Exterior (Progress)

When we closed on our house there was quite a bit of work to be done to the exterior.  We planned to replace the roof as well as have new siding, soffit, and fascia installed.  I also envisioned a false gable over the front door to draw the eye in to the front of the house and add interest to the roof line.  As it was, the front door tended to get lost as you can see in the pictures below:

The back deck was one of the first things to go.  We found that the deck was so low to the ground that it was constantly damp and just yuck.  Matt finished the deck demo in one weekend (surprisingly turned out to be a much faster DIY project than wallpaper removal).  We will eventually do a patio where the deck was but for the time being we are just glad it is gone!

The front steps were made of bricks and came down off to the side of the front door.  We thought removing these steps and bringing new steps directly out from the front door would also help to draw the eye to the front door (in addition to the gable) and help to create a more welcoming entrance.  You can tell the roof is looking a little worse for the wear in these pictures as well. 

The front porch as it was before we moved in.  This will be such a nice place to sit with family and friends or drink a cup of coffee when it's finally finished.  

Our progress so far:

1. Paint exterior brick to match siding
2. Paint front porch concrete
3. Siding, soffit, fascia, board & batten shutters
4. Demo deck
5. Demo brick steps
6. New stencil crete front steps
7. New roof
8. Install new outdoor light fixtures

We were able to DIY painting the front porch, painting the brick to match the siding, the demo of the brick steps and back deck, as well as the removal of our old roof and installation of new. The soffit, fascia, siding, & new front steps are all the work of experts (and they have done a great job!). The changes have made such a huge improvement in the house already-we can't wait to see it once the gable is finished and all the finishing touches are done.   The gable will have siding the same color as the house but it will be cedar shake style vinyl. Sort of like this:

Cedar Shake Vinyl

More to come!


xo
Steph