Now that we’re on an outside makeover roll (see backyard reno and garden posts) we’ve started discussing plans to paint the exterior of the house.
Right now we’re just focusing on choosing a color, so I’d love your help!!!
Here is our current color. I’d call it boring beige.
This shot is probably the most important to consider, as we want to make sure the new color goes with the brick front. The back of the house will be entirely the color of choice.
I’ve creepily been scouring the neighborhood for inspirational photos… Yes I am that weirdo taking pictures of your house, neighbor!
I really dig this sage-like Green
But both our next door and across the street neighbors recently painted their houses green, so would we be total copy cats?
I’m not opposed to a slightly new shade of beige…
This would basically be a clean up of what we have now.
And I’m kinda diggin’ this darker blue…
I like how it looks with the brick and white trim!
I also played around with Pixlr to try some other color combinations…
Light blue?
Yellow?
Basic White?
Gray?
Okay, so you have the options. Now tell me what to do!!! :)
Thank you everyone for your super sweet comments about our backyard renovation! It was our longest and most expensive project to date, and while totally worth it, your comments meant so much!
And while we’re on the subject… I’m excited to share with you the latest and greatest addition to the yard. Our new plant and flower garden!
But first and foremost…
HUGE shout out and thank you goes to my mother-in-law who was hands down the MVP for this project. For those of you who may not know, my husband Tony grew up on an organic vegetable farm. We’re talking a childhood that consisted of acres of plants and flowers, tractors, selling at farmers markets… the real deal people. And Tricia, Tony’s mom, has been the woman in charge of this greatness. Therefor when it came time to planting our own mini garden, we had an in-house expert to show us the way.
Tricia not only designed the layout (keeping my not so green thumb in mind) but came out for the weekend with 9 bags of mulch and starter veggies that had been growing in her greenhouse. And well, the woman planted us a garden! Yes, I helped as much as I could (words of wisdom: 8 months pregnant and planting comes with some challenges) but really Tricia was the queen bee on this one. Now it’s up to me and Tony to keep everything alive and flourishing!
Alright, enough background. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Here was the new garden area we reserved during the yard reno. Measures in at 14 feet by 24 feet.
After Tricia finalized the design, we laid everything we bought out in the space to make sure we liked it.
And we did
Next came the laying out of the landscape cloth (to prevent weeds).
Once the cloth is secure, you basically cut out sections for your plants. A big X works perfectly!
Next was the fun part of putting the plants, flowers and mulch in!
Tricia brought us cocoa mulch and so the entire yard smelled like chocolate. Insert day long candy bar cravings here.
Go Tricia Go!
And after a full day of work…. here is our new garden, complete with what we went with!
So who’s coming over for a salad in a few weeks???
You’re given a gift certificate and have to choose to apply it to one of the following….
Option 1: House Cleaning
The deets: Professional cleaning team will come to your home once a month and do a thorough house clean.
The fine print: Service ends after three months, leaving you with an impossible act to follow.
Option 2: Professional Organizer
The deets: One full day visit from a professional organizer to help you get a grip on your files/office/closets and provide tips for future maintenance.
The fine print: Organizer gets to see all your dirty little secrets…
Option 3: Pre-cooked meals
The deets: Every day for 30 days, a pre-cooked and healthy meal for the family will be sent to your front door. All you need to do is reheat.
The fine print: You can’t choose the food, and never know what’s coming until it’s arrived.
Have I foreshadowed this post enough to get you super pumped? Well it’s time!
Let’s start back a year ago… Welcome to our backyard jungle.
We closed on our house in the dead of winter, so as soon as spring hit, we got a first look at the massive amounts of greenery that made up our yard. The shot above was taken mid spring, and since the house had been vacant for quite some time before we got there, things got a bit unruly back there.
As a reminder, our yard was divided into two sections (lower tier/upper tier), separated by thick green bushes.
The photo below is courtesy of the new Google Maps (amazing!) and shows the two sections, and the massive bushes in between!
Our first project was to put in stairs so that we could actually access the back part of the yard. But after Tony spent an entire day removing one of those green bushes that divided the yard (those suckers have deep roots!) we realized we needed major machinery to get the job done.
We got three quotes and decided to go with D’Arrigo Masonry and Landscaping, out of Woburn, MA.
Huge shout out to Peter who has been a joy to work with, and his crew who have been our saviors these past 12 months.
So in came the major machinery, out came a few of those f-in bushes… and in their place were stairs!
Once the stairs were in, we were able to enjoy the back part of the yard for the rest of the summer…
Some good times were spent with those Adirondack chairs and fire pit.
But oh, we weren’t even close to done!
Summer, Winter and Fall were SAVE SAVE SAVE months, because we were bringing the D’Arrigo boyz and their hard core machinery back for a major patio and yard reno.
Welcome to the danger zone…
You can see why this project was even too big for my handy man hubby.
But soon enough, things were starting to take shape!
And the best part?
The rock wall you see below was built with rocks that were already in our yard! They were hidden by the fence (on the right) under a massive amount of bushes. Major savings here!
Progress shot (through the screen… sorry!)
Next came my favorite part… The spraying of the grass seed! This was pretty cool to watch.
Thanks to our in ground irrigation system (nice perk that came with the house) in just two weeks, the grass has started to grow!
And I’ve saved the best for last!
THE NEW PATIO!!!
Here is a picture of our old, cracked and weathered patio…
And here is the new, improved (and so much bigger) patio!!!
As you can see, the grass is still growing, so we haven’t been able to enjoy the lawn, but there’s been plenty of quality time on the patio!
Alright here’s the in-a-nutshell recap of what was done:
Bushes Removed
Stairs Built
(2) Rock Walls Built
Retaining Wall Built
Yard Leveled
Old Patio Removed
New Patio Installed
Garden Area Installed
Irrigation System Rerouted
Grass Seeded
Next up?
See that brown area in front of that patio? It’s going to be a garden! STAY TUNED!
No one likes cleaning. Don’t even try and tell me you do. Yes, you may like things clean, and cleaning may not be your least favorite chore, but don’t even try to tell me that you enjoy it!
Well this week, one of my new favorite blogs Lifehacker, suggested this simple cleaning tip that I wanted to pass along…
I’ll be sure to try it this week and report back on my success
So what are some of your lazy cleaning tips? Swiffer socks anyone?
I hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. I attended what was likely the most beautiful wedding EVER and still can’t get over the fact that my little brother is now married!!! The Wequasett Resort in Chatham, MA was the most stunning venue I have ever seen, so anyone interested in a classy cape wedding, I recommend checking it out!
Love you Joe & Lindsay!!!
Oh but it hasn’t been all wedding fun… We’ve been quite busy over at the Hopf house. There’s been some front yard and curb appeal work with a new lawn and landscaping…
And some weep hole drilling in the front retaining wall. You know, a typical Saturday with power tools
Tony and his dad started working on the roof. First task: gutters and trim. Next up: new roof!
There’s also been some more nursery room prep. Yup. We got a crib (thanks mom and dad!!!). Sh*t just got REAL!
We went with the Babyletto Modo 3 in 1 because it was a low profile crib (good for us shorties) and we liked the two tone look.
We also made a quick trip to Ikea to finish up the office side of the room.
And of course, there is the MAJOR backyard reno which is now for the most part done! Stay tuned for a post very soon to show you the progress…. Just waiting for the grass to grow a bit more so I can take some good pictures!
Every once in a while I take a mini blog vacation. The time off always results in some much needed technology R&R, and helps me refuel for my next round of DIY and home related posts.
Spoiler Alert: I have some pretty exciting backyard updates to share!!!
This blog vacation however is particularly exciting, as I’ll be spending some time on Cape Cod in celebration of my little brother getting married!!!! In addition to what is going to be the most stunning bride and groom, the wedding is taking place at what I anticipate to be one of the most beautifully designed spots on Cape Cod, The Wequassett Resort.
I mean just look at this place!
Joe and Lindsay – I could not be happier for the two of you and can’t wait to celebrate you both so soon!
So signing off until after Memorial Day weekend. And for those who have some time off as well – enjoy it – and see you back here soon!
I consider myself a real pro when it comes to Google, and so am shocked that I just recently found out about this feature???!!! Thank you Apartment Therapy for keeping me educated.
Let’s talk about Visually Similar Images by Google
Not only can this tool help you locate an image’s source (hello #pinterestfails) but it can also lead you on a decorating inspirational journey… that could easily take up your entire afternoon
Alright let’s do this.
1. I recommend using Chrome as your web browser.
2. Navigate to Google
3. Click the Images Tab
4. Using a new window, pull up the image you want to use for inspiration (or for which you want to find other places it’s located on the web).
5. Drag and drop the image right into the Google search box.
