I have zero chill about this one…not even gonna lie. To think that this little flat roof room once had rusted red metal lap siding with two tiny windows still just blows my mind. It was the most awkward room that felt so disconnected from the rest of the house. …Until now.
A before & after, shall we?
I had one requirement for this room: if it’s going to be different, let’s make it stand out! A different siding material was a non negotiable and we landed on cedar shingle siding. We installed it ourselves and while it took a long time, it was actually pretty fun to do! (More cedar shingle info + installation instructions here.)
The thing about cedar is, with time it naturally patinas to a beautiful weathered gray color and I know that will pair so beautifully with our muted green exterior color – Subterranean. But until then, we get the pleasure of watching the cedar age from a rich wood tone to gray over the the next couple of years. And I can’t wait to retake photos when the color has started to fade!
We chose to do weaved corners which admittedly was a bit of a learning curve, but I love to see the corners taper in and out so seamlessly! It adds to the charm of the room and it was well worth the extra effort.
As I mentioned in our bedroom interior reveal post, we added 4 new windows to add as much natural light as possible. It was a necessity for the interior, and a way to fill out the empty wall space on the exterior. Adding windows will forever be my favorite upgrade!
As for landscaping, I wanted it to match the story book feel of the siding so we decided on a weaved, somewhat asymmetrical, plant layout. Pretty Purple Door has the most helpful guide for planning landscaping layouts and layers.
We planted Lotus Moon Pearlbush which will grow to be a stunning white flower bush, boxwoods, lavender, and a lilac tree! Once they grow out, it should look like a whimsical garden and I cannot wait! The unsightly (and unused) well next to the room was disguised by the cedar cover I built for it (a full tutorial for that is coming next week) and a beautiful bird bath.
We have many summer nights in our backyard to come and we feel so fortunate to have this pretty view to look at now!
Hi Danica, I love the landscaping changes to the backyard, and I just got a peek at your front yard improvements in my email, eek! How did you decide to make the change from rock beds to mulch? I currently have rock, and I don’t love it (it’s hard to weed, plant, gets eroded, etc., not to mention the landscaping tarp needs to be replaced, but to do that, I need to remove all the rock – le sigh). I know many people like the look of rock more than mulch, but I was curious what went into your decision!
Hi Kayla! I actually personally prefer the look of mulch over rock most of the time! It has a softer look to it that I love. And just like you said, it’s much easier to work with and less expensive! Lots of work to remove the rock first though so if you choose to go that route…good luck! 🙂
This is so beautiful! Could you please share the roof shingle color / mfg? Did you paint the soffits? It is truly lovely!
Thank you! Yes, we painted our exterior from top to bottom! Our shingles are Charcoal Grey from IKO. I shared all the info & links to our shingles in this post – https://nadinestay.com/blog/new-shingle-details
What’s the color of the exterior of your home? It’s beautiful!
Hi KayLynn, it’s Subterranean from HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams!
absolute perfection!
🙂 Thank you so much Rachel!