As soon as I discovered our 97 year old Craftsman bungalow in Arlington, Virginia on Zillow I squealed with delight.  (Here is my full blog post about the new house, if you missed it.)  The listing photos weren’t great and you could tell the home had been neglected a bit, but I saw loads of potential as long as we were up for putting in a little work.  We’re renting, but the owners (who have never lived here and bought just recently because of the location) plan on doing a full renovation or perhaps even a teardown once they move back to the US in a few years, so we are able to make updates if we want to.  I know most people wouldn’t put work into a place that they’ll only live in for a couple of years, but I like to decorate a home and make it look as nice as possible even if we won’t be there for the long term and even if we aren’t the true owners.  Frequently moving and choosing to bloom where we’re planted is a way of life for us military families, I suppose!

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Front Porch Pressure Washing Transformation

Here is what the house looked like when Tom moved in (a month before I arrived):

The front porch had great bones with white pillars, a simple staircase, a pretty blue front door, a cute little brass mailbox (our mail is actually delivered there!), and a haint blue ceiling.  I think it’s supposed to have railings, but I don’t mind.  Anyway, the siding was really dirty, the wood was gray and weathered, there were weeds growing around all of the pavers at the bottom of the stairs, and it didn’t have the charm that it deserved.  It just looked like a sad little house but I saw so much possibility!

Before I drove up from South Carolina I asked Tom to paint the risers of the stairs white.  I think that makes stairs look better from the street and I’m really happy he was able to tackle this for us.  I also want to paint the lower brick and lattice portion, the side of the stairs, and anything vertical that hasn’t been painted yet, but I haven’t gotten around to that part yet.  A neighbor offered us a boxwood that she didn’t need anymore after they had a pool added to their backyard, so that will be planted in that big blank spot on the right after we paint.  Here is what it looked like once he made that update:

I honestly thought the gray wood floor was so bad and old looking that it should probably be painted for safety purposes because I didn’t want it to give the kids splinters if they walked on it with bare feet.  I decided I’d try pressure washing it first though, just in case.  And I’m so glad I did!  I’m shocked at the transformation.  It went from gray and weathered and dry looking to looking like fresh lumber!  Here are some before pressure washing photos:

I’m seriously so surprised and had no clue that this kind of transformation was possible.  This is the pressure washer we have (it came highly recommended by my friend and fellow blogger Michelle Cannon Smith of Iron and Twine) and I used only water with the middle nozzle.  The pressure washer is only $119 and works really well and provides the perfect amount of power.  The floor probably needs some sort of seal on it now but I don’t know if we will do that.  I also pressure washed the siding with the middle nozzle and did the pavers with the turbo nozzle.  It took me 3 hours to do all of the pressure washing and I was filthy by the time I finished the pavers.  It was hard but really fun work and it was so satisfying to see all that grime wash away.  I’m so blown away by the difference!

Here are some during pressure washing photos:

And now for the big reveal of what it all looks like now!

My first purchase for the porch was this bistro set from Amazon.  It’s only $109 and has free shipping and I love the classic style and the pretty French blue color of it.  It’s the perfect place to perch and drink coffee in the morning.  It used to come in a number of colors but I think it’s been a really popular item this summer, so colors are limited right now.  As I write this the blue is in stock though, so I’d recommend snagging it now if you’ve been looking for a beautiful and affordable bistro set!

Next up was hanging ferns.  We had ferns on the porch in our house in Kansas and I love the way they look.   I bought four Boston ferns from the hardware store and placed them in these hanging baskets.  (Be sure to also buy potting soil to fill in the space if you do the same!)  I had some black chain cut at Ace Hardware so that I could lower them a little bit.  It’s an extra step but I think it makes a huge difference and looks better than if you just hang the fern in the plastic container it comes in.  I used pliers to pull the links apart so that I could get the chain to the length I needed.  I opted for a chain that was 5 links long for each fern (and 4 links for one with a hook that was already installed that was longer than the rest).

I also bought 2 large french blue planters and planted a boxwood in each of them.  We get nice morning sun in the front yard and they seem to be doing well.  I’m not great with flowers so figured some nice evergreens would be a better option.  These are the planters I have, although mine seem to be a shorter version that I can’t find online.

I added an oversized sailors knot doormat and I LOVE how big it is.  It truly makes a statement in an understated way!  It’s 31″ x 69″ and I got it at Final Cut Georgia (a must-visit if you’re even in the Augusta, Georgia area).  The closest sailors knot doormat I can find size-wise is this one from Serena & Lily.  Here is a more affordable smaller version though.

The final part of the transformation was hanging a porch swing.  I wanted a simple one with clean lines that was relatively affordable, and after looking high and low I found the perfect one at Walmart for under $200!  This is the white porch swing I bought, but unfortunately it’s out of stock right now.  I’m really happy with how it looks and with the quality.  This white porch swing looks like a similar option that is still in stock.  Hanging it was kind of tricky because we needed to make sure we found the studs and I also wanted it centered with that side porch opening and the fern, and thankfully it all worked out!  This is the Dewalt drill we have and I have LOVED using it this summer since we moved into this house.  I’ve used it on a number of projects already and I now understand why people love their power tools!  We hung it up at 9PM as it was getting dark and am pleasantly surprised it didn’t end up crooked at all.  To finish up the look I brought in our vintage blue and white garden stool (this garden stool looks similar and is under $55), a white IKEA lantern, an old french blue pillow from Target, and I purchased a new natural colored outdoor pillow with tassels that I found at Target.  Unfortunately I can’t find it online but this faux natural woven pillow with pom poms would get you a similar look!

The blue dress with white stripes that I’m wearing in these photo is an Amazon find!  It looks and feels higher end but is such an affordable price, at only $27.99.  The smocked top fits really nicely and I love the midi length.  It runs true to size or maybe slightly small, so don’t size down if you get it.  My natural woven sandals from Target are my go-to sandals this summer.  They go with everything and I find myself pairing them with shorts and dresses alike!  They’d also go well with white jeans, and they’re only $22.99.  My Tuckernuck raffia earrings are light as a feather and make such a fun statement, yet they still act as a neutral.  Tuckernuck carries some really splurge-worthy pieces, but these earrings are a more affordable at $48.  My cane wrapped drinking glass was an Anthropologie purchase from a year or so ago, but they’re now available at Pottery Barn!  We have the tumbler and highball versions and we use them daily and love them!  My cane wrapped vase is from Amanda Lindroth and it’s a favorite of mine.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour of our front porch!  I’ll be sharing more spaces as they’re finished here on the blog, but if you like seeing real-time updates then please make sure you’re following on Instagram (@stripesandwhimsy) and that you watch my Stories!

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