In Difficult Times, Small Things Mean A Lot.

Today, after three days of preparation, I painted my house. It isn't what I would have preferred to do. I'd rather have converted the house to stucco, but painting the vinyl siding was the only thing that made economical sense right now. You may have heard that you can't paint vinyl siding, but that's incorrect. It paints very nicely, and any high quality acrylic latex paint will last for years on vinyl siding.

It turned out very well. The new color is not a typical house color, and the house looks great. I finished it about 2 PM today, and then got myself a beer and sat in a cheap plastic chair and looked at my work.

It is what happened then that I found encouraging. Half a dozen neighbors stopped by on this Saturday afternoon to say they liked how the house looked. Four of them were interested in learning what the process was to paint the vinyl siding on a home. It's a neighborhood of typical 1950s ramblers, and virtually all of the homes have vinyl siding, put on in the 70s and 80s as a way to make a post-war house look more modern at the time.

All of these houses in my neighborhood are in pastel colors. There are four baby blue and white two-tone houses on my block, for pete's sake. Mine was one of them. Now, the baby blue has been replaced by a lively color that is a couple of shades darker than dusty rose. Colonial Brick is what the paint chip read. It's not like the color of any house I've seen in the neighborhood, and I retained the creamy white two-tone look where it already existed. It's not garish, but it's a new color...not one from the boring usual spectrum seen in these neighborhoods.

At least a couple of those neighbors sound like they're going to do the same. Nobody in my blue collar neighborhood can afford new siding right now. I can't either, but I really, really wanted to perk up the old girl a little. It worked, and the house looks pretty spectacular for a 50s rambler. Total cost was about $200.

I expect that I'm going to see three or four paint jobs on neighbor's houses this summer. That's a good thing. It's hopeful. Maybe they can't afford a major facelift, but they can do a minor one. They'll feel better about their homes, just like I do today, and they won't break the bank or load up more credit card debt.

It's often said that if you want to feel better, go out and start smiling. In a way, that's what this is about. It's not a big deal. You can do it yourself. It doesn't cost much...just some of your own sweat, and sweat is what it was about today, with temps in the upper 80s, with humidity to match.

Times are difficult. Small things matter.

Good for you.

You did something more than paint your house. You showed yourself, and your neighbors, that there is a future. One that we can all believe in...

Not such a small thing, I think...

Recommended.

getting out and doing something like that can often spark a tiny little revolution in a neighborhood. I hope it works. I have many great neighbors who are struggling right now, economically. I'll be happy to advise them on how to do this simple job.

Reminds me I gotta get going on my moms house. She's 87 and I help her out on everything since I'm the only sibling that gives a shit. Anyway a great post, thanks.

I didn't realize that you could paint vinyl siding either. I still have aluminum siding, and didn't know it could be painted either, but did it and it looks great. I know the feeling, even if I did not do the painting myself (2 story house, don't like ladders, and just too old).

Acrylic exterior paint can be applied. I hear you about the ladders, though. I'm very, very careful since I'm at that 65 year mark. This house painting was a tough job for this old-timer. But, I can still walk, my back doesn't hurt too much, and I have a smile on my face.

He was working on his own time after his regular job, so it took a few weeks. I would have done it myself, as it is a very small footprint (1200 SF total) but 2 stories and I don't like ladders.

I can't tell you the number of people who stopped by or stopped me on the street to thank me for the new look in the neighborhood and to inquire about the man doing the work. It is a rewarding feeling!

Different angle than your story is that he has gotten so many referrals that 6 months ago, he quit his job and started his own painting business and couldn't be happier. Win-win-win!

with him starting his own business. Now, that's a big deal.

At age 65, house painting is a major decision for me, and I spread out the prep work for quite a while. The actual painting took me about six hours. It's a small house, and I left the upper part, which is a pale cream color alone. The siding is in good shape, and I wanted to maintain the two-tone look.

I'm tired, sore, and somewhat dehydrated, but it feels good, and I had a nice chat with some neighbors. All in all, it's a good thing. A very good thing.

You invigorated the neighbors. That is the best feeling, isn't it? So much heavy/negative news out there these days.

Painting guy is so busy that when I called him to repaint my garage, he said it will be toward the end of the summer! I was tagged with graffiti, so he stopped long enough to spray paint over it. I am thrilled for him.

Of course, being in FL we can do things like that. Amidst the cold snap there was a warm day and he squeezed us into the schedule (we'd been on the waiting list for awhile as he's good, cheap and insured. He only hires local people. We had set the money aside thinking we'd need to sell the house as dh was out of work at the time, but decided to use it when he found local work and we were staying put. The house had faded so much and was the original, 10-yr. old builder's grade light gray color.

We went with "wheat grass" color (sort of a goldish-green by SW) and it looks amazing! It quite honestly completely transformed how the house looks and 'feels.' We are gradually pairing it up with copper and burnished bronze accents which no one else in the neighborhood has, plus the funky 'mother nature' toys around the front. Of course we could have saved even more money by doing it along but there are 2nd story accents which aren't easy to access and it would've taken us two weeks to do a job this guy did in a day (plus, he needs work too). Can't get over what a little bit of paint will do!

He was coming off disability after back surgery & really need the work..and we really needed our house painted.. win win.. except for the fact that he did not paint behind the hibiscus plants :)

Then we hired his friend who's also a contractor, to remove two 8 ft sliders & put in two french doors & to replace 8 windows & remove a regular window & a greenhouse window..Cost us $8200.00 but it was well worth it..

and now we are in the throes of gutting our kitchen taking down two walls & re-tiling & painting the inside of the whole house.

Our son & his friend are both licensed, fully-insured & bonded contractors, so we might as well pay them , as anyone else.. I always remind our son to do a fantastic job, because someday he & his brothers will benefit:)

Isn't it amazing that a little thing like hiring a person to paint your house led to so many good things?

I bet that guy is eternally grateful to you for helping him launch his own business. :D

Good work needs to be seen and appreciated and it might be inspirational.

touch up the inevitable spots that need touching up. I'll take a photo next weekend, and post it here, along with a before photo.

$200 is still a lot to me, but I did put in about $20 worth of plants this year because I discovered a couple of shelves in the garden center where they put gangly plants. I don't mind gangly. I buy about $5 a week and plop them here and there. I know what you mean. It is nice to be able to find something affordable and add a bright spot in your life. It really doesn't take that much.

Your house sounds beautiful, you should post a picture!

I've noticed that the Free section of Craig's List often has plants available. People redo their landscaping and want to get rid of their old plantings. I've seen some pretty cool stuff there.

Often the stores will have a shelf that just did not come out the color that was wanted. Sometimes the colors are horrid, but sometimes they are not too bad. I bought several gallons and mixed my own colors from them when I was doing some painting around the farm. At the end, I needed a more neutral tone so I mixed all the leftovers, added them to a bucket of white paint and ended up with a pretty good battleship gray color that was perfect.

When I was buying the stuff, it was $2-5 per gallon.

I've done that in the past. I really like to mix up paints and stains and do various blended faux finishes on old garage sale stuff. But I'm way into my flower garden this year. If I can ever get these weeds down, maybe I can go do some fun painty-stainy stuff, lol.

They told us that if you mix any and all colors together, you will eventually end up with a shade of gray. It is then used to paint over graffiti around town.

No waste. I love it!

Another idea is to offer to help divide your neighbor or friend's perennials and take home a few. Several of us along the street share our day lilies and agapanthus varieties this way.

My parents hired somebody to do it oh a LONG TIME AGO. Now I know I will have to do it myself...

So I will be getting paint and doing it a wall at a time... perhaps it will take longer this way, but it needs to be painted, and I cannot afford to hire somebody to do it.

Such is life. And having to repair some terrible damage on a wall I realized it is not that difficult.

times I've painted houses, inside and out. The one thing I'm sure of is that doing it is a great way to inject something fresh and new in your life. It just sort of brightens up everything, including your outlook and that of everyone who sees it.

It's the preparation for painting that's hard. I can't say I enjoy that part all that much.

out of the way... including the bookshelf

Another neat thing is that there are likely to be more neighbor confabs as various projects get underway. You may have done more than you know to bring neighbors together. It's a great "planting a seed" story. :thumbsup:

My own pick-me-up this year was an interior redec that changed my living space dramatically--in a very good way. As a bonus, friends and neighbors were VERY impressed with my decor. Not that I needed the validation--it is MY space, and I'm the only one who needs to be happy with it--but, as someone whose knowledge about home decor wouldn't fill a thimble, I SAVORED the compliments, LOL!

I'm looking forward to your photos--and perhaps a photo journal of the neighborhood changes.

Funny, I did a little of that today in my little beat up rental. Rearranged my office, cleared shelves and drawers, put a new cover on the ratty hand-me-down loveseat, unrolled the new carpet remnant I bought on sale last winter, spruced up the living room and the kitchen floor and bathroom are on tomorrow's list...

something about making you personal space feel better always helps your mood, and for me it about productivity too. I work at home and have been slackarific these past 2 weeks...cleaning up the 'office' and front room were SOOOO important to preparing for some new positive work outcome!


thanks for sharing, enjoy your "new look" and your beer! you earned it! :toast: hehe, i'm having one too!

where to start on that.

you will never get rid of it. Find less invasive plants to make the landscaping interesting.

is a rectangular duplex. the only exposed wood on the house are window casings

Used 2 colors, pale green and forest green. Probably a lot of work (a real pain) to do that 2-tone, but it really made the house pop. Looks like a different house just with that. I love the look of a brick house, but had an ivy mess and would not wish that on anyone. Well, maybe if you can figure out a way to train it the right way and keep it away from the wrong places??? Don't know if it is possible.

If you want something which won't do as much damage go with creeping fig. IMO you shouldn't do it at all, it's always a major MAJOR PIA to pull out.

You'll be amazed at how much it brightens up the house. People neglect brick, and it gets dirty over time. A washing will also clean the mortar lines.

If you don't want to rent a powerwasher, use a scrub brush and some TSP substitute. I had to wash my siding as the first step of the project. That alone brightened up the place.

my issue is, last year, what i thought was going to be a tear-off became a whole new roof, down to some bad rafters that needed to be replaced! i'm still cringing in fact....

TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate). It was an amazing cleaner, and was sort of the standard pre-painting product. It would take off the oxidized paint, any dirt, and would leave a clean, slightly etched surface for your new paint. It was also very bad for the environment and promoted algae blooms. So, it was made illegal in most places.

If you go to the hardware store and look at cleaning products or in the painting chemical products, you'll find several products labeled TSP "subsitute" or TSP-PF (Phosphate Free) You mix them with water, in concentrations as described on the package. It rinses off easily with water, leaving a very clean surface, suitable for painting.

The active ingredient is sodium metasilicate. It's a strong base, and you really need to follow the instructions on the package. It works well, but is fairly hazardous if not used properly. Rubber gloves are suggested for the concentrations used for heavy cleaning. Safety goggles, too, if you're likely to raise a spray of the material.

As with most serious cleaning products, careful attention to instructions will get the job done without too much risk.

I miss my TSP, to tell you the truth. Used properly in areas not subject to runoff into waterways, it was a very useful product.

If you use this to clean your grout, wear safety goggles, since brushes often create a fine spray. You don't want this stuff in your eyes. But, anything that will clean your mortar lines is going to be pretty harsh.

from the many perennials around our place that I split up and gave away. So easy and so pretty.

Sadly, now the deer seem to get every last damned thing.

They reseed all over the place!

When I'm cleaning out the garden, I just can't stand to just pull the columbines. So I replant them in soup cans and whatever else I can find... and set them on a bench out front with a sign that says, "Free to good homes."

We had a plant exchange at work that kept me laughing for a week. It became like a secret santa ... you never knew when you'd walk in and see a mystery plant sitting outside your door. I gave away lettuces, radishes, iris, and amaranth. I got peppers, jack in the pulpit, other irises, and a couple things I lost track of the names of.

I've been going through the free section of craigslist as well. A couple weeks ago someone had too much compost and topsoil delivered, I went and got it for my garden. It was free, but I brought them a few strawberry plants from my garden as a thank you. Last week I got some sweet potato slips free, this week I listed excess garden vegetables free.

that was the plant that would never die:)

Just shared about it earlier, there are several neighbors who do it w/me. This year I split all the daylilies, next year it will be the dwarf agapanthus. When we lived in VA a big group of us would share irises and daylilies like you would share a meal (always bring something when you come for a visit!).

I mean on top of the rest of the good in your post (satisfaction, etc) you certainly completed a hefty task for what seems to be a low, low cost. That's good value for money.

paint, though. $35/gallon. In the long run, it's cheaper, since it covered completely in a single coat. Three gallons did all the painting, since the house is two-tone and I left the white part alone. I washed the house by hand with a big sponge and TSP substitute, and had all the painting tools in my garage, so the only expense was the paint and the cleaning supplies, along with my very cheap labor.

Sounds like a 3 day job for a good painter.

At $55 an hour, over three days, a painter would have earned $1320.

Now that is some economizing, eh?

Three days is about right. Washing the house down. Masking. Painting. It took me four, but I'm not a pro. Fortunately, the high quality paint that cost more covered in one coat. A second coat would have taken me another day, and I don't have one to spare.

The best thing is my wife's reaction. She hated that color from the day we bought the house. Now, she thinks it looks cool.

3-1/2 days and he had 3 helpers. our house is 2800 sq. ft. inside. then we have the covered patio and 3 car garage. so it's probably over 5,000 sq. ft. that had to be re-stuccoed and painted.

it came out great.

it has a full basement that's sort of finished, so we actually have 1600 sq. ft. It's way more than we need. Our house in California had a footprint of just 400 sq. ft., and had everything we needed. Now, we have more space to keep clean. But, we have a one-car garage. That's great. It even has a door opener. Luxury time! :rofl:

openers. when we bought our first house which also had a 3 car garage i used to keep my car in the driveway rather than manually open it. after a few months we had enough money to get the automatic opener and a water softener. we came from new york. didn't know about hard water.

talk about luxury time. moving from an apartment in new york to a new house in phoenix was like a dream come true. we've been here almost 21 years. one of the best things we ever did. lived in the first house for 13 years.

added the garage door opener. It works. For how long? Who knows? I just hope it doesn't die after a 12" snowfall. I need to get my snowblower out, and it's in front of the side entry door. I suppose I'll be able to squeeze through and pull the release, though.

in 1953. it had a 1 car garage and 2 bedrooms. my 2 sisters and i shared 1 small bedroom. i don't remember if we had a side entry door.

One day to pressure wash and repair stucco cracks, the 2nd day to paint with 8 very skilled people (2350 sf, but with 2nd story accents).

re-stuccoed. they had to smooth down the old stuff first.

actually the timing seems the same. i had 4 guys for 3-1/2 days.

There were just a few areas which needed repair, much less than anticipated. They used the elastic polymer stuff so it should be good for a very long time.

BTW, there are thousands and thousands of very cheap stucco jobs done down here in FL on a yearly basis so the guys who do the bigger repairs have pretty much created their own jobs.

houses are stucco inside and out. i loved it.

when we built the new house we went with a different kind of stucco (sand or modified santa fe). by that time i was tired of the interior stucco so we had this house done with smooth walls and no baseboards.

my granddaughter lives in wellington, fla. her house looks very much like our first house.

I love that kind of craftsmanship!

took bits and pieces of homes that i liked (including our last house). i cut and pasted them with dimensions. then i took it to an architect and asked "can you do this"? he got it on the second try.

everything is exactly the way we want it. we had in built in '02 before prices went crazy. the builder was in a slow period so he gave us a great price.

we're former new yorkers and our original plan was to move to florida (miami/ft.lauderdale). then in '84 we came to phoenix on a business trip and fell in love with it. there still a place in our hearts for florida. if god forbid something happened to my husband i would have to move to florida near my granddaughter. i'm almost 69 and i have severe chronic fatigue syndrome. we don't have any family here. we're scattered all over.

being near family who can care for you is so important. Actually, I have CFS myself but am going through a 'good' stage now but can so identify with making plans to be near good medical facilities as well as family.

You can find some real bargains in FL right now...it's quite sad. We were lucky to have bought in 2001 before the huge upswing so we did alright, although there are foreclosures all around us. If it wasn't for dh finding permanent employment more than a year after being laid off we'd be in the same situation. We are just happy to not have treated the house like an ATM as so many did in this immediate area, as we were tempted to do it. Right now a small-ish house for 6 people is alright. ;)

One day would you mind posting a pic or two? It really sounds like a lovely place you've put together. I've heard nice things about Phoenix, especially for folks who suffer from asthma.

would have to figure out how to do it.

are you on facebook?

You can send me a pm if you like.

siding? What did you have to do to prepare the siding first? I would love to paint my house but didn't think I could because it's vinyl sided.

it handles the expansion and contraction of the vinyl best as the temperature changes. The only prep required is cleaning. I washed the siding with TSP equivalent, since TSP isn't available any longer. I mixed it at the heavy cleaning ratio on the package, sponged it on, then rinsed it off with water. You don't have to scrub, unless there's mildew on your siding. If that's the case, you can add bleach as instructed on the package. There are other vinyl siding washing products, too. Anything will work. That's it. No primer is necessary.

If you do this, use high quality paint. There is a reason it costs more. I used Behr Ultra Plus. $35/gallon. It covered beautifully with one coat. Use 3M blue tape to mask around windows, etc. That will save you lots of time later. I recommend flat paint. It's more forgiving.

I used a combination of brush and roller to apply the paint. The brush was just for around windows and other trim, and to apply a stripe of paint where the siding forms an angle, simulating wood siding. Every siding design is different, though, so the application techniques may vary.

It's simple, but time-consuming. The best advice I can give is to start on the back or other little-seen wall of your house. You'll be learning the application techniques there. By the time you're done with that, you will have figured out the best approach for your siding design, and it will look better.

As you work, finish a section, then start the next section. Take a break and return to the previous section and look for runs and sags before the paint sets. Use your brush or roller to correct these things, then continue on the next section.

One last tip. Forget the ladder. Find one of those 6' long redwood picnic tables with separate benches. If you don't have one, they're always on sale somewhere for $60 or so. They're just the right height to stand on to do the walls on a single-story house. Cheap scaffolding. Ladders suck.

Kudos to you, on so many levels, MineralMan. Small things most definitely matter, and can truly make all the difference in the world in someone's life.

I thought the following was very cool, and this seems like a good place to share. :) There are several videos at YouTube about the Laughing Clubs.

The doctor who founded them said, with regard to the "forced" laughter that tends to start the sessions, "We have a motto: fake it, fake it, 'til you make it!"

(of course, that applies to many things, eh? ;))

http://www.laughteryoga.org /

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEfjVnYkqM

period, and had some significant depression. One of the things that helped was to leave the house at least a couple of times a day (I've always been self-employed) and go to a local Walgreens. There, I'd buy a candy bar or some small item.

The point was that I was taught as a child that I should always be polite and cheerful when I interact with people at stores and such. I can't do otherwise. So, that trip to the store forced me to smile and interact with people at that store. It worked pretty well to break me out of feeling sorry for myself and being depressed for a while.

Smiling makes you happy. It does.

In "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference," Malcolm Gladwell
relates a story about how, in a slum neighborhood, someone repairs broken windows and picks up the trash in his yard, and 'ere long, others notice and decide to be cool and do the same.

I'm relating this from memory, but highly recommend the book. What you've described in this thread is *exactly* what the author is talking about. A little ray of optimism can have tremendous ripple effects.

It also struck me that what you are writing about is a good example of about the only way left to us to change the country. By example, you showed some people (didn't just talk about it) a way to "spiff up" the neighborhood.

That famous line from a move starring Meg Ryan (forgot the name of the film at the moment) -- "I'll have what she's having" -- may be the only way we'll see positive change in this country. And I think it will be more in line with "I'll have what Sweden is having," in terms of social safety and available healthcare, than anything within the U.S.

We have to hope that planting seeds now will produce something of value for the future.

Thanks for this great OP!

There's nothing like someone doing something in a neighborhood to get others out and doing things. It's long been a good way to get a neighborhood energized and on the move. Besides, if you're not holed up in your house, you get to see, greet, and converse with your neighbors. It's amazing...truly.

I got my house painted a few weeks ago and I get a smile every time I drive around the corner. Same thing with the neighbors.

This OP got a much better reception than I expected, and I thank you all for your replies.

Several decades of stagnant wages, union busting, public safety net continuing to be dismantled...


Wow


Kudos to you for your positive attitude!

to have what we need. We didn't need new siding. We just wanted it to be a different color. Sure, I'd like to get rid of the vinyl altogether, but that's what we have. We bought this house with the proceeds of our previous home in California, which I had lived in for 30 years. We needed to live near her parents, which is why we moved to Minnesota. This house was priced right, and was just five minutes away from her parents' home. So, we bought it. It was sound, and we liked the layout. We just didn't like the color. We lived with it for 6 years, though, since there was a lot to do to help care for her father in his last couple of years. He's gone, now, and we decided to dress up the house a little.

Paint is fine. We don't expect much, so we're happy with what we have. Money is overrated, really, as long as you have enough to keep your head above water. We're lucky that we have that. More important is that my wife's mother can stay in her home, as long as we are nearby and available when she needs us.

We moved here, instead of staying in California, because my parents, who are both 86 now, have my two siblings still living in their city. My in-laws didn't have someone where they lived to help during their old age. It's what to do, in my opinion. So, here we are.

No luxuries, but I've never wanted those, anyhow. We're fine.

Which is generally working class code for 'can't afford it'

I can afford some new paint. When I was a child, back in the 50s my parents worked at very low paying jobs, and we economized on everything. Like most kids, there were things I wanted. Other kids had those things. The answer was often, "We can't afford that." That ended the conversation, and it was OK. We had what we needed, and more.

So, I wore clothes from Sears and Penney's, rather than Levis and Converse All Stars. Even then, there was a style-conscious clique at school. But...there were lots of kids wearing the bargain brands, too. We didn't care. It didn't matter.

My first bicycle was used. My dad bought it, painted it, got it working, and that was my 10th birthday present. It was great. It was a bicycle. That it was a cast-off didn't matter to me.

That was how I was raised. I still operate the same way, pretty much.

So, no, I don't mind not having the new siding. I can't afford it. I painted, instead. Same effect...less money. I'm happy.

we're on expansive soil and had a lot of cracking. it was patched and painted but was starting to look terrible. last year i hired our mexican painter/handyman to re-stucco and paint it. he and his workers were happy to get some work.

don't know if any of the neighbors even noticed. we live on 2-1/2 acres in the desert. they might have seen the work being done as they drove up and down the road.

you may next time want to consider one of the new generation of acrylic elastomeric coatings. The new ones have excellent color retention, they clean off well;and the coating itself has flexibility, but retains tensile strength, which means the coating can bridge a high degree of cracking under the film. The coatings are generally impervious to even wind-driven rain (probably not a problem if you live in the desert) and even have an "R rating" for insulative purposes (which I assume would be a benefit in a hot environment). :)

when we realized we were on expansive soil our builder sent out the engineers. they recommended putting up rain gutters which we did. it really helped. had we known we were on expansive soil we would have had them installed when we built the house.

:)

a few houses in our area and this was the first time he encountered expansive soil. didn't know it until 3 years later when we got major cracks.

the other problem when building was the ground would not perk so we had to have an alternative septic system which cost $20,000.

and of course, there's always the fear of a "hard dig". we were okay with that when building, but when the direct tv came to install the satellite dish they couldn't put it in the area they wanted to because of the soil.

You are absolutely correct about painting that siding; with the advent of premium quality acrylic coatings, the strictures against it no longer apply. As long as the surface was reasonably clean (and I'm sure it was) the newer acrylics have excellent adhesion, and are plenty flexible enough to withstand the movement of the substrate through the heat/cold cycles. And, they also have excellent color retention. :)

Having spent my entire professional life as a painter, I can certainly attest that there is something especially rewarding about transforming space with paint, or other finishes. Some of my best work memories are of sitting with the crew on a hot, late afternoon, tipping a cold one and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment gotten from a hard day busting tail to produce something nice.:D

Times are difficult; small things do matter. A well maintained home, or a nicely kept yard can do a lot to encourage a whole neighborhood.

You done well. thanks for sharing the experience! :thumbsup:

PS: just out of "talking shop's" sake: what brand of paint did you use? And was it flat, or did it have some degree of sheen to it?

I like flat paint. It hides a multitude of amateur errors. :rofl:

I did some research before this paint job. Apparently, it's a bad idea to use a paint that's much darker in tone than the original vinyl color. Apparently, a darker color can cause the vinyl to warp in hot, sunny weather. I did not know that before researching, so we had to change our color choice to one that had about the same color density.

I learned to buy premium exterior paint a long time ago...after having to triple coat another house I painted. This Behr stuff simply went on and covered completely. What a treat! I bought too much, though. So, it looks like the garage doors and trim, which are white now, is going to get their own coat of paint. Serendipity.

:rofl:

You were wise to research; people often fail to understand that color affects heat absorption/reflection; dark colors definitely absorb more heat.

I have heard good things about Behr, and I'm sure their top-of-the-line coatings will stand up to anyone's for endurance, color retention, application, etc. We tended to stay with either Benjamin- Moore, or Sherwin-Williams (depending upon the context) because they carry excellent coatings, and their price structure is keyed to how much volume a contractor does. You would be amazed at what you can buy paint for after you've purchased a few thousand gallons. :D

Good luck with the trim! Work on the shady side, and enjoy yourself!

I bet it does look nice!

21 years ago, we were "counting our pennies". the subdivision was just being built. anyway, a few people were putting columns on each side of their driveway. the mailboxes were built into one of them. hubby had a month before he had to report to work. he decided to try and build them himself. he had never done any kind of concrete work before. he not only built them, but put a light on the top of each one and ran the electric underground into the garage and hooked them up to our other outside lights. then he stuccoed and painted them. i swear his father's spirit was guiding him. some of the other men in the neighborhood watched his progress and decided to do their own. it was expensive to hire someone to do them.

then he took a course on laying tile at the home depot. he put satillo tile on our front porch and walkway. a few months later he tackled the back patio.

we actually did count pennies. we had a huge glass water jug in our apartment in new york. for a few years we threw our pennies into it. before we moved we emptied it. there was over $80 in pennies.

He had the opinion that he could do any job he decided to do. When he didn't know how, he'd go to the library and find a book that explained it. He said, many times, that an intelligent person can do anything. It was just a matter of learning how it was done and doing it.

I remember when he decided to build a concrete block fence around our back yard. He got the book, then, with me helping to mix concrete and mortar, on his instructions, we poured a footing for the wall, and he began laying concrete blocks. I was 12, and was mixing concrete as fast at that concrete mixer would allow. I mixed the mortar for the blocks, too. It took us about three tries before we got the texture right.

He started on the least visible part of the wall. It was pretty crude, really. By the time he had that section done, he was laying the wall perfectly.

I went from there. I've done just about everything you can do to a house, from building room additions to putting on a new roof, and everything in between. Like my father, I'd go to the library and look up how it was done, then do it.

I've poured and finished concrete slabs, rewired an entire house, and installed a new septic tank, after renting a backhoe and figuring out how to run it. It all is just a matter of learning the process, then making bonehead errors until you've learned.

It's all been great fun.

I haven't wanted to even clean my house but now I will get up off my duff and do it. Unfortunately all my GOP neighbors have dough and are remodeling and have new furniture but heck, I can at least clean up!

left. But our patio roof needs drywalling again Sigh.Never ending!But on a positive note a really spoiled neighbor moved and threw out a brand new very expensive patio set which I acquired! Seriously. I sometimes just go out to admire it! I found it for sale for $1200, I could never have afforded this! I was strapped to buy cushions for my old one!And she put them out complete with covers to protect them! In the trash! The same women sold me a brand new cordless computer keyboard for a dime and a set of incredible new wine glasses with the price tags still on of $20 apeice for 80 cents. I really must count my blessings!

Sprucing your home up is not a small thing. It is an important thing to do. It will sound dumb, but every time I do laundry or clean I feel like I have accomplished some small thing to make my life better. I fold the clothes and put them away, and I have a feeling of accomplishment. Not as good as a paint job, but it will have to do until I can afford one. Thanks for the good post.;)

Whatever you do, whatever you accomplish, it's all something that you have succeeded at doing. It's hard to ask for more. Even if you fail at something, the fact that you have taken on the task and worked at it is an accomplishment of its own.

even downright depressing, this post was just what I needed to read. So much of our lives are about how we live and how we treat each other, and our attitude about all of it. Thanks for sharing this and enjoy your newly painted house. Cheers to one of my favorite DU posters...thanks!
:toast:

It's wonderful that you took the time to spruce up your house, and I'm glad you obviously made a positive impact upon your entire neighborhood.

You are absolutely right. Small things do matter. :patriot:

I was using a redwood picnic table as a makeshift scaffold (worked great), and was using a small paint roller to paint a little piece of trim near the soffit. I was doing great, and not missing and getting paint on the soffit itself.

So, I'm working along, rolling the paint on with this tiny little trim roller, looking up as I went. Well, you guessed it: I stepped past the end of the 6' picnic table into open air. Fortunately, my reflexes kicked in and I pushed off with the foot that was still on the table and landed on my feet.

I exercised more caution the rest of the day. When I told my wife about my near mishap, she said, "Damn! If I had been out there, I could have caught the whole thing on my cell phone camera and posted it on YouTube. She would have, too. After, of course, making sure I hadn't broken something. :rofl:

I go to do a paint job, look at what I'm wearing and think "I'm not going to change my clothes, I'll be careful".

Right :D

That trick never works. :rofl:

The color isn't exactly right, but...



And here's what it looked like before:

terrible at picking house colors. I botched one of our house once going from blue to coralisih and took a gamble with our stucco house going tuscan gold and that one actually worked.Thank God.I was afraid we would end up with a giant pumpkin! You do really nice work!