Last time in our Curb Appeal projects we left you with this as our AFTER…
And while is was a vast improvement over the curb appeal (or lack thereof) BEFORE…
I wasn’t quite ‘over the moon’ about it. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it. But it wasn’t quite right. Definitely room for some tweaking. Know what I mean?
It was especially time to make improvements when, in the nasty summer drought (translation: grass turns brown and weeds take over), our walkway had turned into this horrible weedy jungle…
Totally embarrassing! Especially since everyone and their uncle knew we had just done a Curb Appeal series!
So, while we still LOVE the idea of flagstones through the grass, flagstones through the weeds isn’t anywhere near as lovely! (I think I’d totally do flagstone in the back yard from the patio to the garden shed. You know, when we finally get to work on the backyard!)
What is a DIY couple and their family to do when a DIY needs fixing? Spend a very hot and sweaty Saturday doing this…
And this…
Did I mention it took the ENTIRE day? And that it was very hot? And humid?
Well, it did. And it was.
I may or may not have showered twice.
Moving on…
If you remember from our original flagstone walkway post, we had removed the old brick pavers and some lawn, back-filled with soil and laid down sod. Then we randomly laid out our new flagstone pavers, dug around each one, removed the sod and dirt, filled with limestone screening and then replaced the flagstone…one at a time.
So, this hot and sweaty Saturday was spent digging out the sod we had carefully laid weeds that had taken over, removing all that soil (to 2 inches below the flagstone), back-filling with limestone screening, tampering down the screening and then adding 3/4″ limestone rocks, which we bought from the local garden center (since The Home Depot didn’t have any).
BUT I have to say it looks far better NOW …
Buh-bye nasty out of control weeds!
_____
As for the other improvements/changes we’ve already made, remember our cedar window boxes?
You know the ones we still have to write the DIY for?
Yeah, those. Ahem.
Well, here’s what they looked like when you last saw them…
Nice, right?
But if you pull back and look at the whole picture, not so much.
After living with them for awhile, they seemed a little too brown and well, unfinished. See how much they pull the eye to all the brown in the stone veneer and the wood chips? A little too chaotic. Not quite what we were going for.
Well yesterday I grabbed a small can of Minwax Stain in Ebony for $7 and got to work. Totally not recommended for exterior use, I know. But I didn’t want to spend $45 on deck and fence stain. We’ll see how that choice pans out. Anyway, since I wasn’t about to remove the window boxes from the house- who has time for that? - I taped off the siding first.
For the record, painter’s tape doesn’t fully block oil-based stain.
Good thing the siding is old.
Anywho, after an hour or so longer than I thought it would take (thanks honey for taking the kids to soccer!), here’s what the new and happily improved Curb Appeal looks like now…
And from the driveway (which, yes local friends, still desperately needs redoing)…
Yay!!!
I think the only other thing we’ll be able to get to this summer is giving the porch a coat of paint to clean it up and hide those rust stains. Something like the grey shown in this GIMP mock-up…
Can’t wait to say buh-bye to those rust spots!
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So there ya have it…improvements on the curb appeal projects already!
What do you think? Do you like the window boxes stained ebony? Or did you prefer them in cedar? What about the grass weeds vs the limestone for the walkway?
P.S. For those of you who keep asking what we’ll do when this house is finished….you do know it will never be finished, right? 
*Most projects in our Curb Appeal Series were sponsored by The Home Depot. Thank you for helping us make our house look prettier!
That flagstone looks like a lot of work, ugh! Did you put down some sort of weed barrier?
Casey @wafflingdesign recently posted..Friday Tips: Getting Your Duvet Cover On!
The flagstone shouldn’t be so much work.
The initial way we did it was easy in itself…we just ended up with crazy weeds. And weed block may have helped, but they were really shallow weeds. It was pretty weird actually. I was kin if puzzled.
The second way, with the rocks would have been easy in itself too. It was the change that was a lot of work.
And the new limestone screenings act as weed block…not much is going to get through that stuff!
I love the ebony stain on the flower boxes. It’s a much more cohesive look. And i would totally have done it the same way. I hate taking things back down after they’re in place! The path looks great too- all your hard work paid off!
Jennifer@heylittlemother.com recently posted..Soften Leather Furniture with Throw Pillows
COHESIVE! That’s the right word!
Nice improvements! I think the window boxes are more eye-catching now and the path will definitely be easier to maintain. We have limestone paths throughout our yard and I really like them. Good feng shui too with the meandering!
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Most of my pins were of window boxes matching the shutters…but then we put them up and I thought they may be okay as is. After living with them for a month or so though…I knew I needed to go with my original idea!
I like them in ebony, goes very nicely with the rest of the house
how2home recently posted..Mud room Inspirations
Thank you!
Love the dark stain and the limestone on the walkway! Good for you for persevering through and updating the updates!
Heather M recently posted..A refreshing treat
beautiful! and since I know what summer weather in TO is like, I have great respect for your tenacity. I would have waited until October for this project!! lol
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I just couldn’t look at those embarrassing weeds until October! Fortunately Dean agreed!
So so much better although I didn’t mind the weedy flagstones honestly – it looked a bit like moss (so english garden-like). Your window boxes are definitely better. You could just plop some planters full of flowers on your rust stains and add an exterior rug for now.
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Very true on the rug and planters! That may just happen depending on how the rest of summer goes!
Love the improvements and the fact that you were willing to make changes so soon when you had put so much time in already. Once the plants grow everything will be ‘softened’ and blend together. Love you ideas always.
Oh yes! I can’t wait until the plants fill in!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Shannon and Dean. Just putting pics/ideas together for our backyard and your experience with grass (or weeds
vs. limestone with the flagstone is very helpful.
Glad to help! Would love to see your yard progress!
LOVE how the window boxes changed the whole look of the front. Cohesive was a great word! Love the pavers now, too. Don’t just hate those ‘weeds, grass, moss’ whateva you wanna call them??? Even spraying weed killer just doesn’t quite get rid of it! I love the look! You’re a better woman than me. I too would have waited until October or even November! ha
I always pictured window boxes on the front! And yes those weeds were wretched!
You guys have done a super job!
Thanks darlin’!
Love your makeover Shannon!! The ebony stain on the window boxes make such a huge difference! The gravel makes the front look so adorable and put together! YOu guys must have worked really hard on that!! You also must really be enjoying it too! Thanks for sharing the step by step process! Heather @ Setting for Four
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Wanna know a secret? Sometimes I open the front door just to look at the window boxes and walkway!!
This is adorable! Not to sound like a broken record, but I love the window boxes as well! They’re such a great way to add character to a home.
They totally are adorable cottage on just about any house!