Well it is good to look around and see WHAT you like before you call someone up, or do it yourself. I really can't blame you, we do the same thing. We don't get out of the car though we just look as we drive by!
If people didn't look at other people's houses roofers and window installers (ect) wouldn't put signs in front of houses they just worked on. It is just natural to look and think "gee i think that would be GREAT (or yucky) on my house!"
Maybe if you just took a walk around town then you will be a little less suspicious looking!

I am curious to know what you decide on the driveway since I have to make that decision too! I was thinking of using pea gravel with the tar and chip - I think that is the little colored rocks since I have a larger version around the house. I can't wait to go to some open houses. I wish they had more around me...

Softfrun, my DH and I strategically plan our walks for around 8:30PM when it's a dark outside but most houses are still bustling with activity. Then we can quickly peek in windows as we walk and see how they're remodeled/remuddled. Of course, we're admiring most of the houses but occasionally we think, "Oh thank God for our house!" By "peeking in," I don't mean walking up to the house and peering in--I mean glancing through windows as we're walking by.

Occasionally if we're feeling generous we'll leave our window treatments open after dark and give our wandering neighbors the same pleasure we get in peeking into homes. Maybe we're making them grateful they don't have our house (or our taste!), or helping them to decide that bold colors are nothing to be afraid of.

Our friends (who live in newer neighborhoods where there are no sidewalks or front porches and people don't casually stroll--they power-walk if they're outside at all) think we're a little crazy but we know everyone in our neighborhood is doing the same thing.

Anyway, just wanted to say - don't feel badly. You're not alone. We should all form a club!

Ah, one of my favorite "secret passions" is stealing that glimpse into the homes of my neighbors as I walk thru the neighborhood after dark! Like loriellen, I don't gawk, but I will steal as much of an eye-full as a casual stroll past an open window will allow! I also really love to walk in my neighborhood to note what others have done with their landscaping. I've picked up some great ideas that way -- I wouldn't necessarily copy, but that's how I've gained a lot of inspiration for things that I'd like to do!

I've always been "house obsessed" though. Even as a little girl, I loved looking at houses and dreaming about what my "dream home" would be like.

loriellen, are you suggesting maybe we should stay on the sidewalk for propriety's sake?? I learn so much here!

Thought I'd share a similar thread from the Kitchens Forum where apparently some of us have let the social graces slip a little...

Apparently my neighborhood abounds with walkers, voyeurs, and snoops!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Voyeur

Actually, I don't really try to look in peoples windows, and I always catch people in front of my house pointing or taking pictures. In fact, when I had the front of my home redone, the contractor came by to work and set the alarm off. The police showed up, and while he was explaining what happened, the cops said they had been watching my renovation, and could they come inside and look! I get to go into some of the most expensive homes in the NY area for my work, so I'm a little spoiled and jaded when it comes to design. It's just that some ideas don't always fit my budget so I need to "shop" around for other options....hense the drive by viewings.Before I stared renovation, I too went around with a camera to gleen ideas.

I'm still looking at driveways, Boop. The tar + chip is very common here with shingle style, but I still need to figure out what to do for a skirt. So many of the stone drives don't have a skirt, but I have a grading problem on the road so I need something to contain the stones.

I have been scouting my neighboorhood for a house that might be the same as mine once was.. It has been redone so many times that I am curious about how it must have looked.. I figure that the who ever built this house did not just build one given the area... but so far no luck!

maddiemom

maddiemom, are there local records at the library, historical society, etc? Do you have photos of your house in an earlier incarnation?

Nope. You're definitely not the only one. I've found myself taking sudden detours, exploring new areas of the neighborhood. Even discovering new neighborhoods,forcing passengers in my car to endure spontaneous adventures. I will never tire of looking at residential architecture and experiencing "life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit" to create the perfect home for my family and myself.
I cannot resist libraries, bookstores and real estate magazines. I live for HGTV and Lowes, and I will go into debt for a home improvement anytime of the year at the drop of a hat. I have it real bad. Somebody please help me.

Years ago, my husband and I admired the exterior colour of a home we passed on our walks. We actually took our paint chips up to the side of the house to check whether or not they matched. It took several trips to get it right.

My sister and her husband were out driving one day and saw a house painted in the colors they wanted. A guy was working in the yard. They stopped and asked about the color. He went to his garage and found the paint and painted a piece of cardboard for them so that it could be color-matched. It pays off.

1914, there do not seem to be ANY records about my place save the court recored that indicate it was built in 1920 and was 940sqrft... which is SO funny since the house is now.. uhhhh 4K plus. EVERYONE who has lived here has added on at some point.. it's a real rambler.

Maddiemom