This year has been the (slightly unexpected) year of our exterior renovation! And, honestly, the house has never felt more us. All the renovations we’ve done to our “Modern Colonial” North Carolina home feel like they represent the elements that I loved so much about our last house in Idaho. There’s this moody exterior with the copper and dark trim. But I also have this red brick, which I really, really love. It feels so unexpected in a world where people are painting their brick houses.
Faux Boxwood Topiaries | Footed Urn Planters | Doormat | Wall Lanterns (similar)
To take a trip down memory lane, here is the previous exterior house coverage of our North Carolina home:
- Back in Black: The Front Door Color That Just Works (August 19, 2024)
- Turning a Window into a new Exterior Door for the Mudroom (August 12, 2024)
- All About Our New Front Yard Landscape Lighting (August 15, 2024)
- Our Exterior Window Trim Color Reveal! (And the Whole Process of How We Finally Decided) (May 5, 2024)
- Choosing a Color For Our Exterior Trim & Windows (August 23, 2023)
- Our Complete Exterior Renovation: The Final Reveal and Cost Breakdown (May 24, 2023)
- 5 Exterior Paint Colors that Pair With Red Brick (March 16, 2023)
- What’s Been Going on With the Landscaping? (March 13, 2023)
- Our REVISED Backyard Landscape Plans (November 9, 2021)
- Meet our Colonial home in North Carolina! (May 12, 2021)
And go back even further to our previous homes’ exterior renovations:
The funny thing about our exterior makeover is that with some projects, from the very moment you move in you know you’re going to redo something. Like a kitchen. Or your bedroom is going to get painted. Or you’re going to knock down this wall.
String Lights | Pergola | Lanterns (similar) | Barstools | Outdoor Dining Table | Outdoor Dining Chairs | Wicker Planter | Faux Cedar Tree | Loveseat | Ottoman | Side Table
Shop The Backyard
And then sometimes things happen. You’re doing things and it inspires you to do something else. Like, “Oh what if we did this!?” For our exterior, we knew we were going to add a pool. We knew we were going to add an outdoor kitchen. We actually didn’t know that we were going to paint the trim. But we had to get new windows—we knew that when we bought the house because the windows needed replace. It wasn’t until we got new windows that we thought, “Well, do we want to paint the windows?” And then with the new trim and window color, the gutters looked terrible, so we replaced the gutters. That’s ok! You don’t have to have it all figured out.
Wall Lantern | Door Hardware | Doormat | Planter (bought locally – similar) | Footed Planter | Double Topiary
Trellis (bought locally – similar) | Door Mat | Wall Lantern | Planter (bought locally – similar)
We replaced the roof also, but we literally replaced it with identical shingles. I know some people are like, “Why didn’t you choose something different on the roof?” I don’t have any qualms with my roof, so I’m not going to risk choosing something else that I might not like!
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Modern Planter | Boxwood Topiary | Beaded Planter | Faux Cypress Tree | Faux Cedar Tree
There is one thing left to do—above, there’s a door that leads into the dining time and on the left, there’s a door that leads into the living room that we never ever use. We have a window sitting in the garage (delivered with our other windows) that we’re putting into the living room to close up that door, and make the living room a little more symmetrical. I do wish we had the foresight to add four feet onto the dining room toward the backyard to line up with the end of the living room. But now we can’t because the mudroom is done. It would just mess everything up. All that to say, having an overarching plan before you start renovating does have its advantages. But it’s ok!
Adirondack Chairs | Chaise Lounge | Umbrellas | Wicker Planter | Faux Cypress Tree
There will probably be more things we want to do with our exterior…I’m not saying it’s complete by any means. But we’re all about celebrating the progress, not just the final product! And wow, have we come a long way!!!
