Curb Appeal - Before and After Diamond in the Rough

My biggest worry when we started this house was once it was finished and we put it on the market, no one would come look at it - it totally lacked curb appeal.  After a year of sitting empty and more years with college students as tenants, this poor place hadn't seen any TLC in a long, long time.  It's taken 4 months, but we've finally completed the exterior of our Diamond in the Rough.  And we don't think it's 'Rough' any more!  Take a look at the Before & After photos and see what you think.

It was a huge amount of work (probably more than we realized when we started!), but we couldn't be happier with the results.  What were the major elements of the transformation?

Front Door - Before

The entry -  Creating a real entry, complete with a porch roof, classic handrail and front door to create a welcoming new entrance was a key element. The porch roof provides architectural interest - as well as a dry place to stand when you're at the front door!  The arches, board & batten trim and fir beadboard complete the cottage look.  The handrail was a real splurge - AZEK materials that never need to be painted. It will look brand new for many years to come.  We had the broken bricks on the steps replaced and repointed.  And to finish it all off, we added a new porch light, mailbox and numbers.  The result?  Well, we think it's a huge transformation!

Front Door - After

The siding - We removed the vinyl siding from the front of the house and were delighted to discover cedar shakes underneath!  There was some repair required - and of course we needed all new shakes around the entry - but the majority were in good shape.   Another key to changing the look -  installing the new awning window above the front door, which helps balance the big shed dormer.  For the color scheme, we kept the original color for the body of the house, but changed the dark brown trim to a crisp white.  HGTV's Refuge Blue paint from Sherwin Williams gave the front door a punch of color.

We also replaced the shutters - did you know you can't paint plastic shutters black?  They will warp in the sun!  So we bought all new shutters for the house.

The landscaping - We added this cute picket fence and arbor to the side of the house, providing a great space for a landscape border - including new hydrangeas and a climbing rose.  And we tore out the broken concrete walkway and replaced it with large stepping stones.

We still have a lot more work to do before the interior is finished.  But getting the exterior completed was a major accomplishment.  And we love how it looks!  What do you think?

Want to see more?  Like SoPo Cottage on Facebook for more pictures!










Sources:
Front Door - Therma Tru
Mailbox & Doorbell - Signature Hardware
House Numbers - Architectural Mailboxes
Brackets - Architectural Depot
Light Fixture - Restoration Hardware
Porch Railing - AZEK





Pin It