Fixer Upper: Our 1987 Home Makeover Begins : The Exterior

I can’t believe it.  The house in SLC is officially ours.  We spent the last week there finalizing closing details and today is the day.  After returning home late last night, I am hopping on a plane again tomorrow morning and heading back up to meet with the contractor, the structural engineer, and get demo started on this HUGE project.  I can’t even believe it!

I didn’t want to share too much a month ago, when I shared the story of how we found the house just in case things didn’t work out, but now that it’s ours I will start the picture parade. 😉  I can’t wait to walk through this whole home makeover process with you guys from start to finish.  It is a little overwhelming, and I’m sure it will be frustrating at times, but the end result will be totally worth it!  So, let’s kick things off with shots of the exterior of this 1987 Fixer Upper and get this show on the road!  This fixer upper is going to be amazing!

I have big plans for the exterior makeover…some which are going to have to wait for phase 2, but we’ll work with what we’ve got for now and even without the structural changes I have planned for later, I still think it will be amazing.  Here is what we are starting with:

While I am super sad to be losing my ocean views as I drive around town, I can probably get used to these stunning mountain views.

You have to cross a bridge over a river to get into the neighborhood…yes, I said a river!  What?!  For this native Californian who is used to living in drought conditions that is pretty amazing to see.

I realized that I don’t have any of my own pictures of the back yard…so I had to borrow a few from the listing.  The house sits on a little over a 1/2 acre.  The backyard isn’t huge, but that is because most of the property is a gradual slope up behind the house that is all wooded and beautiful.  It is so private and serene that we don’t even have a fence…and it doesn’t bother me.  At least not yet. 😉  Apparently the backyard is quite the hangout for deer.  That will be a site to see!

The plans for now include:

Paint: Whitewash that beautiful brick and paint the stucco white, black trim.

Remove the stucco pop outs around the windows if possible and add black shutters.

New windows in the entire house with black frames, cut and add a few new windows and french doors)

New garage doors

New Exterior Lighting (black lanterns)

Here are some of the images I’m pulling inspiration from:

I love how that bay upstairs is squared off…I’d love to do that with the bays in this house and paint them a dark charcoal or black…

A black front door is happening, for sure!

and when the time comes to add a fence, this one is a must!

And finally, the most important piece that will change the whole look of the front of the house…how fabulous are these garage doors??!!  I have read mixed reviews about wood doors with the lifetime wear and tear and how heavy they are…anyone have experience with similar doors and want to share?  I’d love to hear!

So, there it is.  Initial plans to update this home.  I would ultimately love to replace the stucco with siding, remove the arch over the front door and the pony walls out front and change them to something more modern, eliminate the bay upstairs and square off the one in the front and the back of the house, change the landscaping, add a pergola, re-do the driveway, patio and front walk…you know…just a few more things. 😉  But for now, this will have to do. 🙂

What do you think?  I can’t wait to share this fixer upper home makeover project with you step by step over the next several months.  (and then the decorating will begin after that woohoo!)  Be sure to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook where I will be sharing videos and more images in my stories, idea boards, etc.

Have a wonderful day!

Tammy