10 Outdated Front Yard Looks That Make Your House Seem Older

Curb appeal plays a big role in how your home is perceived, and some older design choices age a house faster than you might think. Even if the inside is updated, the front yard can send the wrong message. Certain features that were popular years ago now feel stuck in the past—and not in a charming way.

If your goal is to make your house feel fresh and current, these are the front yard looks worth phasing out.

Shaggy Foundation Bushes

Boxwoods and other evergreen shrubs lining the base of your house were the standard for decades, but letting them grow big and round makes the whole front look dated. Over time, they get leggy and block windows, making your home feel dark and overgrown.

Instead of bulky hedges, go for layered plants with varied heights and textures. Mixing in native grasses or flowering shrubs can make your foundation feel more current without completely removing greenery.

Decorative Lawn Borders Made of Stone Circles

Those stacked stone rings or scalloped concrete borders around trees and beds were everywhere for a while. But now, they feel out of sync with today’s cleaner landscaping styles. They tend to shift, sink, and grow weeds in between, which adds to the tired look.

If your yard still has them, replacing them with a smoother edge—like a trench edge or natural stone border—can modernize the whole space. Less is more when it comes to bed outlines.

Old-School Solar Lights with Yellow Housings

Those short, chunky solar lights with yellowed plastic and dull glow aren’t doing your front yard any favors. They were a quick fix for path lighting years ago, but now they look like leftovers from an old hardware store clearance bin.

Swapping them for sleeker, low-profile options with better output instantly updates your walkway. And keeping the number of lights to a minimum makes it feel cleaner and more intentional.

Overdecorated Porch Railings

If your porch railings are covered in faux ivy, iron scrolls, or overly detailed spindles, they’re probably aging the front of your house. What once seemed charming now looks fussy and out of date.

A simpler railing with clean lines helps the porch feel more open and current. Even a coat of fresh paint in the right tone can make a big difference without a full replacement.

Patchy Grass with No Defined Edges

An uneven lawn with random tufts of grass and no clear border between the yard and beds makes your home look older—even if everything else is in good shape. It feels like something that hasn’t been touched in years.

Adding a crisp lawn edge and reseeding or replacing bare patches brings everything back into focus. Even a modest yard looks cleaner when the lines are sharp and the grass looks cared for.

Cracked Concrete Walkways

Concrete paths with cracks, discoloration, or uneven slabs instantly age a house. They give off the impression that upkeep has been ignored—even if that’s not true. It’s one of the first things people notice when walking up to your front door.

You don’t always need to replace the whole thing. In some cases, patching, staining, or resurfacing can clean it up. If a total redo is needed, consider something with more visual warmth, like pavers or stone.

Half-Dead Ornamental Trees

Crape myrtles, Bradford pears, and other once-popular trees can start to look rough after years of bad pruning or storm damage. If you’ve got one that’s split, leaning, or bare on one side, it makes the whole front yard feel worn out.

It’s worth removing a tree that’s on its way out. Replacing it with a more modern, manageable variety adds curb appeal and keeps your landscaping looking alive—literally.

Overly Symmetrical Planting Beds

Perfectly mirrored flower beds on each side of the walkway were once the go-to landscaping formula, but now they feel forced and flat. Today’s style leans more natural, with staggered groupings and asymmetrical layouts that feel less staged.

You can still keep structure, but breaking up the symmetry with varying plant heights and types helps everything feel more updated and less like a builder-grade blueprint from the ’90s.

Wagon Wheels and Other Yard Décor Relics

Old wagon wheels, fake wells, and wooden cutouts of people bent over in flower beds might’ve felt charming once, but they haven’t aged well. Now, they’re more likely to be the butt of a joke than a cute accent.

Even a few small décor swaps can make a big difference. Removing outdated ornaments and replacing them with planters, updated lighting, or a fresh welcome mat can modernize your yard without a big overhaul.

Storm Doors That Have Seen Better Days

A dented or faded storm door makes your entryway look worn out—even if your main door is in good shape. It’s one of those details people overlook until they realize it’s dragging the whole front down.

Upgrading or removing it entirely (if you don’t really need it) helps clean up the entryway and puts the focus on your actual front door. If it stays, give it a good cleaning and fresh hardware to avoid that tired look.

*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.