Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Millie, fliphouse #4. Today I'll just be giving you the exterior tour, and tomorrow I'll let you inside.
Mr. Hedge-trimmer is going to have a very pivotal roll in this exterior make-over since, as you can see, the house is practically hiding in the jungle.
The location of this house, though, is pretty special. It's part of a block of 6 antique bungalows that are off of the absolutely most charming 'terrace' (aka sidewalk) you have ever seen complete with working gas lamps.
Clearly Millie, the jungle directly on the right, is the delinquent of the block and needs to be brought up to par.
Returning to the front yard...
The porch needs a bit of love, repair, and lots of paint.
I love the sunroom, but the door's knob, hinges, and lock are all painted over. I know I said the porch needed paint, but that's a little excessive.
I need to work on the view from this room, though- you can't even get to this side yard, it's so overgrown (see the little Terrace beyond?)
On the opposite side of the house, it's only marginally better. A bit less overgrown but with a falling down fence.
The back yard is sure to be a selling feature once I'm done, though. I'm sure it once was the homeowner's secret garden oasis, but it's a bit far from that these days.
It's not very deep, but it expands on 3 sides of the property. This is the back and has a brick patio on the far side and grass in front. My job here is to weed as much as necessary to reveal the lovely landscaped garden that once was. On the garage side of the house, there's a would-be-charming outdoor eating area
I'm tempted to call this the lanai (a la Golden Girls).
Our last stop on the exterior tour is back on the opposite side of the house. There we find a questionably structured deck off the back of the sun room and the so-overgrown-you-can't-get-to side yard.
As with the inside which you'll see tomorrow, the exterior of this house isn't about demoing and starting from scratch. Instead it's about fixing, repairing, and restoring the beauty that once was. I've got my hedge trimmer and weed whacker primed and ready to go!
To be continued.....