Painting the Exterior

Like I've said before, we LOVE our house!

 

 I am sort of wondering if EVERYONE feels that way about their first house.

 

 I hope so.

Ours by no means is anything more than average. 

 

But Wes and I are pretty average folk and we like it that way. 

Out of all the things that most people say after buying a new house that has always stuck with me, is how they didn't realize how much work goes into owning a home.  We weren't born under a lucky star and we will join the rest of the home owners in the sinking boat and say,

 

"We didn't realize how much work goes into owning a home."

 

Thankfully we both love projects, keeping busy and work...well that last one not so much.

  

Our loving home came to us gift wrapped in a hideously faded pea soup green paint. 

Seriously, so bad.

 

When we moved in, there was a lot we wanted to do.  But we had to prioritize and Wes said that out of all the projects he wanted to do, the painting was really at the top of his list.

 

So while waiting for good weather we did some other, cheaper projects.

 

When it was finally time to paint, we noticed a great deal at Lowes for paint but it was ending on the day we would be able to buy the paint.

 

New home owners, picking exterior paint you'll have to live with FOREVER in one day (okay I know, really only 5-7 years).  Talk about pressure.

 

We went safe cuz we are the play it safe kind of people. 

 

We picked Blue Twilight for the siding and Honeymilk for the trim.

 

But before we painted, we prepped. 

 I. Hate. Prep. Work. 

 Seriously. 

And there was so much.  First Wes pressure washed (paint flying everywhere, it was actually kind of fun to see how messy he was after each session with the pressure washer).  Then I caulked the front of the house where there were nail holes and Wes did additional caulking of siding that was just in really bad shape.

  So time consuming. 

 

It makes me a little nuts just thinking about it.

 

Finally it was time to paint.

 

I started June 3rd.   

 

 

 

I got about this far with a ladder when our neighbor, a member of our church, leaned over the fence and said, "You look ambitious.  I have scaffolding if you want to use it."

 

"Um, yes please!"

 

I kind of wonder if I looked pretty silly, pregnant up on the tippy top of the ladder painting while watching kiddos in the backyard.

 

 

After about a week and a half it looked like this:

 

 

Then about three and a half weeks later.

Wes used the scaffolding, it was too high for me.

 I only painted to the bottom of the windows on the second level.

 

Then maybe a month and a half later we were left with this.



 All sides complete except the second level of one.  Then it got really hot and we were kind of over it for a week or so and only did a little here and there.

 

 

This Saturday July 27th, about 25 gallons of paint later, Wes got up early and finished.

 

Then he packed up the scaffolding and gave it back to our neighbors.  It was so nice to have it out of our yard!

 

And then the angels rejoiced in the heavens or at least Wes and I did. 

 

We aren't sure what we are going to do the rest of the summer with this project behind us.

 

But I'm sure we will find something.

 

Here is the before and after pictures.

 Hello lovely! 

 

So much good came from this project. 

 

But the thing I will probably remember the most is when Novalee was outside with me while I was working and said in an admiring tone, "You are really a hard worker mom!" 

 

To me that made it all worth it.