Our Daughter had gotten accepted into a Doctorate’s Program in Physical Therapy close to home. We were so excited! My thought was that we were about to save money! She had been away at college for four years, but now she could live at home and help with the horses. But, when reality sunk in, with morning and evening traffic, it was an hour commute in both directions. That was time that she would need to be studying. So, we started looking for her a place to live. After checking out apartment rentals and the HIGH cost, we decided to look for something to buy. Another shocker! Location, Location, Location really is a driving point for price. We looked at 25 houses! The first couple we looked at, we thought may work and wanted to think about it for a minute. The next day, there were multiple offers!! Then this one came on the market, it fit our budget, good location, two full bathrooms, and good floor plan. We wrote an offer on the spot! But it still needed some LOVE!
This is how it looked when we bought it. TV cables running down the brick and all along the house trim. Someone had closed in the carport at some time and it was just straight up ugly!
We closed on the house at the end of May and my daughter and roommates would move in the first of August. Even thou the house was in pretty good shape, it took me all summer working on the inside and doing outside projects. We had to make the home secure! This front door was not going to work.
No, my daughter was not staying there with a door jamb that looked like that! The door really dated the house and needed to be updated.
We picked a craftsman door for the new front door. I felt it looked more updated.
What a difference a new door made! I am so thankful that it was not a DIY project that we took on. It took professional carpenters banging, prying, cutting and banging some more to get that door casing out. They also framed out the closed in garage, for a garage door. When, both of the doors went in, all the neighbors were paying attention.
Tearing out the front wall of the garage. Previous owners had used the garage for an extra bedroom.
Adding a new updated front door and turning the garage back into a garage with a nice door really made the house look great. We could have stopped here, but Bob wanted to have the brick painted. After a summer of painting and cleaning the inside, I really didn’t want to take on the task of the outside. The guys we hired did an excellent job. I am not sure those wood windows had ever been scraped or reglazed around the glass panels. Except, the ones someone had replaced with plexiglass….WHAT?? Yes, that is what I said. I had a glass company come out and replace 10 panels of Plexi glass with real glass! Back to the painters, they scraped and scraped, new glaze around all window panels and caulked. They caulked places that I would have missed, and power washed the brick. The prep took several days. It would have taken me weeks. Then they painted.
We were in love! It looked like a new house. Now, it was time to make Cedar shutters. We’ve made a few sets in the past.
From This TO THIS!!!
Here is the final product. It looks entirely different than when we purchased it. I hope this inspires you to update your home. Your home is your castle. The smallest projects can make a big difference. We could have stopped at the doors and the house looked great! But the Paint Job really updated and made it feel fresh. Below, I listed our expenses, to give you an idea what a project like this will run you.
Run down on expenses…2018 so it has been a couple of years.
New front door $225
New garage door $900
Labor to install front door, and case out opening $500.
Paint house (included all labor & supplies) $2700.
Husband and friend installed the vinyl siding around the garage door.
Cedar shutters – 8 cedar boards, Cedar stain – We made them and installed.
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Loved this house!!!! Turned it into a gem!
Yes it did! And best of all you had wonderful neighbors!
When you turn the corner and see this house after remodel…. WOW
What a difference. Gorgeous
Thank you! Hope we inspired the neighbors to up their game