Royalview, 3 Months Later

What a difference 3 months can make.

Here is Royalview at the present time, and the 2nd picture is from when we first arrived in December 2024.

If you’ve been following our journey, then you know all the projects that have gone in to getting Royalview to where she is now. It’s been quite the journey, and we are thankful to all the wonderful people who have worked so expertly to get her looking and functioning at her best.

Now that most of the outdoor projects are complete, (and I say “most”, we still have a few little things that we’re finishing up) I can now turn my main focus to getting the inside completely unpacked, organized, and decorated.

Willie and I have already been doing a little shopping around our new hometown, visiting a couple antique malls and such. I’ll keep you updated on the progress of all that. It’s been a lot of fun. We’re enjoying getting to know our townsfolk around here in the Conroe, Texas area.

Till next time, be safe, and follow your joy. God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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Before and After Home Improvement Photos, Landscaping, Landscape Design, Texas Lakeview Home and Garden

March 28, 2025 0

Royalview Landscape Makeover, Dramatic Before and After Photo Reveal: Front Lawn

The transformation is complete!

Willie and I are very happy, very pleased, ecstatic, all the above, with the results of our completed landscape makeover. So, if you’re all ready… Drum roll please… Sit back and enjoy these very dramatic before and after photos detailing our front lawn makeover.

I’ll begin with our front door entryway. This has to be my favorite. Although, every area is my favorite, there’s just nothing like the view from our front door.

Before photo: View from our front door. acrossthelake.blog — Before: View from our Front Door

This view already had me in awe. Being able to open my front door and see the lake across the street was very exciting and unbelievable to me on our first visit to our new home.

This is now the view from our front door:

After photo: View from our front door. acrossthelake.blog — After: View from our Front Door

And, it’s very functional as well as beautiful. I was not able to walk up to, or down from, our front porch. This was also the case with visitors and mail/delivery people. Our mailman made the comment to us that we just made his life a lot easier. No more traipsing through the ditch and climbing a hill to get to us. Awesome!

Next is the Southern front corner of our front yard. We are on a corner lot, so this area is seen the most by passerby’s and this area also has a great view of the lake. We can see the lake from our front porch, as well as from our yard in areas between our neighbor’s houses, and this is one of the areas, so we decided this would make a great place for a garden and seating area with a swing.

These photos also show the transformation of our front facade.

Before:

After:

A closer look at the front South Lawn garden from the road:

After photo: South Lawn Garden Area. acrossthelake.blog — After: South Lawn Garden Area

A closer look at the bridge:

After photo: South Lawn Bridge. acrossthelake.blog — After: Front South Lawn Garden Bridge

Where there once was nothing but brush, we can now stroll across the bridge and enjoy a beautiful garden as well as a lovely view of the lake. A nice place to enjoy an ice cream bar or ice tea, and a friendly chat.

Next, let’s stroll on over to the Northern corner of our front lawn, and visit our second garden with seating area:

Before:

After:

That is really quite the difference, isn’t it? We can now simply walk down our front steps and across a path to sit and enjoy another garden and beautiful lake view.

I’d also like to share a before photo of Keren of Eagle A. Improvements, in collaboration with Albert of HOU_TEX Outdoor Services, from when they first came out and took a look around to gather ideas, and then an after photo of their very beautiful work after completion.

Before Photo: Albert and Keren visiting our property for the first time. acrossthelake.blog — Before Photo: Albert and Keren Visiting our Property For the First Time

After:

Here are more after photos of Royalview from a road view:

Royalview after landscaping makeover.
acrossthelake.blog — Royalview after Landscape Makeover

Royalview after landscape makeover. acrossthelake.blog — Royalview after Landscape Makeover

Willie and I are both looking forward to seeing everything in full bloom soon. Spring, and pollen, are in the air for sure. It’s so nice having butterflies and bumblebees stopping by to visit all the lovely flowers.

Next post will be the before and after photo reveal of our back yard, so stay tuned.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Before and After Landscape Photo Reveal, Landscape Design, Houston, Conroe, TX, Landscape Makeover, Renovation, Garden Bridge, Beautiful Gardens, Lifestyle Blog, Home and Garden

March 16, 2025 0

Front Door Bridge and Back Yard Garden Complete!

Custom build landscape bridge by Eagle A Improvments, Houston, TX acrossthelake.blog

There she is! In all her glory!

Royalview can now be visited by front door! And I can now walk down to the mailbox from our front door, and bonus, there’s another pathway leading to a swing/garden area off to the left of our home.

This is just so fabulous. Before Eagle A Improvements began our project, it was quite a task to enter Royalview by the front door. Delivery people and visitors were often confused as to how to approach. You’d have to first go into the ditch, and then climb the hill to get to the front steps.

Here is a before construction photo:

Royalview Front Porch View Before Construction

And after construction:

Royalview Front Porch View After Construction

So much better in many ways!

Another of Albert Einstein’s (Albert of Eagle A Improvements) genius creations!

Custom built landscape bridge by Eagle A Improvements, Houston, Texas.
acrossthelake.blog — Custom Built Landscape Bridge by Eagle A. Improvements, Houston, Texas

And our back yard is now complete! We are loving our new tiered garden.

Custom built tiered garden by Eagle A. Improvements, Houston, TX
acrossthelake.blog

This is so special to me. I could envision this garden upon our very first visit to see our new home. At the time, there was a huge stump that was left by a felled tree from a hurricane, but I could still see it in my mind’s eye. Albert could see my vision, and brought it to life. I am so grateful.

See how it flows naturally with the land. The hillside had it’s very own design already in place, and Albert followed the natural lines to create this beautiful garden.

Thank you Albert, and thank you Eagle A. Improvements team. Everyone at Eagle has their own “superpower”, or talent, and everyone went above and beyond. We are super impressed with this team of young people who are all family and friends. They’ve really put together a dynamo group.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy. God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Best Houston Landscaper, Landscape Designer, Eagle A. Improvements, Custom Built Landscape Bridge, Custom Build Tiered Garden

March 8, 2025 0

Our First Bridge is Complete!

Landscape bridge designed by Eagle A. Improvements, Houston, TX acrossthelake.blog

So exciting! Eagle A. Improvements have designed 2 bridges to be built on our property. One on the South side, and one leading to our front door. The first of the 2 bridges is now complete. The first one completed is the bridge on the South side, which is actually the side that gets seen the most from the road, as we sit on a corner lot.

They did such a wonderful job! The bridges are much larger than we had anticipated. I, myself, had pictured just a small one-person width little bridge in which to cross, but these could most likely afford a golf cart across!

Here is a look at the South bridge from the road.

These bridges are the brain-child of Albert (I’ve been calling him Albert Einstein), of Eagle A. Improvements. He has fabricated and constructed these all by hand.

We couldn’t wait to try it out as soon as we were given the go!

This has been quite the journey! I don’t think we could even imagine it now without the team from Eagle A. Improvements LLC. They have been so wonderful throughout the entire process. These are very entrepreneurial young people with big goals, and even bigger hearts.

We’re certainly going to miss seeing these smiling faces everyday. They’ve become like family to us.

They will be back, however, this this coming week to paint the bridges and do some final tweaks.

This has been a very joyful event in our lives and we feel privileged to have been able to collaborate with this fantastic team to bring our dreams to life.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your dreams! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Best Landscape Designers Houston, Conroe, Texas, Young Entrepreneurs, Landscape Bridge Construction and Design

March 8, 2025 0

Getting Near the Finish Line, Landscaping Project Royalview

Landscape Design by Eagle A. Improvements

We are now on day six of our complete yard transformation. Things are looking really great, and we can now see the finish line. The only projects left to complete as I am posting this blog, are the two bridges that are being built in the front.

I’ll be posting quite a few before and after photos for you to see and compare, for every area that is being upgraded or restored, in a later post, but for now, I’d like to get you caught up to speed as to how everything is looking right now.

The front Southern garden area is really quite a highlight here. It sits right at the front corner of the property, and is the most visible. We’ve already been receiving a lot of slow-downs to catch a look, passers-by.

Wooden Outdoor Swing with Stand and Canopy, from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/3QLKOpW

There will be a bridge across to get to this area, and it is complete with a covered swing, in which we can sit and view the lake from our yard. So excited!

Custom Bridge Construction by Eagle A. Improvements, Houston, TX

We ordered 2 of these wooden outdoor swings from Amazon, and they both arrived very promptly. They are really pretty and add a special touch. You can click on our Associate’s Link to get one for yourself!

Wooden Outdoor Swing with Stand and Canopy, from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/3QLKOpW Paid Link — Wooden Outdoor Swing with Stand and Canopy from Amazon

There is just so much to show you, the team from Eagle A. Improvements have been working seemingly non-stop over the course of this past week, tending to every little detail with care.

Special thank-you’s to Keren and Albert. They have been here every day working and making sure all is done precisely.

One of the most spectacular areas is the descending path that they’ve creating to help us and others reach our front door atop our hill. These steps were handmade by the Eagle A. Improvements team, along with a cross path that takes you to another garden/sitting area that overlooks the lake on the Northern side of our property.

Custom Made Steps by Eagle A. Improvements

Custom Pathways designed by Eagle A. Improvements

Our 2nd Wooden Swing with Canopy in the North Garden

There has been quite a bit going on the in back yard as well. They had to do a lot of digging for irrigation and also for drainage. The backyard has been re-sod and gravel lined, and the garden is now complete. Here is the back yard this evening.

Landscape Design by Eagle A. Improvements, Houston, TX

Willie and I couldn’t be happier with how things are turning out. We’re both anticipating how the bridges will look. They should complete them both by tomorrow, and then they will be painted white next week.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Landscape Design, Houston, Conroe, Texas, Home Improvement, Land Improvement

March 4, 2025 0

The Eagle (Improvements) Has Definitely Landed Today!

Can you hear the sounds of progress today?

Hello everyone!

I certainly can. Eagle Improvements is here in full force, and things are really coming along very nicely with Royalview’s landscaping.

There’s work going on in the front and back today.

They are working on building a tiered garden for the back yard. You can see the outline of the structure better in the photo below. It’s all going up-hill in a 3 layer tier. This is one of the first things I could envision when we first looked at our new home. There was a large stump here from a downed tree from our most recent hurricane, but I could see that there was a natural curving and layering here that would be perfect for a beautiful garden. Albert and Keren from Eagle were right there with me in this vision. They could see the outline and layering as well, and I’m so excited to see it coming to life!

All the garden areas have been cleared and marked for planting and for seating areas.

It’s going to be so wonderful to be able to sit out here and view the lake from our yard. We’ve ordered 2 swings that will be sitting in the little garden areas in the front.

I’ll be back with more updates. They’re working pretty fast today, so I’m headed back out to see the new progress. We’re very honored today to have another of Eagle Improvements’ owners present, Anthony. We met him first thing this morning. Our favorite dynamic duo, Albert and Keren, are out purchasing plants this morning and have been keeping us informed of their finds. I’ll be sure to snap some photos when all the beauties arrive today!

So excited! I believe I’ve said that before, and I’ll probably keep saying it!

And where’s Willie? He’s out having fun organizing the garage, listening to some tunes. It’s a happy work-place today!

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Landscaping, Landscape Design, Houston, Conroe, Texas

March 1, 2025 0

Landscaping has Begun!

Landscaping by Eagle Improvements, Houston, TX

Today’s the day! Landscaping for Royalview has officially begun!

The crew at Eagle Improvements showed up bright and early today, and it’s been a blast already. Willie and I have been so excited to get things going over here, and Eagle was been with us every step of the way in regards to design, budgeting, and choosing the right plants for the look we’re going for, as well as the hardiness of different species for our see-saw weather here in Southeast Texas.

This morning you guys, was a very special treat. Keren and Albert of Eagle went plant shopping with us! We’ve been sending pictures back and forth, Keren has visited several garden centers, and has sent us numerous pictures, but they thought it may be beneficial to shop together since we have a garden center not too far from us here. So yay! A field trip today!

We’re going for a casual, by the lake look, with varying green tones, whites, blues and purples.

Here are a few pics of our visit to the garden center and plants we’re loving:

We are choosing gardenias because of the beautiful deep green leaves and very fragrant white flowers.

And look at these little beauties. These are Lanai White Imp. Trailing Verbena. I love the white flower clusters.

Keren spotted these right away! And there’s Albert. These two are so artistic and creative, and know which plants are going to be perfect for our setting. They are such a joy to collaborate with.

Here are a couple more hedges that we’ll be utilizing. I know that one is named Wax Leaf Texanum.

These are my favorite, that I’ve been asking for, Big Blue Liriope! They will have purple blooms.

Keren found these really pretty plants called Dwarf Lily of the Nile. I’m really loving the blue and white flowers on these.

Here’s one more little flowering plant. I cannot remember this one’s name, but the flowers are a really pretty purple.

We’re of course, very excited to see how everything will come together. The crew has made great progress today in getting things cleared and cleaned, and have begun digging out the grass in areas where they will be installing walkways and planting/seating areas.

Here are the computer art pictures that Keren sent us to give an idea of the completed look:

We’ll keep you up to date as Project Royalview continues, so stay tuned! Please be sure to subscribe by email to get new post alerts.

Till next time, stay safe and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Landscaping Project, Houston, Conroe, TX, Eagle Improvements, Landscape Designers and Installations, Beautiful Gardens, East Texas

February 27, 2025 0

Meeting with our New Landscapers, Eagle Improvements

Yesterday was definitely a hot chocolate and coffee kind of day here in Southeast Texas! We’re not used to our high temperatures being in the 20’s or 30’s, but our new landscapers, Eagle Improvements, braved the frigid temps to pay us a visit at Royalview.

I came across these fine folks on Instagram, months before we actually moved, and when I saw their landscape work, I told myself, “this is who I want to work with”. Besides beautiful landscaping, Eagle Improvements also specialize in all types of home improvements, so I knew their wide range of expertise would most likely come in very handy. I’m so glad I saved their information on IG. Yesterday was their third visit.

We’ve been discussing with the team, the look, feel, and vibe that we’re hoping to create here, and they have really listened, and they came back yesterday with some very creative plans for us to go over together.

Landscape Drawing by Albert, Eagle Improvements

Meet Keren and Johanna of Eagle Improvements. Johanna is one of the owners, and Keren is her sister. This is a family owned business in Houston. These special ladies have really gone out of their way to be very gracious and helpful. Keren has been visiting garden centers and sending us pictures of plant species that would potentially fit into our theme, as well as rendering gorgeous 3D computer models for us to choose from. Along with computer generated specs, they have also provided this very detailed hand drawn visual.

The above detailed plans were drawn by Albert, their expert landscaper, with 20 years experience. He has very creative ideas, that will be perfect for our new home, such as outdoor sitting areas with swings overlooking the lake, and bridges from the road to the yard in the front, at the bottom of our hill.

Albert and Keren have been walking the property, taking measurements, and gaining inspiration. It’s going to be very nice to be able to utilize the front door. Right now, it’s a bit difficult for anyone to enter via the front door, as the steps stop mid-hill. They are working on a beautiful solution to this issue so that we and visitors can easily reach our front door.

It’s all so exciting! And this team helps keep it all exciting and fun. I can see and feel their enthusiasm for project Royalview, and it’s just a really great pleasure to collaborate with such talented people.

For the back yard, we’re planning a nice focal-point layered planting area that slopes and curves organically with the flow of the landscape.

The team is also working on a plan to ensure great drainage in this area. The hillside in the back, slopes down towards our home.

Willie and I cannot wait till groundbreaking begins. They say it will not be very far away.

Before their last visit, we did have 2 pine trees that had to come down, and 8 stumps removed. I’ll post about that fun experience next, before all the excitement begins with the beautification. This is something I’ve dreamed about for a very long time. Getting to work with very artistic and creative people on a landscaping project, so I am absolutely thrilled beyond words, and Willie can tell you, I cannot quit going on an on about how fantastic the Eagle Team has been on this journey aleady. We have interviewed a number of other landscaping companies, and I can tell you, these are the people (Eagle Improvements), that you want to be a part of your dreams.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

This post is unsponsored. We love spreading the good word about good folks!

Best Landscapers Houston, TX, Conroe, TX, Creative Landscaping, Lakeside Landscaping, Lakeside Home, Beautiful Landscaping, Lakeside View Home

February 20, 2025 0

Entertainment Center Decor

Entertainment center with Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV (tv from Amazon) Paid Link.
https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ — Samsung 55-Inch Class 4K HDR Smart TV (Paid Link)

It’s beginning to look and feel more like home, here at Royalview!

We are really enjoying getting everything set up, and we’re also beginning to decorate here and there. Some of the decor for our entertainment center are things that we brought with us, and some are new. I suspect that this centerpiece will be an on-going project, but at least we have filled the blank spaces for now with some cute things.

The one “big” thing that had to be filled was the center tv area. We arrived at Royalview with a much smaller television, but soon realized that between the size of our living room, and the size of our new entertainment center, we had to go big in regards to tv size. Willie was very happy with this situation, especially with the Super Bowl right around the corner. This was a must get-now item.

We shopped on Amazon, which is our go-to, especially for items that we would like to receive quickly, and found the Samsung 55-Inch Class 4K Crystal UHD DU8000 Series HDR Smart TV w/Object Tracking Sound Lite, Motion Xcelerator, Ultra Slim Design, Gaming Hub, Alexa Built-in (UN55DU8000, 2024 Model), and said perfect!

Also perfect, (which was actually the first time we realized that Amazon had this service), was their delivery + set up package for this tv.

The guys showed up on-time, were super friendly, and got it all unwrapped and set up very quickly. We are super happy with everything! They turned on the set and explained how to get everything started, and gave us the little manual for the television as well.

The tv was really easy to set up. We followed the instructions on the screen and got signed in to all our streaming services.

Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV from Amazon. (Paid Link)
https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ — Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV (Paid Link)

We are loving it, and can now see the tv very well. Plus the entertainment center looks much better with the larger tv. It even covers up the internet wires on the wall behind it. Bravo!

Entertainment Center with Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV. Paid Link
https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ — Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV Paid Link

We also purchased a couple of cute little faux plants from Amazon to put in the middle shelves, and the most adorable little stands to go with them.

The plants came as a pair, both being in white ceramic pots, and the stands we purchased separately. These can all be used in different areas of the house, together or apart. They’re very versatile.

Faux Ivy Plant in White Ceramic Pot (stand sold separately) Paid Link
https://amzn.to/4k7D6nO — Set of 2 Faux Plants in White Ceramic Pots Paid Link

Faux Houseplant on a Decorative Pedestal Stand (sold separately) Paid Link
https://amzn.to/41lRAcb — Decorative Wood Riser Pedestal Stand Paid Link

The little stands are a perfect fit with their distressed white-wash look and darker wood legs. So cute!

Next thing on our list for the living room is an area rug to tie everything together. You can see in the delivery pics the area rug that we brought with us. It’s lovely, but no longer matches, so it will have to be utilized elsewhere.

Okay gang, till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Entertainment Center Decorations and TV, Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV, Amazon Finds, Home Decor, Faux House Plants

February 19, 2025 0

Front Porch Decor at Royalview

Artificial Topiary Cedar Trees from Amazon (Paid Link)

It’s been really fun shopping for front entryway decorations for Royalview.

I knew I wanted faux plants, and the main reason why, is because I have the opposite of a green thumb. Willie gets good laughs from this fact. I love plants so much. I don’t know what’s up with my efforts, because I certainly try…

So, artificial entryway greenery, it had to be, and of course we needed a beautiful front door mat that ties in with the colors we’re utilizing indoors.

As soon as I saw this CHICHIC Door Mat, I knew this was the one. I love the mosaic design and the colors are so gorgeous in blue and beige tones! It has a nice heft to it, and it’s been wonderful, even during some of our recent storms. The size is 24×36 and it weighs 7.2 pounds. We love it!

CHICHIC Door Mat from Amazon (Paid Link)

For our plants, I was so happy to find a pair of cedar trees. I searched for a while to find just the right look and size for us, and I really like the size of these trees (height and width). I chose 3 ft. trees, but they also come in 4 and 5 foot tall varieties. They really do look real. I already received the highest compliment from my niece, Amy, who, when I was telling her about ordering these, she replied, “They’re not real?” We’ve been interviewing landscapers recently, and they’ve commented favorably on our entryway trees. And we of course are very happy with them, so yay!

Classic Home and Garden Spartan Urn from Amazon (Paid Link)

For our pots to hold our beautiful trees, this was a more difficult decision it seems, but when I came across these cast iron look planters, we knew they would contrast well since our home is detailed in black. These are not a stark black, but have a more “worn” iron look. They appear to be very heavy, but they are not. They do have a nice heft to them, but they are easy for me to lift and put into place. These are made of a silicone, polypropylene, and stone dust blend.

The urns arrived already assembled, so we were ready to go!

The cedar trees did arrive needing to be assembled, but it was very easy. Everything was wrapped up very well. The trees are put together like a Christmas Tree, with the top part fitting right into the bottom connection. The plants came in their own pots and are set in cement, so they are a nice weight. We fluffed out the branches (they have an instructional provided to show you how). The branches need to be going upright to give them a real cedar look. It’s not difficult to do, as they look best a bit unkempt to seem more natural.

Before putting the cedar trees in the urns, Willie drilled holes in the bottoms of the urns for drainage.

Once we had placed the tree pots into the urns we added white rocks, and now they aren’t going anywhere. They are very steady and stable. We are loving the whole look together.

We are debating adding chairs to our front porch, and which type. We’ll keep you updated of course.

In our conversations with landscapers, we may add a swing or a bench or two to the bottom of our hill area, so we’ll see what kind of look comes together for everything.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Links to our Amazon finds:

CHICHIC Door Mat

Artificial Topiary Cedar Trees

Classic Home and Garden Spartan Urn

Front Door Decor, Front Door Decorations, Artificial Plant for Front Door, Faux Cedar Trees, Faux Cast Iron Planting Urn, Beautiful Welcome Mat in Blue Tones

February 16, 2025 0