Happy New Year!

Some things just have to change, even before the real work starts. Remember the two shades of red with black trim on the front door and entryway?

Debra said that had to go immediately. Eventually, we’ll paint the entire exterior of the house.But for now, even this small change makes a big difference:

By the way – this door faces east. According to feng shui, the most propitious color for an east facing door is in the wood family – brown, green, etc. The worst color for an east facing door is red. Just sayin’.

And remember the oh-so-blue master bath with the ginormous tub?

Even though the complete gut and rehab of the bath is some distance into the future, a little paint makes things much easier on the eye.

Yes, it’s still difficult to navigate around that ridiculous tub. But this is a start.

The fence around the house is several years old and a couple of feet shorter than I would like it. Here’s what it looked like in one corner of the back yard at some point when things were green outside:

If you followed the SoMoToHo project, you’ll remember that we rehabbed an old fence with power-washing and dark stain.  It was such an improvement that I thought doing the same thing here would be a quick and not-too-expensive update that would give the impression of progress before some major demo begins inside the structure. I think it worked:

Even with bare trees and winter-brown grass, the stained fence is a pleasant harbinger – good things are on the way!

Here are a couple of views from the corner approach to the house, before and after:

It wasn’t horrible before; just tired. Lethargic. Unloved and unappreciated. Serving its purpose grudgingly, just because it needs a job.

Much better energy afterward, don’t you think? Plus, it’s now a perfect canvas for some flowering vines, which will be part of major landscaping improvements.

There is a gate in a brick portion of the fence on the front of the house that has a nice little architectural accent. Before the wash-and-stain job, it kind of got lost.

Now it pops – although the youpon holly needs trimming back so that it doesn’t block the view.

That’s a taste – albeit a small one – of the changes coming. This is going to be a blast! And Debra and I both are excited about the potential. We hope you’ll take the ride with us into the New Year and the transformation of Hildring House. We also hope your New Year is safe, peaceful, and full of joy.

Thanks for reading!