As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Pineapple House | Adding Curb Appeal



During the early days of quarantine when we were in the house for days on end, we often broke the monotony with a Sunday afternoon drive. 

On one of those drives, Ron said that he thought that there were things that we could do to our house exterior to give it more visual appeal. Boom! No sooner were those words uttered than ideas started flying around the car! 




Pineapple House: Before
Like most of the "befores" of Pineapple House, it certainly wasn't bad!
This house was loved and well cared for by the former owners.
But there were things we wanted to change to fit our own personal style and desires. 



As we were taking frequent drives, we had many opportunities to gather inspiration for our exterior changes. We took lots of photographs which I gathered into a photo file on my laptop. Here are a few . . . 


We settled on six elements in our plans to add curb appeal. 

  1. Full-view storm doors, front and back
  2. New roof
  3. Chippendale rails
  4. Louvered basement window covers
  5. Outdoor wall sconces 
  6. New lamp post and light

It seemed like a lot of changes, a daunting list. But we just started, took one step at a time, looked for bargains, and we Ron did most of the work ourselves himself. 



ELEMENT #1: FULL-VIEW STORM DOORS
The original storm doors had two panels that could raise and lower, allowing for fresh air to come through the screen when the weather was nice. We liked that when we first moved in, but over time we realized that we really didn't use that feature very often. Aesthetically, we preferred a full-view door. Our front door is a lovely old paneled wood door and a full view would show it to better advantage. 

So Ron bought a Larson storm door and installed it himself in a half a day. 


We think it looks so much better without a bar across the middle. And there is a side benefit. The old storm door had
 a screen in the top half, but the new one is all glass which allows more unfiltered natural light inside. (We open the wooden door on all but the hottest and coldest days to enjoy that natural light.)

We were off and running with our plans to update the exterior!
 

Ron installed the new storm door on the front of the house in September 2020. 


The back door was installed in June 2021. 



ELEMENT #2: NEW ROOF
We put a new roof on this project list, but this was something that needed to be done regardless of curb appeal. We knew when we bought the house that it would need a new roof in a few years, and this was the time. This is also the one project on the list that Ron did not do himself. 

What a job! 


Believe it or not, the roof had once been white, but had come to be a (dirty) gray. We chose a charcoal color for our new roof. Yes, this project needed to be done for practical reasons, but it sure did make an improvement in the appearance of our house.



ELEMENT #3: CHIPPENDALE RAILS
While the roof was priority as far as practicality, new Chippendale rails was priority as far as my excitement level! We knew that replacing the wrought iron railing with colonial style rails would go a long way toward giving the house the feel we wanted. 

We took multiple photos, searched the internet, went to see houses that friends told us about, and finally settled on a style. (Before our research, I had no idea that there were so many variations!) 

~ Pinterest ~

Whew! It was a process!

Ron began by taking down the wrought iron rail in October 2020 . . . 

 . . . and then there was a lot of math and cutting and waiting for the pressure treated lumber to cure and waiting for days to work on it and priming and painting. 




Rails completed: October 2021 ! 



ELEMENT #4: LOUVERED BASEMENT WINDOW COVERS
You probably can't see them in the "before" photo, but our basement window wells had plastic covers that had clouded with age. Ron made these louvered covers which I think are so much prettier! 



ELEMENT #5: OUTDOOR WALL SCONCES
We took to the Internet to search for outdoor wall sconces. The existing wiring was placed a little high on the wall, so I looked for something that would hang below. I was looking for something with a colonial vibe that was also within budget. 

We made a selection, but then I had second thoughts and started searching again! We ended up with these sconces by Livex. They fit my criteria, and I'm not sure if you can see it, but they have beveled glass. (They are now discontinued so I can't share a link.)


We purchased a third sconce for the garage. 




ELEMENT #6: NEW LAMP POST and LIGHT 
When we ordered the outdoor wall sconces, we also ordered a post light  Ron had planned to adapt the existing post, but . . . oops . . . he discovered that it was beginning to rot at the base so he started from scratch. 
This is the project I referred to in this post







Although it sometimes seemed like the projects were moving at a snail's pace, I think we accomplished a lot in the space of 18 months! 



I said at the beginning of this post that Pineapple House had been well-loved. We feel like we have simply added our own brand of love to its history and we are happy with these exterior updates to Pineapple House!




30 comments:

  1. It's stunning, Cheryl, absolutely gorgeous! I love how you decided on the elements and then one by one they were added. Thanks for this glimpse of your home on the outside. I love creativity in motion. Now you'll be so ready to decorate for Christmas. Enjoy.....

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Brenda! It is exciting get a vision and then begin working on a project (or two or three . . . ), even if I get impatient at times. And you're right. New things are a springboard to new ideas for Christmas decorating!

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  2. Everything looks so sharp! Ron does amazing work. Quick, think of more projects.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Vee! Yes, he does . . . and I never run out of projects! (But really, he doesn't run out either!)

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  3. Oh how lovely, Cheryl! If I rode through your neighborhood I'm pretty sure I'd know your home as it looks outside as lovely as the inside. Each project is so beautifully done. Bravo to you and Ron for all the planning and follow through with your dreams. You two are quite the team!

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    1. You are so kind, Martha Ellen! I would love to think of you riding through my neighborhood . . . and of course you would come in!

      Ron and I both come up with ideas, but Ron is the workhorse. He can work circles around me!

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  4. Love all the changes . . . you are a great team!

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  5. Absolutely beautiful. Each and every change.

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  6. It all looks wonderful! Have a wonderful Christmas season. ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you, Lorraine! Merry Christmas to you as you celebrate "God With Us"!

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  7. All those changes make yur house very elegant. It was lovely before, but it's even lovelier now!

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  8. Oh that is lovely. Your ideas for boosting curb appeal were so sensible and that you did this yourself(aka husband) and on a budget is wonderful. It's really nice!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Terri! House projects are a way of life around here! :)

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  9. Love how the two of you work together to make a plan work. What great changes and it is a lot more appealing. Hooray for a husband who can do things. :)

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    1. Thank you, Ellen! You and I hit the jackpot with handy husbands, didn't we?!

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  10. Your house is beautiful, Cheryl, and all the changes you've made add so much to its appeal. I love it. House projects are something we do a lot of. When we begin our major renovation I'll probably be documenting it all on the blog. I'm so blessed to have a husband who is handy and able to bring my wishes into being.

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    1. Thank you, Lorrie, for your kind words! And I look forward to reading all about your renovation! I love all things house . . . whether it's my house or someone else's. Indeed, we are blessed to have our handy husbands!

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  11. Your house is beautiful with or without the changes, though I must admit some of those changes really made a difference. Like the wrought iron railing on your front porch. I notice you even trimmed some of the shrubs by the windows. Everything looks wonderful, but your house is beautiful so you had that going in.

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    1. Thank you! Absolutely, Pineapple House was lovely from the beginning. It was a much-loved house and I fell in love with it from the photos before ever seeing it in person!

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  12. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love your style!!! It all looks wonderful.

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    1. Thanks so much, Rosella! You are always so kind!

      Praying for you much these days . . . ♥

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  13. Everything is so beautiful Cheryl!

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  14. Oh friend! How beautiful! Those lanterns are just right for your home, the size is perfect. The railings are incredible, too. Ron is a master craftsman. The roof is wonderful as well.

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    1. Thanks so much, Deanna, for all of your kind words! Ron is a talented man and loves a home project as much as I do, so that is a blessing!

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  15. This is a wonderful post! You give me ideas. :) We are much slower than you when making aesthetic changes. It seems we always find ways to spend money on more practical things, and then our heads and pocketbook are worn out for making changes just for pleasure. I love how you so thoughtfully work through what will make you both happy. And how fortunate you both are that Ron is so handy. A master craftsman as Deanna says above. :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Becki! I smile when anyone thinks we (especially me) are fast! We have lived here 6.5 years and some projects feel quite snail-ish. But I think it's perspective. I am so grateful for Ron's talent and his ability to execute a plan!

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