Hello! Brittany here. If you remember, my husband Corey and I bought a house in April of 2020. The previous homeowner kept good care of the house, but it was not our cup of tea. We finished all of the inside projects and decided it was time to focus on some exterior projects. Today I am going to share with you our to-do list and show you some awesome before and after pictures of what we have done so far!
Our Exterior Home To-Do List
Remove small landscaping rocks that were near the sidewalk and road = Done!
The previous homeowner decided to put small landscaping rocks between the sidewalk and the road. A lot of people in our neighborhood have these rocks, we are assuming so they do not have to mow the little strip of grass. Instead of the area just being rocks, for us, this little section turned into a home for weeds… in other words, it looked terrible! My husband Corey and I decided we just wanted grass in this area so we would not have to go spray or pick weeds ALL the time. We shoveled all of the little rocks out and called up my brother, Nick Zambito. Nick owns First Capital Sod Farms LLC and they came to the rescue! They installed topsoil and sod and made our vision come to life. This was an easy and quick fix and we were so thankful for First Capital Sod!
Remove large rocks that were around all of the flower beds = Done!
This was the hardest job and I personally hated every second of it haha. The previous homeowner informed us that he spent a year and half collecting these rocks to go around his flower beds from all of the new construction home sites in the neighborhood. These rocks made it extremely difficult for us to edge around the flower beds and weeds started to grow up over the rocks. With that being said, we decided to get rid of the rocks completely. Although this job was a lot of time and labor, it will be worth it in the end. I will take pictures for you once we get the mulch in! For now, here is the pile of some of the rocks… I wasn’t being dramatic ha.
Remove landscaping that was along the driveway = Almost done!
Once again, the previous homeowner had landscaping lining the driveway. This landscaping looked very nice, but was a lot of upkeep for us. Weeds were popping up like crazy and we kept hitting the little trees with our cars or the trailer. The small trees just turned into more of a pain for us. In the long run, removing this landscaping will help us save time and money when it comes to upkeep. We ripped all of the trees out and are currently waiting for grass to grow in!
Paint the shutters and front door = In the works!
This is our most recent project that we are working on. Currently, our shutters and door are dark blue. The paint on the shutters is fading from the sun and desperately needs to be painted. Monica came over and helped us pick new colors for the shutters and the door. I just submitted the colors to our neighborhood’s HOA and am waiting for approval. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of the colors.
Shutter Color 
Door Color
Fix the roof! = In the works!
The wind keeps blowing our roof shingles off. This project is in the works with our insurance company and contractor.
Projects to Come
- Mulch
- Stain wood on our planter boxes
- Fix the steps out back
- Fix the concrete paver patio (this is filled with weeds and they NEVER die)
- Buy new patio furniture/decor
Work in Progress!
As you can see, we have done a lot of work so far but are nowhere near to being finished. This process has been stressful for me because I am the kind of person that once I get started on a project, I need to finish the project! Some important things to remember when you’re doing any project around your home is that everything is not going to happen with the snap of your fingers. Money does not appear on trees, plus time and weather are another issue for outdoor projects. My advice to you is patience is key and your house is always going to be a work in progress! Take a step back and be proud of how far you have come and all the hard work you did to get there.
Please stay tuned, once we finish this list I will update you all and post some more before and after pictures! Monica is even going to help me decorate my front porch, can’t wait to share.