Our 1987 Fixer Upper: Exterior Changes Update

You guys!  I have been the worst these last few weeks at updating our 1987 Fixer Upper progress.  This last month has been SO tough.  I mean SOOO hard.  I’m sure we are wimps and everything, but moving stinks.  Especially when you don’t want to move.  The kids have been such troopers but it has been a really LONG hard month.  They went from a neighborhood FULL of friends and a church congregation full of friends to a neighborhood and church congregation full of an older demographic.  They are all so kind and nice and have welcomed us with open arms which I appreciate so much, but it is super duper hard for kids to not have any friends, with no hope of really having any in the neighborhood.  The amount of stress I feel as a mom who is home with teary eyed kids all day is immense.  Add to that the fact that we are basically camping in the unfinished basement and it has just been kind of an all out disaster.  This last couple of weeks we have been nomads, forced to move from one temporary living situation to another, because the things taking place at the house have been too messy for us to even live there.  Craziness I tell you! 🙂  Note to self, don’t try to move across the county to live in the midst of a major renovation again. 😉

updating your homes exterior

The good news in all of this is that some major changes have started to happen on the outside of the house, which, very quickly is going to start to make it look like a real house again.  That should have some major psychological impact in a positive way, which will be great.  Once the house is completed I know that the overall misery of the move will be seriously reduced, which will be a huge help.


So, what’s been happening?  Let’s take a look! 🙂  The windows had to be replaced on this house.  They were 30 year old aluminum frames that were leaky and not energy efficient at all.  In order to install the new windows properly, the stucco on the exterior all needed to be removed.  At the start of all of this, I wanted to completely make over the exterior, but then decided against it because I wasn’t sure if it was in the budget.  Well, once I realized the stucco had to go due to the windows going in, it kind of put the exterior changes back into play. 🙂

1987 home remodel

It started looking pretty rough once the stucco came off. eek!  Of course when you start tearing off one thing, it inevitably leads to more fun surprises, so off came the soffet and gutters too.  😉

1980s house remodel

1980s home remodel

The arched window over the front door and the arch in the brick porch cover were just dating things so much.  When we first put an offer in on the house, I sketched out this image:

1980's home remodel

Since everything is such a mess right now, we decided to just go for it and make the sketch a reality. 😉

19802 home makeover


1980's home makeover

1980's home renovation

I love watching the transformation take place!

1980's fixer upper

1980's fixer upper

1980's fixer upper

Can you believe how different it looks?  Overall it was a quite easy change but made such an impact!

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This week the brick got a makeover too.  Time to say out with the peachy-orange and in with a fun gray wash.  We mixed the paint for the wash several times to get it just right.  Dark enough so that you can see the color up against all of the white siding that is going up, but also thin enough that you can still see the character of the brick underneath.  We picked up several samples and painted the spare bricks to get the look I was hoping for.

1980's fixer upper

white wash brick ideas

The one in the middle is what I decided to go with…

Gray painted brick house

grey painted brick house

gray painted brick house

I love a little before and after, so here’s a fun shot…

gray painted brick house

A pretty big change, huh? 😉  I am excited to see the siding go up, the black shutters, gutters, front door, lanterns…the whole nine yards.  Once phase 2 (the landscaping) happens, this place will be looking brand new!

Stay tuned for the next update! 🙂
Tammy

Tammy

Creative Director at Pink Peppermint Design
Tammy Mitchell is the founder and creative director of lifestyle blog pinkpeppermintdesign.com. Along with being a homeschooling mom of two kiddos, she is also an in-demand prop and event stylist, photographer, interior and graphic designer. On Pink Peppermint Design, she shares creative DIY projects, easy entertaining and gift ideas, inspiring interiors and events. She lives in Southern California, with her husband and two children.

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2 thoughts on “Our 1987 Fixer Upper: Exterior Changes Update”

  1. lol Claire! Absolutely nothing! 🙂 Everyone in the neighborhood is super fun and friendly. My kids are just struggling. They are used to a neighborhood full of 50+ kids ages 15 and under and in this new neighborhood there aren’t any kids to play with. 😉

    Reply
  2. Hi,
    Your house is beautiful, thank you for sharing! I am looking at updating or replacing the stone on our home, which was built in 1989. The stone has a peach/pink undertone…ugh. Could you share the brand of paint you used for the gray wash. Thank you!

    Reply

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