You guys have seen pretty much every nook and cranny of the inside of our little farmhouse, but it’s not very often that you see the outside of it. I’ve shown little snippets of our back patio and the front porch, but any shots of the entire exterior have been pretty few and far between! The reason for that is simple… we’ve devoted lots of sweat equity, time and money to the interior over the last 6 years, but giving attention to the outside has always been put on the back burner.
Why? Well, first of all exterior work can be EXPENSIVE, especially when you hire it out. If I want to makeover my living room, I can spend $30 on a can of paint, do the work myself, and completely transform the space in one day on a small budget. To get the outside of my house repainted can cost thousands of dollars and take a crew of men several days to complete. And landscaping? Yikes.
When we first moved into this home, we were a very young family on a very tight budget. Today I’m a few years older and a few pennies richer (and I really do mean PENNIES! lol), but pulling the trigger on a large exterior renovation has still been very scary for me and a lot to consider. Also let’s be honest, spending a couple grand for just a fresh coat of paint on the outside of your house vs. spending a couple grand on say pretty new furniture and light fixtures… which sounds like a more exciting way to spend your money? : )
But this year it has really started to eat at me that I’ve put so much love into a house that I’m so proud of, and yet the outside doesn’t reflect that AT ALL. The paint has slowly been chipping off our aluminum siding, and there are now two or three dead bushes in landscaping along the front of the house. A few months ago I bought a power washer (I highly recommend this one – easy to use and lots of power/options for a good price) to clean the gross, annoying mildew off the house, and even when I very gently sprayed the siding, paint was chipping off like crazy and even coming off in sheets in some areas. I had no choice anymore. The house HAD to be painted.
Notice my trusty sidekick, Remy, in the big living room window in every photo? : )
Our little farmhouse doesn’t have a ton of curb appeal currently and looks pretty flat and boring. What it does have going for it though is some really pretty trim details around the front door and a great blank canvas to work with.
Exterior Makeover Plans:
Step one is giving the whole exterior a fresh coat of paint.
Step two is ripping out and reconfiguring the front landscaping (as well as some other areas around the yard).
Step three is adding shutters and replacing the front door.
I researched and hired a painting company (Royal Custom Painting if you are local to central Indiana and looking for a good recommendation), and they came out last week to start the project. First they came and power washed everything to clean and prep the surface for paint. The power washer they have is much stronger than mine, and it looked like white paint chip confetti was floating all over the yard while they worked. The house was definitely due for a good painting. They also hand scraped the garage doors and wood trim around other doors.
A few days later they came out and painted. It sounds simple, but it took a crew of probably 8 men most of the day just to PREP the house by taping off windows and covering anything that wasn’t going to be painted. I could not imagine tackling this job on my own, and at this point I was SO happy I decided to finally hire someone to paint. They meticulously prepped every inch of the house and garage, and then sprayed the house with two coats of Sherwin Williams Resilience Exterior Paint in Ultra White satin finish. The painter recommended the Resilience paint for its ability to resist moisture, which should help with the mildew we deal with here.
As far as color choice, white may sound boring and basic, but hear me out. Light and bright has always been my style, and as long as I’ve known this house it has always been white. The black metal roof and white siding feels like such a classic, timeless combination, and once we add shutters I think it will be so charming and quintessentially “farmhouse”. The painter also said that using a basic ultra white will make any future touch-ups very simple to do, which makes sense. The bright white made the house feel so clean and fresh, and I cannot wait to get started on the landscaping and add some finishing touches to the front of our cute, little house.
We still have a long way to go with the rest of the changes to the exterior, but this is a HUGE start! As we get further into fall I’m not entirely sure how much landscaping will be able to be completed now, and some of the planting may have to wait until spring. It’s all so exciting though, and next year I imagine us spending a lot more time enjoying the outside of our little farmhouse! What do you think? Does the house need shutters and a new door now?
A new front door and shutters will transform the exterior. I know it will look amazing once it’s all done. You have impeccable taste and style ?
Oh, I agree! Shutters and a new door would make a big difference!
I think black shutters and a black door would look great. I am currently having my house painted dolphin gray with pure white trim and a red door. I purchased a red gooseneck light for my front porch and it is so cute! I also purchased two new black light fixtures for either side of my garage. I have spent a total of $2,000 but so well worth it! Now for a new storm door and it will be complete (for a while!).
We are doing the exact same thing with our house right now. So much work but worth it! It looks great Liz, thank you for all of the farmhouse inspiration 🙂
I have aluminum siding also. It needs to be painted. You used a power washer. What did you use to clean the surface with? Your house looks so clean & bright.
You certainly have a good looking roof on your home. I like the smaller room that attaches the house to the garage. Hang on it will all come together sooner than you think.
Wow! I think shutters and a new door will change the house tremendously. Great job so far and your plan sounds like a lot of work but I know it will be spectacular when it is done.
I think shutters and a new front door will =really update it
Yes to shutters and yes to a new front door. I just added exactly this to my little house and WOW it is a huge difference. I still can’t believe I waited this long to do this. And I absolutely LOVE my new front door. It adds instant curb appeal times 100! I find myself gazing at that door every single day….love.
It looks great! I think new shutters and a new door are a great idea! ?? I always say it’s amazing what a coat of paint can do!
The paint helped tremendously! I think shutters would definitely add character and you only have to do the front two. Landscaping doesn’t have to be expensive, or not super expensive. Good luck!
Great paint job! Yes to shutters and new front door. Also may I suggest consider an awning over front door to reduce the flatness and add some depth. It can also help with moisture hitting the front door if that’s an issue.
Hi! I want to start off by saying I LOVE your blog!
Next..I think your house is adorable and I love it too.
I think black shutters would be a great idea, especially with the metal roof being dark. But I was wondering if y’all had entertained the idea of some size of a porch..maybe big enough for a porch swing or a couple of rockers? Or maybe even a small black metal door awning, like a portico? I was just wondering..?
Thanks!!
Wow.I can sure see the difference. Can’t wait to see the rest of your plans happen.
*Smiles*
Liz, my 2 cents? You do so much that is so well designed and beautiful your home exterior should reflect that too! Your house is gorgeous and bright and clean and fresh looking with the new paint. The door would look great updated. Can you search a Habitat for Humanity restore an architectural salvage yard for something fabulous? I can’t wait to see what you decide to do. It’ll be gorgeous. Xo
It will be so pretty with some fresh shrubbery and flowers next year! The white will be the perfect backdrop…..now what color for the shutters…….
Wow! That made a huge difference already! Can’t wait to see it after you get the new door and shutters. I’m so excited for you!
It looks so clean and crisp now! Paint really makes a difference doesn’t it? Love your metal roof. I think shutters will be a huge impact then decide on the door. I really like where you’ve placed the address numbers on the door. Always a work in progress!
Yes, shutters will give it a more finished look. Especially with a new door. Are you considering black shutters? I think it would really give a good strong contrast with the white.
I think white is a great choice for the exterior of a house for exactly the reasons you said. We just built our house (as in WE built it-took eight years) but we did pay to have the siding put on and we took a lot of flack for white vinyl siding. The architect had yellow. I changed it to white. Classic. And vinyl because it’s maintenance free, for the most part.
Yep, phase two needs to wait for spring. We got ripped off of fall and Indian summer. We are heading to the highs being in the 40’s!
Great job Liz!
Cindy
It looks wonderful, and you did manage to get a couple of pics without Remmy…lol . Keep going with what your doing, I think the shutters would be wonderful and maybe a full glass front door. So you could leave it open in the spring and early or late summer to let the light in.!!
The house does look really bright and fresh! We just pulled out 17 boxwood bushes from the front and side of our house and I tell you it sure looks bare.. Now I have to figure out what to put back in it’s place. I can’t wait to see the new landscape! I am sure it will be beautiful!
I think that black shutters, a coverd area over the front door, front door painted to match your style, and flower boxes under the front windows will add a lot of character to the house. Oh, and a walkway done in brick or stone would be very classy
It’s funny I just painted my house with the same exact paint Sherwin-Williams ultra white I painted my shutters black . Front door black I couldn’t decide on a color everything looked funny to me it’s been four different colors so I just decided was black my husband and I painted the house ourselves what a job it’s been all summer long and there are still two spots that are not painted above the back porch my husbands older and he can’t be climbing up on this little porch he used a man lift because it’s a two-story house anywhere you’re not kidding it is a job , But may I say that the white is really white and it’s bright and it looks so pretty with the windows clean I almost and put shutters on . I kind a liked it without shutters but I broke down and put them up and it does look very classic with the black shutters . I asked my neighbor do you like the color she says it’s very white LOL I’m not sure if that was yes or no I wanted to tell you also , I am in love with your book .
Thank you for sharing all your beautiful ideas.
Best regards Sarah K