54 Before-and-After Curb Appeal Makeovers From HGTV Shows and Pros

These home exterior renovations will inspire you to create charming, love-at-first sight curb appeal in your own front yard. From full-scale renovations to fresh paint colors and landscaping updates, we're sharing incredible transformations from HGTV stars, designers, architects, landscapers and contractors. Read on for inspiration and and tips for improving your home's landscaping and facade to boost your curb appeal.

Before, this home's exterior lacked charm. The choice of exterior windows and dark shutters felt misguided, while the low hip roof was visually awkward.

Husband and wife duo Kevin and Leigh Misso of River Brook Design totally transformed this home's exterior, making it completely unrecognizable. After, this charming cottage features classic architectural elements and a newly expanded cedar shingle roof, while maintaining charming details from before, such as the diamond pane window and winding brick paver path.

Before, this monochromatic rancher was begging for brighter curb appeal.

On HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous, Dave and Jenny Marrs worked their flipping magic on this, once forgettable, ranch-style home. The white treatment on the exterior helps to brighten things up, while the new cedar shake siding on the front gable adds just enough warmth to the front elevation.

Before, some may find this cabin in the woods charming, but we're leaning toward creepy. You won't catch us spending the night here.

Jonathan Knight knew exactly how to rescue this eery cabin in the woods on HGTV's Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp. While the budget didn't allow for any major architectural changes, removing the front door to prioritize continuity on the wall of windows has a big visual impact, while a new coat of moody red-purple paint does some heavy design lifting.

No, this isn't an artistic take on a standard deck. Before renovations, the deck was falling off of the house.

After, Team Kim Myles’ on Season 1 of HGTV's Battle on the Mountain saves the home both structurally and aesthetically. While new footings ensure the new deck is rock solid, charcoal paint and cedar railings team up to impart a cozy Scandinavian vibe on the freshened-up exterior.

Accurately dubbed a "technicolor prison," the ambiguous shade of green coating this house put the U-G-L-Y in Ugliest House in America.

HGTV's Ugliest House in America host Retta enlisted Alison Victoria from Windy City Rehab to turn this house on its head. While nearly any exterior paint color would improve the toxic-waste-green exterior, you can never go wrong with the simple, stately and stark combination of white walls and black trim.

Though certainly charming, this cottage's monotone brown shade isn't eye-catching and is doing nothing to highlight the home's architectural good bones.

Designer Jean Stoffer polished the diamond-in-the-rough by adding on additional living space upstairs and giving the home's brick exterior a bright white coat of paint contrasted with charcoal gray trim. Low, foundation plantings and a pair of boxwoods in zinc planters softly tie the home into the natural surroundings.

It's time to breathe new life into this contemporary-styled home. This hillside abode is an eyesore in need of some love and attention.

Set on a hillside overlooking beautiful views of the mountains and valley, this contemporary home features a clean-lined exterior that evokes a minimalist vibe. The exterior updates bring this home into the 21st century, creating contemporary and stylish curb appeal.

The HGTV Dream Home 2017 located in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Pictured is the front exterior prior to construction. Lacking much appeal, this home needs some attention before being deemed a 'Dream Home'.

The white color on the shaker siding was baked on, while the trim details were painted black to create the strong contrast that gives this home a finished and polished look.

The outside of this oceanside home is in disrepair and in desperate need for renovations to bring it back to life.

Architects brought new life into this home by painting the exterior a fresh white color paired with vibrant orange Adirondack chairs.

Before renovations, this home lacked any curb appeal or charm. NMA Architects completed a total transformation, with a new home exterior and landscaping.

This ranch style home was updated to feature a neutral stone exterior and a dark gray metal roof with rain chains instead of gutters. Like the exterior, the walkway is designed from a neutral stone, leading the way to the mahogany front door. Palm trees and other tropical plants are used for landscaping throughout the front yard.

Prior to renovations, the exterior of this cottage lacked proper upkeep and yard maintenance.

This home gets a fresh update by looking to the past with a palette of colors from a historic preservation guide. Cedar shingles add color and architectural interest.

Without much landscaping or exterior charm, DIY Network's Ultimate Retreat 2017 before renovations is quite an eyesore.

The DIY Network Ultimate Retreat 2017 was updated with lovely landscaping and a well-detailed exterior with contrasting light and dark colors.

Run down and abandoned looking, DIY Network's Blog Cabin 2012 lacks any captivating qualities prior to renovations.

DIY Network's Blog Cabin 2012 was totally updated. From the exterior paint color to the landscaping, this home got the complete exterior makeover it deserved.

The DIY Network Ultimate Retreat 2018, located in Sapphire, North Carolina, is in need of a major overhaul. The overgrown landscaping and unattended home exterior does not send a welcoming vibe to visitors.

HGTV Ultimate Retreat 2018 was totally transformed with new landscaping and stunning exterior updates.

Guests were forced to trek through overgrown grass just to reach the front door. Lacking any landscaping or exterior charm, this home looks abandoned.

The exterior now features a metal roof, landscaping around the whole house and new, chunky wood columns to replace the old posts.

Before this home was unkempt and overlooked. With its minimal landscaping and tired facade, it went unnoticed.

This exterior makeover goes to show that you don't always need to spend a fortune to achieve great curb appeal. With light landscaping and paint, this home went from drab to fab.

Once the home of a prominent local family, this century-old charmer (built in 1900) had been unoccupied for so long that a large colony of honeybees had taken up residence within the home's exterior walls. (Don't worry, no bees were harmed in the restoration of this home.)

A far cry from its formerly shabby shape, this freshly renovated home is a crowning jewel of the neighborhood and was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the improvements are fresh cedar shakes, new porch railing and a flagstone and pea-gravel pathway. Husband and wife team Erin and Ben Napier completed the transformation; Ben even used reclaimed lumber from the home's interior to create a swinging daybed for the front porch.

This oceanfront Rhode Island Victorian home is certainly a grande dame but decades of exposure to the salt air have dramatically weathered the home's exterior, giving it a ghostly, abandoned appearance.

A dramatically freshened-up exterior gives this century-old home a new lease on life. The pros at DiMauro Architects defined the entrance by relocating the front door and expanding the surrounding front porch. A fresh coat of paint and all new turf and foundation plantings get this Victorian home ready to face the next 100 years.

With overgrown landscaping and a disappear-into-the-background white paint color, this California bungalow was generally considered one of the least attractive homes on the block. Narrow, winding stairs and a front door blocked by an overgrown trumpet vine and small tree add to the home's uncared-for look.

To make the home pop, designer John Gidding chooses sunny yellow for the siding and cheery turquoise for the front door. The winding stairs are straightened and widened to draw more attention to the front entry, which is shaded by a honeysuckle-covered arbor. The homeowners aren't big fans of mowing the grass, so John eliminated the lawn in favor of a wide stone path flanked by low-maintenance plants.

Ancient trees and overgrown boxwood hedges create a living screen blocking this brick home from view while decades of tannin from the tree's dropped leaves have discolored the concrete steps and front porch.

This grand old home features all the hallmarks of Victorian Italianate style: tall, arched windows; a low-pitched roof; a rambling, asymmetrical facade with ornamental brackets. It is undeniably too beautiful to be hidden behind greenery. Erin and Ben cleared the overgrowth, cleaned up the concrete and gave the home a more period-correct paint color on the refurbished trim, front door and siding. Freshy planted camellias replace the leggy boxwoods and will make this home even more of a showstopper when in bloom.

This snug bungalow in Jamestown, an island off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, certainly has its charms, but the too-dark siding and small dormer windows give it a dark and drab appearance.

The team at DiMauro Architects both improved the home's curb appeal and added usable interior square footage with a gabled dormer. A soft moss-green paint color freshens up the home's cedar shake exterior while a new picket fence delineates the front yard, enclosing a lush cottage garden.

Built in 1910, this grande dame boasts 3,350 square feet, five bedrooms, three baths and an interesting history that includes serving as a boarding house for World War II vets returning from the war.

The home's century-old character and striking good looks are improved with new porch railing, sage green trim and forest green shutters. Craftsman extraordinaire Ben Napier restored the existing wood door to its original finish.

The black sheep of the street, this small Spanish Colonial Revival-style home built in the 1920s, is a rarity in suburban Atlanta. It has the potential to be a real gem in the neighborhood, but with a barren yard, overgrown arbor and faded stucco, it only stands out for its rundown appearance.

The Curb Appeal team start the makeover at the curb with this one, creating wide tile-accented steps that lead from the street to the new front porch that spans the entire length of the home's facade. The front yard is replaced by a circular stone courtyard surrounded by hardy ferns, petunias and banana plants.

Built in 1908, this home offers up authentic Craftsman charm but with a rotting front porch and peeling paint in a faded shade of yellow, it's ready for a fix-up.

The home's exterior gets a period-correct makeover with a return to Craftsman style's traditional three-color palette. Erin went with blue-gray for the body, a rich cream for the trim and deep oxblood as an accent. Ben and Erin also demoed a partial porch enclosure, that was a later addition, to restore the home's original deep and open front porch.

With three (yes, three!) separate front doors, missing columns and a rotting front porch, this Craftsman-style cottage sat on an old dairy farm that had recently sold. Unfortunately, the new owners weren't interested in the house, so its days were numbered.

Home Town hosts Ben and Erin Napier worked with the cottage's new owners (the original owner's great-granddaughter) to move it to a new location, then got to work to restore this historic home. In keeping with the home's history, Ben added a new railing and Craftsman-style tapered columns to support the deep front porch. They eliminated the unnecessary doors, then Erin painted the refurbished windows with a dark sage green and made the front door pop with a cheery yellow.

The homeowners bought this home two years ago, but with three young boys — two with special needs — all of their energy and finances go toward the kids, leaving nothing for fixing up the front yard.

The homeowners want to be able to relax in the front yard while keeping an eye on their young boys and chatting with neighbors. Designer John Gidding delivered by expanding their too-small front porch and adding new steps that lead down to a wide walkway flanked by a long curving bench. A low gated wall separates the front yard from the sidewalk and really makes the front yard feel more like an outdoor room.

The homeowners are two of the French Quarter's most colorful characters, but their home's vanilla facade is definitely lacking. A tumble of weeds fills the beds that line the porch, and the concrete set-back, or small area that separates the home from the sidewalk, is broken and unlevel.

Jason Cameron comes to this belle's rescue with kicky paint colors, a bluestone patio to replace the crumbling concrete and a cast-stone fountain. The weedy beds are given a tropical makeover with dwarf pygmy date palms and striped stromanthe that tie in with the home's new color palette.

Mixed in with the weeds were a lot of boulders and rocks, so designer John Gidding decided to work them into the design. Ornamental grasses, pieris Japonica, loropetalum and other low-maintenance plants fit with the garden's Zen feel while being easy to care for so the homeowners can maintain the garden's good looks.

Located in a desirable Atlanta suburb, this Cape Cod-style home should be one of the highlights on the street. Instead, the overgrown, weedy yard, broken fence and peeling paint make it an eyesore.

The Curb Appeal team start by demoing the metal fence to open the property up to the street where a stone path leads to the home that has been freshly painted in cool blue with a pop of cheery yellow on the front door. The homeowners weren't big fans of mowing the grass, so John eliminated it in favor of mulch and ornamental grasses.

With a tiny front yard and style-less facade, this clapboard house in Atlanta doesn't have much going for it.

With such a small lot, landscaping takes a back seat to improving the home's architecture. Designer John Gidding and team pull out all the stops by adding layers of gingerbread-style trim that's reminiscent of true Victorian architecture. So the home's main color doesn't detract from the trim details, the team paints it a warm neutral tan saving the cool purples and blues for the trim. To complete the fairytale look, a picket fence lines the front and a brick path leads to the turquoise front door.

Evergreens are great for year-round color in your landscape, but unless you plan to consistently keep them trimmed, they can grow too large to work as foundation plants.

Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri remove the overgrown evergreens, replacing them with oakleaf hydrangeas, hostas and bronze-leafed heuchera. Bright chartreuse false cypress really livens up the landscape and pair beautifully with the home's sunny yellow front door.

Recessed doorways are great because your entry is protected from the weather, but they tend to be dark. Painting the door black doesn't help to brighten things up.

A few coats of fuchsia paint take this formerly ho-hum front door from drab to fab. The cheery pink theme is carried to pots flanking the doorway filled with bougainvillea and candytuft. The terra-cotta tile steps and board-and-batten siding also receive a makeover with fresh coats of warm, neutral paint.

John learned that the home had been white since its construction (120+ years ago!), so in keeping with true Victorian style, he chose no less than seven paint colors to really make this painted lady the neighborhood showstopper. To complement the historic architecture, the Curb Appeal team replaced the front lawn with a parterre — a formal garden made up of symmetrical hedges and planting beds connected by paths.

The current owners were drawn to the home's modern aesthetic and streamlined details, but the ho-hum landscaping is definitely lacking. Three generations of one family live here and want to be able to use the hilly, uneven front yard as more of a gathering and entertaining space.

Designer John Gidding decided to save the existing mature trees, building a massive deck to surround them. The uneven front yard is eliminated by a concrete retaining wall that brings the deck up to front door height. Concrete planters at street level are filled with boulders, agave and desert grasses while rosemary tumbles over the wall from the deck.

NYC techies, tired of cramped quarters, decided to relocate to Texas where everything is bigger. Browsing homes online, they discovered this split level whose newly remodeled interior had everything they were looking for and they quickly decided to buy it — without ever seeing the home in person. Once they moved, they discovered that the home's exterior was desperately in need of a remodel, too.

Contractor Jason Cameron and the Desperate Landscapes crew come to their rescue with a fresh neutral color palette that better blends the home's siding with the stacked stone facade. Boulders and layers of drought-tolerant, native plants, like the blooming Texas redbud, ensure this fully landscaped front yard will be easy for the homeowners to maintain.

The young couple inherited this massive home from an elderly relative. Years of deferred maintenance, peeling paint and an overgrown juniper bush have made this home the neighborhood eyesore.

To return this elegant home to its refined roots, the Curb Appeal team beefs up the moldings surrounding the entryway and windows. Look-at-me colors and a two-tone palette make the home feel even larger. An usable low area to the left of the entry is transformed into a sunken deck surrounded by planters filled with cheery annuals that tie in with the home's magenta front door. Tall cypress trees are added for height.

Selected out of hundreds of submissions as America's most desperate landscape, this home outside San Diego is an embarrassment not only for the homeowners but for the whole neighborhood. The yard is unlevel, full of weeds and littered with the remains of home improvement projects gone bad.

Contractor Jason Cameron and the Desperate Landscapes crew start by removing the construction debris, then the improvements begin with a new travertine patio shaded by a streamlined wood slat pergola. The existing boulders are moved to the lot's corner where they're joined by tons more rock for a sculptural accent. The landscaping goes from lacking to lush with mature indigenous trees and shrubs, and the siding and garage door receive a fresh coat of paint.

The first-time homebuyers fell in love with this century-old home's potential but got bogged down by interior projects. They don't have time to tackle the front yard or porch where siding-clad supports create a dark, claustrophobic feel and aren't original to the home's Craftsman style.

John replaces the siding-clad columns with Craftsman-style tapered timber columns that are more in keeping with the home's original character. The couple only used the front yard as a path from the driveway, so John swapped out the small lawn for a new, wide walkway surrounded by heuchera, pentas, succulents and low-maintenance grasses.

Before the renovation, the home's exterior was lacking personality and curb appeal. With a dark exterior color, this home doesn't stand out or create a welcoming look.

This ranch home exterior renovation has tons of curb appeal with wooden French front doors, a stone facade and black matte window trim. A stone pathway and native plant landscaping create an eye-catching design from the curb.

Before the renovation, a sad little fountain sat in front and didn’t add to this home's curb appeal.

After renovations, this home oozes with style. The neutral-colored house was built in 1966 and still has that timeless look about it.

Before being renovated, this home practically faded into its surroundings thanks to a drab brick front exterior.

Three gables give this newly painted home a distinct look while visually elevating the front facade. A new covered front porch provides protection from the elements, while a gas lamp keeps the area well-lit. Landscaping and hardscaping complement the home’s style while beautifying the grounds.

This cottage, built in 1925, had great architectural bones but badly needed many basic upgrades and a total style refresh.

To revitalize the bungalow's exterior, designers swapped out the existing porch for square porch columns with sloped sides as well as Craftsman-style railings and clapboard siding. A yellow front door winks out a cheery welcome, and the painted blue exterior helps the home evoke an eye-catching — in a good way — exterior.

The home's large outdoor space had lots of untapped potential that was hidden by the overgrown trees and closed-off porch.

The two-story porches, seen at this home, have been opened-up, and the intense shade trees have been removed to create a more welcoming and sunnier exterior.

A 1920s Craftsman bungalow in Santa Monica, California, is ready for a face-lift. The beige paint does not help this space stand out.

This sweet 1920s Craftsman bungalow got a facelift that includes attractive new paint colors. The porch feels expanded by exposing the roof vault and swapping out the original formidable pillars to smaller modern alternatives. Landscaping modifications include the new paver and gravel path that expand the beds in front, which are now populated with low plantings to reveal and frame the home.

This Tudor-style home blends in with its surroundings and does not make a lasting impression.

Exterior improvements to this newly renovated 1925 Tudor Revival in the historic district of Boulevard Oaks in Houston include uncovering and updating the wonderful windows and landscaping modifications that reveal the home and open the grounds.

Before a design overhaul, this home in Phoenix lacked a clear entrance. The layout of the property and design made it tough for the homeowners to achieve the level of security they desired for the property.

An extension to the edge of the home is clad in limestone, differentiating it from the stucco structure behind it and creating a clear entry space to the home. An elegant gate, at the entrance to the covered walkway, provides extra security for the homeowners without detracting from the style of the home.

The original yard features a large span of grass, towering palm trees and ugly awnings.

The exterior of this home has been transformed to include sleek, black awnings, a more modern infinity-style pool and plenty of lounge areas for guests and homeowners to enjoy the home's tropical location.

The exterior of this home, prior to renovation, is not eye-catching or appealing. Blending in with the snow, this home is nothing spectacular or one of a kind.

What was previously a boxy midcentury home was given an architectural upgrade to add drama and functionality. The front door, previously located at the back of what was the carport, was brought forward to be more in line with the front of the house. The carport was turned into an enclosed garage, and the garage door and front facade were enhanced with hardwood detail, giving the home much-needed visual interest. Black walls and a lime green door adds a pops of color and ups the curb appeal even more.

Before renovation, the exterior of the HGTV Urban Oasis 2023, located in Kentucky, boasted no appealing or remarkable characteristics.

With a gracious front porch, timeless style and classic details, the HGTV Urban Oasis 2023 is the perfect place to enjoy all the amenities of living in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

Bright baby blue clads the exterior of this Craftsman home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to renovations, the HGTV Urban Oasis 2017 lacked any exterior features to make it stand out — in a good way.

The combination of a striking color scheme and improved landscaping give this Craftsman home an up-to-date look that still respects the architecture and history of the house.

The HGTV Smart Home 2017 was a new build but lacked any distinguishing features or landscaping to give the exterior an attractive look.

A gray concrete driveway and path lead to this stunning home exterior rooted in a Tudor-style design with inspiration from English country architecture. Placed above most windows and the front doorway, corbel-style facias in cedar add definition to the light gray exterior. Well-manicured landscaping of shrubs and small trees ensures picture-perfect curb appeal.

Prior to landscaping, the HGTV Smart Home 2023, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, lacks any native plantings, making it look like a parched desert dwelling.

HGTV Smart Home 2023’s scenic location, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is reflected in the home’s landscape design where local grasses and trees are introduced.

A run-down 1980s contemporary home with unusual architectural curves and a compact layout needed a smart restoration plan.