cannot.

Perhaps it’s because it shows a starting point for how and why the new design came to be what it is. It’s similar to a behind-the-scenes look at the design process. People love to see how things are made.

The rendering becomes a visual blueprint to work from…a blueprint of where you want to go. You can choose to do your home improvements all at once, or you can take your time and do a little each year. You can work at your own pace if you have the time and money.

At least you know where you’re going. Without a plan like this, it becomes more difficult to know where to start. It often feels a bit overwhelming, so it never starts.

2 examples of where these before and after pictures have been published are “Cottage Living Magazine” (which is now out of print, I’m sorry to say) and “This Old House Magazine”.

I appreciate that the letters from the owners have been included so that we can read what their concerns were at the time. It also gives us insight into why the home design solution was designed the way it was.

Very often finding a design solution leads to other interesting elements that will also improve the overall appearance.

I like to see the list of products used to complete the final look. Displaying a picture of the product or material along with a place to find it makes it convenient for the interested homeowner who wants to do a before and after home improvement project himself.

Browse some before and after photos today, you may be inspired to do some home improvements on your own.