Shedding light

I haven't gotten to taking pics of the new hardwoods or rooms yet, but I did snag a few pics of the new front door and therefore the totally completed exterior of our house. Let's do a little time travel.

Here's the house the day that we bought it back in 2009.

Here's the house after we painted it later that same year. Every time I see this pic I think it looks like a cartoon because the colors are so vivid. The sky and the grass are crazy bright, but that's just how it was that day.

 This was last week, April 2015, after all of the construction and siding was done. Yes we know it's almost the same color, the whole point of painting it that color was to see if we could live with it long term. No we aren't putting shutters back on it for now. I kind of want to, Henry doesn't, so we're waiting a bit to see how we feel later. Just as an FYI, the new siding is vinyl with a 7" reveal (almost identical to the old siding) and it has a foam backing that gives us an extra R value of 5 which is better than nothing extra.

Here's the house this morning after the new front door was installed. I personally think that it's a huge difference even though it's just the front door.

Here's a closer pic of the little beauty. It's a fiberglass door so that it doesn't warp and swell. It has simulated wood grain and is stained cherry. The hardware is oil rubbed bronze and matches the new porch lights. The handle is just a handle but the lock is a keyless entry system so that the kids don't accidentally lock us out which has happened on several occasions. The glass has black caming (the leaded part) which was the closest to oil rubbed bronze that we could get unless we wanted to pay stupid amounts of money. All in the door cost us a little over a grand including installation and hardware. I totally love it from every angle.

I even love it from the inside because it keeps the foyer/hallway and stairway from becoming a deep dark hole after you close the door. It really kind of felt like you were getting locked in prison before because the old door had no glass so it was just dark in those areas. This door offers a bright inviting hallway by day and a nice glow by night thanks to the landscape lighting. I still haven't stained the inside or added the poly to the outside but I'll get there soon. 

So there you have it, those are the latest improvements. Stay tuned for a series of posts that will showcase the work that we've done/had done in other areas. We're still trying to get over feeling like someone has left the front door open. :) ~Kellie~