UncategorizedOur Cottage Exterior – Before & After October 10, 2014Our cottage exterior has been in need of love for so long! I shared the befores, our plans, and some progress a few months ago and am so excited to share the official AFTER with you today! Without further ado, here’s the Before and After of our sweet little downtown cottage. As a reminder, here was what we planned to change. And here was our inspiration. If you missed our progress posts where you can see how we put some of this together, click here. We got rid of the big strange window by the entrance that didn’t have room for shutters and was really odd. It did leave a bit of a gap, but we filled that in with a fuller tree and the overall picture is way more balanced. Plus, it allows much better flow inside. We balanced the big tree on the right with a smaller, thinner tree on the left. I love the board and batten triangle above the portico now. Before, it was a weird white stucco. We faced it in plywood and then added wood vertical strips to create the board and batten look. As a reminder, here was our entrance before. We beefed up the columns with some wood instead of the wrought iron and removed the gutters. I chose to paint the beams around the entrance white. I know that was a risky choice with the entirely white house, but I LOVE our wooden door so much and thought it would pop more off of the white. With everything else we added, I love the choice to go white. You can see the before & after of that copper lantern here. And I still love that blue ceiling. It’s painted the perfect shade, in my book: Valspar La Fonda Mirage. And those pots are one of my very favorite things. I love how just an accessory can add so much personality! They’re found at The Home Depot. We got rid of the chimney stack and painted all of the brick (and foundation) a lovely dark gray: Valspar Blindfold. I really wanted it to contrast with the white siding. We made some barn-style shutters that were so simple! Three boards across with the top and bottom board pieces that hold it together. I love the color of them. We actually spray-painted them! They’re Rustoleum Seaside. I love that you can see Miss Gracie watching me through this window. That’s her stoop where she sits up on the mudroom bench and watches people going by. I want to fill in with some more plants, but our little budget only went so far. I did get some of my hydrangeas in, though! I absolutely love having a place to pull up to that is so pretty and a lovely little entrance to decorate for the seasons. In case you missed it, make sure you check out our fall exterior post. And you can read about how to make that DIY Dreamcatcher Wreath here. I love the pop of fall it adds without being the obvious fall decor. *** Check out our most popular topics: Subscribe to our daily feed to make sure you don’t miss any Daily Doses of Style!
Amber says October 10, 2014 at 7:44 am Lindsay! Girl, this looks incredible! So so cute and those shutters are just the perfect touch! Reply
Jesse says October 10, 2014 at 7:54 am Wow, what a tranformation! Everything looks so great- simple fixes that give some much personality! Reply
Lindsay says October 10, 2014 at 9:16 am Ahh, Jesse, you made my day! My number one goal was to add personality because this little house just had none when we bought her. Thank you so much! Reply
Rainey says October 10, 2014 at 8:11 am What a lovely transformation! I especially love those blue shutters. Thanks for sharing your home with us. Reply
Lindsay says October 10, 2014 at 9:16 am Thanks so much Rainey! It’s crazy to me to go back and compare the before & after. And the best part is, these were mainly simple and very budget-friendly updates. What a different some paint and a little trim can make! Reply
Caitlin says October 10, 2014 at 8:16 am Lindsay, I absolutely love this! So awesome what you did to the place. I feel like we seriously need to sit down and swap tales. We transformed the outside of our fixer upper with new columns and a fresh coat of trim paint. We are on the hunt for a new door and we desperately need to do some landscaping. I’m dying to fix up our front porch to welcome fall. Where did you get those super cute pots??? π Reply
Lindsay says October 10, 2014 at 9:15 am Hi Caitlin! Thanks so much!!! We definitely should π The pots came from Home Depot! Reply
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says October 10, 2014 at 8:55 am Wow! So well done my friend. What an amazing difference. I love your front door and well, basically everything about the change! π Reply
Lindsay says October 10, 2014 at 9:15 am Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I really love how it turned out π I was initially skeptical because my big plans for this place also came with a big budget, but having it finished, it was just the facelift she needed! Reply
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says October 10, 2014 at 9:38 am It looks amazing. Such a dramatic difference. You guys really brought this home to life. Reply
Sharon says October 10, 2014 at 10:43 am Hi Lindsay , your cottage looks amazing! It’s my kind of home, my kind if budget, my style-so I love it. Thank you for sharing, it definitely inspires me to be creative with my home. God bless you guys π Reply
Kristina says October 10, 2014 at 4:04 pm I love it, Lindsay! If I remember correctly, the stoop was blue when I visited in June (or was that May?)–changing it to grey was a good choice. And those shutters are so adorable! I think I’m going to add some to my house. Such a huge, wonderful change. You have the Midas touch! Reply
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says October 10, 2014 at 4:41 pm So pretty, charming and inviting! Amazing job! Reply
Emily @ Table + Hearth says October 10, 2014 at 6:55 pm What an amazing transformation!! Great job guys!! I bet your neighbors are happy too π Reply
Betsy says October 10, 2014 at 7:21 pm Love it!! So stinkin’ cute, makes me want to get things rolling on the outside of my house! Reply
Kate says October 10, 2014 at 7:35 pm Love this!!! P.S. I’m dying for a nursery update. My first little girl is due in Dec and I’m excited for some inspiration. Will you do any updates or just an end reveal? Reply
Kathrin says October 10, 2014 at 10:37 pm Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t sho up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog! Reply
Kathy Barnett says October 11, 2014 at 7:37 am I love it. Small and elegant. Great reminder that we don’t have to spend a fortune to make dramatic changes. Reply
Summer says October 11, 2014 at 7:41 am Lindsay this transformation is amazing! I love the colors you chose and every detail is perfect! Amazing just and that front porch just makes me happy! I’m dying to see it in person π Mal and I will drive down just say the word! Reply
Sherri says October 11, 2014 at 11:13 am Gosh Lindsay- it looks amazing. I mean, I don’t think you could make it more charming. There are so many things to admire- the door, the lantern, the dark gray chimney brick, the perfect shade of blue ceiling and shutters, the landscaping, and the fall dΓ©cor on the porch. Yes, I can see why you smile when you drive up to your home. It just looks like a happy place and it invites one to want to come inside and hang out! Keep us posted on the hydrangeas. I am a Florida girl, but I manage to grow a few. Nothing like you see in cooler climates, but I actually was able to dry some out( purple variety now with some green), and put them in an vintage footed silverplate basket that has lots of patina and design and am enjoying them even now. Look online when to cut them back, etc. Mine have done a lot better since I have follow the “rules.” Reply
Brynne@TheGatheredHome says October 11, 2014 at 11:16 am The exterior is so darling! That’s just absolutely the first word that comes to mind! What a lovely transformation! Reply
Emily @ 11gables.blogspot.com says October 11, 2014 at 11:41 pm Beautifully executed!! Love it all! I am partial to a stained wood door. It looks so rich and inviting! Your cottage is just perfect! xox Reply
Sonya~ At Home with The Barkers says October 12, 2014 at 4:59 pm Such a great transformation Lindsey! Love the color combinations and all the details, especially above the portico. ~Sonya Reply
Molly says October 13, 2014 at 6:33 pm What a transformation! I love it, especially the shutters and door (though really, every little detail adds so much)! Reply
Colleen Pastoor says October 14, 2014 at 10:45 pm WOW! You’ve done such a good job! Our exterior needs so much love, I was really relieved to see your ‘before’ when you posted it a while back, I knew you’d have some great ideas for me. Reply
debbie@house33candleco says October 15, 2014 at 9:31 am I love your cottage. Wow, you have transformed it!!! I would have never thought of painting the stoop and how much it brings together your porch. I love it. So pretty!!!! Reply
Bethany @ Dwellings by DeVore says October 20, 2014 at 1:25 pm Wow, what a huge difference! So charming Lindsay! Reply
Pam says November 22, 2014 at 3:11 pm We love this! What did you do to the front stairs? Paint? Reply
Kathleen Tudor says February 24, 2015 at 4:54 pm Yea for you!!! Your neighbors must be very happy to look at such a pretty little house! If the outside looks this good, they must be planning to drop by to borrow a cup of sugar just to get a chance to see the inside. Great job. A ton of curb appeal. Reply
Nancy says June 6, 2015 at 1:37 am Wondering if you could give more detail on the door- Says Home Depot- Was it a slab door? What brand etc Reply
Lindsay says June 9, 2015 at 8:54 am Hi Nancy! I’m sorry, I don’t remember the brand. But we went into the store and ordered it at the desk in that department. We just asked for a 12-light wooden door and this was the only option they had for that! Hope that helps… Reply
Lindsay says August 17, 2015 at 8:12 pm Hi Erin, good question. It’s just the standard Behr white paint that Home Depot has pre-mixed. We needed super white to match the siding π Reply
Crystal says August 20, 2015 at 3:26 pm Sorry this maybe a duplicate comment from me. Where did the door come from. It would be perfect for our front door. Our entryway is tiny and cave like with our current door. Reply
Lindsay says August 25, 2015 at 3:37 pm Hi Crystal! The door is from Home Depot π If you go in and ask for a wood 12-light door, they can order it for you! Reply
Cheryl McDonald says November 15, 2015 at 1:17 pm Love your make over, especially the porch. I am concerned about your removal of the chimney pipe. It looks as though the roof had been redone and the bricks removed to below the eave and the metal pipe used to attain the height needed to get above the roof level. Your removal of the metal piping may make your home have a building code violation and invalidate your home owner’s insurance if the chimney is attached to any exausting equipment (water heater, furnace, stove or fire place). Will be looking at your other endevors with admiration of your style. Cheryl Reply
Lindsay says November 16, 2015 at 9:26 am Hi Cheryl! Thanks for your concern π You’re so sweet! We looked into all that and the pipe wasn’t attached to anything functioning, so we were good to remove π Reply
Cheryl says November 16, 2015 at 9:58 pm Glad you had no issues to deal with concerning the chimney. I and my husband rehab’d a 1860’s colonial in New York. Our community had a lot of rehabbing going on and there were horror stories where work had to be removed and done again because of codes and inspections. Will be doing more perusing of your blog. Much success! Reply
Lindsay says November 18, 2015 at 8:33 am Oh I TOTALLY understand! It’s easy to make those mistakes and some can be so costly or time intensive to fix. I appreciate your advice so much! Reply
Dixie Dobbins says November 25, 2015 at 7:12 am OMG You have an amazing eye for Balance, Symetry, Texture and Color! I absolutely adore what you’ve done here and the blue Bead board ceiling is adorable. Great job! and your doggie in the window is the Cherry on Top. Congratulations! Youre amazing. Reply
Elizabeth Peters says August 1, 2018 at 9:09 am Lindsay, Just found your cottage update on pinterest. What a transformation. I, too, have small cottage that I am currently re-landscaping. What kind of tree is that planted to the right of your front porch? Reply
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