Exterior Updates

Hello!  Trying to post really quickly here, so this post will be short on words, long on pictures.  I mentioned about a million times on this blog that we placed an effort on improving our curb appeal and landscaping this summer. 

Finally, I have some before and after pics for you.  I realize that most of the "blogosphere" has moved onto fall already.  But as my friend Luci, at Bungalow at Home, so kindly pointed out on instagram last week....we still have at least another week of summer!  So here you go, summer landscaping at it's fullest.

The house as we purchased and before adding additional dormers and our addition (looking back, maybe we should have just torn it down! ;)):

....and today:

To enhance our curb appeal - over the course of five years - we:

• Changed our roofline;
• Added new window openings and windows;
• Updated the roof;
• Added Hardyboard to the front of the house and painted out the cedar shake to match;
• Painted out the red brick to match our color scheme;
• Lined the path to create an entrance;
• Added window boxes;
• Added lots of greenery!

The landscaping isn't perfect, I'd like a little more color and will try to add more over the course of time.  But I'm really happy with the results!

Another before and after:

...and more details:

Here is my purple leaf plum when it was still purple.  I'm not sure if it is getting enough sun in its current spot:

This area gets about five hours of sun max, and lots of grasses need at least six.  My nursery worked with me to help select grasses that are part shade (early in the summer before they filled in and before we painted out our deck):

Boxwoods line our path - along with one azalea.  I kind of wish I mixed in a few more azaleas randomly along the path, so next summer I might switch a few boxwoods to our backyard and add azaleas for spring color:

I planted Dragon Wing Begonias and Sweet Potato Vine in our window boxes and love how they look.  Think I will do it again next summer:

I think the last change I'm going to make is to paint out our door black.  I'm not sure if it will be too shocking for me, though!  I would love to add an awning or something to create a "covered entrance" just not sure if it's high on my list of priorities right now.  One more look:

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Linking at: Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits, Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, Jennifer Rizzo / It's Overflowing , Home Stories A to Z