A few changes to the outside...

It has been a while since we have shared; but we recently found a few photos from late fall of the outside renovations almost complete. We are so happy with our finished home's exterior.

Durability and aesthetics were our priority. After much research and debate, we chose to side our home with James Hardie Siding from Clements Lumber. 

Our goal for the exterior appearance of our home was a neutral, timeless color scheme. To achieve our look we chose a color palette inspired by the cottages of Nantucket.  We have both always appreciated the character of Craftsman era homes and this style also influenced our design choices. Finally, we wanted a home durable enough for rural Minnesota that would not have to be update or more than minimally maintained ever again. 

The rebuilt roofline and garage were completed by G&S Construction of Clements, MN and we would highly recommend them to anyone looking to build or remodel.

We chose a poured concrete porch that was stamped using a chiseled stone pattern and used a concrete base with the same color as our siding. The concrete work was completed by Vanderwerf Construction of Springfield, MN. The concrete stain powder's color was walnut. The stain at first pulled a purple tone that the artist didn't love, but as the stone apron was added to the porch (by the farmer) the color has since grown on us. 

We chose an engineered stone from El Dorado Stone company fittingly named, Nantucket Stack Stone. The farmer was the sole mason on this job and his growing home remodel skills continually amaze me. It took most of the summer of 2014 to lay all the stone and sill caps. We placed the final stones in November of 2014!

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We love the final look!

Here is where our outdoor journey began...

First, we removed the garage.

Then G&S Construction removed the front overhang and did an amazing job rebuilding the two front overhangs and our lovely garage which I will share in another post. We are thankful to able to find such great craftsman in our little town of Clements, MN.

Lastly, we removed the siding.

New siding went up. (This is where the old garage used to be.)
And a new French door was added to the basement. A future stoned patio with wall, with an outdoor kitchen area will follow... 

We regraded the front yard.

Lush, green sod was laid by family and friends.

The yard was also a focus of 2014. 

We re-graded the front yard and reworked the garden to the right of our front entry adding more shrubs, grasses, and perennials from Redwood Falls Nursery. We made the garden symmetrical and added height with grasses.

In addition to the landscaping and sod, we added some hardscape as well. The farmer decided to build a retaining wall stretching from the corner of the old garage platform extending all the way out to the gravel. The great "wallness" of it has allowed for a future fire pit/ring to be added to a large stone surfaced area sans pesky mosquitoes hiding in the grass.

Before: Garden Front Entry

After: Garden Front Entry & Future Fire Pit Area

We can't wait for Spring to put the finishing touches on the outside.
The Steffls