Comments on Cozy.Cottage.Cute.: Curb Appeal Progress and Plans

WoW and WoW!!! Those changes have really added up ...

2013-05-25T15:55:47.565-04:00

WoW and WoW!!! Those changes have really added up to gorgeous! I started reading about your hydrangeas and then, I saw your curb appeal posts and couldn't stop reading! Will you be doing a backyard change, too? Whatever your next project is, I'm sure I'll want to see it.

I love boxwoods! I've been thinking about putt...

2013-04-04T19:10:25.900-04:00

I love boxwoods! I've been thinking about putting some in planters at both the front and side entries!

:)

Wow, your ideas are great. Thanks for sharing. :) ...

2013-04-04T19:09:41.509-04:00

Wow, your ideas are great. Thanks for sharing. :)

I did try a tree in the exact spot you mentioned but it didn't do very well. Maybe I will try a different variety.

I like your idea of the re-facing of the concrete. I'd have to do some research locally to see if anyone would even do that.

The eventual plan is to have a cute walkway instead of that boring concrete one and as soon as we get a new front door we are going to lose the storm door altogether!

:)

I plant Annabelles along my foundation, and small ...

2013-04-02T15:17:35.715-04:00

I plant Annabelles along my foundation, and small boxwood shrubs in front of them. Love the look in the winter with the dried flowers, and the evergreen boxwoods add a nice contrast.

Love what you did, and I'm a huge fan of Annab...

2013-04-02T15:15:12.596-04:00

Love what you did, and I'm a huge fan of Annabelle Hydrangeas! Heirloom quality.

I would update the storm door to full glass to showcase the new front door.

Have you considered having a mason install brick over the concrete stoop? Might be a cheaper option, and would definitely add to the character of your home. I like the metal railing, I think it's in line with the character of the home but a painted wooden one would look nice too.

I usually buy impatiens in flats for my planter boxes every year. They do wonderfully, especially when I add composted manure to the soil.

I would also plant an ornamental tree at the corner of your house by the downspout (near the side yard, opposite the driveway side) - a Hakuro Nishiki Willow perhaps? Bump out the planting bed there, round it around the corner and plop it in there, and continue the annabelles around the front of the tree.

Add flagstone stepping stones from the sidewalk/front stoop and continue that around to the side yard gate for an informal walkway.

One continuous fabric awning would look great over your three windows. The front of my home is shade, but the awnings add great curb appeal.

Love what you did to the place.

I love what you did with the house. I was recentl...

2013-03-28T22:08:39.890-04:00

I love what you did with the house. I was recently thinking of planting larger stuff to cover the foundation so that you can't see it all all and I was wondering how that would turn out. Now that I see it I love it!

You've done a ton of work. I love the hydrange...

2012-07-30T08:36:42.970-04:00

You've done a ton of work. I love the hydrangeas - favorite plant ever. And I love the shutters. You don't have to live with orange brick forever - especially since it's only on the lower half. You can paint it one day. Kudos to you and your husband on all the improvements and thanks for sharing!

Anne

You've done a TON of work! I love the hydrang...

2012-07-30T08:35:06.848-04:00

You've done a TON of work! I love the hydrangeas. And I love the shutters. And you don't have to live with orange brick forever - you can paint it one day. We own a painted brick house right now, and I love it. Kudos to you and your husband on all your hard work!

Anne

I actually love how they look in the winter! I kee...

2012-07-25T09:20:28.092-04:00

I actually love how they look in the winter! I keep the last blooms on them in the fall so that they dry and still add some interest to the bushes. The snow piles on top of them in the winter and also looks pretty! By the spring they need some sprucing up so I try and trim them evenly and clean out all of the old, dead leaves. Hope that helps!!! :)

I love the hydrangeas! One question though...how w...

2012-07-25T09:11:16.932-04:00

I love the hydrangeas! One question though...how will that look in the non-blooming months, and in winter? We have shrubs in front of our brick house, and I would love to switch them out with hydrangeas. I am concerned that in the winter (we live in Michigan), it will look rather sparse though.

Love all the improvements you guys did to your hom...

2012-07-16T16:37:09.594-04:00

Love all the improvements you guys did to your home :) It's fabulous! Great job :)

Wow! Your house is beautiful, inside and out. I ...

2012-07-16T11:01:41.127-04:00

Wow! Your house is beautiful, inside and out. I love what you've done, Sarah. Everything looks so fresh and pretty. If you're looking for siding options, Hardiplank is really nice and it comes prepainted too. My husband is currently remodeling a house where he tore all the stucco off and shaked the whole house. So I don't think you can go wrong with that idea either :)

You have made such wonderful improvements!! They l...

2012-07-16T08:57:37.290-04:00

You have made such wonderful improvements!! They look fabulous!!
Meggie

Oh my gosh! I love all of it (: My favorite is the...

2012-07-15T14:29:25.149-04:00

Oh my gosh! I love all of it (: My favorite is the shutters and the hydrangeas. Lookin great!

Woah, the changes are amazing when you see the bef...

2012-07-13T22:58:46.833-04:00

Woah, the changes are amazing when you see the before and after side by side!!! Great job, you guys! It's so cute and charming:)

Your house is adorable and the changes you've ...

2012-07-13T20:49:12.901-04:00

Your house is adorable and the changes you've done have made it so sweet and homey! What if you painted the concrete steps? It would be a very simple way to spruce them up and add a possible pop of color until you're ready to make a more dramatic change.

The outside of your home looks amazing!! It scream...

2012-07-13T20:27:42.292-04:00

The outside of your home looks amazing!! It screams curb appeal!! Love the door you've picked out!! So cottage-ey! :) Have a great weekend Sarah!

Have you ever thought of refacing your concrete st...

2012-07-13T18:54:25.250-04:00

Have you ever thought of refacing your concrete steps with natural stone. My son Tyler does amazing work. His company is Featherstone Landscaping 416 676 8771 he would be happy to come out and give you some ideas and a quote.

Your hydrangeas look fabulous! What a difference ...

2012-07-13T18:30:08.649-04:00

Your hydrangeas look fabulous! What a difference they make. And I adore the window box. Have you considered
cement-board siding? We have a lot of hail (in NE) and it is the only thing that will withstand it. I think Cassie's idea of a pergola on your garage could be awesome. I have that on my "someday" list. And to make you feel better, we have a shrub in our yard that has had some Christmas lights on it for two years. And I don't have a new baby. I think we'll have to just cut them off now as it's all grown up around them! Thanks for sharing all you improvements--they have made such a difference on your house.

You have made your home so lovely!! It must be a ...

2012-07-13T17:55:44.325-04:00

You have made your home so lovely!! It must be a treat to get home and see how cute it is!! When I saw the before and after pics I thought it has touches of craftsman style...and then to see the door idea and overhang project I thought, yup!!! :) I bet you have the cutest home on the block!!

Sarah, it is amazing what you've done already....

2012-07-13T17:17:00.272-04:00

Sarah, it is amazing what you've done already. You took a house and made it a home. J

your home is so cute! i saw something recently wh...

2012-07-13T16:02:17.908-04:00

your home is so cute! i saw something recently where a pergola as in front of a garage and you could do something similar off of your house.... you have the space and it would look cute and even make the house look bigger.

You've made fantastic changes to your house an...

2012-07-13T14:32:28.461-04:00

You've made fantastic changes to your house and it looks great. I totally agree the star and trellis were needed to balance out the windows on the other side. I love the row of hydrangeas along the front. I'm not sure I would have thought to do that, but the simplicity is charming. As for your wish list - I think I'd stick with the vinyl siding as it is pretty classic with the red brick. I would consider extending the front stoop to the left (under the star) when you redo the stairs down the road. If you extended the stoop to the edge of the house there would be room for a chair or bench which always looks pretty.

Have you considered putting in something like Engl...

2012-07-13T13:54:02.844-04:00

Have you considered putting in something like English Ivy in the window boxes? You have to cut them back regularly, but that stuff is hardy and cheap. Since you have lovely hydrangeas, you don't need more flowers right there.

Your house looks beautiful on the outside. We won't tackle the curb appeal of our house until we've completed our permit-required projects in the bathrooms. In our area, permits and curb appeal trigger re-appraisals by the county, and I want to wait as long as I can before getting a big tax hike!

You have done a fabulous job. It is really prett...

2012-07-13T13:33:34.473-04:00

You have done a fabulous job. It is really pretty.

P.S. almost time to put up the Christmas lights ... hahaha
that is my pet peeve when I walk my neighbourhood ... I always want to leave a little card in the mail box saying "Time to take down the Christmas lights"