{We partnered with our great friends over at Window World for this post. For more on our partnerships please visit here.)
If you’ve been following along with our basement progress, then you know we’ve waited a very long time to begin.
While we’re in the middle of electricians and all things spray-in insulation {coming soon with our very special Breaking Bad outfits}, codes, along with the completed crawlspace {wheee!} we thought we’d share phase three of our rehab which is going on a little bit simultaneously.
Because it’s time to do the outside!
As you can see, new windows have been a total game changer for our home. On a more than what meets the eye kind of level, from energy savings to UV protection and so much more. We couldn’t be more thrilled about it all. {read about our window replacement here.}
While we love the fact that new windows from Window World brought in a whole lot of charm, there’s still so much that needs to be done to bring the outside back to life.
Here’s a photo from the {early} spring {2016} we found the house, and a photo of this late spring {2017} after the windows were installed and the inside renovation of the middle and upper levels were complete.
What a difference new windows can make! That alone changed the entire feel on both the inside and outside.
So we were more than thrilled to team up with Window World again, to show what can be done to the outside!
While our photos make it look pretty good on the surface, there are things in ‘real’ life that just aren’t showing up.
Falling gutters, rotting posts, and warped siding are in need of a little love. Since it hasn’t exactly been touched since the early-90’s when the house was painted a unifying white {they painted the siding, too} we thought it was time to give it a little character.
Here are a few things we’re considering:
While white is nice, we think this little split-level deserves to be what it truly is: a split-level.
We want to bring back some interest architecturally, and highlight it in different ways, while also working with the existing structure to give it some charm. So while we don’t want to roll all the way back to the 70’s, we don’t want to fight it, either. Essentially, we want to give it a fresh feel for 2018.
We’re thinking a soft gray siding, with a bit of gray shakes at the top on both the front and the back for some charm. Complete with a crisp white trim, we want to keep the bottom portion of the house white to highlight a crisp feel. {It will be getting a new coat of paint, as well}. And what would the underside of our porch be without our own version of haint blue? It’s the little things.
We then want to accentuate those pretty windows with some larger, dark blue shutters, and some really pretty hinges to boot, along with a gorgeous new front door. And some fresh, simple front porch posts {that aren’t rotting out}. We’re also thrilled to add some new gutters that aren’t hanging on for dear life, either, to help with all things weather and moisture issues.
Yes, please.
Here’s our house now {dumpster is actually finally removed} – and a little preview of what the after will look like.
Oh, and try to picture it with some fresh landscaping, of course.
We also plan to include an iron trellis at the front of the house, that will probably be handmade by us. {Please excuse my preliminary sketch, this is what you see in the bottom left part of the photo.} We want to bring balance to the front with some really pretty greenery to highlight the facade. We think that this alone will be a game changer, and completely alter the feel of our house!
Instead of fighting the whole split level thing, we want to bring in a little charm and character to embrace it.
These garage doors were a bit of a conundrum, and since we were finishing out the basement, we wanted it to look a little different.
Instead of throwing up two large and in charge windows to fill the void, we thought breaking up the spaces as much as possible while bringing interest to the side entrance would be best.
I think we’re the most excited about all the light these lower windows will offer to a once-creepy garage. Along with a main entrance covered with a portico for easy entries and exits, as needed.
It will be so nice to have all this new square footage!
And in the name of progress… check out what’s been happening this week! A little sneaky peeky for ya – the downstairs is oh so bright and fun… we can’t wait!
We have plans for the back, which will mirror the front, along with some new changes coming our way, as well.
We can’t wait to share more. Just changing out the pool was awesome enough this past year because one-legged frogs are scary, and needed to be rescued.
What do you think? We can’t wait to share more with you… stay tuned!
Oh, and edited to add: {Because I kind of forgot to address this} – we still have plans to add our master addition + a little carriage house for a functioning garage, in the future. We’ve already received a few questions about that today, and I thought I should mention it here! ;} This entire house has been a real process, and though we are still bound by septic restrictions, we have quite the yard and plenty of space to add in the future. We want this to be our forever house and love the layout, especially with all of our plans to slowly add. But yes, those are our plans for a future functioning garage. It’s just been on the back burner for a while, and we will share more on that in the future!
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Laurie Perry says
Love the look and all the changes to the outside! I get all the extra square footage, But aren’t you going to miss having a garage? I love to pull into my garage when it’s hot or raining. Loading and unloading. Just my opinion.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Great question and I agree! We plan to build a “carriage house” which means glorified garage to the left of the house when all is said and done. One step at a time and slowly but surely, we will get there. This entire rehab has been a bit of a process, so we are taking it step by step for sure! ;}
Erin M says
I can’t wait to see it finished!!!
I forget, are you doing anything about the storage of your car(s)? Like building another garage or car port? I can’t image leaving my car out in the winter now that I can a garage to store it in. I know Nashville is warmer then me (Chicago) but it’s colder from where you came from.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Yes! We will eventually build a carriage house to the left of the front of the house. We also have a small shed {a small barn-like area} where we store our riding lawn mower and all our tools. Slowly but surely and one step at a time, it just won’t happen for a while. But it is definitely in the plans. ;}
Becky says
It’s looks great. I especially love the way you replaced the old garage doors. It’s very pretty. Will you be building a new garage elsewhere on your property? Just thinking about where all your “stuff” will go. Bicycles, lawn mowers, trash cans, etc. can’t wait to see more.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! That’s a good question! We already have a small shed on property that is holding a few of the yard stuff and tools right now. We need a bigger one, and we will eventually build what I’m calling a “carriage house” to the side of the house so that it sits nicely and adds balance to the property/fits in with the architecture, etc. One step at a time we will get there! ;}
Heather says
I have so loved watching you transform this house! Our stories are very similar in that we made a MAJOR move halfway across the country six years ago and basically lived on faith and chocolate for about two of those years 🙂 I was wondering how one goes about paying for the extensive changes like y’all are making. We bought a home we love that is in need of some help due to some ‘deferred maintenance’ on the part of the previous owners. It’s primarily cosmetic. Do you seek out a Home Equity Loan, or are there other options? Thanks so much!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Heather! I am with you on the faith and chocolate! Cheers and hugs to you, friend!
I actually have a trust fund – my grandfather was an oil tycoon. JK. Don’t I wish?! We weighed a ton of options on what we wanted to do. Do we move in and live with it as is, as we go? Do we change only some of it? At the end of the day with our house and our needs, {and the fact that we just wanted our family settled, wanted to expand our own business locally, considering the extent of our changes- ceiling was coming down, etc.} we decided to rip off the bandaid and go with a construction loan. This was tacked on to our mortgage, and we were able to go ahead and move forward. At least that was the idea, until codes reared its ugly head. Thus one year later, and we’re finally starting on the garage. {Codes here are asinine – We’re all for safety but these guys go above and beyond and are famous for it- I digress.} Everyone’s process will be different, but there were a lot of reasons we decided to go this direction. We added on to the square footage of our house, {the basement addition} and this is how we were approved. It’s been HUGE for our home value where we live. I hope this helps! And I hope everything goes amazingly well for you guys! ;}