Exterior: Before and After

It's amazing the difference a little paint can make.  

(Well really it was actually A LOT of paint to be honest)

Before

After

The day we moved into the house, not only had they failed to clean the inside (at all!) but there was a hoard of junk left outside, including my favourite - a car parked on the front lawn that remained there for a week.  We photo documented some of the junk - unreal hey!  Oh, AND there was a hole in the front window that they had used plastic and saran wrap to cover, super classy.  I felt substantially less embarrased walking into my home after the glass guys came to replace it.

It's pretty amazing to me the transformation that has occured and really I'm glad we have photo's to remind us of what it was like when we first moved in.

  

There are still a few projects, touch-ups, and clean ups that need to happen outside but isn't it looking good!? ha!  Here's a break down of what we did: painted the whole exterior, painted the garage door, replaced the eaves troughs, opened up the front porch, replaced the front light, re-stained the front door, re-painted the railing, new house numbers, replaced wrotted wood trim, dug up flower beds and removed dead bushes/trees, trimmed up the pine trees, bordered out the pines trees with brick and added mulch, removed the garden of weeds in the driveway and framed off the edge with pressure treated wood, leveled and re-graveled the driveway, removed the awning and broken deck in the back, removed metal clothesline, built a retaining wall and installed a stone patio. 

We had plans to install a fence next spring in the back (as it's just a chain link one currently) but here's the real kicker:

We're Moving.

To Lethbridge.

It's really very bitter sweet for us.  An opportunity came available for Mike to work part-time at the cancer centre down there, while still finishing his PhD, and I was fortunate enough to find a part-time job.  It's a great career opportunity for Mike.  And so it's happening.  Soon.  Mike starts work next week, I start the week after.  With all we have going on in the city and with reno's still happening we'll be commuting down for Thursday and Friday until January when we'll make the move permanent.  We're excited to be moving back home but will really miss friends, family, AND our home here.  Life has a way of really shaking things up sometimes!