Dutch Door source and FAQ
Greetings, friends! I’ve been eager to return to sharing our exterior and patio projects, and the good news is we’re finally nearing the finish line. That doesn’t mean every idea is complete—there will always be more to tweak—but we’ve wrapped up most of what we set out to do and even added a few unexpected improvements.
Makeovers don’t begin with an “after” photo, so I want to show the process that led to the reveals. Over the next few days and weeks I’ll share updates, sneak peeks (follow along on Instagram for extras) and plenty of after shots.
2020 UPDATE: This post was originally from 2018. Previously shared updates of our house are available in newer posts.
This story has had its share of twists, delays and surprises, so I’ll start where I haven’t shown before: the back of the house. Much of the transformation happened there, so you’ll be seeing this side of the house a lot in upcoming posts.
Here’s what the back of our house looked like the day we moved in.
When we bought the house it was a fairly typical brick rambler—nothing I would normally have chosen, but the Seattle housing market was intense so we considered many options. The previous owner told us, “you are going to love living here,” and she was right. The house was solid and well-maintained, and it simply made you feel happy being inside.
The back of the house offers glorious light and wide views of water, trees, sky and mountains. The property has beautiful blooming trees, spectacular sunsets, and we’re within walking distance of a Puget Sound beach. It truly checked a lot of boxes.
Even so, houses like this are sometimes torn down in our area to make way for larger new builds. I prefer preservation when possible, though I understand remodeling can be costly and new construction can better match a buyer’s needs. For us, our modest home fits perfectly—we love its size and character.
Kitchen Makeover
While the house’s footprint and core elements stayed the same, it’s been rewarding to see how other updates have refreshed the home. At heart she’s still the same house, just looking and feeling more updated—maybe even a bit spunky. There are many ways to change a house, but few are as impactful as paint.
You may recall we painted our exterior brick white. That change has altered the whole feel of the home. We’ve had no issues with the paint two years later; it still looks great. We used Sherwin Williams Reserved White and expect it to last for years.
Some people worry about painting brick, and it’s true painted brick will eventually need repainting. But if you don’t love your brick, waiting years to avoid repainting isn’t necessarily the best option. I believe in loving the home you have—if paint helps you do that, it can be worth it.
We’re very happy with the white brick. It changed the house’s personality and made it feel more like home.
There were other improvements to make at the back of the house—some immediate, some for later. I wasn’t a fan of the old awning, so I was glad to see it go before painting. Relocating the electrical boxes remains on the list for a future project.
Here’s another shot of how the back looked the day we moved in.
And here’s what the house looks like now. Two years ago we transformed the exterior with a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams Reserved White, giving the home a cleaner, brighter appearance.
UPDATED PHOTO 2020: We later added a Trex deck and shared a reveal post with details.
Paint made a huge difference, but our exterior projects didn’t end there. We continued refining outdoor spaces and updating features to make the yard and patio more functional and welcoming.
For more before-and-after updates, I’ve shared additional progress photos and stories in later posts covering updates through 2021.
I’ll be sharing more about the side yard and the improvements that took place over the winter around the back of the house. There’s more to come, including detailed looks at individual projects and final reveal photos.
Stay tuned—more updates are coming soon, including a second post focused on our outdoor projects and patio improvements.