Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post brought to you by The Home Depot. All opinions are 100% my own.
Curb appeal is such an important factor to every home’s value but honestly I think great curb appeal is appreciated even more by the people who live there. Taking some time to improve your home’s curb appeal can give you a sense of pride and is enjoyed everyday by YOU (and any nosy neighbors! ha!). And that is why I am so excited to share with you our fall curb appeal and our new front doors!
Our front porch has undergone many transformations but all of them were like lipstick on a pig. They gussied up what we had….but the real situation – the very bones were still not my style….especially those doors.
After several visits to The Home Depot and many months of dreaming, we found doors that we LOVE and lots of great finds to give our front porch a mature vibe.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
I totally feel like that sentence deserves a sound affect afterward….so just imagine a sparkle noise or a doo-doo-DOO!
The doors we had on the front porch were original to when we bought this foreclosure. We have painted them red, black and finally green but it always didn’t feel quite right.
I think part of it was that the style of the doors was just simply too ornate for our personal preference.
Also the window area was very small and very gold. The small size of the windows didn’t allow very much light into our foyer which was disappointing.
We changed out the locks but for several years the door didn’t line up properly so it was rarely used. Most of our friends and family learned to go to the garage door or to one of the doors that leads into the office. #superclassy
The inside was white to match the molding. You can see how obscure the shadows were outside.
Even at a closer angle – it was nearly impossible to see who was outside. I would much rather be able to see who was outside!
After several visits to The Home Depot, we finally decided it was time for new front doors. We also decided that beautiful farmhouse style front doors by Masonite were exactly the vibe we were looking for.
Since doors are very technical to install….the slightest adjustment can make the difference between doors that close and open easily or doors that won’t shut at all….we chose to hire the installation out to our favorite contractor.
Alberto and his crew installed several doors for us at The Monroe House so we knew that he would do an excellent job with our new entry.
The first thing they did was remove the doors, the trim and start making frame adjustments.
Alberto is learning how to tolerate my incessant picture taking 🙂 He is a really good sport and an even better contractor.
Once the doors were out, the foyer flooded with light. I was shocked how this curb appeal project drastically affected the mood inside our house!
Here they come! The new beauties that we waited so long for!
We have launch in 3…..2……1……
LIFT OFF!!!
The view from the inside was PERFECTION!
Then they had to reinstall all the trim work….
And also we had a new handleset to install. This time we went with something that was clean and squared off to compliment the shape of the door. This Kwikset Front Entry lock set fit the bill perfectly.
Also we chose to install a touchpad deadbolt (it’s the Next x Yale Lock). Every single time we get a smart home item, it never fails to surprise me so I was eager to see this in action.
Alberto installed the set in a jiffy and soon we had a FUNCTIONAL door. Who knew the joy of a door that would actually open?!
Now I can unbolt the front door with my code, my phone and without a key! Technology wins!
A lot of times technology doesn’t look great but this lock is very sharp and coordinates well with the door set.
From even a few steps away, you can’t even tell what it is exactly. That was surprising for me since I knew that it could be a little awkward.
On either side of the front door, we installed new lights. I love the size of these and the fact that they actually work….well that’s GREAT. The other ones had a couple sockets that would not light up.
As for the porch decor, we nixed the chairs and decided to create a gathering of mixed planters. I love the organic feel of different sizes and finishes of planters. It looks collected over time even though all of these were bought at the same time (all at the Home Depot).
The plants are also very mixed in texture and color to make it look like a garden. The key is to make the heights all different and layer them in a way that they can mirror each other on either side of the door without them being exactly the same.
I think more than anything the biggest change was adding a large indoor outdoor rug. Our porch gets extremely hot…to the point that we can’t go on it barefoot. But with this rug in place, we are able to step outside to get deliveries and greet guests.
Nobody loves the rug more than Bear though. He is the biggest fan of perching (and napping) on the porch.
It’s his favorite lookout spot to protect the house from all those dangerous squirrels.
In the last few months we have switched up landscaping. I wanted to try out landscape lighting with these solar panel stake lights before splurging for the wired ones.
They were a great price and they also were super simple to install.
They charged for a half hour in the sun and then later we saw the glow in the night. It was a sweet addition that improved the night time curb appeal for sure 🙂
They don’t really stand out during the day. I prefer it that way. I think I like the subtly of them.
As for the before and after….this makeover definitely makes the overall look of the house look much nicer and more high end. The before was colorful and bright but felt mismatched.
The after looks more natural and mature. I love plants and this entry feels welcoming and is definitely a huge boost in the curb appeal. This is the type of entry that I am proud to show off.
Sources :
- doors
- rug
- lights
- solar powered landscaping lights
- tall black planter
- basket texture planter
- drip glazed textured planter
- concrete look planter
- faux galvanized planter
- short gray planter