Go BIG & Go HOME

Some people are content with a few pumpkins placed on the front steps for fall, but not Jodi. She sees her entire exterior as opportunity to create a certain look and feel, almost evoking a country shop. Follow her lead to add lots of seasonal curb appeal to your home.

Think Vertical.

“It’s always the front of my house that’s the most fun,” Jodi says. Her homemade scarecrow cutout, which is displayed between the first and second floors, stands 10 feet tall. Think about the scale of such an item, as it will likely have to be larger than expected to have visual impact from the street.

Be Resourceful.

While hunting for antique corrugated metal she could install as a shower surround, Jodi found exactly what she wanted—in New Hampshire. So she and her grandson, Landon, took a drive with saw in tow, just in case the metal wasn’t the right fit to tote home. She ended up cutting the metal into pieces right there at the salvage business in order to fit it in her car. And her commitment paid off—it was enough material to do the shower and kitchen backsplash as well as the front addition’s roof, complete with little awnings over the windows.

Fake It Until You Make It.

Jodi admits she couldn’t stand the home’s former plain white door and searched for four years to find a perfectly sized antique door—to no avail. She finally decided to build one with about $130 worth of materials, including boards, flat black paint, hinges, latch and knocker. She installed it in place of the screen door and left the white door behind it for insulation. “For four years, that was my passion,” she says. “That was my number one thing I wanted to do to the outside.”

Prepare for the Off-Season.

Jodi’s outdoor seasonal decor collection is so vast and includes so many large-scale pieces that she needs to rent storage units to house it all. One unit is for fall, and another is for Christmas. Consider your home’s storage capabilities carefully if you want to avoid a space crunch.