Since our house front is featured in the blog header so often, you might be surprised to learn it’s due for a major refresh. From a distance it reads charming—especially when the azaleas bloom—but up close it’s far from perfect. The old slate path is chipped and uneven, the scalloped trim over the porch feels dated and out of style, and the screen door was rotten. We tried to extend its life by painting it a cheerful yellow, but it had clearly seen better days.
Yesterday we finally said goodbye to the old screen door and revealed the wooden door behind it, which we painted crisp black along with the shutters. It was an immediate improvement—though we’re considering a sophisticated lipstick red in the near future. For now, I couldn’t wait to tackle that awful scalloped trim.
Attacking it was no small task. The removal turned into an 11-step, six-hour project that left me sore, bleeding in a few spots, and ready to swear off DIY for a while. But after a long day of prying, peeling, hammering and muttering, the scallops were gone and the porch felt fresh and cleaner. Here’s what the ground looked like when I was finished—definitely confirming the need for a new walkway.
And here’s the porch without the scalloped trim.
The change made a noticeable difference. The house now reads more like a tidy 1950s ranch than an 80s country lodge, and the view from inside the living room improved dramatically. To show the contrast, here’s a photo of the living room right after we bought the house almost two years ago—complete with busted curtains, an odd lamp, and a cube divider that drew attention away from the scalloped porch outside.
Since then we’ve renovated the living room—removed the cube divider, installed a new window, added crown molding, and painted throughout—so the constant view of sunlight filtering through scallops started to bother us more and more.
Without those arches interrupting the clean rectangle of the window, the space feels sleeker and more cohesive. Burger, our resident quality-control inspector, certainly approves of the new view.
We also hung airy white curtains high above the window to create a taller, more open feel. Next on the list are natural matchstick blinds to mount just below the rod; that will visually extend the window and make it appear to reach all the way to the curtain rod.
Thanks for following along with our screen door and scallop removal project. Stay tuned for photos of the soon-to-be red front door, a complete path overhaul, and fresh landscaping plans. Curb appeal is the goal, and we’ll share each step as we go.