Keep checking back-- I'll be sneaking in the before-and-afters regularly. I'm always looking for good ideas, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!
First, the exterior. We love that the red panels are a wood composite, so we don't have to worry about painting and repainting over the years. Unfortunately, Summer of 2010 wasn't so friendly for living plants or shrubs, so we'll see what made it come Spring!
All of the houses on this side of the neighborhood are different colors - when you build, you have your choice of brown, green, red, blue, or yellow, all in muted colors. The only rule is that no two colors can repeat at adjacent houses.
Who knows what will ultimately end up on the front porch... For Fall, it was decorated simply with a festive pumpkin and yellow mums.
Backyard:
The fire pit has a gas line running to it (yes, it's slightly cheating, but it's quicker and less messy!), S'mores still taste like s'mores, gas or wood-powered!
The deck is a good size for a cook-out.
Here's the front door, which opens right into one of two living areas. There is plenty of natural light in this house! The wood floors are consistent throughout the whole house, tile in kitchen and bathrooms, and finally a short grey/beige shag-type carpet in all of the other areas. The house came with walls completely painted (major selling point), and great color selections.
An alternate front room view is below. The boxes are here to show that it's a fairly small space, measuring 17' x 13' from the wall to the left of the door. Take out walking space, and finding proportionate furniture has been a challenge!
Here's the front room, in progress:
Front room, after:
As you come through the front door, on your right is the office, aka Todd's room.
Love the French doors. The desks are built in.
Past the office is the stairs and a coat closet.
This is what we call "the fireplace room." Yes, it's slightly strange that there are two small living spaces and not one, but it's really nice to have this open area right next to the kitchen.
Love that natural light! On the left of the photo you see the patio door that leads out to the deck. Unfortunately they didn't let us keep the flat panel TV.
Here's the view of the kitchen from the fireplace, looking forward. The pendant lights are perfect for counter working/eating and the tile floor keeps things interesting. Love the upgraded stainless steel appliances too!
The breakfast nook, below. Check out the windows on the cabinets! (I don't know the official name for this style) How about that for orderly-cabinet accountability?
The view from the fireplace, looking right. The cut-out in the wall (at left) leads to the bathroom, laundry room, and the stairs to garage/basement. The double doors obviously lead to the deck.
Standing in the cut-out in the wall: the bathroom is to the right (not shown), laundry room straight ahead, and the stairs to garage and basement are on the left.
That's the house tour, for now! Still to come: the upstairs and basement, where there are plenty of opportunities for before and afters...
