Red House Yard Progress!

We’re walking through all of the big changes we’ve made around the property at the Red House. So long, dead trees!

A Status Report!

While we’ve been very focused on the Red House’s interior as of late, we’ve also quietly been getting the exterior whipped into shape! We wrote about the overall plan back in May, and we’ve since called in the professionals to get the ball rolling. We had heavy equipment out on the property for a couple of days back in June and things are looking wildly different today! Here’s where we stand…

The Front Yard | Before

In the Front yard, multiple oddly placed saplings, shrubs and semi-mature trees choked the space and prevented light from reaching in through the home’s windows. We worked with our favorite Michigan landscape design team to keep and prune the healthy, well-placed trees. The sick, damaged and poorly placed trees were removed and their stumps were ground out. While it’s always bittersweet to remove an established tree, we’re playing the long game on this expansive outdoor space and planning for the future.

The Front Yard | Progress

With the oddly placed trees removed, The front of the house looks open and inviting. It’s framed beautifully by the mature pine tree on the right and the the pair of healthy trees creating a lovely natural corridor on the left. All three of these ‘keeper’ trees were trimmed to remove dead limbs and they’re all showing lots of new growth now that their canopies are more open.

The Back Yard | Before

Out back, this tangled mess of three (or maybe four?) trees was dead from top to bottom after being choked by invasive vines for decades. The branches that did remain were so overgrown with climbing weeds that we couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. Unfortunately, they all had to go. Removing this chunk was the most time-consuming part of the two day tree removal process and it was worth every penny!

The Back Yard | Progress

With the trees gone, the light that pours into the back yard ‘field’ is absolutely incredible. The stumps were ground into mulch and removed and we brought our mowing crew on board for an every-other-week mowing schedule. The mowing turned a tangled field of weeds into the green carpet (of weeds, but shorter) that we have today. As a side benefit, the backyard at our adjacent Tree House (the tan on on the other side of the fence above) is brighter than ever.

The side by side photos below truly tell the tale! Prior to these changes, we didn’t realize just how big the field was. Now we’re envisioning space for all of the outdoor activities! Where will the zipline be installed? Will we add a screen room onto the side of the future party barn? Where will the (mandatory) fire pit go? Is there space for a natural swimming pool? Our heads are absolutely spinning with the possibilities!

While the idea of creating an outdoor playground for both kids and adults is incredibly exciting, we do need to reign things in outdoors for the time being. We’re thisclose to calling in our final two inspections inside the house, so our attention will continue to be focused there for now. We can dream though!

Back of the House | Before

Closer to the back of the house, we once again removed a number of stumps and trees in locations that won’t work for our long term plan. This also really opened up the sight-lines through the big 14 foot double sliding door.

Back of the House | Progress

We’ll eventually build a deck that fills out this inside corner at the back of the house. In preparation for that, the trees and concrete birdbath needed to be removed to provide us with a blank slate. The way we can see down into the field from inside the house is absolutely blowing our minds! Again, with the waist-high weeds that formerly filled the space really choked out the views. Now we can see allllll the way back to the tree line.

What’s Next?

Well, probably not much this year! Our most pressing priority is fresh exterior paint to protect all of the new siding that’s been installed over the last year or so. We have a quote in-hand and a contractor on-deck and we’re hoping to finalize the scope and budget to get moving on the work before the weather changes. That said, we do have landscaping plans that we hope to be able to implement next spring, but time will tell on that one!

Looking for more Red House content? Here’s the roof reveal, the indoor fireplace, the one year anniversary, and the first finished project – the big bathroom reveal! Or check out all of the before and afters, as well as the room reveals here!