A Curb-Appeal Makeover For The Garage

The Fixer Upper house sits at the corner of a cul de sac, with a side entry garage that is accessed from the street.

Picture, if you will, that whenever I come home, I do not get to see the pretty wrap around front porch with its white rockers and flowers. Nope. You only see that when you are driving past the house from the opposite direction.

I get to see a big ole garage door.

It really is the most used "entrance" to our house, and it never was all that welcoming...

...until this weekend!

We went to Lowe's (home improvement stores must love us!) and purchased a kit from Coach House Accents to give our garage doors the look of carriage house doors.

We purchased one decorative hardware kit ($35), and two window panel kits ($100).

Here are the doors before. Look at my sweet husband, diligently reading those instructions. Aww. I thought you only used those as a last resort. Ha ha. Just kidding!

And here he is, giving me a little visual demonstration of what the window panels will look like. We did the measurements, drilled the holes, and installed the hardware and window panels. And in just under an hour, our side entrance was transformed!

Ta da!

Wow! I cannot believe what a difference this makes to the look of the house!

Last fall, we installed the carriage house lights to the exterior, and honestly, I wasn't sure that I liked them before. But now, I think they match the look and feel of the cottage exterior perfectly!

The lights have a paned glass with a top arch, just like the garage windows. The black wrought iron of the lights now matches the garage door hardware, too. And the window panes now match the panes of our Andersen windows.

Now I know what some of you are wondering. Are those windows real? Can you see out of them from the interior of the garage? Nope! These are faux windows, but they certainly look real. I like to think of them as security windows. This way, no one can look into your garage and see all of the expensive things you are hiding there, like garden gnomes and cracked pots and Miracle Gro. (Oh, how I wish I had a garden shed. HOAs are evil!)

I found a nice spot for my garden potting table next to the chimney. Due to HOA's (hate 'em!), I cannot have a garden shed, so this potting table really helps me with gardening tasks, and I can still hide most of the tools in the garage. I can cute it up for the seasons, too, so it is decorative and functional.

Now some people may look at this project and say "Really? You've run out of projects to do inside of your house? (Nope!) Was this job really necessary?"

Maybe not.

But I really wanted to do this project for me. I wanted to feel welcomed and see a prettier side to my house when I come home. This makes me happy. And furthermore, you can never put a price on good curb appeal. Or maybe you can. $235, to be exact.

The next curb appeal project? Installing an arbor over this side gate, and then painting the picket fence white. I think it will freshen it up and tie it in with the white trim of the house. I will plant a lovely white sweet autumn clematis to grow here. And more flowers. Flowers always say "Welcome home."

Something like this:

 We are loving on this house in a way it hasn't been loved on in a long time.

Every project, big and small, takes this neglected house and turns it into a home.

Thanks for visiting the cafe, today!