I am so excited to share the progress on the exterior of our home with you!  I have been waiting on this day for a very long time.  After working tirelessly on this home for almost 2 1/2 years, I now smile when I drive up to it.  Although remodeling the inside of our home first was necessary, I often times wished we could switch to the outside for a while to make it look a little better! Even though I knew that so much progress was happening on the inside, it seemed as if the exterior was holding me back from enjoying the transformation.  I am now blown away, I couldn't have imagined our house turning out this pretty.

When we purchased this home, what use to be a screened in porch was closed in with glass to create an extra room.  We knew without a doubt that we wanted to open this space back up.  We thought that a porch this large would not only improve the curb appeal, but provide us with a fun place to entertain!

We loved the open feel our house now had.  One good thing about the porch being covered up all those years was that the floor and ceiling were in wonderful condition!  We did have to replace a few sections of flooring where the porch had always been open, as well as a few places in the ceiling due to water damage. One thing is for sure - restoring an old house is never easy!  The porch ceiling was made of of v-groove.  We looked all over for v-groove to purchase, but couldn't find it anywhere.  I had plenty of bead board left over from our demo days, but no v-groove.  Phillip decided that we would have to just make it ourselves. 

Phillip has plenty of experience making trim to match existing (really old) trim at work.  He said it would be no problem, so he purchased boards and a router blade that would cut a v the size we needed.  We began making v-groove, and boy was that a job.  We had to run each board through the router three times to give the boards the "v-grooves".  Then we had to run each board through the table saw twice.  We had to plane each board down to make it the correct thickness.  By the time we finished making all of the v-groove, I wondered how he did this for a living!  We spent hours recreating boards that would take us 30 minutes to nail into place.  I now understood the time and craftsmanship that goes into historical restorations.     

When we took out the exterior wall on the carport side of the house, we realized that two columns had been removed at some point.  We knew we would need to rebuild these columns, so we started trying to locate matching brick.  I'm not sure if you remember the fireplace blog, but we had a ton of old brick left over from that project.  However, that wouldn't even be enough brick to get started!  If you look at the pictures above, you will notice a patch of brick that obviously looks filled in.  We decided to remove this brick (since it was not original) and thought we could build planters to fill in the space where the brick was removed!

We now had enough brick, so we called a brick mason to come by and rebuild the bases to the columns so that we could keep moving on!  Once the bases were in place, Phillip got to work on building the new columns.  He set up shop right in our front yard!  He has been a trooper throughout this whole process. I bet we have loaded/unloaded his tool trailer a million times in the past two years!  

When we purchased the home, it had aluminum siding on the exterior.  Phillip quickly realized that wood siding was underneath.  He desperately wanted to take all of the aluminum siding off to expose the wood siding, but due to our budget and lack of free time, I resisted.  We were told by multiple painters that we could paint the aluminum siding, it just needed to be cleaned really well first.  We knew that taking the chance of exposing the wood siding could become timely and very expensive if we found problems.  When we uncovered the porch area, however, the wood siding was exposed and it was in beautiful shape!  We decided to expose all of the wood siding just under the porch area so that it would match. (We didn't have enough aluminum siding to cover this area!)

Remember when we turned an existing bathroom (that connected the front bedroom to the enclosed porch) into a closet for the front bedroom?  Well once that wall was framed, Phillip made wood siding to patch this area.

Now that we were starting to wind up the repairs on the exterior of our home, I could start thinking about paint!  For years I have pinned beautiful homes that caught my eye.  As I looked back through those images, I noticed a pattern.  I had a thing for dark blue houses with white trim!  I ran the idea by Phillip and he thought it was promising.  Here are two of the pins that really influenced my decision.  I loved the way the dark blue and bright white looked with the brick and dark stained accents.  Click either picture to visit their original site!

I used a dark blue paint on one project in the house, and was curious how it might look.   I decided to paint a small section on the house to see how I felt about it.  I didn't want anything too blue, or anything with a green tint to it, so this decision was hard!  When the sun hits this particular color, it is a little lighter than I wanted, but I was also afraid to go much darker.  I decided to live with this patch of color for a while to feel it out.  After about a month, we decided to just go with it!
(During this month, we ended up having to put a new roof on our house.  We were not expecting this expense, but are very happy with the result!)

The painters finally arrived and worked their magic!  I tried to take pictures along the way to show the transformation.  

Phillip and I weren't crazy about the brick on our home, so we looked for ways to give it an update.  I didn't want to paint it, but knew something needed to be done.  I found pictures of brick that I liked, and started asking a lot of questions!  Turns out that our painter, one of Phillip's co-workers, said he could do the job!  I showed him the picture on the left, and the picture on the right shows the before and after of the brick on our house.  This technique was just what our out-dated brick needed!

Here is a picture of our house painted, and the brick finished!

Here is a before and after shot of the columns once they were replaced.

Here is a look at the before and after of the area we closed in for a closet.

These might be my favorite before and after pictures yet!

We are so happy with the way things turned out, and we are so happy to call this house our home.  Now I'm busy dreaming about the landscaping!

​Check out more Beech Street Bungalow renovation stories here!

Happy Peach Season from The Southern Mercantile!  We LOVE peach season around here--we can't get enough of this Georgia grown fruit.  The possibilities are endlessly delicious!  Today we want to share two of our all-time favorite peach recipes with you (again).

If you are new to The Southern Mercantile, you may not have had the opportunity to be introduced to our Peach Bee Hives!  This dessert is not only beautiful, but delicious!  In our opinion, it's the perfect way to kick off the peach season.  Click here to read our step-by-step tutorial on how to craft this yummy treat, or click here to go directly to the recipe!

Check out the story behind everyone's favorite Peach Cake by clicking here!  This seasonal recipe is sure to wow the crowd.  A simple, yet delicious, take on a sweet peachy treat!

We hope you'll take the time to try these fun recipes this summer!  We'd love to know what you think, or if you have a favorite peach recipe yourself!  Tag us in your social media posts so we can see what you're up to in the kitchen!

Don't forget, we are still taking Pre-Orders for our Peach and Bourbon Peach Jam!  These flavors are made fresh in small batches while the peaches are in season.  Once it's gone, it's gone!  Click here to Pre-Order today!

Pick out something special for your own little or for a friend from our online store! Maileg Bunnies are some of our favorites additions to any nursery are treasured for many childhood years to come.

We all love the idea of keeping little pot plants around the house and on the porch, especially this time of year.  Many folks have trouble keeping their little green beauties alive and become discouraged.  Succulents are truly the easiest little plants to grow, whether or not you have a green thumb!  Find a spot where they get enough light, don't over water, and you'll have happy little campers!  They basically like to be ignored, which is perfect for me.  My Dad and I have had pretty good luck over the last year with our succulent collections so I thought I would have him share some tips with you on keeping your succulents happy and rooting all the babies you will grow!

This is my Dad, affectionately known around town as Mr. Crain.  He taught elementary school for 27 years, is super creative, and happens to have a very green thumb.  He can grow anything!  I have tried to pick up tips from him over the years and, even though my little yard is looking pretty good, I am nowhere near his master gardener status!  He's also a pretty funny guy, so funny that he has his own hashtag you can follow on Instagram!

Your first step in starting a succulent collection is, of course, purchasing your first succulent!  Once your little succulent is home and happy, it will hopefully start to grow!  If it is not growing, it is probably not getting enough light.  I haven't had much luck with inside plants so my succulents live on my side porch where they get a good amount of afternoon sun. Tara's succulents are thriving in a bright laundry room window. You may have to try them in a couple different spots but you will know when they are happy because they will grow fast! Remember, it is very important to not over water your succulents so let them dry out before watering them.  You will really only need to water them once a week and when you do, don't drown them!

You'll want to save all of your cuttings because you can root anything you trim off of a succulent, even just one petal.  When you cut your succulents it is good to let them sit out a few days before putting them in dirt. The ends will dry out a little and they might even go ahead and sprout roots!​

Dad likes to start our cuttings out in little peat pots.  This just makes it easier to keep all of your little babies together so you can tend to them like a little nursery before potting them in larger containers.  You can even plant your cuttings in larger pots, leaving them in the peat pots, as they will disintegrate, but we like to re-use ours.  If you don't have peat pots you can just go ahead and plant your cuttings in a regular pot.  The potting soil you use is also an important element.  Dad uses a mixture of Black Kow, potting soil, and garden humus (compost). ​

After filling your peat pots with your soil mixture, just stick your cuttings or petals in the dirt.  Water them and leave them.  You will want to water them a few times a week as they are getting started.  Let them sit in the peat pots several weeks before transplanting them to other pots, to give them time to root. 

When it's time to move your little jewels to larger containers, you will need: more of your soil mixture, small rocks and pebbles, and your favorite interesting containers.  In addition to your favorite ceramic pots, get creative and repurpose vintage containers, cups and dishes into vessels for your succulents.  We think they look super cute planted in anything!  If you choose a container that does not drain, you will need to put small rocks in the bottom so that the water can drain inside the pot. (If your container has a drain hole, you can skip this step.)

Next you will cover your rocks with your potting soil mixture.  The size of your container will determine how much soil you need to add.  If your container is small you won't need much.  The soil you transfer from the peat pot will help to fill it up.  Lastly you remove your cuttings from the peat pots, making sure you bring new roots and growth with you, and place them in your chosen container.  ​

Don't be afraid to mix different varieties all in one container.  This will add interest and each variety will show different characteristics as they grow.  When they start to get too big you can always re-pot again!

We like to top our little pots off with small pebbles.  This helps keep your soil packed down and makes it look a little more finished and special.  

Dad and I hope these tips have been helpful and that you feel empowered to start your own succulent family!  Once you have them going you can have them growing all over the house!  If you want to use them in a room that doesn't get great light, just leave them in there for a week or two and then put them back outside. They also make beautiful and thoughtful gifts for special friends and relatives. 

If you need a cute new pot we've got your covered!  Check out these new items in our store.  Happy potting y'all!