Home Tour Countdown

Just two more days until the 2010 Crieve Hall Tour of Homes.  We are close to ready.  Or, should I say, our house is close to ready.  Deadlines are good – they help us get things accomplished, right?  As far as house projects, there is nothing like a party or upcoming event to get me (and my husband) in gear.  I had lots of small interior projects to do to prepare the house for this tour, but the exterior projects were the biggies.

 

We bought our home a little over 9 years ago.  The previous owners had been here 20 years and had done a lot of updates.  Such as install aluminum siding over the wood clapboard siding.  Isn’t that what everyone did 29 years ago?  No more painting – low maintenance and all that.   So it’s been this beige color for the last 29 years.

before

Fast-forward.  My husband and I are anti-aluminum siding.  I guess you could say we are architectural purists.  Take it back to how it was, then kick it up a notch.

 

 

This project was 9 years in the making.  We knew the day we bought this house that the siding was coming off.  Just didn’t know it’d take 9 years!

 

We found barn red wood siding underneath.  And lots and lots of wasps’ nests.  And a very large beehive.  And a few massive squirrels’ nests (the pic below was one of  the smaller ones).  But less rotten wood than I had imagined there might be, so that was good news!

 

The portico, porchy-thing (that’s the official term 🙂 ) was kind of rotted beneath the aluminum.  It always seemed a little ill-conceived, only extending half-way over the concrete slab of a porch.  So, we designed a new one that works much better – functionally and visually.

 

We went much darker with the paint.  Benjamin Moore’s Bittersweet Chocolate and Sherwin Williams’ Cocoon.  It was a little hard to get used to at first, but now I am loving it.  And now that the aluminum siding is gone, you can actually see the original rafter tails!

 

 

And if it looks like a family of gnomes or the seven dwarves live here, then all the better.  It’s kinda the look I was going for.

 

If you like checking out renovation and decorating ideas and you live in the Nashville area, make sure you swing by the 2010 Crieve Hall Tour of Homes this Sunday, April 25, 1-4.   Proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Ticket sales are in my front yard!

 

 

14 Comments

  1. Dianne

    your white iron bench in the front of the house? i have 2 black ones like that…love the new look of your house

    Reply
  2. Leif

    WOW! Great job. Are you tired yet? 🙂

    You know I love it. I love the 2 tone trim color and the new front door approach, adds a “weight” it needed. Let me know if Snow White shows up for dinner! FantasticO!!

    Reply
  3. Amy

    I LOVE the changes! The house looked great already, but you have outdone yourself with the new portico thingy and the darker paint. It’s AWESOME!!

    Reply
  4. Jen C.

    WOW, Kristie! How can your house look even *more* fabulous than it already did?!? I am so excited for you guys, and I cannot wait to come and check it out on Sunday!

    Reply
  5. Jamie

    The house looks even more amazing than it did before (echoing Jenn C’s comment!) I love that y’all aren’t afraid to tackle the “big” outdoor stuff. It looks great!

    Reply
  6. Michelle L.

    Love it! So cozy! So cottage-y! Great job!

    Reply
  7. Phyllis Hill

    Looks like an English cottage. How cool! Reminds me of the movie “The Holiday”

    Reply
  8. Echo

    Love it. So warm and cozy and inviting. Let us know if ya’ll are ever ready to sell! 😉

    Reply
  9. Lisa D.

    I loved your house on tour this weekend. It looked fabulous!! Thank you for sharing it with all of us. Yes, gnomes could live there. precious!

    Reply
  10. Krista

    Kristie, I had a great time at the home tour on Sunday. Your house is amazing! I just love every inch of it, you do such a great job with every one. Your house has a wonderful feeling, outside and in.

    Reply
  11. kristiebarnett

    Thank you for all your encouraging comments – they are precious to me! And Krista, thank you sooooo much for being a docent Sunday. You were a huge help to me!

    Reply
  12. PAM CHRISTOPHER

    Kristie, Thank you so much for participating in the homes tour. Your home was so inviting and lovely. I loved the cottage aspect with the knomes. Jennifer and I had such a great Sunday together.
    Seeing you home was the highlight of the tour for me. Thanks again for all your family’s hard work and inspiration

    Reply
  13. LaJuana Gill

    FABULOUS changes!!!! Love it.

    Reply

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