. I finally figured out that if I manually type in the code for photos instead of simply copying and pasting, the photos will appear in my post.
Here, then, are some before and after pictures of my front entry.
The Before:
I dug up this old picture of the staircase. Note how dark and narrow the stairs are. Not exactly inviting, is it? I think this old staircase really dated the house, which would otherwise appear to be a much newer home, thanks to the vinyl siding I put on in 2012.
My goal was to widen the stairs from 3 feet to 4.5 feet, make them less steep and rebuild the retaining walls which had large cracks in them and ugly concrete. Overall, I wanted to make the first impression of my home more welcoming and inviting.
This is what it looked like at the end of day 1 reconstruction:
The After:
Here's the finished look, standing in the driveway:
Notice how I immediately put some potted plants on the steps.
This view shows how they extended the stone facade about a foot and a half back (on left) to where the stone wall meets the garage. Prior to this, there was a funny looking strip of cement wall showing to left of stone wall.
At the top of the stairs, I had them create an 8-foot circle of pavers. It's a nice design element, I think.
If there was one teeny thing I was a little disappointed in, it's the somewhat washed out color of the pavers. I had seen photos online of a more multi-colored set of pavers, which I liked a lot. These do show some gray and reds, but I wanted something a bit more noticeable.
This is another view of the landing at top, looking down the stairs. You can see where I already began replanting the sedums I'd dug up to make way for the widened staircase. I mulched it last night.
Overall, I'm very happy with the finished product. The firm I hired, found through Angie's List, was a father and son team. Their crew was Macedonians + 1 Croatian, where I guess they got their stonework skills. The 4 workmen were all over 50, interestingly, and worked very hard.
Views of my new entryway!
June 20th, 2015 at 08:36 pm
June 21st, 2015 at 12:48 am 1434847680
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I think there is a stone coat that gives it a bit of a wet look. That brings out the colors. Maybe ask the stone masons?
June 22nd, 2015 at 01:53 am 1434938036
June 22nd, 2015 at 01:36 pm 1434980186
June 22nd, 2015 at 03:37 pm 1434987435
Some insurance companies send out underwriters to "review" insured properties. (We're arguing with ours right now since they sent someone out who decided, by standing on the ground, that we need a new roof.)