Tuesday, August 2, 2011

East End Profile: Before and After


BEFORE

This is what the east side of the house looked like when we moved in. As you can see, several quirky additions had been made to the original footprint of the 1923 farmhouse. 

AFTER 

We tore down the small appendage with the bay window and built a larger dining room in its place. Also, we tore down the 70's style front porch addition and added the wraparound porch. 


Two new dining room windows offer a nice exterior detail. 

I planted a hedge of Little Lamb hydrangea underneath these windows. They are a sun tolerant variety but I found (when they were planted in the front bed last summer) that they really do much better with some shade.  


The Little Lamb hydrangea look very similar to a new variety of hydrangea that I planted in front of the dining room. The new variety is called 'Bombshell' and is also sun tolerant. 

The berry garden is thriving! Though, so much so that the deer have come around to do some pre-harvest sampling... 


 Here's a glimpse of what will soon be a very delicious summer treat, blueberries... 

... and blackberries. 

HAPPY AUGUST!

61 comments :

  1. Trina, honestly I never get tired of looking at your farmhouse and the beautiful pictures inside and out.....I LOVE your yard, it is so dreamy; I know you all worked hard to transform it to where it is now, everything is gorgeous and so peaceful looking!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it!!! I think I'm going to try & plant some berries & hydrangeas next year!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Absolutely beautiful! What a stunning home, I love the pale white and your gorgeous garden. Your home must be the most wonderful place to be in. Lovely photographs, Ann

    ReplyDelete
  4. You guys sure have done a lot to beautify your farmhouse since you moved in. :)I absolutely love your choice to do the addition of the dining room and the wrap-around porch. I grew up in a house with a wrap-around porch and loved it! We used to all sit out there at night watching the thunderstorms roll in. Wonderful memories. :)

    Hugs,
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks absolutely gorgeous Trina - so homely and welcoming, and the detail in the windows is just divine!
    x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Everything looks wonderful....love your painted porch floors....have you blogged about them??? Would be interested to know what paint it is!...I shall have to go back to see if I have missed it....hmmmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love me some big blueberry bushes :)
    What sort of blackberries do you grow in America? Blackberries are a huge pest/weed problem here in Australia so everyone is rather reluctant to grow them. Although because they're such a pest we have gullies full of them, just have to be careful they haven't been sprayed before picking them!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow! It almost looked a bit churchy before. You've done such a beautiful job. And how delightful that your twins may be able to spot deer in their garden. They are blessed to grow up in such a wonderful space.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! That is incredible! You did such a great job! Want to come and fix up our house?
    I love wrap around porches. Your home is so bright and cheery - it's awesome what you've done!

    We bought a "fixer upper" four years ago and are continuing to work on it. It was a foreclosure and alot of the work has been done inside the house. Just a few more rooms to go and it will be complete, but it will still be a couple of years. :-)

    Again, great job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gorgeous!! Totally jealous about the berry garden :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Trina, what great improvements you've made to the house! The hydrangea bushes are beautiful. Are they a low-growing variety? We have a spot under a window in full sun where the Bombshell hydrangea might work. It gets a lot of HOT summer sun though. We just went blueberry picking on Sunday, and I'll be posting about it this weekend on my blog. The bushes were so tall -- it was hard work, but worth it!
    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello

    I could just reach in and pick one of those berries right off the tree.

    the windows look beautiful and with a green green grass like that to look out to and the gorgeous white outdoor setting to sit at - you have the ahhh factor.

    thank you lovely post

    x
    Loulou

    ReplyDelete
  13. You did a great job - your house looks charming!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Trina, what an improvement! All you have done to your home is wonderful and I am so glad you share glimpses in to your life!

    ReplyDelete
  15. everytime i see exterior shots of your gorgeous farmhouse i want to get out my painting supplies. the heat keeps knocking us back down though. your home is gorgeously gorgeous trina!!!!!

    xo
    janet

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very beautiful! I love the hydrangeas! Your house always looks so clean and perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love it !! When I daydream about moving back to the US , I always imagine houses like this .. and gardens too :)
    You have done such a great job with this house..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow! Your farmhouse is amazing. I, like you bought an old 1920's house and the renovation is ongoing... I just went through a lot of your previous posts. You have been busy! I now follow you as a source of constant inspiration. Thank You!!
    Patty

    ReplyDelete
  19. Simply gorgeous! I love the simplistic approach to renovating your home, really a true example of less is more.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Absolutely gorgeous! You were so wise to increase the size of the dining room and add those windows. Your home and yard are beautiful!

    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  21. What can I say! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I grew up on a farm/ranch. The house never looked this gorgeous. But ooooh, I'd love to use some of these interior and exterior ideas in that same house today. Totally awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Your home now is a jewel from every vantage point.
    Enjoy the berries.
    Linda in Virginia

    ReplyDelete
  23. Just beautiful! I love that you share the transformation of your home with us!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stunning, as are all your changes. Your farmhouse is absolute perfection.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Every change you have made is stunning. Tell us about the new patio furniture. Do I spy wicker?
    Just dreamy.
    xoxo Dianne

    ReplyDelete
  26. gorgeous!!! would you be able to post some gardening tips sometime? your house and garden is such an inspiration to me - i need to redo my yard cause it's an eyesore for me and i unfortunately have a completely black thumb! the only thing that successfully grows in my yard are weeds ...bleh!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I know I've told you a hundred times, but I am always sooooo impressed with the amazing vision you had for your stunning home- a work of art!

    xoj.

    p.s. the new chairs and table look great!!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Your home is simply stunning and I find it so inspiring! Have a lovely week! Xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  29. Trina, What a beautiful farm house and garden! You have done a fabulous job on the transformation.
    xo,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  30. BEAUTIFUL!! It's so encouraging and inspiring to see the before pictures as well as the after. Sometimes it's hard to have a vision of what things COULD be, but by seeing how some one else transformed a room, house, or garden, is so helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I like the changes you made to your house - it looks so nice! I've never seen UNRIPE blueberries until seeing your photo - very interesting. :) I got some "fresh" (LOL) blueberries from the store the other day, I'm going to make another batch of freezer jam.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What a beautiful home and garden!
    XXX Ido

    ReplyDelete
  33. You both have done such a remarkable job! Your landscaping is to die for! This is "THE COUNTRY FARMHOUSE"

    Beth Thomas

    ReplyDelete
  34. I spy a new table and chairs on the dining patio! You have created such a lovely home. I really can't wait to see it dressed up for Christmas...in my mailbox!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Could not be more beautiful...every detail.

    ReplyDelete
  36. You have done a remarkable job on the farmhouse. It is just beautiful. I really enjoyed looking at the photo's and your blueberries are looking good.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi Trina! I just love the "clean" look of your gardens - not to mention your beautiful farmhouse. The views from your windows must be so amazing! :) I have "Limelight" and "Blushing Bride" hydrangeas planted on the west side of our farmhouse along our porch. They, too, struggle with too much sun, but perk right up by the morning. :)

    xoxo laurie

    xoox laurie

    ReplyDelete
  38. lovely ...I want a white picket fence !
    KAT

    ReplyDelete
  39. Those white hydrangeas and your charming farm house were just made for each other...but of course, you already knew that! ;)
    Happy berry picking...
    xo J~

    ReplyDelete
  40. Inspiring and inviting on so many levels! If I were there, though... the deer would not be alone in pre-harvesting.

    Thank you for the virtual welcome into your home.

    ReplyDelete
  41. The work you have done on your home is just lovely. I love all the hydrangeas that you have planted. I have Endless Summer hydrangeas planted at our cottage in Maine. They wilt every afternoon from the sun but perk back up later in the day. Unfortunately, they are the only blue hydrangea that will tolerate the winters in our zone.

    ReplyDelete
  42. What a pleasant looking house and a lovely garden too!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Coming over from the open house party. I am in an old farmhouse too and wouldn't have it any other way. After looking at your kitchen counter tops, I think a trip to Ikea is in my future.

    I am a new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wow - I love your farmhouse too!!! We have a 150 year old farmhouse, and are constantly working on it too! (altho I am curious, what is a 1970 porch - I think we have one!!!) I wish I knew more about architecture, because when we were redoing things you could see where the old trim HAD been, when they put up the new "modern" stuff! But it is hard to find out what kind of trim, or what kind of windows they had way back then! Also love the photos you have of your house, they look wonderful too! And love the wrap around porch too, wish I could figure out how to add one to our house! Thanks for sharing!!!

    Hugs from Michigan - Diane

    ReplyDelete
  45. Such a charming home~ Stopping by from No Minimalist Here and a new follower! Stop by and say hello sometime! :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm always so inspired by the renovations you've made to your home. It makes me think that one day we'll be able to transform the exterior of our home to reflect its warm interior. You have given your house a sense of place and soul!

    Kat :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. I love what you have done with your home! Removing the bay window did wonders & the white on white exterior gives it an authentic farmhouse feel. Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
  48. I LOOOVE hydrangeas, have about 10 bushes and NEED to get a white one. All of mine are blue but I did have one white one for 20 years and this year it TURNED BLUE!! So, I will buy a new one so I ahve some white flowers next year! Love every single thing you have done to your home!!!!! XO, Pinky

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hi Trina!

    Your house, yard and flowers are just beautiful. Congrats on the Country Living shoot...Christmas in July indeed!

    xo Kelley

    ReplyDelete
  50. Thank you for opening up your life, beautiful home and family! You give others hope we can do it! Blessings on your sweet twins!

    ReplyDelete
  51. I think I am echoing everyone....but what can I say? So beautiful...all of it!!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Well done:) Thanks for sharing pictures:)

    ReplyDelete
  53. You certainly have a lovely home and gardens! Simply classic and yet so breathtakingly beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Would you mind sharing your exterior house color? It's exactly the farmhouse feel I'm trying to achieve :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...