Exterior Makeover: Before And After – If you are thinking about modernizing the stucco of an old house, it does not have to be scary. For our renovation project to update the exterior of our home, we couldn’t believe how many changes we could make. Not only did we redo the plaster, we replaced the windows, replaced the front door, added wood accents, and changed the landscaping, to name a few. The before and after pictures of this exterior update show the incredible remodeling update that brought new life to our home.
We recently purchased a traditional stucco house from the 90’s and wanted to update the stucco exterior for more curb appeal. The exterior of our house was very dated and was in dire need of modernization and a completely different look. It has been transformed from an old stucco house to a gorgeous newly renovated stucco house with a European vibe. Below I’ve included the steps to rebuild the upgrades with before and after pictures.
Exterior Makeover: Before And After
First, we met professional designer Angie Geren. He took pictures of the outside of our house and wrote down what changes we wanted. We knew we wanted to remove the corners of the stucco, remove the stucco around the windows and the arch over the front door. At first we thought we might want to replace it with stucco or brick in the garage or the part of the house where the front door protrudes, but changed our mind due to cost. We also considered painting the house a fresh farmhouse white and adding shutters.
Our Cottage Exterior
I’m so glad we waited for the designer’s input because his ideas turned out so much better than we imagined. This was our first sketch render that he sent. I love how he changed the house by adding lots of rectangular lines and updating the old plasterwork. He felt that a front door with sidelights looked too big for the space and that a single door would have worked better. He also suggested wooden lattice shutters for the garage windows, a wooden beam over the front door and painting the house a creamy white.
We then found a solid wood door that matched the look we were hoping for at Southeast Salvage in Chattanooga, TN. Our general contractor, Tommy Treadway of T-Squared, replaced the front door. He then had to frame the area around the front door where the lights were. Above the front door, he removed the round-headed window. These changes helped change the look to clean straight lines instead of rounded accents.
We removed or cut 13 trees between the front and back yards. It’s hard to tell from the earlier picture, but the first picture had a large mound in the front yard with several trees. This mound alone took 30 bags of mulch to slide onto the concrete, creating an unexpected sight. We wanted a clean look, so all the trees in the pile were removed, and since the yard is very sloping, the yard in that area was completely leveled to make more room for our kids to play on the grass.
Also, as you can see in the second picture above, there was a small stone wall that fell in front of the Round Head driveway with unsightly scraggly plants. That place was also cleaned.
Painted Brick Home Exterior Makeover Before And After Ideas
To make a big change to the exterior of our stucco home, we removed some outdated stucco elements to update the exterior to a clean European look.
When we started looking for a plastering contractor, they all asked what kind of plaster was used on the exterior of our house. We didn’t know there was more than one type. When contractors came to our home for an estimate, it was discovered that our plaster was made of EIFS; Scroll to the bottom of the post for more information on different types of plaster.
Make sure you get more than one offer when you upgrade your rod exterior. Our prices have ranged from about $7,000 to remove old stucco trim and have done a few renovations over $30,000 to remove and redo unwanted whole house plaster. The stucco contractor we hired removed the corner moldings, the thick stucco window trim, and the detailed arch above the front door. He also carried out several renovations to update the exterior plastering to meet current building standards.
Tip: When removing stucco accents, the surrounding plaster should be re-sealed from joint line to joint line. It cannot be fixed; otherwise, you can tell exactly where the rod has been redone. Be wary of any plastering contractor who tells you they can repair the area. As you can see in the last picture, the entire front of the house has been re-plastered so that it doesn’t look patchy.
The (mostly) Complete Exterior Makeover
The windows in our house were unique and very attractive. Last winter we had to put tape around the window seals to keep the cold air out. The original wood trim around the windows didn’t look good, and the paint was chipped in many places. When replacing the new windows, maintenance-free aluminum was used to wrap the trim. You can see the difference in the image below; after all the windows were installed and wrapped it significantly updated the look.
After removing the gutters and cleaning the house to prepare it for plastering, some water damage was found on the ceiling and surface. The original gutters on the house were 4 inches, which were too small and could not handle the amount of water properly when it rained. Over the years it damaged parts of the roof and fascia that we had to replace.
A rather large crew painted the exterior of our house. They knocked out the entire project in one day. At first we thought we wanted a bright white house, but after consulting with our designer, this cream color turned out much better. I love the white farmhouse look, but the exterior of our house wasn’t exactly farmhouse, so we went for a modern European look instead, and I’m so glad we did.
Adding trellis sheds is one of my favorite parts of the exterior of our home. The stain brightened the natural wood against the cream exterior paint and updated the exterior of our stucco home. Many lattice sheds are very fancy, but we wanted very simple, clean lines to continue the look of the rest of the house. My husband and our friend and remodeling contractor Tommy designed, built and painted the lattice sheds. They used spruce instead of cedar because of its high decay resistance and to avoid too much red when painted.
Best House Exterior Renovations By Joanna Gaines
See full step-by-step instructions at Window Pergola Ideas: A Quick Guide to Getting Your Project Started
My husband made this faux beam and installed it above the front door. He used 3 different pieces of white pine to make the beam. He then painted it and once it was completely dry, he mounted it over the front door. He used the same stain color and clear polyurethane to cover them because the trellis sheds contrast with the natural front door.
I love how we went from curves to clean straight lines as we updated every part of the exterior of the house. We followed the same pattern with these rectangular outdoor lights.
We have all new landscaping done. Since this is not our final home, we kept the landscaping simple and clean. We replaced the old gutters with 6 inch bronze gutters to match the finish in the house.
Before & After: Exterior Makeover Of Our Tiny Lake House
It wasn’t really supposed to be step 10, but we waited for the painting contractor to come back to stain the door. Since it has been installed for a while, it has a few water stains on it. Our painting contractor sanded the door and then painted it with clear polyurethane. Because the door is made of cedar, it looks dark, as do the beams and lattice. Different types of wood absorb stains differently.
If you’re planning an exterior home renovation, I’ve answered some of the most popular questions below. When renovating a stucco exterior, a remodeler can completely transform a home from an outdated look to a modern one.
When we first started renovating our home and planning our exterior renovations, I had no idea that there were several types of stucco and many different stucco finishes. Stucco is a great exterior finish for a home due to its strength, durability and low maintenance.
After making a few phone calls to several plastering contractors, we found out that the home used an EFIS system. Not only were there a few areas that needed to be repaired, but we also wanted to remove the old capstones and trim around the window and archway above the front door.
Budget Split Level Home Exterior Makeover
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