Saturday, April 22, 2006

Curb Appeal

Griff is a This Old House junkie. He watches This Old House, This Old House Classics, Inside This Old House, and Ask This Old House. It's given him all kinds of grand ideas for things to do with our 25-year old fixer-upper. (Don't get me started on his kitchen renovation plans.)

A couple of years ago, we saw an episode where they did patterned concrete. Griff fell in love with it. Our driveway was broken and cracked and he dreamed of replacing our with patterned concrete. It was all a "someday" dream until we got "The Letter".

"The Letter" came from our home owner's association. They told us we needed to repair our driveway. After a letter telling them exactly how much money we've put into this house in the last 3 years, they backed off. For awhile. Last fall, we got another letter. After fuming over it for a few days, Griff decided maybe we should go ahead and fix it. (I think all the tuition we're no longer paying is making us feel rich. ) Of course, the way we do things, that doesn't mean a patch. That means a completely new driveway. And, while we're at it, a new back patio because of our drainage problem. And then the front walk will look old and shabby, so we need to replace that, too.

So, we did it. The last week and a half has been taken up with this project. From the teeth-rattling jackhammers to the stress of picking just the right colors, it's been quite a ride. But totally worth it. It looks fabulous, if I may say so myself.

I'm including some before and after pictures so you can ooohhh and aahhh yourself. Click on the images if you want to see them larger.

Before:





After (the walkway is dirty, so it's not the best picture):



3 comments:

Stacy said...

Fabulous! I love it! Plant some monkey grass along that sidewalk and call it good!

(What happened at your neighbors house in the meantime? Is that crime scene tape???)

Rhonda said...

LOL! No, that's the caution tape so no one would drive on our driveway. I moved it out of the way for the picture. I guess I didn't move it quite far enough.

Thanks, Stacy. We're thrilled with how it turned out.

Sprittibee said...

Wow, Rhonda! Good for you. Looks great. :)