Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bungalow Curb Appeal - Part II: Before and After

With spring finally making an appearance, we've been able to make a lot of progress on the exterior of the Craftsman Bungalow.  This was the biggest chunk of our reno budget, but we think it's worth it!

First step, we needed a new roof on the main house.  The guys stripped off the old roof and installed new architectural shingles.  And since they had everything torn off, that gave us the perfect opportunity to install a big new skylight in the loft (so don't worry about that big hole in the roof!)






Although most of the windows in the house had been upgraded in the past, some had serious seal issues (this one created quite a stir when I shared it with the window folks!) and others wouldn't close and lock.  The windows on the front porch were original, and while charming, they no longer operated and had many, many layers of paint on them.  So we decided to replace them all, with new, energy efficient, low-E, argon filled windows.


We got this beautiful new Arts & Crafts style front door.  It creates a welcoming look as soon as you pull up in front of the house.  But as the days have started to get warmer, we've got an odd bubble forming on the front and will need to have it replaced.













Even the house wrap looks better than the old shingles!
But the biggest change?  Installing all new siding on the house and wrapping the trim in aluminum.  This will be a great, low maintenance home!  First step was removing all the old shingles.


Then the guys wrapped the whole house in house wrap, to keep it nice and weather tight, but still able to breathe.
Rear of house - Shingle Removal










Budget allowed us to do the front of the house in Certainteed Cedar Impressions, which look fantastic (oh and they're made in the USA!).





We took the old fake stone veneer off of the front steps and replaced it with real brick.  It looks so much better now!











We wanted to accent the front porch from the rest of the house (plus, I was worried we'd have way too much green!).  So, we used the lighter colored siding, that's on the garage and breakfast room, under the porch windows.  That, coupled with the new porch overhang and bright white trim, really highlight this feature of the house!













But my favorite feature?  The custom house number that I had made (also made in the USA!).  It was a bit of a splurge, but doesn't it look distinctive with the copper and bronze accents?  And now that Steve has installed the new light fixture, I couldn't be more pleased!




















And with the warmer spring temperatures, I installed some landscaping to dress up the front yard.   The spring blooming bushes are a welcome change from the multiple feet of snow we had all winter.



We still have a few more things to do.  Change out the door, install a mailbox and update the garage.  But we think it's a dramatic change from our starting point.

So, here are the before and afters.  What do you think of the curb appeal now?  The 'before' was a drive by......but is the 'after' something you'd want to see when it comes on the market?


Sources:
Siding, Windows & Roofing - Certainteed
Custom House Number - Atlas Signs & Plaques
Front Door - Jeld-Wen
Light Fixture - Restoration Hardware

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11 comments:

  1. Incredible changes all for the better! Great job as always SoPo Cottages

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  2. Beautiful, very appealing! Wish I was there for the drive by...

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  3. The exterior colour and white trim look very sharp. So glad there are options to still use shingles.

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  4. Thanks everyone!! Probably the greatest feedback we received was from the mailman - he said he could barely recognize the place :-) And of course he's been walking by it every day for years!

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  5. The house looks great! Everything with the exterior is perfect. And the house number sign is the cherry on top. I really like it all. Nicely done!

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    1. Thanks. I just love that house number plaque!!!

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    2. Can I ask who created the house number plaque? We are redoing a 1928 house and that would be perfect!

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    3. It's a company called Atlas Signs and Plaques. They were lovely to work with! And they have lots of different styles available.

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  6. Looks great! Who do you hire to do your interior paint; it always looks phenomenal!?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I use Backman Painting - Matt and his guys are amazing!!! But they book up really quickly!!!

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  7. Hi -

    I've been following your blog for awhile now and just wanted to comment to tell you how impressed I am with every reno you do!

    Kelly

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