I hope you are all doing well, we have been busy! I thought I would show you what we have been working on.
We have been working on the front of our little house. When we first moved in we weren't able to do anything on the outside because of a lack of time and, of course, money. We had to focus all our resources on the inside.
This is what we started with:
It is just a simple little 1 1/2 story cottage bungalow. We were certainly not under any grand illusions of creating an elegant manor! We did, however, think we could make it look a little prettier - with a small budget and a lot of effort.
This is what it looks like this morning:
The very first thing we did was to remove the metal screen door and let the original door shine. We also took out the big shrub on the left to make room for my garden. I showed a picture to a worker at the local nursery and she told me that shrubs are simple to remove and that it should come up easily, just like an onion, so I came home and enthusiastically suggested we remove it.
Needless to say my husband did not think it was just like an onion.
Anyways, I think this is an example of how removing something can often make a huge improvement before you even have to buy anything.
(The lantern is from Home Depot)
We added homemade shutters to the window as well as $15 corbels from Rona to the sides of the porch.
My husband rebuilt parts of the porch including the stairs and the sides where there was previously lattice. We could have torn up the whole thing but it would have been wasteful since the overall structure and floor are in good condition. We did, however, remove the concrete steps.
Even more than indoor renovations, exterior renovations can be very expensive if you do not do it yourself. So, a week ago our poor neighbors tolerated my husband doing this to remove the old concrete:
I have to include these pictures because I know someday we will look back on this and smile.
To create the cottage style look I have always dreamed of for the front of our home, my husband thought we should make the steps out of stone. I love the results! We found the big stones on sale at a local nursery and the flagstone was $50 on Kijiji.
The wicker furniture was also from Kijiji and I sewed the seat cushions.
Working on this project really was fun. Even our neighbors got involved, donating perennials, extra soil, and muscle for lifting rocks.
Nothing teaches patience like a garden. I cannot wait for ours to grow! This is the first garden I have ever had so I did my best to create an English Country look. I lined the pathway with lavender - it should bloom soon! Someday it will spill over onto the pathway. In between the rocks I used creeping thyme. It smells so pretty mixed with the lavender. There are two David Austin rosebushes, one is a climber that we will create an arch for next year. I love old fashioned flowers so there are also peonies, foxglove, and delphiniums.
A few of our donated perennials were diagnosed as having gone into "shock" by my neighbor. I hope they revive soon!
(My husband built the planter boxes at the edge of the porch)
More than ever, I now feel like we have truly made this house ours. Putting actual roots into the ground creates a more permanent bond with a house than painting a room ever could. I hope I can enjoy this garden for years, and when we are no longer here I imagine another woman taking a similar pride in their fleeting blooms.
I hope you enjoyed the outside of our little home!
(I'm linking this to Frugal Friday)