Thank you justgotabeme! It is true, we find ourselves in the FRONT of the house quite often! The first evening, we poured cocktails and just sat out front and stared. We are very pleased! CEfreeman-Ohhh, what a long, peaceful country driveway that is! I wouldn't want it to look too "maintained!" Hi Lyfia! I posted quite awhile ago, I was very gung ho on the faux wood grain...as a matter of fact, I wanted to do a faux carriage door look, adding the rustic hardware. Most people were against it...and this was when I was planning on painting my house a dark color. Now that my house is so light, I don't want a big dark expanse that takes up such a huge chunk of the front. If my house were bigger, or the paint darker,I would consider it. I do love that look, just not for this house at this time. birdlover-yes, we are thinking two big black pots on either side of the arch...and maybe on the far side of the garage...with bougainvilla or some flowering vine set on a trellis just a bit off from the house walls so they don't actually grow on the walls! The reason we are thinking black pots is...when you drive to our house, you first see the south side of it...with a row of windows with black awnings over each window. So we feel the big black pots will tie the side and the front together. lukkiriish-thank you, I just love those california spanish homes! Thanks for comparing my home to one of those! Ok, again, I really appreciate every single comment. It has been so much work and money and as much as my hubby and I enjoy it, it is nice to see it be well received here!

Michey312, sorry for the rude comments, they are no help at all. I think you did a fabulous job. I too was beaten up by this forum when we did our own plumbing for a bathroom remodel. It was mid pandemic and the "pros" were just not available. Well it's been over three years and the bathroom plumbing is working just fine. We fixed issues with previous plumbing that was done 30 years ago by a licenced plumber as well as the required modifications for the new fixtures. We installed new lighting, tile, toilet, vanity and soaking tub. Granted we decided not to change the layout to simplify the plumbing and electrical, but in the end we were very pleased with our handy work. I am in the middle of working a quote for Conestoga cabinets for a new kitchen (new construction). I like the inset cabinets and want to use the extended leg (face frame) option. How did you decide where to place the extended legs? It is clear that they would not be appropriate on all of the cabinets in my design. Also on your island (which I love), it looks like the extended leg is wider than the extended legs in your other base cabinets. Can you confirm? was that an option? It looks like you might have used a panel on the side of your island. How much did the trim details extend the size of your island? Hopefully you are still monitoring Houzz. Thanks in advance for any information you are willing to share. Again, great job!

First, I'd get rid of the pile of things on the right and the things cluttering the front porch. Don't know what is on the left. A shrub? Then I'd kill the weeds in the driveway. What is growing just to the left of the driveway? I'd also consider painting the white parts of the house in a color that blends with the brick tones.

A previous owner had removed the front porch and built a small mudroom on the front of the house. There was a 'flat' quality to the house with little dimension. I really liked the functionality of the mudroom but missed having a porch to sit on. I was scared adding a half porch might look disjointed, but my contractor did a great job blending the facade.Before: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fjg9uRiBj9pPBWn76 After:https://photos.app.goo.gl/uGySzqk6XqXMi3wQ8