Do you even notice the ‘Drive-by’s’?

No matter where you live, there is always that one house in the neighborhood or down the road that looks like a ‘deserted drive-by’ sort of house. Some thoughts that might come to mind are, “does anyone live there? What happened to the outside? Why isn’t there any landscape? Is there a house behind all that brush?” Or perhaps, you really do just drive by and don’t even notice the house because of the state it is in.

Sweat Equity

We always put money into the exteriors of our homes. I always feel a sense of pride pulling into the driveway and seeing a clean exterior, a crisp colored front door, neat landscaping with clean edging, and green grass.

Now to get the exterior of your house to not be the dump of the neighborhood does not require spending a fortune. Transforming exteriors is not rocket science. Most people want landscape that looks appealing, but at the same time is low maintenance. In Michigan, we have short summers so people do not want to spend all of their time primping and snipping meticulous landscape. Great thing is, you don’t need to!

Our Most Recent Drive-By

Our sight unseen farmhouse purchase had been empty for at least a year.  The bank would mow the grass every now and then and the house was covered in scary spiders and cobwebs.   The first time we saw the house, the grass was about 5ft tall.  I remember thinking….we could lose a child in the yard! The exterior work was the only thing that we could plan. I have a knack for landscaping and have redone close to a dozen houses. In looking at this house, I knew it didn’t need much especially since it is out in the country–it did not need to be elaborate, but definitely needed some help.

Here is the before:

My plan: Some simple front landscape along the front (including digging out sod, straight edging, plants, and mulch), find some sort of yard, power wash the house, paint the shutters and front door, paint the front railings and stairs, as well as the foundation to make the house pop.

Landscape Progress!

 

Tackling the House

I have to again give props to my dad who power washed the entire house. That house was so white, it was literally blinding to look at!! Just the time spent power washing the house makes a huge difference. We took the shutters down to paint and painted the doors as well.

Painting the foundation was a team effort. Our little crew loved helping mommy paint ‘rectangles’!

The Finished Product

And it cost less than $200.00!