Exterior Makeover Part 1
I feel like I need to preface this post by saying Scott and I love trees. We really do. We enjoy their beautiful blooms in the spring and year-round shade (especially in Texas). There does come a time, however, when killing a tree (or ten) can be a really good thing. Don’t believe me? Let me show you.
As you all saw in the house tour, here’s our front yard. Really pretty corner lot with lots of gorgeous green grass and pretty trees. The problem was, those mushroom trees were totally killing the vibe of our house. One, they are a pretty 70’s-specific look IMHO. Two, it requires WAY too much maintenance to make sure they are always perfectly rounded. Three, they totally hid the front of our house. Four, I walked into about 7 spiderwebs that were strung between those two trees flanking the sidewalk. NO THANK YOU.
So we decided that it was a good thing to simplify, and even though my tree-hugging self died a little bit at the words that came out of my mouth, I suggested to Scott we chop ’em all down. He felt the same way, so we hired a local company to come take care it. Way better! Check it out!
In case you think our backyard got left out of the fun—it didn’t. In fact, the backyard may be more dramatic than the front yard! Remember all these crazy bushes in the back that I’ve hated from the get-go? We decided they had to go too—all of them.
Like most things, it had to get worse before it got better. 🙂
End result? So fresh and so clean, clean. Hopefully an herb garden or something much more aesthetically pleasing will be in that space soon so stay tuned!
Tania Griffis is an accomplished writer, blogger, and interior designer with a Journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. She started her popular blog, Run to Radiance, in 2011, demonstrating her design expertise through the personal remodeling of six houses to millions of readers across the globe.
Tania also owns The Creative Wheelhouse, a respected ghostwriting agency for bloggers, further showcasing her talent for creating engaging and informative content.
Totally agree with you, l
ooks great.
Thank you so much! 🙂 I appreciate it.
I agree! What you guys did really opened it up and made the back and the front look so much more inviting. Good eye!
Thanks Amy! I agree—inviting is a perfect way to describe it.
I love that you don’t waste time!!! I wish I had y’all motivation to GET THINGS DONE!
PS I am super jelly of your pool! 😉
Caroline, I just know if I don’t do things now we’ll never do them!
I’m a tree hugger too, but y’all definitely made the right decision. Your yard looks so much bigger now! I’m totally jealous of how green your grass is!
Glad to have a fellow tree-huggers approval, phew! 🙂 And I have to agree, super excited about the grass as well, especially since we completely killed it at our last house hahah!
Looking good! Can’t wait to bring the kids over to swim Thursday!
Thanks so much! We are excited as well. 🙂
You mean there was a fence behind all those bushes.. you could have fooled me! Great job, front and back. Sometimes less is more!
Hi Tania, What a dramatic difference taking out the trees and bushes made in the curb appeal of your house! I don’t know why people plant trees so close to houses anyway – because the roots can create problems with the structure of the house when the tree gets larger! Well done and thanks for sharing! Blessings, Janet