side entrance curb appeal

When we look back at our house, sometimes we can’t even really believe that it’s the very same one that we stumbled upon two years ago. {Sometimes, we’re pretty sure we’re not the same people from two years ago, so there’s also that. I guess you could say we’ve changed with the house.} If you’ve followed along on our not-so-little rehab adventure with the money pit, you know we’ve turned it upside down and right side up again. And this spring, we’re thrilled to bring in some major side entrance curb appeal. But let’s back up a moment, shall we?

We’ve shared our amazing experience with Window World, and it’s truly incredible, the changes that happened with the outside of our house! {No worries guys, we’re slowly but surely whittling away at that landscaping, and have more on that one coming up soon..} While it’s fun to share the before and afters of our progress here {with much more to come!} It means so much when our neighbors actually tell us that they appreciate how we fixed up our house. It’s a true testament to Window World and what they did for our house, and therefore, the value of our neighborhood.

The changes this house has seen, has truly made such a big difference.

And I guess that’s the ultimate test, when even the neighbors tell us they’re glad we did something about the way it looks!

We finally shared all the before and afters for our garage/basement reveal last week, {a-la crusty basement no more!} and today, we can not wait to show you the outside.

Seriously.

Is this the same house?!

While bringing this home back to life has been one of the most gratifying things we’ve ever taken on, this one guys.

THIS ONE. I think I love the way our side entrance looks, the most.

Our Side Entrance Before and After – We were thrilled!

We decided on the over all look of our side entrance, and then went from there – their gorgeous windows and siding and gutters and shutters… gave it some amazing character, to boot. Here’s a little more of the progress + process here – but all the details of what we chose:

• Siding – Platinum Gray
• Shakes – 826 Moon Rock
• Soffit + Fascia – White with Hidden Vent {So we didn’t have to look at those anymore}
• Porch Ceiling -Mystic Blue {Solid}
• Shutters – 3 Raised Panel in 95 Dark Navy
• Gutters and Downspouts in White – to come
• Front Door – Classic-Craft {Their American Style Collection} in Cherry

• Paint color of side door + front porch – Sherwin Williams Aviatrix

Sometimes, we look back and think, wow… I’m really glad that this side entrance worked out because this one was a real risk. We weren’t even sure what to do with it, at first. And then we just went with our instincts. We had to be mindful of the existing openings for the garage doors, when converting it into a full on basement. Removing the main support in the middle would have been very costly, and frankly, unnecessary. This meant being smart with planning, and placement of the elements like windows. So rather than doing full on large ones that screamed, “hello, I was a basement once,” we opted for more style with a smaller selection. While also fully utilizing that daylight that we love so much.

We knew we wanted a place for a main side entrance, that would make our lives much easier coming and going. So we loved adding this portico, with a tin roof and custom shakes from Window World. Our favorite element, though, is what I always wanted: this charming shade of haint blue for a fun peek underneath the porch.

We’re a shoes off house, for many reasons. No, we don’t demand that our guests remove theirs {that’s an entirely different can of worms}. To keep all the trash from being trekked in daily by the kiddos, we wanted a large mat combo by the back door with plenty of space to remove their shoes before entering, even when it’s raining.

We selected this nice hefty doormat, and layered it with a large woven plastic one.

Basically, it’s super durable so we can pressure wash whatever we need to, later.

The light, of course, is from the amazing Kichler Lighting.

And it’s absolutely fabulous. We love the character it added to all things outside makeover.

We built some window boxes for flowers and instant Spring appeal on the outside.

They were super easy to build, and we’ll be sharing that how-to, next week.

The little planters beside the door are from the Nashville Flea Market. It’s a huge gathering once a month with vendors from all over, at the Nashville Fair Grounds. If you’re ever in the area, we can’t suggest visiting there enough. They’re the best and we love everything about it – we find something every time we go.

With all the colors and flowers we had going on, we found this simple outdoor boxwood wreath and loved adding some character to the back door.

We absolutely love the curb appeal we were able to bring in with all the changes in the basement side of things – on the outside and in!

Can’t wait to share the window boxes simple how to, so stay tuned!

As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Have an inspired day!

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