• Stand across the street and look objectively at your home. Where do you need to add colour? What do you notice first? Can a visitor find your front door and a clear path to it?
• Make a list of small painting projects that can help make the right details pop on your home. Your front door, windows, front porch or step, attractive metalwork and your mailbox should all be highlighted and contrast with the rest of your home. These are easy one day or single weekend projects that can have a big impact

• Commit a morning to yardwork. Yes, you have to. Weed, trim, mow, rake, sweep. Get a good look at what you have to work with
• Power wash your home’s exterior. It’s amazing how badly this is needed, and how often we don’t even realize it. Brighten the whites, get the dust out of the cracks, freshen up
• Repairs are next. Now is the time to fix the crooked gate, replace the cracked fence board, touch up paint on the gutters, trim, etc.
• Look at where you are storing items. Do you have garbage and recycling front and centre? Can they go around a corner? Tuck beside the house? Move to a side where they are less obvious? Can you replace them if they are old and too grimy? The same goes for hose reels and any storage sheds or containers. Try moving them out of the line of vision
• Make a list of spots that need some green plants or pops of colour from flowers. You can often find people giving away perennials, seedlings, compost and other garden goodies at this time of year, so watch the gardening and free sections of your UsedEverywhere site and take advantage where you can
•  Make a list of any other needed plants (with a note if the spot is sunny or shady) and go explore your local gardening centre. A few packs of annuals will pretty up any flowerbed. Choose a large pot for your front step or near your front door and fill it with something bright and attractive

Last but not least, look at the front of your home one last time and remember – you are the one who lives here. Does it show your personality? Is it set up for your enjoyment? What is your finishing touch? For me, this means finding the perfect chair and table for my small front porch. I can already taste the lemonade. For others, it may be a pretty watering can and place to stash gardening gloves and tools. A former neighbour of mine had two red Adirondack chairs on their lawn.

Find what will make your home truly welcome you and others, and you’ll enjoy coming home to it so much more.

What’s on your project list for your home this spring?