Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Our Newlywed Paradise Through the Years

December of 2006, I bought our paradise.  
It was my dream home.  My little, fixer upper.  In 2007, my dream home became our dream home when I met my sweet Clint.
Wasn't she cute?  She was built in 1948, and we are the third owners.  Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of the before.  It was the real estate picture.  I remember seeing this picture after my real estate agent sent it to me and thinking, "What, is she nuts?"  But then I fell in love.  

The problems that needed to be taken care of right away were the very over grown shrubs.  The shurbs were so bad, that they ruined a few of the original wood windows.  I had to replace the large front window right away.

Our Paradise in 2007-2008
Much better, right?  No more bushes eating up our home!  We added decorative concrete edging, new plants, repainted the front door, new mail box, new porch light, and new windows. 

Our Paradise in 2009-Present
We have done a lot in almost 4 years!  Last November, we painted the areas that were wood and the garage door.  The wood around the windows was rotting, so it had to be done asap!  We also painted the foundation, got rid of a tiny bush that was dead, and added a flower box under the front window.

Things we love:
The original wood front door, bay window, The small window at the top, trees surrounding the house.

Things we plan to do:
Get rid of the awning and rod iron railings.  Number 1, they are falling apart.  Number 2, I don't think they do anything for the house.  I have always been in love with large porches.  Our very far away future goal would be to do this, only on a smaller scale:


Things we don't like:
The gray roof.  It is just so boring.  This will have to wait to be replaced, since the roof is newer.
At first, I hated the painting we did.  Clint loved it.  Now it has grown on me, but I am not digging the color of our front door anymore.  I feel like it clashes now.

Need your advise again, what color should we paint our front door?


Update on the bathroom:
We have taken all of your advise into consideration and are going to take down the shower doors and find an adorable shower curtain...look for the future post in the fall.


10 comments:

alanna rose said...

How about a dark blue?

Scientific Housewife said...

Wow, it's come a long way. Looks great! I think you should paint the front door red or blue, would be a nice pop of color :)

Jenny said...

A deep red would look nice, or a green maybe?

elizabeth said...

I go with RED!!! I love bright red doors - they make a house pop!
You have done some great work to that house - I love it!!
Post shower curtain pics

Unknown said...

I love seeing houses though the years! Yours is so cute, I love your idea of adding a larger front pocrh to the front it will be so nice to chill on in the mornings and evenings!

Door color, I actaully like your current door color, I think maybe removing your font screen door would make the impact your wanting.

That way you see your entire front door instead of just the top?

Or you could consdier going Turquoise!! Which would look nice with the white and beige...

And if the screen door is a keeper, maybe think of buying one thats full glass - so you can see your front door color?

Sorry, I wrote you a story!

LizzieBeth said...

Your house is so charming-- no wonder you fell in love with it!!

I agree with the chick above me... try a turquoise! That will really pop against the soft taupes you have!

LB

Meg said...

Oh Danielle, your home is so adorable!! And seriously, you have done fabulously in 4 years. The shrubs really needed to go, but I bet you loved that before and after!

I also like the idea of turqoise. That Mrs. Chic is a genius. Really fun! And I'll always throw out yellow, because yellow front doors are so damn sexy!

Tracy said...

I love the idea of a bigger frond porch,. I love them, I don't have one though :(

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

You seriously have the cutest house. We immediately took down our awning because it was dreadful when we bought the house. But, now I wish I had forced the issue to replace it with SOMETHING. I hate having friends and family get poured on. Can't wait to see if you build on a porch.

As for the front door? I kinda like the idea of black, but I'm on a black door kick lately. But I think the real issue is less about the actual door color and the fact that nothing else ties to it. Whatever color you paint, I would make sure to have little accents in the same color - flower pots, benches, garden adornments, etc. Our front door is red, and I did that. I think it makes it all go together more.

Hope this helps!

Oona Johnson said...

Apple green!

Or, Kim's right, black would be nice.

BTW: If I didn't already say it, I really like your "Rooms You've Never Seen" concept, very cool.