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    • I'm Christina, a full-time web developer with a dog sitting business, home renovations, and a blog on the side.

      Homemaking is what made it all possible, and that's what this blog is about: not cleaning, but making a home, from interior design, to running a business from it, to learning how to cook (not just follow recipes), and tons more.

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LITTLE VICTORIAN

Modern Homemaking

The (pretty much) finished front porch

May 21, 2012 Before and after, DIY, Outside, The Victorian

The front porch makeover is finished!  There are a few little projects left, but it’s finished enough to show you pictures.  This time I’ll start with the “After.”

Blue green front porch potted flower bed spiral topiaries bistro set

Here’s the listing photo from when we purchased the house:

Victorian Front Porch Before

It was slightly different than this when we actually purchased it.  The big Maple in the front was cut down (and a lovely stump left a foot above the ground) and the Spruce that was overtaking the front porch was gone too.

We tossed the storm door.  We wanted so badly to keep the gorgeous original front door, but it was warped beyond repair.  For the first 6 months or so, we couldn’t just close the door, we had to slam it.  Hard.  Then lock it to get it to stay shut.  The neighbors probably thought we were just angry people.

Blue green front porch victorian

After giving the siding a good cleaning, here’s what we did:

  • Added house numbers to the front door
  • Painted the bistro set green
  • Made a rug out of a drop cloth and painted it
  • In the flower bed, we put down weed barrier, mulch and potted plants and flowers
  • Added topiaries on either side of the front door and more potted plants in various places
  • Lined the flower bed with stones from the rocky back yard
  • Added inexpensive solar path lights and string lights

And here’s the transformation:

Front Porch Before (1)  Front Porch After (3)

Front Porch Before (3) stone edged edging flower bed hydrangea azaela topiaries roses

It was a lot of work, but we had fun, but we are sooo glad it’s done.  This week, we’re moving on to my office and our electrical dilemmas.

What did you work on this weekend?

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  1. onshore

    May 21, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    It was so worth the work. The porch looks very cozy, I can imagine myself there on a hot summer evening.

    You will not get the bench swing on the porch? I think I’ve seen one in every movie that has this style house in it 🙂

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 22, 2012 at 10:19 am

      Thanks Leena, we thought about a swing. Maybe someday. 🙂

  2. Angie

    May 21, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    It looks SO MUCH better! I’m with Onshore above… So who’s bringing the iced tea? 🙂

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 22, 2012 at 10:19 am

      Thanks Ang! 🙂

  3. Anna Williams

    May 21, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    This looks gorgeous! I am so jealous of your fairytale house – it is very pretty! xx

    Anna (My Design Ethos)

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 22, 2012 at 10:20 am

      Haha, thank you Anna!

  4. Anne Lien

    May 22, 2012 at 7:38 am

    Wow it looks really nice! =D
    Can’t wait to see what your office is gonna look like ^_^
    and good luck with your rewiring!

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 22, 2012 at 10:22 am

      Thanks Anne. Hopefully we’ll get it done quickly and be able to share it!

  5. thistlewoodfarm

    May 23, 2012 at 12:46 am

    Your house is adorable. That porch is so sweet. What kind of solar lights did you use for the path and do you have any recommendations?

    Thanks for the inspiration.
    blessings,
    karianne

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 23, 2012 at 11:45 am

      Thank you so much! The path lights and the spotlights are both by Westinghouse and we highly recommend both. These are the pathlights: http://www .westinghousesolarlights.com/products/solar/product5.html I got them on sale at the grocery store in a box of 4 for $10, but I would pay more than that for them, they are high quality and bright.

      These are the solar string lights we have on the ceiling: http://www.target.com/p/Philips-50ct-Cool-White-Solar-LED-Mini-String-Lights/-/A-13480609 They are very nice for the ambiance, but they put out very little light. The price has also been raised twice since they started selling them, and personally, I’m not sure if I would pay $20 for another set, but I think they are worth it for the $15 we paid. The same for the path lights that Target sells for $2 and $3, they are good for the ambiance, but they don’t really light anything up.

      Hope that helps!

  6. [email protected]

    May 24, 2012 at 5:27 am

    It’s so charming! Love the topiaries. And the colors remind me of the dolhouse 🙂

    I bet you are glad you are finished.

    Reply
  7. [email protected]

    May 24, 2012 at 5:33 am

    Oh and just one tiny bit of a suggestion…it would be lovely if you ripped out the concrete slab leading to the porch and replaced with a brick pad, to tie back to your chimney. It would also add a little bit of reddish natural color that would go well with the mint that you selected.

    hope I didn’t open up a can of worms…i feel like we are never really ‘finished’ with projects :-/

    Reply
    • Christina

      May 24, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      That is a great idea! Originally, I was planning on staining it blue like the wood, but after looking at it all “finished,” I wasn’t really liking that anymore and I had no idea what to do with it. Thanks!!

  8. The Vintage Farmhouse

    May 29, 2012 at 3:16 am

    It looks great!

    Reply
  9. Athena at Minerva's Garden

    May 29, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    This is so charming! It makes such a difference when vintage homes are painted with pretty trim and accent colors such as the ones you’ve chosen–I really like how it all goes together. We live in a Craftsman-style bungalow, built in 1920, and the walls are light green, with olive green trim and deep turquoise accent color–I just love it all together!

    Reply
  10. mishebe

    May 30, 2012 at 7:27 am

    what great curb appeal!

    Reply
  11. Linda @ it all started with paint

    May 30, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    I just love the look of your house! It’s my dream …

    The front porch is amazing and the landscaping looks perfect!

    Linda

    Reply
  12. Mary C. Nasser

    June 1, 2012 at 1:26 am

    Gorgeous front porch makeover!
    Looks like an oasis now!

    So nice to meet you through BYW 2.0.
    All the best,
    Mary

    Reply
  13. buildingthisnest

    June 2, 2012 at 2:02 am

    Your house is adorable! I dream about the day that I have a big front porch like that. You did a fantastic job 🙂

    Reply
  14. celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms

    June 2, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Your front porch looks wonderful. Amazing how small details can have such a big impact. I love the new door and the green really pops.
    Lisa

    Reply
  15. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog

    June 2, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    Wow, it looks like a lot of work, but well, well worth it. What an inviting front porch! Thank you so much for sharing!
    Karah

    Reply
  16. thistlewoodfarm

    June 2, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    I loved this the first time that I saw it and I was impressed!

    Have a great weekend!

    blessings,
    karianne

    Reply
  17. Laura

    January 16, 2015 at 11:54 pm

    This is so cute! What are the colors you used? I would love to know the names and brand if you do not mind.

    Thank you,
    Laura

    Reply
    • Christina

      January 20, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      Hi Laura!

      I’m sorry, I no longer have the card for the blue. 🙁 But that was painted 5 years ago, so I’m not sure they have the color anymore anyway. It was Benjamin Moore. The rest of the paint was actually various shades of Behr “Oops” paints mixed together.

      Sorry I couldn’t be more help!

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