Y’all, I am BEYOND excited to show you the exterior home makeover that Cy and I did with Lowe’s last week near Nashville, Tennessee.
Cy and I LOVE a good makeover, and this one made a HUGE difference in the exterior of a home.
Now let me back it up a little bit….
Remember last month when I told you how Lowe’s was sending bloggers out to the 10 Bleakest Cities of 2015 because of the harsh winter weather?
Well, Cy and I were assigned to Nashville, and we looked over a bunch of projects that readers submitted in that area. It was hard to decide which project to tackle, but we ultimately decided on Grant and Beth’s brick ranch home.
It might have been because it reminded us so much of our own brick ranch?
Or it might have been because of the way Grant wanted to surprise his wife with the makeover and how he gushed about his love for his family?
Or it could have been because we wanted to show our readers how easy it is to change the look of your home with just some paint (and a little sweat equity)?
Or it could have been ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Cy and I both agreed that Grant and Beth’s home project was the one for us, and we eagerly got to planning. We had a chat with Grant and Beth via the computer and talked about plans for the house.
The main things we wanted to accomplish were:
1. Paint brick exterior.
2. Add new landscaping.
3. Build and install new shutters and window boxes.
4. Build and install new porch columns.
We knew we would have to do some more minor changes as we went along, but those were the main goals of this makeover.
I have a ton of posts planned that will show you all the steps we took to complete this makeover, but today we are focusing on the amazing BEFORE and AFTERS. :)
Here is what it looked like when we arrived…
And here is what it looked like when we left…
HUGE difference, right?
The homeowners were wanting to paint their brick because you could see where an addition had been added on to the back of the original house. We contracted the paint job out to a professional painter. We knew he would be able to paint the house more quickly, and we needed all the time we could get since we had to complete this makeover in two days!
“Paul the Painter” was amazing!! We changed the colors on him a couple of times during the first day and he didn’t even flinch! He handle it all like the PRO that he is, and we were THRILLED with the results! I told him I was going to share his information with my readers because he was THAT GOOD! So if you live near Nashville and need something painted, you will be very happy you contacted Paul!
Paul Chisenhall
Genesis Coatings Inc
genesiscoatingsinc.com
931.217.9643
We started out with the color Accessible Beige (which is gorgeous, but too light) and ended up with Balanced beige SW7037. We had the employees at Lowe’s tint the original paint color to the darker beige color, and they did it awesomely. :)
The Lowe’s Heroes ROCKED the landscaping! They spent the first day ripping out all of the old landscaping and getting the ground ready for the new plants.
Didn’t they do a great job? These plants will look gorgeous as they grow over the years.
They also added beautiful flowers to our DIY flower boxes!
You can see the tutorial of how to make these by clicking the link below…
How to Build a Window Box
Steve, the Lowe’s assistant manager, helped us make our DIY board and batten shutters.
He created a video just for my readers on how to make these shutters!
How to Build Board and Batten Shutters
Steve’s wife was a ROCKSTAR too! She doesn’t work for Lowe’s but volunteered BOTH days to help, and she was a workhorse!
We could not have done it all without the AMAZING Lowe’s Heroes! They worked so hard, never complained, jumped it to help whenever it was needed, had great attitudes, were funny and sweet, and were such a JOY to work with!
Here is what the left corner of the house looked like before…
And here is the AFTER…
One of my favorite “touches” was the turquoise blue door. We painted it SW6486 “Reflecting Pool” in Semi-gloss by getting the color matched at Lowe’s. It really makes the front porch a focal point!
We hadn’t planned on removing the vinyl ceiling on the front porch, but ended up having to when we installed the new wood columns. We were able to put the wood bead board ceiling up the second day, but the homeowners were not sure if they wanted to paint it white or stain it. So we decided that they could make that decision later. :)
We also prettied up the right side of the house with more shutters and window boxes.
My talented husband built the beautiful wood columns. I will share more of that next week too! ;) Lots of great posts coming up, y’all!
We LOVED working with Grant and Beth! They were so much like Cy and I, and our boys had a great time hanging out with their boys. Again, more on that later. ;)
If you like this exterior makeover, you may also like….
Exterior Makeover Reveal
Looks gorgeoUs! So clean and inviting.
What/who are Lowes Heros?
Rachel,
Lowe’s Heroes are just employees of Lowe’s that volunteer their time to help with project like these. :)
Oh my gosh! I bet the owners are doing cartwheels in the yard. That turned out beautifully!! The paint job on the brick and the front door, the columns, the flower boxes….all of it just transformed that cute house. Great job!
Thank you, Stacey! They were super excited about all of the changes! And we had a blast together. :)
What stain color did you use for the shutters and flower boxes ?
What a great transformation! Love the columns and the front door!
Thank you, Jenny!
Hmmm. I generally like it, but can’t believe the dayliliies weren’t replanted. Most of the flowering landscaping isn’t perennial and the rest won’t fill out well at all. I do like how you extended the beds. It all looks very Southwestern now. An amazing amount of work in such a short time. It just shows what a bit of dedication (and taste, and skill) can accomplish.
Thanks, Teresa!
I believe that the homeowners may have kept some of the plants in buckets to replant around the house. The Master Gardener from Lowe’s designed the landscaping since I know nothing about that subject. (hee.hee.) I think the landscaping will look so good after it has a little time to fill out over the years, and I know that Beth and Grant will want to add their own touches to it as well. It is amazing how much work can get done when everyone works together! The Lowe’s volunteers were AMAZING!
Wow, Traci, y’all killed it!!! What a great transformation. I love painted brick and adding those columns and all of the touches made a huge difference in the curb appeal of this house. The homeowners must be over the moon happy!
Thanks, Rhoda! We were all very excited about how it turned out! :)
Traci! This looks so amazing. The church pew pops on the porch now, where it was just fading into the background before. Just loving the makeover. You guys did a great job!
Thanks so much, Felicia! I just loved Beth’s little wood bench, and I was so glad we were able to still use it on the front porch. :)
I didn’t even notice the bench until after the makeover – I had to go back and look again – sure enough :), it was really there!
What a makeover. Wish I had you for a neighbor to bounce ideas off of. Love the blue door.
Thank you, Donnella!
I absolutely love this! My home is very similar with the red brick & wrought iron columns and it’s on my wish list to paint the brick and add wooden columns. Can’t wait for the tutorial on the columns! Y’all did an awesome job!
Thank you, Lucy!
It looks beautiful :-)!!!
Did they put the gutter downspouts back or will they be using rain chains?
Wow! What a transformation. It looks great!
Wow! This looks amazing! I’m curious about what you did with their rain spouts. It looks so much cleaner without them, but they can be handy.
Ha! :)
Angela, the home owners were going to get new gutters and install them after the makeover was complete. The old ones were to dirty to put back up.
Fabulous makeover. If it were mine the only thing I would have wanted different would be beefier columns.
I’m not a fan of ranch houses in general, but this house is fantastic! Great job.
Thank you so much…. our goal is to transform this ranch house into a cottage!
Beautiful job – I love everything! The wood touches are wonderful and the new plantings will fill in before you know it. I especially like the window boxes. I have used the same brackets from Lowe’s that you have supporting them and I think they are so classic. Kudos to you and Cy and your children!!
Thanks, Kim! I love those brackets. They are so little, but they make the biggest difference. :)
Literally my mouth dropped open. i had to keep scrolling up and down to compare the before and afters (i could have waited to see that you did that at the end). i can’t even believe that it’s the same front door. what a marvelous thing paint is. what if the neighbors had been gone for 2 days and came home and looked across the street? they would have thought there was a NEW house!!!! great job!!!!
Actually, the neighbors were gone while we did the makeover, and couldn’t believe it was the same house when they got home! :) Beth said they stood there with their jaws on the ground. Thanks for your sweet words! It makes all the hard work worth it. :)
Blessings, Traci
How were the columns made? The makeover was great!
GREAT Job by all! what a transformation – and I love seeing all the before and after pics. One question…what happened to the down-spouts for the guttering? Did you do something else there?
Looks awesome! If Lowes wants to do this in Ohio, I’d be glad to offer up my home! :)
Thanks, Lucy! Cy and I would love to do this more often, so email Lowe’s and tell them. :)
Traci! This is incredible! I love every single thing you did!
WOW…what a HUGE difference!! Love the color on the door and painted brick is perfect.
Blessings,
Linda
Love the look of painted brick but always wonder about the durability & maintenance. Did your Painter give you any feedback on these points? Excellent update for a traditional ranch!
Wow! Awesome!
It is so amazing to see what you all did in 2 days! It is simply beuatiful. If I was the owner, I would be a complete dork and have dinner in the front yard, so I could look at my beautiful house. :) I vote for painting the porch ceiling a lighter shade of the turquoise on the front door. I love when porch ceilings are painted light blue. But paint or stain, its lovely. What a blessing to have a crew help tear out the old , overgrown landscaping and get a fresh start! Thanks for the inspiration!
I vote to paint the porch ceiling a lighter shade of the color on the door. This is an old Southern tradition that claims it keeps away ghosts and bugs. I can’t vouch for either one personally but I’ve read about it being a bug deterrent several times over the years.
The whole makeover is a huge success. Your house looks larger and like an entirely different home altogether. I love the shutters and the window boxes but I must say the paint on the brick I think made the biggest difference! I live in a 50’s brick ranch that is the same brick and I have wanted to paint it for some time but my husband is afraid the paint would peel or fail in some way. Did the painter say anything about what type of paint should be used or getting the brick prepped in any way before painting? I hope you enjoy your new house!
Wow! What a makeover! Y’all rocked this one! I love the painted brick! Look out Chip and Joanna, Tracy and Cy are right behind you!!
Wow! What a makeover! Y’all rocked this one! I love the painted brick! Look out Chip and Joanna, Tracy a
nd Cy are right behind you!!
Wow! You did a great job. You’ve definitely risen this property’s worth by 500%!
Well done! You seriously increased the value of the house. It looks wonderful. I particularly think the wood columns make the house very elegant from the outside, and yes, the color of the house and the front door are so modern and classy. Super, duper job, well done and thank you for sharing.
INCREDIBLE Traci!!! Wow, I am so happy you chose Grant & Beth’s home! The transformation is mind blowing, you & CY should have your own show:). Great job!!! Jen
Thank you so much Jen!!
Fantastic job Traci! I’m behind on my blog reading and missed your makeover. You all did an amazing job!!!
You guys are so inspiring! I don’t know why more people don’t paint brick homes b/c this looks absolutely beautiful! Love the blue door and the wood accents. So eye-catching!
WOW!!! I’m stunned, the house looks outstanding!
OMG…WOW!!! I love the colors you painted the house along with the new landscaping! You all get a huge pat on the back!
WOW what an AMAZING makeover!! I love the look of painted brick…you guys did an awesome job!
Wow! Love the transformation! You guys did a great job! Do you know what color stain you used on the columns and shutters?
Minwax Dark Walnut
What an incredible transformation! I absolutely love the colour of the door and all the dark wood you used on the outside, it pops beautifully against the colour of your home now.
Thank you!
Hi, I know this is late, but can you tell me the color that was used on the font door.
Minwax, Dark Walnut
Love this makeover!! I have a smaller brick home but have dreamed of painting it like this for a while. Can you tell me if these colors are Lowe’s colors or Sherwin Williams?
When will you post the column tutorial post?
I am considering painting my home this color. I was wondering if this home had a garage? And if so, did you have it painted the same color? I dont know if I should paint my gargage the same or what would be a good color for the garage door? It looks so good!!
I watched a tv show once several years ago and they didn’t paint the garage door the same as the front door. They used the house color on the garage door but used a gloss instead of flat paint.
This is an amazing transformation! but I’m curious about the gutters that were on the home in the before but don’t seem to be showing in the after. What was done with those? I have similar placement of mine and wonder what we would do if we painted our home.
The homeowners bought new gutters and installed them after we left. :)
Hi Traci,
This transformation is inspiring!
My husband & I are planning to paint our 1950s blonde brick ranch. I’d like to try it myself, but am a bit shy on getting started ;)
I was also thinking window boxes would add to our desired “cottage feel”.
Thank you for posting! This is exactly what I needed!
We are going to remodel exactly as this! We looooove it! Can you please give paint names and stain? Also, wood used for shutters, columns, and flower boxes. I will send u before and after pics. Thank you so much! Great job! God Bless. Kathy
I sent a message previously, but unsure if you received it. I love this makeover! I live in a 70s ranch and I want to update my ranch just as you did this one. I found how to make flower boxes and shutters, but not the columns. Can you also provide paint colors? thanks and great job
How does painted brick hold up? Im considering painting our brick home (rusty red) to a beige and having it look more cottage/craftsman style look. Im really nervous to paint because I dont want a maintenance nightmare but really hate the look of my house outside.
Were you ever able to make a post about how ya’ll did the columns?
I am trying to find on here the color stain used on the shutters but can’t. If I am missing it, I am sorry but can you post it again? Thanks !
What color stain used on the columns? Are these just pressure treated 4x4s that y’all stained? Need to know, PLEASE! Haha!
where is the post that shows how to get rid of the rought iron and replace with the columns?
Where can I find a post about the wood columns? I would love to make these for my home.
Thanks
Hi Cindy. We do not have a post about how we built the columns. I’m sorry.
Was this Lowe’s paint? What color of paint did you use for the bricks! I love it!!! Looking forward to using your ideas on my own brick ranch in Dickson, TN.
Hi Faith!
Unfortunately, I do not have the paint color because it is a color that the homeowners picked out and had lightened by Lowe’s, so there is not an exact paint color. Sorry. ;)
Hello, i love the color of the home. Can you please let me know what color you used on the home?
I am so sorry that I do not know the color of this house. The homeowners picked the color and they didn’t like it at first, so they had Lowe’s add some white to it to lighten it up. So I don’t really have an exact color to give you. Again, I am sorry.
Your project turned out so nice!!!! So nice in fact, we are using it as inspiration to redo our own ranch home. We just finished making all the shutters for the front and the house paint came in yesterday. Looking forward to painting it and assign some new landscape. I could not locate the tutorial on the window boxes. Did you ever post it? thanks so much for sharing!!
Love the transformation!! Gorgeous!! What is the front door color? I am starting a redo and love this color!
great job!!
do you remember the stain color? thanks, and love it
It’s dark walnut from Minwax.
Was wondering if you could tell me if you used primer and paint from Lowes and/or what brand? Also maybe if the paint was rolled on or sprayed on? I just love what the house you’ve transformed looks like so much and want to give it a go out here in VA. Thanks again!!
Hi! We have a similar ranch home that we are looking to update. Wondering approximate cost for exterior update (paint, shutters, window boxes, columns) minus landscaping?
Did you make the flower boxes by the window too?? Do you have a tutorial on that by any chance? Thanks!
Beautiful and in Love with this. What color was used for the front door?
Traci,
Beautiful house makeover. It looks to clean and welcoming. :)
Beautiful!! I wish someone could just tell me what I could do with my 80’s ranch exterior it’s that old orangie stone. There isn’t really any pics on Pinterest of remodels of old stone ranch exteriors.
Would like to see more of yr makeovers. Wanting to replace my iron stands with wood posts and need help. Thanks for any pointers.
What did y’all do with the gutter downspouts?
What brand of paint did y’all use for the brick?
Í need thee shutters video.thanks
http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2015/06/how-to-build-board-and-batten-shutters/
Amazing transformation!!!😍 What color paint did you use for the bricks?
Thank you, Maria! It was actually a color the owners picked out, and they didn’t like it at first, so they took it to lowe’s to have it lightened. Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact color to tell you. :(
Ok we were going to paint our home the same colors as you selected above. We have a fan deck from SW and these colors are know whre near the colors you selected any suggestions or hints?
Hi there! The homeowners gave me the names of the paint they chose, but they ended up not liking the color when we started painting the house. So we had to take the paint to Lowe’s and they lightened it. I don’t have an exact color match for you. Wish I could be of more help. Traci
Beautiful makeover! I love painted brick, but I’ve read that it’s not wise to paint brick for several reasons (seals the brick so the brick/house can’t breathe, is a mess when it starts needing to be repainted, for ex). Any reassurances that it’s a fine thing to do? :)
Hi Karen! Thanks for your comment! I think we come from a generation that thought it was terrible to paint brick, but it’s not the case any more. The paint industry has created some amazing exterior paints that allow the brick to breath and last for many years. We painted our brick over five years ago and have not done one single thing since, and it still looks great! I would never hesitate to paint a brick home! ;)
Wow, I’m so thankful to have come across this blog post. We have 1/2 brick wall around the lower part of our house and I’m not a fan of it. Our intention was to paint right after move in, but life happens… so nearly 6 years later, we’re – hubby and I, finally talking about color options. Not once have we said anything about painting the bricks.
This is inspiring!!😎💜