Changing House Color

We have been painting machines since moving in, or at least that's the way it feels at times.  The results are definitely worth the effort though and I've shown the changes inside as we redid the walls. So naturally the next surface that needed to be given an update was the exterior paint.  The original color was a really faded seafoam green and with the VERY green roof and strange add ons for decorations it gave the house a dated and odd appearance. 



Old color, along with the rust stains from the water system that got messed up when the softener was out of salt

We chose a warm taupe color called Earl Grey, and starting 3 days ago, with the help of Kevin's brother Patrick and his wife Jennifer we made some real progress in changing the appearance of our exterior.  Kevin and Patrick first had to fix the soffit that had come loose some time ago and had been hanging down.  This had happened in part because of this nasty plant the old owners had that sent vines up into the eaves and had dislodged the soffit in the process.  We had previously cut the plant with it's sharp barbs way back, but Patrick managed to dig out the giant root and he and Cameron got this thing out.

The drooping soffit that needs repair and a better look at the rust stains

Repairing the soffit

Cameron with the root of our "killer" plant : )

Kevin removed the boards they had up for decoration on the front of the garage and later another piece we thought was the cover for a vent turned out to be only decorative as well.  We will add trims, stone veneer and new outdoor lights to enhance the exteriors appearance later, but for now the focus is on the color.  As the painting first began I'll admit I was worried I had gone too dark with the color, but as we made more progress we all agreed this color worked to really warm up the homes appearance and tone down the green roof.  In time that's something we'll change, but since the roofs not that old (the old owners reroofed 8 years ago)  we'll wait until it needs a new one.

Kevin removing the "decorative" boards on garage

The piece above the window we thought was a vent cover

Painting in progress

This color really adds warmth to the house.  It still needs trims and other decorative enhancements, but we're off to a good start.  Garage is still clearly packed, though we've made a lot of progress there too.

The kids had occupied themselves playing outside until Grandma came by to take the girls to the park and her house for lunch.  That freed Cameron up to help more and with all of us we made a lot of progress.  Just the sides and part of the back still need to be done.  I can't believe what a dramatic difference the paint change has made already to the house.

Yesterday Patrick came over to help Kevin install our new hot water heater.  The old one was in bad shape and with the new one being so much larger they needed to rework the plumbing to accommodate the size of this one.  Poor guys it was hot and muggy yesterday as the clouds were threatening rain and even dropped some briefly, but it was enough to make things uncomfortable out in the garage.

Patrick working on the new heater

The rusted bottom of our old heater - yuck

Kevin making some last installments

And here it is our new water heater, yay!!

Aunt Jennifer took the girls to a movie, out for lunch and then back to her house for swimming and dinner!!  They had a great time and it was really helpful for me to be able to concentrate on unpacking and trying to get more of the piles of boxes in our garage organized or unpacked.
Our new couch and chair were delivered later in the afternoon, will show those in another post, and a guy who came over to see if our current garage door was repairable (which it wasn't) was able to take our order for an new one that will be delivered and installed in two weeks. 

So the busyness continues, but the changes we can now really begin to see are very satisfying.  I am really grateful for the help with our projects and the kids, it's been a tremendous blessing and fun for the girls and for us to have the extra company and conversation. 

Today Kevin gets to stay home as the septic will be  pumped, I know what fun, (sarcasm intentional), but it's one of those necessary evils!!  Meantime, I'll be joining Jennifer and my mother-in- law to go plant shopping at a woman's home who offers her plants once a year for sale, so I'll see if I can find some that will begin to enhance the appearance of our landscape.   Have a great day!!


Lynda