When Crystal contacted me to spruce up her little brick ranch, I was bubbling over with excitement.  Literally.  I bubbled.  Here’s her email: 

“Katie, First of all, I enjoy reading your blog often, so keep them coming! Secondly, my husband and I bought a major fixer upper when we got married. The only thing I have never liked about our cute little house is the outside and curb appeal. Our inside is almost finished, but we’ve barely started on the outside. I have a few ideas (one included painting the brick which my husband vetoed quickly). As you can tell, a room was previously added on to our little home, and I completely despise the cedar….I’m always open for new (cost friendly) ideas! We have considered moving, but I’ve moved my entire life (being a PK) and I would like to stay put for several more years.  Help us make our home more…..”homey”!  🙂  Thanks Katie! ~Crystal”

 

Well, Crystal, this homey has gotcha back 🙂  This fight is on.  Girl, hold my earrings, I am knock this one out…cause I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee (actually not but nobody wants to hear that I float like a rock and sting like a slug…anyhoo).  Here is the PK’s current abode…

Potential city, right?!  This little brick rancher has potential spouting out of each grout line.  But here are some of the things holding it back…

1.  THREE WINDOWS VARIOUS SIZES

2. LACK OF LANDSCAPING and HARDSCAPING

3.  CEDAR ADDITION THAT DRAWS THE EYE

So my goal is to address all three of these items in order to give Crystal an idea of how fabulous her home could be with a few minor tweeks. 

I decided that with all three options that Crystal needed bigger shutters and a new front walk.  A walk made of cobblestone or brick or even poured cement would allow guests to have a clear path to the entrance.  My photoshopped version is kinda janky but the idea is there nonetheless.   I also included some colorful landscaping so that the front of the house could appear soft and welcoming.  A windowbox on the far left window helps bulk up the size so that it balances out the large center windows.  Note that you can’t even see the new addition because of that beautiful crabapple tree…if you can’t flaunt it, hide it, right??!  Behind those blooms, the cedar gets a stain that is close in hue to the surrounding brick.  Making the cedar the same color allows your eye to wander right past the differing surface and continue till it focuses on that newly painted front door.   The color of the door could stay as-is but black would be the #1 option in my book because of the depth that it gives the facade of the house. 

Option #2 is the most formal of the options.  Staining or painting the cedar the same accent color as the rest of the house makes the cedar look like just part of a bigger shutter.  And to balance out the darkness on the right side, we should really have a black door.  The real difference in option 2 is the landscaping layout. The two dwarf alberta spruces on either side of the porch give the entryway more substance and combining the boxwoods with azaleas makes for a stately front walk. 

Option #3 is a combination of the two above. I added some porch columns that exude a colonial feel without the pricetag of a whole new porch. Traditional plantings combined with a quaint windowbox and a soft tree makes this one my favorite. 

Now that the photoshopping fun is done, now comes your part – Which one would you choose?

Oh and if you want to see your own yard/room/house/boyfriend photoshopped with a few Bower Power enhancements – email me some pics at [email protected]

And I promise I won’t pull a Tyson and bite anyone’s ear off 🙂