In honor of moving week, we’re going to share a post full of empty house pics (and a list of what stayed with the house) in a day or two, but we also wanted to take a look back at our exterior progress one last time. We’ve done outdoor video tours in both 2011 and 2012, so this video that we shot a few weeks back (right before we started packing) makes it our third and final installment.
*Before you press play, I’m intensely awkward when I’m the one holding the camera and talking, so be warned that I hit on the deck. And it doesn’t respond.
Now that we have that out of the way… let’s take one last outdoor tour!
And since it’s a bit tough to do side-by-side before and afters in video format – and not everyone can watch videos, say, if you’re at work right now – we thought it would be nice to slip a few B&A pics into this final rundown too (we covered even more of them in our final to-do list post here).
So here’s how the front yard evolved:
Here’s how the carport shaped up:
The back also saw some “paring back” to reveal those charming brick walkways and some grass for kids/dogs to enjoy.
And how can we forget the “alley” that got deck-ified last summer (meaning it just missed last year’s outdoor tour).
We recently added a front porch makeover to the list of exterior upgrades, complete with some color and contrast…
… although we have since packed up and moved the planters to our new house, so technically “now” it’s less flora-riddled.
As much as we’re proud of all of those, my favorite is still our first outdoor project: the patio. I don’t think any outside space on our property has seen such a dramatic change AND has gotten so much use while we’ve been here.
And oh yeah, I kinda cheated. That above pic is from last summer, so it’s not technically “now” since all of our lawn furniture has been moved to the new house and the hydrangeas aren’t blooming quite yet. Just wanted to remember this in all of its glory.
What exterior projects have been your favorites at your house? Or what are you itching to do most? Our list for the new house is pretty long, and most definitely includes some new outdoor ideas.
Ha, I think John meant “flora-riddled” and not fauna-riddled.” I seriously did a double take and got super close to my computer screen and was looking to see if there was a hidden Burger in the picture or animal prints on the pillows or pots. Thanks for giving me a good giggle. I love silly little slip-ups (especially when it comes with mental images of a family of deer kickin it on your front porch).
Haha, he totally did!
xo
s
Great video tour John!
Please tell me you guys kept the basket light fixture from the kitchen! I covet that! Haha!
We loved it but that spot was perfect for it! So we didn’t want to pull it down and leave a boob light! It stayed :)
xo
s
You guys did an amazing job with the house. Thanks for sharing your journey with the world!
Wow! Looks great! As eco-friendly as you are, did it make you sad to pull up all those poor plants? My husband and I moved in to a home with WAY TOO MUCH landscaping!! Every time we pull a bush or flower, no matter how ugly or thorny, we feel like we are personally killing mother nature. HA We’re dorks. Luckily some were donated to unsuspecting relatives and some were put on the curb for freebie-searchers. Unfortunately most went in the woods to compost.
Anyway, BEAUTIFUL transformation! I’ve been following for a few years now and I love both your blogs and your book! Hubby got it for Xmas!! Love! :)
It did make us sad, but we got to transplant a ton of them and even had folks (strangers on craigslist and friends) come dig them up (like the liriope where the patio went, some bushes in the front and back, etc). It’s a fun way to get other people to do the work in return for free plants :)
xo
s
Guys, I’m going to miss this house so much! It turned out so well in only 3 short years – awesome job!
Also, I feel totally weird to be so emotionally attached to somebody else’s house, but here I am.
Oh girl. (and boy.) Do we ever have some work to do! We just bought our 1st home and we also have our 1st baby on the way! Our house actually reminds me of your last one! Check out my last post ‘Blessed’ for the pic! The nursery and the poo brown spackled walls (sounds as bad as it looks!) in the guest bath are the first projects to tackle. The projects will never end! My hubby does home improvements for a living so he will now have a night job too. Love your blog y’all!
Aw, congrats on the new house and the baby on the way! All the best to you!
xo
s
You must feel such an awesome sense of accomplishment looking at these B & A pics. Nice work!
Your old house was so nice. I loved the deck and patio. And your paint colors were beautiful. I know you will miss it. But I am looking forward to new house updates.
I must have been reading too fast – because i thought your warning said you hit the deck ; as in tripped and down you went! Glad to see that wasnt the case!
Haha! Thankfully that didn’t happen…
xo
s
Why do I feel all melancholy and weepy?
I love the properties out there. Green, lush, serene and I can hear all the birds chirping. I’ve always wondered why back East and in the mid West people are less likely to have a fenced yard. Here in Cali, unless you have major acreage, YOU HAVE A FENCE around your entire property. Maybe we are more private/less friendly? With a kid that has Autism, I have to have a fence. He bolts!
Aw, I love a fenced yard so Burger can roam without sneaking off to bark at squirrels down the street! Haha!
xo
s
you know, the house is really cute, but the tiny glimpse of the view to the over-the-road houses makes me homesick for a place i’ve never been… such a pretty neighbourhood!
Ah! I’ve been waiting for this video so I could learn how to pronounce “pergola”! Thanks, John.
Hi, lovely to see the afters of the outdoor. Remember there were some updates around the letterbox which didn’t show in this tour?
Oh yes, on video tours we don’t show the mailbox because it has our address on it (so in photos we can share it and photoshop it out sometimes) :)
xo
s
I’m always amazed at the before and afters. I’d forgotten how much that back patio went through, wow, what a difference! Also, thank you for repeating photos and keeping everything in a post, so I don’t have to go back through old posts. It makes so easy to see how much you tranfo your spaces. Happy moving!
Hey J & S! I was just wondering how the forum is going? If you ever felt like doing a run down of how it’s been working, glitches, unforseen obstacles, what went into your decision making process for the look and functionality… people’s response to it… has it affected your revenue… You’d have at least ONE HAPPY READER! ! !
Thanks Kate! That could be fun!
xo,
s
We recently built a room onto our house for my father-in-law. When we did this, we had a sweet gum tree removed (yea!) and the entire yard graded. We have a neighbor who does concrete work, so we had a patio poured in addition to the small deck that was built onto the addition for my father-in-law. He has a ramp that goes to the patio, but in the future it can be removed and a planting bed be made there. I am now building flower beds and having a blast. We are laying sod soon, so I want to get the beds laid out before we get sod down. No way are we going to cut away that precious sod!
I LOVE the before and after of the brick walkways. That is amazing! And the patio is just so cozy! Can’t wait to see what you do at the new place,
Any video I’ve watched in the past has always been Sheri talking… It was different to hear John’s voice. I’ve never heard it before!
Oh and I’ve told my husband your background story at least a dozen times, trying to get him to take a hint and maybe quit his job to blog with me… (yea, right)… He’s not biting!
Beautiful job, guys! Lots of hard work & it paid off. The exterior makeover is definitely my personal favorite on House #2!
I absolutely love your back patio reno. That is truly amazing. And the colors of the hydrangeas with the blue stools and contrasting with the orange chairs – beautiful!
As for my house, I’m hoping for some major curb appeal in about a month with our hired help (one of the few times we’ve hired out) replaces our sidewalks and creates a new one. Part of it is a city wide program to replace the sidewalks that run parallel to the street (the city pays 90%!) and we asked the guy, who’s a friend, if he could redo our sidewalk from the soon to be new one to our house, replacing a broken, slanted, ugly sidewalk and then to also build a new one from the house to our driveway. It’ll be the jumping off spot for a new flower bed and the edge of our flower garden for a fence. The flower garden is 4 years in the making, so this will be a great way to finish parts of it up! Her garden can be seen here: http://thebrickbungalow.blogspot.com/search/label/Lily%27s%20garden Once all is done with the sidewalk and fence, the grass will be removed and we’ll add more flower beds, mulch and a rock pathway.
That’s awesome Megan!
xo
s
The patio and pergola have been my favorite outdoor projects to watch you guys tackle. I’m using your step-by-step and the Lowe’s videos you reference to do my own paver patio in our own backyard. August will be one year in our new house and I am so excited to get started on the first big DIY project! Thanks to your blog and the Lowe’s videos, I think it may just be a success! I can’t wait to see what you do at the new house. BTW, I think the front yard is one of the most dramatic B&As.
Great tour! And John you’re so cute.
I love how much yall love your houses. It is so refreshing, I wish more people cared about their houses the way you do… can’t wait to stay tuned for all the future new house stuff! Yall make me laugh and I enjoy your blog so much :) You keep me motivated to put love into my house too :)
It’s fun but sad to see you leave. I discovered you shortly before you sold your first home, so it will be exciting to see what you do to this home. Just curious the area below steps of the new deck did not look finished, did you have plans if you stayed to do something there… John did mentioned the area towards the front was left natural on purpose.
Oh yes, we would have seeded that with grass and maybe put a small patio down there for the BBQ.
xo
s
So excited about all the fab NEW memories you will make. (With us, of course)
Wow! Thanks for the side by side before and afters. Totally crazy how much more spacious the yard felt after you removed/transplanted all the plants out back (and out front, too) and reseeded the lawn! Those azaleas look amazing!!! The patio is dreamy! To see all the yard before and afters makes me realize how much all those more recent “little” adjustments–like the pillars and the front siding color and the window boxes–added up to a big difference! Gotta say, the cargola’s second pillar made a huge difference to making that space feel finished!
I don’t know if I could pick a favorite outside project you two did to your house. Everything was so great. Favorite outside project at my house… Hubby installed a sprinkler system in our yard. For the 8 yrs before, I was the sprinkler system. LOL Couldn’t keep the grass watered enough no matter how often I watered. Yard looks great this year!! :) We also updated our porch last year. I love that too. Wrapped rough cedar posts with nice cedar and redid the railing and added bronze spindles (changed front door hardware to ORB too) and stained it all. Our budget is shot for anything big now. We just paid someone to install tile in the laundry/mudroom and small walk in closet. NOT cheap. But man! He did a fab job!! I know we couldn’t of done as good of job. Adding either board and batten or wainscoting in there, hopefully soon!
Thanks for the tour! Never heard “liriope” pronounced that way. Here out west, we say “leeree-ohp” :)
So funny how much that word differs by region! Loved hearing how they say it in the UK!
xo
s
I’m about to help my parents paint the outside of their house, and I am very excited because I live in an apartment and don’t get to tackle outdoor projects very often :)
Our favorite outdoor project has been our retaining wall garden. In an otherwise bland and boring section of the yard abutting the back of the house, we built a half circle retaining wall and filled it with awesome flowers!
It was fun because we have never done this sort of thing before, so it was a learning experience (the BEST kind), and I got to cut stone, which made it a super manly project that I could feel good about while I was planting flowers with my wife!
Haha, sounds like fun!
xo
s
Your progress pictures are so inspiring. You guys are amazing!! I can’t believe all of the incredible changes you guys made.
xox
Bailey
http://akabailey.blogspot.com
Great job with the front porch. Absolutely amazing.