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One year ago we bought a (well-loved), but run down home that hadn't received updates in years. The landscaping was overgrown, the windows needed to be replaced, and it just overall looked "blah." Today, we have an insanely beautiful Tudor home that oozes with character while still looking updated and new.
One of the reasons I wanted to renovate a home like this was to be able to take you through the entire process with me. I want to be able to try out paint colors so you can know the good ones, order the front door letters and get your approval, make mistakes so you don't waste money on it, etc. And now I finally get to share it all with you!! Let me show you the two biggest before and afters and then I'll dive deep into all the paint colors and products we used.
Are you ready for the exterior reveal?!
Before
We have a full post going into alll the details on the "before" exterior reveal of our GBOGH! It's a must-see to really appreciate how far we've come and see what all of our plans were.
After
Doesn't it look alive again?!
This next one is my favorite view in the entire house...
Before
After
I wanted the addition to feel like it was apart of the original home. I know you can tell that it is an addition, but I really tried to design the addition to enhance the existing home even more. Throughout the entire exterior of the home we used one paint color - Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams. I went through a ton of different black paints and this was the perfect "muted black". I kept saying I don't want black black, I just want black :). I think that was the start of the construction team realizing I was insane. hah!
We replaced every single window with Quaker Manchester brand from Zuern. I didn't realize this before doing this home, but apparently I am very specific with what windows I like and what windows I don't like. I now point out windows to Ben ALL the time. I did black on the exterior and white on the interior. I am doing an entire post on windows later this week, so I am going to save the good stuff for that post (including how much they all cost us!).
The city this home is in has very specific rules on what materials you can use on the home, how many of a material you can use, the color you paint your house, etc. I wanted to tie in some of the Tudor elements of the home into the addition. I did stucco paneling in the window jut out.
On the other parts of the addition, I chose out a product that I am extremely happy with. I originally wanted black cedar shake, but quickly realized like 10 pieces of real cedar shake ate up my entire budget haha. Instead, I decided to use this product called TandoShake in the color graphite. I am very anti fake products that try to mimic real materials so I was a little nervous about this one. Now that it's in I can tell you that it looks 100% real AND it will be way less maintenance for future owners!
One more thing to look at! Take a peek at the bay window...see that copper?! Aren't you obsessed!! This was one thing that I was absolutely set on getting the real deal product. I have yet to find a fake copper that doesn't look "fake". This cost us a little bit more upfront but it will age so beautifully. I love how it looks right now but once it gets a little age to it is when I will really love it.
Take a peek at that railing...
I custom designed the metal railing with a welder. It actually ended up being less expensive than getting it at a home improvement store. I looked at local railing places and everything looked too clunky. I really wanted it to look ~dainty~. It was really fun to be able to design it exactly how I wanted.
We replaced the existing light with this light. Believe it or not, we ended up getting it from Home Depot! I actually found it from a more expensive lighting company and ended up finding the exact light on the Home Depot website for WAY cheaper. I love it!!
Also, let's take a moment for that sign that has held up incredibly through all 4-seasons of Wisconsin weather. You've treated me well, sign ;).
And that wraps up the GBOGH Exterior Reveal. Honestly, I am so proud of it haha. I have to stop and think for a moment that I picked out every.single.detail on the house. Like every detail down to how thick every single piece of molding on the exterior is. It was such a labor of love!! Can't wait for you to see the rest of the home!
