Design Ideas for Curb Appeal (House Plan Bible) (ISBN 1580112900)

Book Description:
Homeowners want the exterior of their homes to be as attractive and welcoming as the interior spaces, and there are several reasons why. First, today's homeowners are design savvy, thanks to TV and the print media. Second, outdoor areas provide an opportunity for additional living and entertaining space. Third, first impressions count, especially at resale time. Design Ideas for Curb Appeal shows readers how to dress up the exterior of a house. The book covers such topics as welcoming entries, including porches and doors; driveways and garages; landscaping; night appeal; and much more. Real-life makeovers are also included for inspiration. Design Ideas for Curb Appeal shows homeowners what they can do to make the outside of their home look its very best.

Suggest the Sunset book Curb Appeal instead:
I recently purchased two books on curb appeal. This book by Creative Homeowner, written by Megan Connelly, uses only estate-size houses. The houses are almost all 98% probably 6,000 square feet or more. While it is well written, it does not show before and after pictures. Instead it just explains the finished photo and what gives it curb appeal. If you own a house of 1500-4000 square feet, I recommend Sunset Curb Appel book: exciting ways to enhance the appearance of your home. The homes are more modertately scaled, they show before and after photos, and you also get an idea of the "big picture". You can see that you don't have to take on the entire process at one time. And, you can see that small fixes have big appeal.

Good for ideas:
This book has wonderful photographs of exteriors of home that just ooze curb appeal. A previous review said there were no before and after's, there are, but the before pictures are so small it's easy to overlook them. There also are only a few before and after photos. Many of the modifications that provide curb appeal include additions, second stories or very elaborate porches, grand entries and other costly remodels. Most of the homes are already grand or architecturally interesting. It does have useful info on garage doors, exterior colors, front doors, hardware, walkways and landscapes. What I was looking for in a curb appeal book IS before and after pictures, ideas for increasing curb appeal on a small to moderate budget. Seeing how to obtain curb appeal with a nondescript home and making it more attractive with simple fixes, i.e. shutters, paver walkways, trimming out windows, etc. All in all a nice photo book, with SOME useful information.