One quick, easy, inexpensive way to improve the look of your home almost immediately is to trim down any tall, large bushes in the front of the house. These bushes can give an unkempt look to even the nicest home. Trimming them can update the look of the house. It can also help to reduce bugs and flying insects that inhabit the bushes during the summer.
Cutting bushes at the proper time of year can also improve the health of the bushes. Check with your local nursery to see what time of year is best to prune or trim the type of bushes in the front of your home.
Paint and shudders can suffer from being partially or entirely covered by bushes. After cutting them back, you may need to consider pressure washing or repainting shudders to make them look clean and new again. Pressure washers can be rented relatively inexpensively, or a professional pressure washing company can be hired. Be sure that any workers you hire around your home are licensed, bonded and insured to protect both you and the workers in case of accident, injury or property damage.
Electric hedge trimmers are the easiest to use when trimming large bushes. Hand trimmers can also be used, though it is a bit more time consuming and labor intensive. Never attempt to do this with a weed eater. It is very dangerous, and can damage the weed eater.
Use heavy work gloves, long sleeves and long pants to work with bushes and trimmings. Even buses without sharp leaves will leave lots of scratches from the limbs. Safety glasses are also a good idea. It is very easy to get closer than you meant to when leaning in to cut branches evenly.
Once you have trimmed the bushes and removed the trimmings, you will have a much fresher canvas to see what other areas of your yard and home exterior you want to tackle next. Overgrowth causes a cluttered appearance that has to be removed before you can see the true potential of your home and yard.