Front garden ideas for maximum kerb appeal
Your front garden is the first glimpse your guests or potential buyers have of your property – it’s the calling card to your home. These front garden ideas will help you to make the best first impression.
Unlike your back garden, where you spend time relaxing, playing or hosting get-togethers, a well-maintained front garden will showcase your home.
Research shows that most buyers are unlikely to request a viewing of a house if the front of the property is poorly maintained. First impressions count, and with your front garden, a lot of people will assume the rest of the property will be the same.
Creating a beautiful front garden is important. Don’t underestimate the power of this space to add immediate impact, often at a modest budget.
If you’re stuck for ideas on what to do with your front garden, we have the latest trends, tips and tricks to improve your kerb appeal, regardless of how much space you’re working with.
Front garden ideas
From a well-manicured lawn and pots of colourful blooms to a tiled footpath and a herbaceous border, there are so many simple front garden ideas to transform your outside space.
They don’t need to be costly, either. In fact, keeping your front garden neat and tidy is the easiest first step to making the best first impression.
Your front garden is the perfect opportunity to convey the character of your house to the outside world. It’s a good idea to keep it similar in tone to the rest of the street and the properties in the area.
There are simple ways to upgrade your front garden to blend in with the street scene. Consider speaking to a trusted professional from Checkatrade to find creative ways of promoting its best features and minimising its less attractive ones or utilising them to your advantage.
That’s not to say you can’t have fun with your choice of planting or by designing a curvaceous lawn and a colourful trellis, for example.
Here’s how to upgrade your home with front garden ideas to suit your property, space, and personality.
Front garden landscape ideas
Don’t squeeze in a lawn and masses of flower beds if there isn’t space – it will only make your property look fussy and cramped.
A neat, well-manicured lawn is a classic addition to any British front garden. Finish off with a neat edging tile or with a border of shrubs.
Don’t ignore practicalities, like mowing your lawn
Remember, a lawn will need mowing and regular upkeep; otherwise, your front garden will rapidly become messy and uninviting. Keep that in mind when designing your front garden.
A paved front garden with a centrally planted tree or shrub is an alternative idea for a smaller space. Try planting borders of fragrant flowers to create a scent-filled entrance. Low-maintenance, evergreen plants will add year-round colour too.
Replace boundary walls with hedges for a softer, country style and opt for colour-coordinated flowers and plants for a harmonious, easy on the eye look.
Small front garden ideas
If you only have a small front garden space, there are still so many ways to add maximum kerb appeal and a welcoming entrance.
Compact spaces can be big on style with our small front garden ideas.
- Add interest to your small front garden lawn with curved edging and a variety of shrubs and perennials
- Creepers and climbers are perfect plants for small gardens as they grow upwards and take up less room
- If you choose to add a tree to your small front garden, consider a dwarf breed to avoid the roots growing too large and uprooting your entire front lawn
- A raised front porch is a nice addition to a small garden
- Make a feature of your front door with a gorgeous paint colour and new door furniture
- Follow the rule of symmetry for a classic look. Try twin topiary trees and pots, parallel bushes on either side of a path and neat orderly tiling
- Consider installing a rockery in your small front garden. They are popular, striking and easy to maintain. Bed them down with wood chips, stones, mulch or turf
For more small front garden ideas, check out this small front garden ideas blog for inspiration.
Small front garden ideas with parking
Even if most of your front garden is taken up by a driveway, that doesn’t mean you can’t add a big dash of style
Consider jazzing up your driveway tiles or including patterns and edging to break up the monotony. Here are some more ideas for the best driveway materials.
If you have the space, a small circular lawn or topiary patch is a perfect addition.
Make the most of your small front garden with parking by flanking the front door with two large bay trees. Highlight a small porch area with lanterns and a welcome mat to create a homely mood.
If a driveway takes up most of the usable space, a few window boxes or wall-hung pots are a simple way to add low-maintenance kerb appeal and a pop of colour. Consider installing a trellis, a hanging basket or a pretty flowering climber to help spruce up your small front garden.
Front garden ideas with gravel
Gravel driveways and front garden ideas with gravel are a simple and low-maintenance alternative to a lawn. This is a popular choice if you’re on a budget and need a quick overhaul to upgrade a tired front garden.
Gravel systems are a cost-effective option but still deliver the performance and durability of more expensive materials. Gravel driveways and fronts can be installed quickly and with proper care and maintenance can last up to 100 years.
Research different types of gravel so you get the correct materials for you.
- Pea gravel or pea shingle: is a quartz-based aggregate which is inexpensive, versatile and has excellent drainage but will need to be contained with an edging material
- Self-binding gravel: has significant amounts of dust added to it to improve its self-binding ability. The dust knits the gravel to create a surface. It’s cheap and most commonly used in parks
- Hoggin: A natural blend of gravel, sand and clay that produces a buff-coloured bound surface. When compacted, it is very stable
- Cool ash and cinders: Created as a by-product from coal-fired power stations and only available in black or charcoal colours. Be aware of the differing grades which can affect the material’s viability as a surface solution
Gravel offers good drainage and easy maintenance plus points and can be easily refreshed by adding more gravel as time goes on. Gravel is also available in a wide range of colours to suit the style of your property.
Do be aware though that some gravel surfaces can be difficult to keep clean and weeds can grow amongst it.
How much might it cost to makeover your front garden?
As with any home improvement ideas, prices will vary depending on what you would like to achieve.
Simply power-washing pathways, polishing house letters and repainting your front door are affordable DIY hacks that can significantly enhance the front garden appearance. Going for restructuring improvements, such as re-panelling or even painting the outside of the house, will give a fresh look to the exterior but would be best left to a professional. You may even be looking to add a porch to the front of your house, to improve the look of the front or perhaps as a storage solution for shoes, boots and coats. Each of these home improvements will vary in cost.
If you’re looking to stick to changes to your garden, then you may wish to find out the typical cost of a gardener.
Be sure to check with your local council if you plan to make any changes to your front garden. There may be guidance on paint colour along your street or restrictions on wall or fence height.
Don’t let a lack of time stop your front garden transformation
As always, we understand that the majority of us are busy and preoccupied and so updating your front garden may seem like a tiring task. Especially as it is a space where you do not spend quality time in. However, as listed above, increasing kerb appeal has many outstanding benefits.
If you don’t have the time to make the improvements, our trusted landscapers here at Checkatrade do.
1. Front garden boundary ideas
Swapping walls and garden fences for a hedge is a great alternative for a front garden boundary. In this charming, detached property, the hedge boundaries create a softer outlook and fit in with the country cottage aesthetic. Taller hedges can also offer more privacy.
Here’s the average cost to hedge trimming.
2. Small patio front garden ideas
No space for lawns or large borders? No problem. Rows of terracotta and glazed pots planted with colourful blooms are a pretty addition to small front gardens.
3. Low maintenance front garden ideas
Big pots and planters and a gravel surface are low-maintenance yet stylish for the front garden. Tiled pathways are also a great choice but do remember to choose anti-slip materials.
4. Front garden ideas with a driveway
Front driveways can keep your vehicles safe and off the road. Make sure you choose the correct material to suit your needs, your budget and the look of your property: block paving, gravel, tarmac or concrete.
Check out our driveway resurfacing cost guide for more ideas.
5. Front garden ideas for a terraced house
Transform a terraced house front garden with low level shrubs, a rockery and curved beds.
Landscaping should be in keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood for a harmonious mood.
6. Ideas for a sloped front garden
Sloping front gardens can be trickier to design. Create a defined pathway with low-level walls or potted plants.
Perhaps try a naturalistic approach with ornamental grasses and steer away from planting that is overly symmetrical and neat.
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