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how to hide garbage cans

How to Hide Problems on Your Home’s Exterior…Use Camouflage

October 8, 2023
Hide problem area home exterior
Photo by Sugarman Joe at Unsplash

To camouflage, according to Webster, is “to facilitate, hide or disguise the presence of (a person, animal, or object).” Any one of us who has ever felt the least bit fat has employed the tricks of camouflage when dressing. But you may be asking yourself: what the heck does camouflage have to do with my home? Well, just think for a moment about the unsightly but necessary things that every home has: garbage cans, heating and cooling units, hoses, utilities… and then you’ll get where I’m going with this. Camouflage is a great way to hide problems on your home’s exterior. Read on for some great tips for using camouflage around your home…

home exterior problems

You Can Hide Problems on Your Home’s Exterior Like Offender Number 1 -The Garbage Cans.

You need them for sure but you probably don’t want to see them, and you most certainly don’t want to smell them. But what can you do about them? With just a bit of fencing, or even some old pallets, you can make an attractive enclosure for these nasties. Pinterest is loaded with creative ideas that even the least handy of us can manage. There are also some pre-made products for this purpose, like those above. You can also make these enclosures into features by simply adding planter boxes on or near them or putting potted plants in front of them. You can also go the natural route to hide the cans by planting evergreens in an “L” shape to act as an enclosure.

And Then There’s That Ugly A/C Unit! It’s Another Problem on Your Home’s Exterior You Can Camouflage.

The same rules apply for A/C and heating units. You can build something simple with fencing, pavers or pallets. Click HERE for some ideas for hiding these . Make sure you check with the manufacturer on these, however, because some units should not be completely covered. You will want to know if you need to leave the top open.

Insider Tip: Many vintage and thrift stores specialize in architectural elements ( like fencing) and stores like the Habitat For Humanity ReStore have all types of items that you might be able to re-purpose as a “screen.”

Paint the pipes

And What About Those Ugly, Gray Utilities? Yup, Those Too!

As you can see from the picture below, simply painting these pipes and boxes in a color close to the color of your siding can make all the difference! The paint camouflages the offenders, and nearly makes them disappear.

Another trick with these is to build a mounted box around them. Much like what you can do with garbage cans and A/C units, you can use fencing or pallets to create these covers – then enhance them with window boxes – and voila!

And Let’s Not Forget The Hose. It’s Can Be Fun with Camouflage.

Your plants are dead without it, but it often looks pretty untidy on the side of your house, piled up on the ground. They sell those wall mounted racks, but many of them aren’t much better. For this one you can go DIY by drilling a hole in a metal planter (make sure you really sand it, though, or you’ll have a holey hose for sure). There are also lots of products on the market for keeping the hose in order and out of site. Some of them are dual-purpose -acting as both a planter and a hose-keeper. This is one to have fun with.

Insider Tip: Stores like Consignments Ltd. are great sources for all types of planters that can be used for this purpose. If opting for a ceramic one, be sure you have a ceramic bit for your drill.

What Else Is Good About Camouflage?

Camouflage is the art of deception, but it can also be the art of… well… art. By using camouflage around your house, you make your house prettier… and who doesn’t want that?

If you’re hungry for more on this topic, check out my previous blog: Ten Easy Curb Appeal Ideas.

Have a lovely day, my friends. Marianne

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