When we saw our home online for the first time, back before we put in an offer to purchase it, we knew what we wanted to do with the exterior. If we purchased this house, we wanted to replace the roof, update the gutters, cut back or replace most of the plants in the flower beds, and paint the brownish red brick a creamy white tone. I am excited to announce that we are finally giving our home exterior a makeover.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
When we moved in, the roof and gutters were at end of life. The back patio was cracked in a few places. And the landscaping was in need of a little love. At this time, the only place we had to go was up.
We replaced our roof and gutters a couple of months after moving in. The original roof and gutters were brown. We added a mid-gray tone shingles with a matching mid-gray tone gutters and down spouts. The roof looked really nice. It just didn’t do much for the existing brownish red brick. I am imagining our neighbors have thought for the last year that we were out of our minds for putting a gray roof on a brown house.
We began painting in the back of the house. This was a good move for us for a few reasons:
- We were new to using our paint sprayer. Starting in the back of the house allowed us to practice without pressure. We used the paint sprayer on a few much smaller projects in order to get most of our practice. Using the sprayer outside is inherently different than using it inside. We were able to get our technique down.
- We had no idea how many coats of primer were going to be needed. We started in the back of the house in order to get a good judge of how well the primer was covering. We did a quick estimate, ordered the remaining 5 gallon buckets, and had them delivered. No risk to paint spilling in the car. No heavy lifting in the store. And we could go from one coat to the next without stopping to go to the store. Plus we ordered over the minimum and got free delivery.
- With the back of the house primed, we tested paint colors without the prying eyes of neighbors. I picked up 5 paint samples and put them up in large sections on the primed walls. Some of the colors I picked out were an immediate no as soon as I saw the test sample. The color I really thought we were going to pick was a hard no. Color is so funny like that. I highly recommend seeing a sample in the space you are goin to use it in prior to committing.
- Starting in the backyard meant that was the space finished first. After a few days of working on and off, we suddenly had this really beautiful space to relax in and to use for motivation to keep going.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
The very back of our house and the garage side are painted. There is some touch-up that I would like to complete as part of phase 2, but these areas are substantially complete. The front of the house has been primed and is my husband’s current project. The house is starting to look really nice. I have stopped to stare quite a few times. My neighbors must think I am insane.
WHERE WE ARE GOING
We have a few steps remaining:
- Apply paint on the front exterior brick.
- Clean and prep the left side of the house.
- Prime and then paint the left side of the house.
- Paint the window and door trim; it has faded and needs a touch-up.
- Paint the chimney. It is currently red and is starting to clash.
- Prime and paint the front door.
- Update the exterior light fixtures.
- Add mulch to the flowerbeds.
A few projects that are for a future phase:
- Update the plants in the flower beds
- Add additional exterior lighting for the walk ways
- Add more step walk ways for easier navigation when walking in the yard
- Add a pergola to the back patio.
I am so excited to have you along for this journey. I can hardly wait to give you the next update!
