Sunny Door and Disposition at This October Award Home

 After meeting October’s Southwood Park Award Home winners, Carissa and Justin Weber, there is no question as to why their front door wears an infectious golden-yellow hue. Married just over one year and having moved to 3922 Tacoma Avenue in May, this friendly couple along with their two cats, Obi-wan (Kenobi) and Peeve were certain they wanted their first home purchase to be an older one. “We were looking for nothing newer than 1950 and even that was probably too new!” says Carissa. After six years of living in historic West Central they certainly knew what they liked. “We also looked in the Lakeside Park area but we were so attracted to the quaint almost Christmas village look of this area. I can’t wait to see it at Christmas!” Carissa gleefully shared. Justin mentioned that the close proximity to Foster Park, safe atmosphere and no rentals clause helped seal the deal. Since moving in, the Weber’s have wasted no time making eye-catching changes to the exterior of their 95-year-old home. The sunny front door color is echoed throughout the flower beds and down the porch steps in similarly colored pots filled with vibrant mums, all playing smartly against the homes charcoal-grey clapboards. To open up the flowerbed and provide variety, the previous shrubs and wild lilies were dug out to make way for perennial plantings such as hydrangea, sedum and flowering shrubs. A white wicker rocker with a colorful cushion finish off an ideal porch on which to enjoy coffee and a good book. Inside the light-filled first floor, they have recently stripped and re-stained the treads of their lovely open-railed wood staircase and are currently working on the risers. Several months back they whitewashed orange-hued bricks around the hearth and repainted the previously painted wood mantle and surround. The results leave the bricks with an updated yet understated appeal very close to an original looking version. Next up on the project roster? “Refinishing the hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms. They are just way too dark for my taste” Carissa says with a smile.I have a feeling there will be many more “taste adjustments” to come for this ambitious couple! Welcome to Southwood Park, Weber’s. We are so glad you chose us!Erika Stuller