When I moved into my cape cod
two years ago,
my plan was
"one big home improvement project per year."
This year's is all finished!
This is how the house looked "before."
(Notice the screened porch,
which was last year's project.)
This year's plan
was for a reworking of the front outside entry,
which included:
***A new front door,
(accomplished earlier this year.)
***Reshaping the covering over the porch.
***Removal of the two side lights
and replacing them with a new hanging one.
***Removal of the old wooden railing,
(one good push and it would have been gone anyhow)
and replacement with a new one.
The work actually got started during a time
in May when I had to be away for a while.
Unexpected problems should always
be expected when dealing
with an old house, right???
The wood underneath the
original brick floor was rotten.
So, that floor was removed and replaced.
Next came the new covering.
The plan was for it to mimic the
two upstairs' dormers.
Here is the view of the underside,
with its newly installed bead board,
all ready for the light to be installed.
Note all the old floor bricks.
The painting started...
...and completed,
as well as the new pendant light
in place.
The end is in sight!
While the heavy lifting was being done,
I was doing some fun things,
such as looking for a new doorbell.
I found this one on Etsy at
Stone Leaf Door Bell Shop
There was a bit of a challenge with it,
since my doorbell was electronic and
the cover I choose was for a wired one.
I had just had the doorbell installed when
I renovated the house two years ago,
so really did not want to replace it.
Luckily, I have a very creative builder named Jim.
He was able to cut an opening in the facing
to house the workings of the bell.
The cover fit over my original button perfectly!
New mailbox!
The metal railing was installed as the final step.
The project was finished in June.
I found the decal on Etsy at
...and even found a cute one for the back door!
All finished
and I love the final results!
Now my mind is abuzz
thinking about next year's project...
