11 Front Yard Decorating and Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid

Weekly (or More) Yard Sales

Maybe you have a knack for finding valuable stuff at estate or garage sales and then flipping it for a nice profit. Good for you! But when you start posting yard sale signs in your neighborhood and hauling out the same old items weekend-after-weekend (or more often), you're operating a business out of your house. Your neighbors might not appreciate the early morning traffic and occasional riff-raff that garage sales can attract. 

Consider getting a space in a nearby antique mall or co-op, or selling online through Etsy, eBay, or CraigsList. And please get the stuff off the driveway or front lawn. 

Think this is harsh? Some cities have banned frequent yard sales. Check with your local government offices for rules.

Forgetting to Take Down Holiday Decor

We've all seen it: the house in the neighborhood that leaves its Christmas lights up through February, or beyond. Don't be that house.

A Hot Tub or Shower

There are some things that need to stay in a backyard, where it's private. Outdoor hot tubs and showers are luxuries that provide owners with the potential for hours of therapy, relaxation, and intimacy. Even if you wear a swimsuit, you should not want, nor do your neighbors desire to see you entering and exiting the hot tub. Find another place to put the spa.

Couches on the Porch or Lawn

Nothing says "cozy" like a well-designed front porch with a settee, maybe a rocking chair, some side tables, and potted plants. For centuries, It's been a great place to sit and watch the world go by.

So even though that plaid velour couch is comfortable and just happens to fit on the front porch doesn't mean it should be there. Do everyone in the vicinity a favor: donate the sofa, sell it on CraigsList or Facebook Marketplace, or post it as a "curb alert" freebie and get yourself some real porch furniture that is as pleasing to look at as it is comfortable.

The same goes for a couch sitting somewhere in the yard. Indoor sofas should stay inside. You don't want the place to look like a run-down frat house. Look around the yard: there might be other things you can also discard or donate.

Bad or No Landscaping

If a front yard is neat and maintained, all's well, right? Well, it could be better. Depending on what's happening with the landscaping in a yard, a property's and neighborhood's value can be affected.

Things to consider:

• Mismatched landscaping: The house's architectural style doesn't go with the landscaping, like a Mid-century modern house with an English cottage garden in front.
• A lawn and nothing else.
• Incompatible plants: Different types of plants are battling in your front yard for the proper shade, sun, and space. Plan what should go where.
• Traffic: Is there a way to smoothly and safely walk through your yard to the front door, like maybe a path?
• Overgrown landscaping: When was the last time you picked up a pair of hedge trimmers or pruners?

9 Smart Ways to Add Curb Appeal

Laundry and Clotheslines

A rug hanging over the railing of the front balcony. A clothesline that stretches from the edge of the front column to the side fence. The wetsuit that hangs near the entrance or garage, letting everyone around know that you have free time to snorkel or surf.

You are literally airing your laundry in public. Yes, it's clean, not dirty, but it doesn't belong in the front yard. The air-drying movement is a good one when it's confined to a side or back yard.

Lawn Ornaments: Gnomes, Geese, Flamingos, etc.

Whether these characters are there for fun or because you truly love them, just think of the collection you can amass—without danger of theft—when they can happily congregate in your backyard. That way, you can enjoy the costume-wearing geese, flamingos, naughty gnomes, and peeing-boy pond statues in private—just you and them.

Landscaping That Doesn't Work With the Climate

Ever since you took that trip to Hawaii, you've been trying to recreate a tropical paradise in your own front and back yards. The trouble is, you live in a climate that experiences four seasons, and those tropical and subtropical plants you ordered aren't surviving. And the ones that are, don't look too healthy. There's a reason that some plants thrive in their native habitats—the weather, soil, and environment cooperate and everything that grows there pretty much flourishes. Choose native plants for your region and they'll grow happily.

Consider this: If we all had tropical landscaping, traveling to far-off locales to enjoy balmy evenings sipping exotic drinks out of coconuts and watching the palms sway in the breeze wouldn't be such a special and unique experience. Love the one you're with.

Neighborhood Libraries

The intent is friendly and innocent—to share books with neighbors and passers-by. Some cities and areas encourage it, and you'll see little weatherproof shelters at the edge of a property that houses books and magazines to borrow or take.

Not everyone loves the idea or look of a little library. Check with your city or township for regulations on home- or neighborhood-based libraries before building a little shelter, only to see it get shut down by local code enforcers.

Outdoor Dining Set

There you are, enjoying grilled salmon, field greens, and corn on the cob with a glass of wine al fresco. Living the dream, outdoors. What could ruin this image? Cars driving past, their owners coming home from work; maybe the pizza delivery person? 

However, those interruptions may not be the other people's fault. If you have a house with a front and backyard, just why, exactly, is your patio table sitting there, smack dab in the middle of your gravel landscape, four feet from the sidewalk? Sure, it's nice, rustic, and kind of lends a Mediterranean vibe to your home's exterior, but who wants to see you chomping a burger in your front yard, sauce running down your chin? Really? Pick up that table now and relocate it to your nice, private backyard. Your neighbors will survive without seeing what you eat and drink every evening.

The Exception

Of course, if you live in an urban environment, where front and back yards are blurred, and everything is communal, forget this advice. Ditto for parties and large gatherings where you need to use every foot of outdoor space.

Play Equipment

That big, plastic red and yellow playset and castle your sister-in-law gave you as a hand-me-down is a hit with your kids. Even neighborhood children can be found on the slide when you're not home. 

Yes, you argue, it's easier to keep an eye on the kids when the play gym is in the front yard, plus it might attract future friends. But plastic, wood, or any kind of children's play set is safer and more private in a backyard. Soft material can be laid underfoot, to prevent or soften falls. You or another adult can watch over them safely from the confines of a fenced-in yard. And if a ball rolls away from the game, it won't be in the middle of a busy street.

The Forever-Parked Pleasure Vehicle

Ahoy, matey: you've worked hard for years and can afford a nice big boat. If you have a large property you can keep that boat, railer, or RV garaged or in the rear or side yard. But if that recreational vehicle sits on your lawn or in the driveway most of the time, it's not adding to your home or neighborhood's curb appeal.