Let's face it. Your house makes its first impression curbside, subconsciously or otherwise. Never underestimate the importance of curb appeal, especially if you plan to sell your house at some point. While we don't have any intention of selling our house in the foreseeable future, enhancing our home's curb appeal is allowing us to maximize the value of this house while living here.
CLOSE OF ESCROW (2013)
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Photo courtesy of MLS |
The exterior of the house certainly didn't wow us (neither did the underwhelming interior), but its location was in our desired neighborhood. We essentially "bought into" the area and have been making this house a home - inside and out- for the past nearly six years.
IN PROGRESS
In late 2017, we addressed some inherited deferred maintenance issues and made a few exterior improvements to our 60+ year old home. This included...
- All rotted board and batten siding was replaced all around the house.
- New waterproof moisture barriers were installed under the board and batten that was replaced.
- The stucco portion of our home's exterior was patched and filled where cracks started to show or stucco chipped off.
- Stone was added to a portion of the house front.
- All the openings (windows, garage door, sliding doors, doorways) were cased with wider moldings.
- A new window was installed at the yet-to-be-converted "shed" (there are two more irregular/custom-sized windows that will be replaced when the shed is remodeled).
- Outdoor electrical outlets were replaced with new up-to-code outlets.
- New gutters were installed around the house.
- Entire exterior of the house was painted.
- New lighting was installed at the front porch and back patio.
- French sliding doors were installed (rear exterior).
Within the first couple years after we moved in, we also replaced the windows and had new pavers installed. Here's a shot of the house after the exterior improvements were done, but pre-landscaping:
PRESENT DAY
Once the exterior facade of the house was completed, the front landscaping went in. Here's the house today...
Our desire for a low-maintenance front yard was important, so we went grass-less and had drought-tolerant landscaping and a pea gravel path (which leads to the side of the house) installed last year. A new sprinkler system was also put in. The landscaping has since begun to fill in and mature.
One last look back at the front exterior transformation...
While we had to scale back our original plans to amend the front elevation due to a pesky budget issue, our beloved fixer upper has nonetheless become more of an enjoyable sight to drive up to. 😉
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