On Sutton Place | The Front
One of the things I like most about the street where we live is that it’s quiet and peaceful. The houses aren’t big but the yards are, for the most part, well-tended. Our neighborhood was built in the 1960’s and is in great shape considering its age. Our house does have a few challenges. There are a lot of trees so there is constantly debris to be dealt with in the yard. We’ve made so many updates, but there are still things that are original to the house. The windows and asphalt driveway to name two…and there are many more. In The Story of Our House, I wrote about how we came to live on this street and our journey since we moved here. Today I’m sharing the front of our house with a few updates.
This is a picture of our house in the summer of 2012. It really hasn’t changed that much except for one thing. Last summer we installed a new garage door. We replaced the two wooden doors with one white carriage door.
When the project was finished, we couldn’t get over how much it updated the look of our house…and that wasn’t even the goal! The wood doors were in awful shape and the openings were very narrow. We just wanted an easier time of getting in and out.
It was quite a process to remove the wall between the two doors because it was load-bearing. We had to put in a new beam and all new surround. I never thought I could love a garage door but I actually do! I searched on Pinterest for days trying to decide what I wanted. In the end, this was the style that suited the house best.
The other change is in the landscaping. Two winters ago I lost mature boxwood and knock out roses. Last summer I planted the 3 limelight hydrangeas directly in front of the railing. They look a bit wild but I was afraid to prune them and cut off the blooms. They have buds right now and I can hardly wait until they burst. In front of those are little boxwood…and also some little evergreens. My hope is that in a few years I will have greens to cut at Christmas.
On the other side of the porch are huge, mature hosta. They are the most dependable plants ever and have never failed me once. No matter how harsh the winter, they always appear like clockwork in the spring.
Like most homes of a certain age, our home tends to look worn out now and then. It’s been known to have peeling paint or dirty windows. Some things I do a good job of keeping up with and others not so much. At the end of the day, I am just grateful I have a safe place to call home. Do I sometimes long for something newer and better? Of course.
When that happens I try to remember the times when this house has saved me. Like when I needed to work from home and was able to center this blog around this house. Or when I struggled with the empty nest issue and projects around here helped fill my days. So I will continue to take the best care of it that I can…and try to give back all that it has given to me.
Thank you for stopping by…for your kind comments and for your friendship. I’ll see you in a few days!
Click the links to read more about the house (and the family) On Sutton Place.
The Story of Our House
Summer At Home
