We almost didn’t buy this house. More precisely, we almost didn’t even look at it. Mostly because the MLS listing featured its garage so prominently. The interior pictures looked interesting, but LA felt it was all garage based on the picture in the listing. We skipped it the first night and it was almost the last house we saw on the second night of house hunting.

This first picture is more or less how it looked from the front when we bought it. Where’s the house, right?

Our first order of business was to get rid of some of the trees. We focused on the large, dominant spruce and took down the others. Sure, being an old environmentalist, I fretted a bit. But in the end, I agree it was a good decision for curb appeal. So we took down the trees in the fall.

The problem was that winter decided to arrive on Thanksgiving weekend, so we had to stop the landscaping and start shoveling.

Come this spring, we resumed the work with the regrading. It’s a bit tough to see, but the picture above shows the regraded front yard with the curved concrete curbing (how’s that for an alliteration?) running around the spruce tree.

Today was the day it all came together. We awoke to find our landscaper and her crew busily planting. Here’s the result.

(If you are wondering what all the white specks are, they are seeds. Two days ago it was snowing; today the airborne seeds are so think they look like snow.)

Now, looking from the sidewalk at the house, you can see the curved curbing in front of which is lawn.

This shot shows the front and side (living room and piano room) of the house that will overlook a nice mulch-covered fern garden (I love ferns).

Finally, this will be a nice little spot to put a bench or some large potted flowers to add some drama.

I guess it’s the sign of a good job that I can’t wait to see what it looks like as it matures in the coming years.

Let us know what you think.