Cheap Fixes

 The house had been in foreclosure for a year. We made a short sell deal with the bank and that took another year to close. So after two years, it was in great disrepair and very overgrown. It was begging for some love. The house needed many "unseen" and expensive repairs to the electrical, water, and heating systems, so that is money that can't be seen. But there are two cheap fixes that transform the look of a house.

The first thing my husband did was the obvious. He mowed. We have 3 acres of grass, so this is the only way to do the job. He actually loves this, so not a problem. 

BEFORE

 The next project was tackling the exterior of the house. The trim had never been painted, and the wood was dry and hungry for paint. There was also nothing covering the crawl space.  

Here my mother sits on the porch at the time we took possession of the sad house.  Thankfully my mother's smile cheers the whole scene. 

BEFORE

 The driveway went right up to the front door. No welcoming entry zone. That was not a quick or cheap fix, so that had to wait. This is how it looked with all the cars packed by the entrance. 

BEFORE

 More dry wood. BTW, country houses always have rockers, and we wasted no time purchasing four of them from the Cracker Barrel restaurant.

BEFORE

 The back of the house isn't looking good, either. The original farm house is on the right side. It is 120 years old and has the original pine floors. It was once a two bedroom house, but has been gutted and is now just the living room.  The addition with the new bedrooms is on the left side of the house.

BEFORE

BEFORE

Without the white paint, the house looks small and dull. There's nothing to show off it's good bones. 

AFTER

With the paint, the rockers, and the lattice covering the crawl space...and a birdhouse that says "this is a charming and friendly little place". 

AFTER

 Showing the back of the house and the side with the rockers. 

AFTER

The newly painted entrance. The original front doors were white. We painted them black to match the existing light fixtures. The deck and steps are Behr black stain. Flower pots help with the awkward driveway transition.  With it's fresh paint, the house is already making a bigger statement.

 Paint is the best and cheapest fix ever.