On to some exciting news (and no, this is not the BIG news I have yet to reveal – coming soon though)…
If you remember my first post on the The Dream Project, you saw me writing about my sad side yard. Though we are not quite ready to tackle that project, especially with the winter coming, Phase 1 is beginning…today.
A major factor of taking on our current home was the amazing size of the back yard. It sits on nearly an acre, and we are two minutes from downtown. We will never find something like it ever again, and we continually remind ourselves of that when we are forced to take on a new project, ha! Our yard is pretty, though we (of course!) have lots of plans to beautify it further – the problem is, you can’t really see it from the house. There is not a good entrance to the back yard from the house, and the “back porch” aka “the shanty” is on its last breath. We have already lost one of the railings, and I would not rely on the other rail since it is not affixable and will turn circles if you put too much weight on it. When we painted the brick, we painted it to try and make it look better, and it does, but unfortunately, paint does not make for a more sound structure.
Which brings me to the wires. Ugh, those wires. Our home is an electrical and cable wire jungle. We are going to remedy that with this reno and bury the lines underground plus clean everything up. Here is a photo of the back of the house now.
It’s not the prettiest yet, but I think we can make it look a lot better. Fixing the electrical mess will help and taking down the shanty will help A LOT. We are pondering filling in the basement entrance from the outside, too. It collects leaves and debris, it allows water into the basement, and it is not the safest with the kids (we did put a gate on it when we moved in). I don’t know, we are torn on it. Any opinions are appreciated.
So what are our plans? What do we intend to do? See below.
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Okay, maybe not that grand. Actually, absolutely not that grand! Unfortunately, we do not live in an English estate, ha! But you get the general idea. Floor to ceiling windows, beadboard vaulted ceiling, and white, white, white.
I’m also hoping we can work the budget to allow for sconces between the windows as seen below.
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Again, this is a grand room, and ours will be tons smaller, but we are planning to have this little pop-out on the top, though with all of the hail we get here in north Texas, the roof will not be glass. The lanterns are pretty awesome, too! Hmmmm…lanterns over sconces? Again, opinions appreciated.
Traditional Exterior design by Columbus General Contractor Michael Matrka, Inc
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We live in a 1920’s home in a historic neighborhood, and since my husband and I are purists, maintaining historical integrity is VERY important to us. We have spent a lot of time looking at photos and taking note of what is accurate for the time period and the home. Matching the brick, trim, and overall feel of our house takes more work, time, and probably more money, but is worth it.
Again, this is way more grand scale, our room will only be about 12×20, and the brick will be painted, but we took elements of this for how our home will look from the outside. No wagon wheel windows though.
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It’s always nerve racking to take on a big project like this. It’s a little different than painting a chair or putting up new curtains, ya know? But due to several factors, we felt this was the best time to start. We will definitely be taking it in stages! This room will be connected to the kitchen so it will allow for an eat-in area (which we do not have now), extra living space, a nice entrance to the back yard, and lots of extra light. I will be taking you with me through this project so get ready!
Come back tomorrow for some quick and easy DIY weekend projects for your Thanksgiving table!! Can you believe it is next week?!! It just hit me yesterday!
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