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4 min read

Before (& During) & After: Part 1

A look at some of the big changes.
Before (& During) & After: Part 1
How many yards of mulch went into the renovated yard? Who can remember!

Bringing 615 Sunset Lane to its present condition has been a long, rewarding, and expensive trip. Here's a look at some of the changes to the landscaping and infrastructure.

When we purchased the house in January 2024, the bushes out front were overwhelming.
It was hard to get to the front door!
The corner near the driveway was particularly intimidating.

Not long after the snow relented, we hired Tom Morgan of Bud, Branch & Blossom to help clear the front, side, and back.

In the garden, we rescued a few treasures and added many new ones, including a Japanese maple, a redbud, a small army of hostsas from our own yard, oak-leaf hydrangeas, and more.

The Japanese maple was added next to the sunroom because along Sunset Lane, there is a steady march of these and they look so pretty in spring, summer, and fall. It looks so lovely through the sunroom windows, too.

Come spring, what we had saved and planted started blooming.

The lilac tree out back is now supported by a new trellis.
The azalea in front has been un-buried and blooms brilliantly in the spring and summer.
The new perennials took root nicely in the spring.
Lenten roses, a burning bush, and so much more to love, nicely mulched
The corner that was completely obscured is now neatly gardened, and the burning bush earns its name in the fall. It's drop-dead gorgeous from the front sunroom.

The one thing left bugging me as we neared sale was the front walk. It was really beaten up. Even the patches were coming apart!

I decided to go ahead and drop the money. After attempting four contractors, ol' reliable Able Concrete came through for us.

It's hard to describe how much better it feels to walk up to the house on a walkway that doesn't crumble below your feet.

That's hardly the only infrastructure improved! Besides lots of new plumbing and electrical (to be featured in later B&A posts), right near the start of the job, we fixed this massive issue:

This really was the electrical service to the house in January 2024.

The building inspector told me it was a small miracle the house hadn't burned down before we replaced the Push-Matic electrical box and it's meager circuitry.

We had new electrical service run to the house, so the house now has a brand-new meter and enough circuits to properly service a modern house.

Before the face of the meter went on.
Safe and functional! And labeled!

The new electrical service allowed us to add another big-ticket item that made summertime renovations way more bearable:

Central air for the whole house!

The house is now comfortable all-year round. And it's the whole house, because in the two rooms above the garage, we added new ductwork to properly bring those spaces warm and cool air. We also properly insulated those rooms. The entire house is now so comfortable all year round.

Just a reminder of some of the things we didn't need to update in this 1923 charmer:

The window seat in the dining room, a perfect spot for watching birds at the feeder.
A nighttime photo of the same spot, so you can see the built-in drawers. Perfect for storing tablecloths for the dining table.
The linen closet upstairs, for bed linens and towels. Gorgeous; functional; original.
A close-up of some of the hardware on the linen closet.
The dining room ceiling fixture. (I still haven't stolen it for my house.)
The lamp in the hall, just outside the coat closet.
All. That. Original. Woodwork. And glass. (Including the original beveled glass on the four oak French doors and the front door.)

You can see why the infrastructure expense felt like a great investment, given the 1923 treasurers.

Stay tuned for Part 2...