So, if I told you that our yard is officially a mullet, it wouldn’t surprise you, right? It’s been a minute since we brought you a real live house update, with plans to boot, besides this little teaser. And we’ve quietly been working on things behind the scenes with permits and an amazing architect and… more of which I’ll share addition-wise, next week. We’re thrilled to share a little of what’s been going on behind the scenes for our family.
But in the meantime, I want to talk all things curb appeal. Because our yard is business in the front… Party in the back.
We’ve spent all this time on the inside, going through an entire overhaul of this little house. Then last year in Covid, we found our sanity in our back yard.
We built our cabana, expanded our fence, built a dining patio + privacy wall, and planted 163-ish plants and trees. Oh, and don’t forget the handmade hideaway. Our goal, is to have it feeling like a real live secret garden by the time all of this is said and done.
All of these little bushes were photographed this spring, and they’re already almost as tall as the fence, for awesome side yard privacy.
But we said goodbye to our beautiful front yard tree this winter… and well, ever since then the front yard has felt kinda sad. Because we haven’t done anything yet. And clearly, it’s time.
We’ve planted three trees in the front yard in the past few years, but now that the big one is gone, it’s definitely time to plant more on the left side.
Remember, we started with this. And our little house has come a long way.
It’s rough. There are a lot of squares/ rectangles/ split level vibes happening here. Without overhauling the entire home, there isn’t a lot that can be done for such shenanigans. We’ve loved the outside makeover with window world, and it’s come such a long way. So we just feel that a ton of front yard landscaping would really help our yard. And we’re going for English garden kind of vibes. Stay with me, because I have a cheesy sketch up of the after, below.
So picture this, but with about three more trees in the front to grow, as well. Shade. A unified roof {finally} and a curving walkway up to the house. We love the idea of it, and while the photo looks kinda silly, it does give us a great idea as to the direction that we’re headed.
We have a few long term and short term plans at work here. We’re going for classic, established and colorful.
The Addition: First of all, {again, covering more of this next week as we begin this journey} the owner’s suite addition will be on the right side of the house, off of the kitchen, behind the fence. We’ve been collaborating with an amazing architect and are so happy to have the plans drawn up in a cohesive way that works with our setbacks, septic, permits and more. So all of this will tie in, and we’ll show you how.
In the meantime, here are some immediate improvements we hope to install in September/October: {I don’t wanna jinx it, but the fingers are crossed for a deadline in between working in real life… I know some of you are still waiting on that planner, which is also coming. Promise.}
Trellis design: We plan to build a nice climbing trellis area for the underneath of the house, flush with the overhang, to grow a pretty ivy of sorts. We’re adding curves in two ways – with both the walkway and trellis, {reinforced by the organic landscaping and color} to offset the very sharp angles of our house. With the help of Yellawood, We’re really excited to bring this one to life as a project with them. It’s been a long time vision for us in the front, that’s been tweaked over time.
We’re thrilled to have Yellawood as a part of this project, and we can’t wait to show you what we create!
Brick Pavers: The walkway will be expanded with pavers from Glen-Gery. They’re actually already at our home, and I’m already playing with them in the driveway to come up with a great walkway in the front yard. I love that they incorporate that old feel of brick pavers, which tie in nicely with the driveway, but with a touch of grey and white undertones added in to work well with the house. They feel beautiful and timeless and oh so fun for the front yard!
PS. We have some engraved bricks that we plan to hide along the way with these fun pavers, and can’t wait to show you more of how we’re going to incorporate these special bricks! Check out more of their amazing products here.
Long term plans: We’re currently working on a landscaping plan that will happen over time, in the fall and next spring, filling in the void in our yard as we add to and develop this little front yard garden area. As you can probably tell by my little drawing above, this will be a flowering garden that takes over a lot of the yard, along with trees for more organic reinforcement and character. Wish. Us. Luck. But we’re super excited about all these amazing things to come, addition included… so stay tuned!
We were long overdue for a share in this department, and couldn’t be more thrilled! Now the issue is just finding the time to tackle it all, in between our day jobs. HA! We know so many of you can relate.
Thanks so much for tuning in! Let us know if we can fill in any questions below. Have an inspired day!
Ivory says
All I can say is, wow! Wow! And wow!