Front Porch Reveal - Part Deux

A little while back I shared our beautiful new front steps with you and was lost on how to redo the very top step. It is apart of the actual porch, so they were unable to put a thin layer of concrete over it for fear of cracking. We reached back out to E&J Concrete (who did the steps) and they were able to help us with finding a brick layer to finish the top step. We couldn't be happier with the results!

Before:

This was the initial before. AH!

This was after the steps were done, but top step was still in need of help.

After:

They were able to cut the bricks to fit the lip of the porch itself, so they are going to last longer and line up nicely. What a difference, right? It is amazing how big of a difference it makes to our curb appeal.

The look is clean and still fits the style of our old home. E&J Concrete did a wonderful job making sure the stairs feel classic and traditional - the curve on the sides of the bottom slab are my favorite part. If you are looking for local concrete work, we highly recommend them. Easy to work with, and they want to make sure the job is done right. They care about the work and are proud to put their name on the projects. The scariest part of our Halloween Party will no longer be the broken front steps!

Photos via me.

Make sure to also check out the patio reveal to see how E&J transformed out backyard! We are having a little patio party this coming weekend, and I'll be taking pictures with our furniture setup.

Lots of Love,

Front Porch Steps Reveal

For a project update, make sure to check out: Front Porch Reveal - Part Deux!

If you have ever knocked on our front door, you have had to survive our crumbling front steps. Well fear no more (unless you are just clumsy), we have fixed the stairs! And by we, I mean our concrete guys.

What scares trick-or-treaters and grandparents? These stairs:

You could say they made our home look sad, which is not the first impression we wanted to give. We decided something needed to be done with them and before Halloween! Sitting at the top of the stairs passing out candy is a lot more fun than the bottom. We hired the same company that did our backyard patio. Great having another leave and come home to a finished product...

Viola!

We love the clean lines and simplicity of the cement. The curved base was a great idea and makes the area look finished. Oh and hey, the stairs are actually an even width apart! It's the little things with old houses...

The front visual of the house looks cleaned up and welcoming...welcoming because you don't have to fear for your life anymore. Our mail woman must love us now!

The final to do is to finish is the top step. The concrete company was unable to finish that step because it is one with the porch and we aren't ready to replace the entire porch. They didn't want to cover in a thin layer of concrete because it would crack soon after. Our plan now is to replace the thin brick. Anyone know how to lay brick or have a better solution?

Excited to give a better first impression at our parties! Come on in...

Lots of Love,

Patio Reveal!

I've been mentioning that we had a project coming up we hired for and today part one was completed! We had a cement patio put in and we are obsessed. Now, I know we haven't talked much about the outdoor situation of our house, and to be honest there was reason. The backyard is a great size, but it was not the most attractive site. We started looking at patio ideas end of last summer and we decided this spring that now was the time to make it happen. The company that we decided on was great (E&J Concrete), gave good advice and was quick!

Left this morning with cracked cement and weird rock beds...

...came home tonight to this!

We finally have stairs coming off of the sunroom! So excited to host parties where people can hangout in the sunroom and then go outside.

Whose ready for a patio party!? We should probably find some good patio furniture stat, so we can get to enjoying before the summer gets too hot.

This weekend Dustin is also power washing the siding and this summer we are going to work on redoing the fence and expanding the deck (because the french doors seriously go out into a railing). Then this fall, Dustin is planning on replanting the grass because he said it was mainly weeds and basically we let the workers drive through it today. I have to say it was nice hiring someone to do the concrete because viola! it was completed...a little different from some of our other projects :)

Lots of Love,