Fairy Tale Makeover

Before

Homeowners Gail Kurtz, Norman Bonney, and their daughter Blair live in a home covered with vines and greenery that they fondly call their "hobbit hole." They're ready to uncover the mass of foliage that keeps the home hidden from view and open it up to the rest of the neighborhood.

Designer Dan Phillips brings creative ideas to suit the storybook theme of the project. Some of the highlights include cleaning up the porch, repainting with warm earth tones and installing all new landscaping.

After

Here's how they accomplish it:

• Remove the tree, bamboo, and ivy from the front yard
  
• Put in stepping stones as a path to the side yard, and fill in with pebbles for definition
  
• Repaint the home gray-tan, with sage green trim on the windows, a cream accent on the trim and porch, and a dark purple for the door
  
• Remove the large tree, leaving the stump which serves as the base for a new bench
  
• Surround the bench area with boulders and plantings
  
• Clean up termite damage on the front porch and install new railings
  
• Remove the top portion of driveway and use it for planting beds
  
• New colorful plants: dwarf pines and conifers, cosmos, red maples, climbing roses, euphorbia, and lemon thyme
  
• Install rooftop window boxes with trailing vines to soften the hard lines of the house
  
• Custom–made reproduction 1915 Craftsman light for the front porch
  
• House numbers made of pebbles