The Sixth House Mini Update

Hello! When last I posted about my house the inside renovation was placed on hold and the outside was still in the process of taking one step forward and many steps backward. The interior remains on hold as we wait to hear the details of the sale of the company my husband, John, works for and how the sale affects John's job. The outside has taken some more steps forward (and a few backward) so I will give a quick update on those.

The base of the front porch is complete. Finally. It took months and many attempts to get to this point and this is as good as it's going to get. It is far from perfect. It is not square. The posts to support the eventual roof are not placed at equal distance from the house, nor are they equal distance from the front and side edges. The wood also curves. Yikes. The landscape company struggled every step of the way to build it and I am beyond thrilled that it is done, despite the condition. John and I have a plan to make it look proportionate and we will start to implement that plan this weekend. We have decided to rely only on ourselves to complete the porch going forward. I hope by next month it will be complete and I can take you through the step by step by process.

The bushes and roses in the front are starting to flower and grow so fingers crossed they will survive the season and thrive next year. They have all looked close to death at one point or another so I am praying they all make it.

The bushes in front of the garage windows look the best.

The bushes down the side of the house are starting to flower. These are pinky winky hydrangea bushes that start out with white flowers that turn pink towards the fall. Let's hope they keep growing because they will be beautiful.

The landscape plan called for lavender and thick flowing grasses to surround the side entrance to the house. Right now there is a hodgepodge of different types of lavender and little dwarf grasses. This side looks slightly better than the other side of the stairs. I have mentioned that the different varieties of lavender needed to be addressed several times to the landscaper and that has repeatedly fallen on deaf ears. John and I went to a local nursery a couple of weeks ago and we will replace the lavender and grasses in the fall. I am not sure when/if we will hear back from the landscapers, I am sure though that we do not want them to do any more work at our house.

We also are having an issue with nutgrass in our yard where ever grass seed was put down. You can see some patches in the next two pictures. We are working to control this. Like I said, one step forward is often met with a step backward in the yard. There is some grass growing - forward step, there is nutgrass - backward steps.

We have started to address making the deck and back patio usable.

We moved the table to be close to the kitchen door and purchased an inexpensive, temporary umbrella for it. We have eaten outside a couple of times already and it is a real treat.

In my mind I am starting to play with the furniture layout for the deck. I want furniture with a wicker look that is made to withstand the elements and blue and white garden stools as side tables. We have some furniture that fits the bill from our last two houses, we need an upgrade though. I will not be purchasing outdoor furniture this year though because after John and I tackle the front porch, our next project is replacing the deck railing. The railing will need to be painted/stained next spring so as much as it pains me, I am choosing practicality over immediate gratification for furnishing the deck. Maybe next year, when we are looking at furniture, the cost won't be quite as inflated as it is now. Dare to hope, Kerry.

I think a sectional sofa where the chaises are would be great.

I like the tone of these chairs and would like to incorporate them in the deck and patio furniture plans. They have white seat cushions that we need to take out of storage now that the landscapers are gone!

The last exterior update is that we purchased a fire pit for the patio. It has been far too hot to use it, I am looking forward to sitting by a fire in the evening soon though. The glow of the fire will soften the hard edge of the landscaping issues and that will be lovely. We need to purchase something for firewood storage too.

The last little update is that the shades I ordered for the first floor of my house (I talked all about them in this post) have arrived!

I haven't opened them yet. I have to open them and make sure the sizing is all correct and then I have to decide if I want to hang them despite the fact that the house is not yet renovated, knowing they will have to come down and go back up, or if I should wait. What would you do???

That is all for today, friends!

Thank you for checking in with me,

Kerry