Our Plans for Exterior Home Improvements

Not long after moving in, we removed the shutters and painted them.  The old owners also replaced the front door, and we painted it to match the shutters. We also power washed the front stoop and driveway and that in itself was a big improvement!

Two years ago, we painted the handrails a fresh coat of white.  We knew then that it was a temporary fix, and it tided us over until now.  Below is a picture of how they looked freshly painted. 

Below is a picture of our front stoop from a post I wrote last Spring.  If you look closely at the bottom of each of the handrails, you can see that they were already starting to look shabby again.  I did touch them up in those spots last summer.  I think it is the weed eater that causes the paint to chip in that spot.  The concrete is also in bad shape on the stairs and the front stoop.  It has some large cracks, and it is starting to erode from the hard winters we have here.  We had a huge wind storm here recently, and a large piece of the fascia on the front of our house blew off.  I don’t have any pictures of the damage, but trust me, it looks amazing!

We have a privacy fence in our back yard that separates our yard from the pond behind our house.  I would venture to guess the fence was put in in 1996.  And it is in horrible shape.  It is literally falling in in several spots.  And two years ago, our youngest son actually sled rode a hole right through the fence, and came out unscathed.  That is how brittle the fence wood is.  You can actually see the fence sometimes in my style posts.  Here is one picture I found that has the fence in the background.  That picture was taken one year ago.  But you can see in the very next picture, which was taken in March of this year, that the fence is starting to fall over. 

So we have four things planned that are going to increase the curb appeal and vastly improve the way our house looks from the outside.  Can you already guess what those three things are?  Well, you I’m gonna tell you, right?

We are going to have our front stoop and stairs resurfaced.  I didn’t even know this was a thing until about a week ago, abut I am so happy to know that it is!  Here is a before and after picture I found online of a set of stairs that have been resurfaced.  It looks like new concrete!  I think just this in and of itself is going to be a huge improvement.  We of course also have to have the fascia repaired, so we decided to just put up new fascia across the entire front of the house because it is 30 years old, and you will be able to tell the difference if we just replace one section of it.  That should also help the curb appeal and make the house pop a little more. 

We are also having our front railing torn out and replaced with white vinyl porch railing.  It will look very similar to this picture.  This is probably what I am most excited about, and I think it will be the most recognizable upgrade to the front exterior. 

Lastly, as if you hadn’t already guessed, we are having the old brittle fence in the back yard torn out and we are having it replaced with a white vinyl privacy fence.  We had planned on doing so last summer and we didn’t do it.  So this summer it absolutely must be done.  Here is a picture of what it will look like. 

We decided not to go with wood for anything because we have such long, hard winters, and we know that vinyl is going to hold up more than anything else.  Right now we are in the process of getting estimates to have all of this work done.  No, we are not going to try to DIY any of it.  We could if we chose to.  But the projects are so time consuming that we just don’t have the time to put into it right now.  So we have decided to hire it all out.  The work is probably going to begin within the next few weeks, and we are both so excited to get it started!  These are things that all need done pretty desperately, and they are going to be huge improvements in our homes curb appeal and hopefully they will be great new features when it is time to put the house on the market.  We are not currently looking to move, but we will be in the next few years.  Right at about the time that we have everything inside and out finished! 

I can’t wait to get rolling on these home improvements, and of course share them with you guys! What do you have planned for your outside areas this spring and Summer?  I would love to hear about them in the comments.  I love your comments and I read every single one!  Have a great Thursday!