You guys! I feel like popping some champagne over here because I FINALLY have the before and afters of the Myrtle House photographed. We have been living here full-time for about two months now, but there were so.many.little.projects we had to complete before I felt ready to call some of these "afters." And let's be real, this house is far from complete (y'all should see the backyard...) and I am sure I will continue to rearrange and tinker with little additions here and there, but we're in the home stretch for sure. I am in the process of editing and writing posts - and trust me, after nearly three years of working on this house, you know I am going to drag this reveal out as much as I can. ;) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you fine folks who emailed asking for afters and for your saint-like patience - you guys kept me motivated. :) I'll update the Myrtle House page with links and photos as I churn these out. Without further ado, here we go!
I always loved the front of the house. Clearly, it needed some love, but those corbels! That wraparound porch! Swoon. I definitely had on the rose-colored glasses because the exterior needed/needs a ton of work. I created a little inspiration board a year and a half ago which is kind of fun to look back on.
**Click on any photo below to enlarge :)**
BEFORE
AFTER
Since I loved the character of the exterior basically the way it was, we didn't change a whole lot to the outside, just repair what was deteriorated.
- Moved the staircase from the side to the front for more curb appeal
- Demo-ed the fallen chimney
- Re-purposed the old chimney brick as a front walkway from the driveway to the new stairs
- Repaired the broken glass panes in the original wood windows
- Our contractor rebuilt all of the railings since I kicked them down way too easily
- Refinished the original front door
- Painted the trim, windows, porch floor and ceiling. We also took a chance with black corbels!
- Added new porch lights (discontinued, but these are similar)
- Repaired the brick foundation mortar
- Added porch fans
BEFORE
AFTER
My favorite thing about the front now are the new stairs. Front stairs seem so much more welcoming than side-stairs and I love the over-sized width. I just planted some David Austin climbing roses so hopefully in a few seasons, those roses will add even more drama to the front!
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
My parents gave us a Lowe's giftcard and we used it for a porch swing. I can't tell you how many evenings have already been spent on it! Hard to beat a glass of wine and sunset over the mountains while swinging on a porch swing. :)
BEFORE
AFTER
There is still many a project on the docket including new paint or siding, landscaping, driveway top coat, and a new roof. However, as fall turns into winter, we are enjoying the cooler weather on the front porch. :)
SOURCES
Front door paint color - Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue