Old Yeller

Our house will be seven years old in January. Time sure has flown-- it seems like only yesterday that we were nervously building our first home over the infamous Hurricane(s) Charley-Ivan-Frances-Jeanne Summer of 2004. Mercifully, our home made it through to completion, albeit four months late, and since then we have enjoyed improving, upgrading, decorating, and repairing it as needed.

Our house, days before we took ownership, in January 2005.

Photographic proof that my garage was once empty.

'Round back.

Over the years, the chalkiest, cheapest, most watered down paint known to man that the builder used began to fade, so we recently decided to have it repainted. This is one task that neither Charles nor I had the time, talent, or --quite frankly-- the desire to tackle ourselves, so we opted for professional help.

One guy, one week, three ladders, eight gallons of paint, a quart of red mahogany stain, a dozen or so one-by-fours, two new pieces of door lock/handle hardware and one peep hole later-- we're looking at a newly face-lifted house!

Before: Besides the faded paint (pictured above, with a sample of the new paint in the middle-- Behr's Pale Sunshine) our casa was also suffering from peeling shutters, a boring white door, broken/grungy door hardware, as well as a peeling and crumbling porch ceiling

After: Exterior walls/trim/shutters/front door painted, new dead bolt and door handle, patio ceiling replaced (not shown here)

Front door went from this ...

... using this (Behr's Blue Fir) ...

... and this (peep hole in an aged bronze finish) ...

... and this (aged bronze door handle and keypad lock) ...

... to this!

In order to cover up a damaged front porch ceiling, our handyman (who painted the house) suggested, rather than simply painting over the existing ceiling, taking the opportunity to add a stained plank ceiling to the front porch for a decorative touch. I give him all the credit for this idea, as well as the gorgeous execution. Sure, I picked the stain, but that's like hitting the broad side of a barn.

WOOD + STAIN + AIR NAILER =

I pretty much love the way it looks from every angle!

I added my rustic chair and toolbox planter back to the porch, so it's looking normal again, and better than ever!

Happy with the result, just need to work on the patio floor-- slate tile, perhaps?

By the way, the shutters are Behr's Gooseberry.

There are some additional tweaks coming soon, including: spraying the light fixture and the doorbell plate to match the door handle, getting new house numbers (cute ones!), and replacing a broken flag pole. Christmas lights have actually already gone up, so my usual wreath-and-doormat combo will be making an appearance after Turkey Day.

This week we're having the interior painted, so please say a quick prayer for my patience and a smooth no-breaking-of-any-beloved-decorative-treasures transition from Martha Stewart's "Dogwood Blossom" walls to a more sophisticated (or so I like to think) "Dolphin Fin" grey (also Behr).

Stay tuned for those photos. In the meantime, here's the hot mess that is the beginning of this lovely interior painting project...

Anyone else working on any major or minor home improvement projects... even in your imagination? I know I can't WAIT to start hanging pictures, making new curtains, and DIYing some decor!