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Last week I drove by a building that had been changed so remarkably that I just had to stop. “Wow! Did you see that? That’s not new construction, but a renovation.”

In the sleepy little town of Six Mile, South Carolina on main street was an unremarkable beige and white house. I never gave it more than a glance. There were three houses in a row – all with large front porches, and this one was the most unexceptional of the three. I would describe their style loosely as farmhouse all with large front porches. One was a great example of Folk Victorian style.

But it was recently converted into a landscape services office, and someone had the foresight to make a statement.

What initially caught my eye was the color! You wouldn’t know it based off of social media, but you can paint houses colors other than white or beige! Is this house really painted black or is that a very dark charcoal gray? In stark contrast are the windows trimmed in white including the cute diamond shaped window in one of the two front facing gables. The charming rocking chairs that line the front porch make the house very welcoming.

Since this is a landscaping company office, the landscaping is a testament to how fresh plantings and hardscape enhance the overall charm and character of the house. This being upstate South Carolina, large boulders are included. Lastly, there are two large black planters placed like bookends on the porch. They even restored the old-style retaining wall along the sidewalk.

What was there before? I just had to find out. I went to Google to see if I could remember. This provided the full extent the renovation.

The windows are new. They selected a 3 over 1, giving it an arts and craft feel (I would have thought 2 over 2 would be more in keeping with the farmhouse style). I was very happy to see they kept the diamond shaped window – that’s actually a square set at a 45 degree angle.

Studying the before picture in more detail, you also notice they had previously enclosed the left side of the porch eliminating the warp around. The porch enclosure featured fixed store front sized windows that destroyed the balance and scale of the house.

Of course, this sort of porch enclosure is not unprecedented, but with the new focus on outdoor living, I wonder how many wish they had found an alternate way to add more living space?

What do think of the renovation? Is there anything that you would do differently? Do you like the color? Does it fit into the streetscape? I’d love to hear your thoughts!