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Before & After: Exterior Inspiration

By: Jennifer Brake

Architect John Gidding helps homeowners tame their overgrown yards and brighten up boring facades on HGTV's Curb Appeal. Pick up a few landscaping ideas of your own from these favorite makeovers.

From: Curb Appeal

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Homely House

Before: Neighbors hated walking past this neglected yard. The steps had an interesting angle, but the path space being shared with the driveway made them awkward to use and created a bad aesthetic.

Yellow Home With Gray Chimney, White Pergola, Blue Front Door

From: Curb Appeal

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Bright and Inviting

After: Architect John Gidding realigned the steps with the front door and painted the house a lively yellow that carried over into the plants chosen for the garden. The fireplace was also painted and matching brick details were added throughout the space.

From: Curb Appeal

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Tucked Away

Before: This house was hidden behind trees and bushes, and the plain color of the house, flat roof and distance from the curb made this home practically invisible.

From: Curb Appeal

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Getting Noticed

After: Installing a deck fills the large gap between the house and the curb, and having a few potted plants instead of a huge garden bed makes the yard much easier to maintain. The blue-gray house color and bold orange door also help get this house noticed.

Before of Green-on-Green Exterior on HGTV's Curb Appeal

From: Curb Appeal

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Leprechaun House

Before: This house came to be known as the "leprechaun house" in the neighborhood because of its green-on-green paint scheme. The portico was also falling down, and no landscaping had been done to the house since before the homeowners moved in years ago.

Tudor Exterior With Red Door and Green Roof

From: Curb Appeal

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Tudor-Style Cottage

After: Architect John Gidding gave the home Tudor style by adding half-timbering details on the facade and cladding the lower part in brick. The portico was torn down and completely rebuilt, and depth was added to the flat yard by terracing sections with landscape timbers.

Before of Brick Exterior and Front Yard on HGTV's Curb Appeal

From: Curb Appeal

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Lacking Details

Before: This brick house looked like every other house on the block, except more boring. It also wasn’t functional for the family who needed a wheelchair ramp for their son with special needs but hadn't had the time or money to do it themselves.

From: Curb Appeal and Curb Appeal

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Beauty and Function

After: A smooth flagstone path created the much-needed wheelchair ramp and leads up to a small courtyard with a custom-built trellis and swing. The trellis design is carried over to the garage doors, helping to set the home apart from the houses around it.

Before of Bland Exterior on HGTV's Curb Appeal

From: Curb Appeal

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Humdrum Home

Before: The small amount of color provided by the blooming bushes wasn't enough to spice up this bland facade.

Neutral Home Exterior With Gray Walkway, Rose Bushes and Flower Box

From: Curb Appeal

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Warm Welcome

After: A warmer color and a long flower box on the front window liven up this home front, and removing the tall bush by the steps opened up the porch area.

From: Curb Appeal

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Unkempt Chaos

Before: This yard was so overgrown, deer often stopped by for a visit. Beautiful old windows were hidden by shaggy bushes and trees, and the fence was beginning to rot.

Front Yard With Zen Garden, Wood Fence and Stone Walkway

From: Curb Appeal and Curb Appeal

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Zen Living

After: A rock wall with a water feature and a fence built using Japanese joinery methods help give an Asian Zen theme to the space. The former sunroom was also ripped out to create a larger porch area.

Before of Gray Exterior and Front Yard on HGTV's Curb Appeal

From: Curb Appeal

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Barren Landscape

Before: This house was as dull as dishwater with its unexciting grayish color and depleted front yard.

After of Gray and Red Exterior on HGTV's Curb Appeal

From: Curb Appeal

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Extended Eave

After: Extending the eave line from the roof to the landscape creates a unique and interesting architectural element.

Before & After: Exterior Inspiration

Homely House

Bright and Inviting

Tucked Away

Getting Noticed

Leprechaun House

Tudor-Style Cottage

Lacking Details

Beauty and Function

Humdrum Home

Warm Welcome

Unkempt Chaos

Zen Living

Barren Landscape

Extended Eave

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