You've Been So Patient...

So I'm finally ready to share with you, the after of our front entrance renovation (at least the interior portion of it!). That's right ladies and gents... B has continued working like a mad man (and I helped a bit) to get our front entrance in tip top shape. Before we jump into our reveal... let's take a look back at what our entry looked like before we demolished the original structure:

{above 3 - July 2009 - move in day}

{summer 2010}

Drafty windows everywhere, that old door, and no storage... except for that trunk you see that held stacks of shoes and this old thing...

Some of you may be new to my blog and may not have had the chance to follow along with this 100% DIY project we started back in mid November. If you are, I will make this easy for you... below is a list of the entries covering our renovation in order from oldest to most recent.



1) Budgeting for our renovation

2) Work Begins - Project "Outline", Demolition and Pre-Construction

3) New Walls and A Door

4) The Roof Goes On

5) My Decor Plan

6) Shingles & Deck Prep

7) The Deck Frame

8) Big Steps - a New Deck & Insulation

9) Our Siding Choice (and the end of exterior work for the winter)

10) A Useable Space Once Again

There you have it. Hope that helps some of you catch up on all of the little details that had to be done to bring our beautiful new entry to what it is today.

We finally have a front door that keeps the cold out, and a proper closet! Hooray for no more coat rack! Also, the window pane directly next to our closet there actually OPENS (none of the three windows in our old entry opened) AND it has a phantom screen on it. The window itself... B scored at the Habitat for Humanity Restore near us and we only paid $300 for it! Great deal and helping a good cause (we also picked up the handles for our closet from Restore as well)!

Loving our tile floor. Looks like old barn board flooring but will stand up to the elements that we track inside during the four seasons. Also, the floor is much warmer due to the subfloor that B and my Dad laid that has some insulation (and a proper foundation... that helps too!)

CHECK IT OUT! Our 91 year old home now has a HUGE double closet. Look at how much extra storage space is in there... and that's with B putting some of his less worn dress shirts and sweaters in there. So useful. Will also be great for storing baby strollers, car seats, etc!

Love our console table that I picked up at HomeSense right around the time that B and my Dad first started to rip apart the front entrance. On top is my new lamp that I won from Wendy and Wire Home Furnishings, and the print is from ArtShark Designs... purchased in December of 2009. A little reminder of the city where B and I met and fell in love.

Even the doorway from our front entry into our living room looks better after B fixed up the trim work...

One thing I love the most about our new entry is the high ceilings. Down the road we may need to invest in a larger light fixture, but for now this lights the space well, so it will do. We also decided to leave the space above the closet open rather than making it a wall up to the ceiling. It helps our little entry feel a tad larger and more open and I don't regret the decision.

It is so hard to capture a proper photo of the entire room since it still isn't huge. Yes, there are still some finishing touches that we need to add to the space. Roman shades for the window, some real shoe storage for the closet, maybe some artwork to hang (if we can devise a solution to hang it from the drywall that we had to adhere to the brick exterior of the home... suggestions??).

So now, I ask for your honesty - how did we do with the brand new build of our entry? What's your favorite thing? I'm dying to get all of your opinions, but I must say we are thrilled with it for the time being. It's so much more pretty, warm and welcoming... and now that spring is just around the corner, we can start thinking about sprucing up the exterior and our overall curb appeal...