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41 Comments

  1. our heritage home
    September 5, 2012 @ 12:39 pm

    Ha ha, this post made me smile, really no more of that yellow ceiling, come on you loved it! What a huge difference, that would not have been an easy job but the outcome is amazing, what a wonderful out door space to enjoy! So…. I’ll be waiting for the post when you start to decorate and find stuff for the porch;)

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:34 pm

      I am SO looking forward to having the front of our house look appealing… instead of shoddy and wacky. I’ve been hoarding porch-stuff now for a while. It’s been living in the foyer and the garage, and I cannot wait to move it out there.

      Reply

    • Jeanne
      April 9, 2018 @ 11:38 am

      You light up my life.

      Reply

  2. Stacey
    September 5, 2012 @ 12:46 pm

    It’s incredible! Taking down that railing was the BEST decision. I love how it just opens everything up. The “scar” healed beautifully (way to go Paul!) and the white ceiling is heavenly. I’d have to just lay on the floor and stare at it for hours. So much accomplished here and I’m sure it involved a million little steps that nobody will ever know. (painful steps, do doubt) Projects like this always do! I see lots of pretty colors, Victoria… so… which one did you choose?
    Love seeing all the progress. It’s really gorgeous and you should be so proud!!!!

    Reply

    • Stacey
      September 5, 2012 @ 12:47 pm

      oops… painful steps, NO doubt! . Ha Ha. TYPOS from too much excitement! 🙂

      Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:40 pm

      You of all people know what prepping/fixing/treating house areas that have been exposed to years of weather is like… there were about a thousand tedious things that took forever.

      We had talked about maybe putting the railing back up after we finished the floor. Why? Who knows? But it seemed like it might be too bare without it… you know how you get used to something one way and it can be difficult to predict how you might like it another way. But once Paul took it down I was like—wow! You can just throw that away!!

      Reply

  3. patinaandcompany
    September 5, 2012 @ 12:53 pm

    That porch is utterly inspiring! No wonder you and Paul wanted to work on it. The “after” ceiling is beautiful, and how lucky you are to have a guy who just happily figures out all the details of making it perfect by himself. So much easier to focus on paint colours . . . .

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:41 pm

      I absolutely fell in love with the porch and the front doors. I wanted this house before I even put one foot inside. In retrospect, I didn’t understand that while it was charming and madcap and full of potential… it would be years until it was transformed into what I imagined in my head.

      Reply

      • patinaandcompany
        September 8, 2012 @ 7:11 pm

        I totally understand this situation! Have I ever been there! Your house definitely had more original charm than some of my never-ending projects, though.

        Reply

        • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
          September 10, 2012 @ 8:47 am

          Lol… there have been days I would have traded it all for a split-level in a development, circa 1980.

          Reply

  4. Shirley T.
    September 5, 2012 @ 1:37 pm

    I am in love with this statement:” I am too tired of making decisions to form words where I explain them to you.” I see myself quoting you many times in the future.

    Also, I have a noise sensitive Hub, so I empathizes with you having to endure all the varied pitches and sounds connected to this porch project. I am barely allowed to run the vacuum when he is home.

    One more thing: A while back, I stumbled onto some “porch site” and recolonized your porch ( the yellow-ish ceiling clued me in) and the comment section was decidedly harsh regarding the ceiling color. You need to go over there and shut them up. 🙂

    Besides all that, it looks great and I look forward to your color choice.

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:46 pm

      I CANNOT stand extended noise. If I were president I would outlaw leaf-blowers and weed-wackers and probably lawn mowers too. That would be my campaign platform. Theoretically I shouldn’t complain about the pressure washer… seeing as how Paul did not have the luxury of clapping his hands over his ears and complaining.

      Sometimes I think that since Paul does not have the same aversion, he doesn’t take it seriously. I almost cannot stand for him to empty the dishwasher he is SO clattery and bangy! (Note, I said almost.) And? Anyone who hates the ice cream truck as much as I do is bound to seem slightly unbalanced…

      I am afraid to ask what porch site that is. Seriously. On one hand I have a lot to say in defense of my poor orange roof. On the other? It was incredibly ugly. And I can only hope the guy who painted it that color someday comes across scathing commentary on the internet regarding his paint choices!!

      Reply

  5. curt
    September 5, 2012 @ 1:39 pm

    As always, Victoria – perfection. Beautiful design and execution. You are indeed the Queen Dictator. Long may you rule.

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:47 pm

      LOL Curt!! I will ask Paul to make me some sort of scepter… so I can wave it at him while issuing further orders.

      Reply

  6. Alex @ northofseven
    September 5, 2012 @ 2:14 pm

    SOOOO nice!! Seriously. Wrap around porches! Drool. You live in the house that I want to be living in. It’s amazing!

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 4:47 pm

      The part where we actually get to sit out there and watch the rain or drink champagne hasn’t arrived yet, but I am REALLY looking forward to it!!

      Reply

  7. RedCandy
    September 5, 2012 @ 6:18 pm

    Ugh! I feel exhausted just looking at these pictures! There’s always so much prep work before painting….taping, drop sheets, patching, sealing and covering up things you don’t want painted. BUT wow! How a fresh coat of paint can freshen everything up! It looks fantastic!!!! Looking forward to part two and three… 🙂

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 8:24 pm

      It’s amazing isn’t it? What a fresh coat of paint does. I used to like painting, because it symbolized the end of a project… but in this house it’s a project unto itself. All the windows have needed to be painted and then scraped… not to mention the miles of trim work and doors and endless baseboards. I will never buy another house with painted molding.

      Reply

  8. RedCandy
    September 5, 2012 @ 6:25 pm

    And how about Paul using the old railings to whip you up a daybed or something equally magnificent…he certainly sounds clever enough! 😉

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 8:25 pm

      Oh! SO excellent! Let me tell you all of the ways you just went to Public Enemy #1 on Paul’s list of such people…

      Reply

  9. vintagekaren
    September 5, 2012 @ 8:27 pm

    I got tired just reading this post…but I do have major porch envy. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 5, 2012 @ 9:34 pm

      Putting this post together and looking back through the photos from just a short while ago… I’ve already forgotten how disgusting it used to be. Now that I’ve seen it cleaned up, I cannot believe just how bad it was!

      Reply

  10. Karen B.
    September 5, 2012 @ 10:02 pm

    Hi Victoria,
    Wow! The porch looks so inviting. Can I stop by for a visit when you get the outdoor furniture set up? Seriously, it turned out so well. Congrats to both you and Paul. I’m eager to see which paint color you select.

    I also feel like I need to get busy around here. You guys accomplish so much around the house, I wish I had a blog back in the day when our house had black entry tile and cottage cheese ceilings!

    Karen

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 6, 2012 @ 9:14 am

      It’s not too late, Karen… to show the world your entryway. As you know, people cannot get enough of seeing inside other people’s houses! Especially if they look bad!!

      Thanks for the encouragement. I will be so glad when this is finished. Why? I do not know… it will just bring the construction inside!!

      Reply

  11. Jessica
    September 5, 2012 @ 11:08 pm

    Wow. I would never think of taking down the railing, but it does look so much bigger. And the whole thing is so much more soothing and peaceful; I can’t wait to see it when it’s all done and decorated.

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 6, 2012 @ 9:09 am

      If it had been original, we would have kept it. And even as it was, I still wasn’t sure that I wanted it gone… It seemed kind of decorative, and lots of Victorians in our neighborhood do have a similar style of railing. But? Once Paul cleared off the front, it felt like an entirely different porch.

      Reply

  12. Seat12
    September 6, 2012 @ 5:03 pm

    I am so glad you posted this! My porch is a one of my next major projects. Right now it is a lawsuit just waiting to happen, so i have to keep everyone away! Your photographs are just great, very realistic (“be prepared for your life to look like this for a while”) and yet very well taken (“chaotic but still nicely composed and even tidy”). I always appreciate your sense of humor! So glad you took time to post this!

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 7, 2012 @ 11:04 am

      Well, Halloween is coming, so you can just tell yourself your porch is holiday decoration…

      I had really gotten used to the before-version. You know? How you stop seeing something in reality? And kind of mentally adjust it to something you can live with?

      Reply

  13. Dana
    September 7, 2012 @ 1:07 am

    I can tell how much work you’ve put into this project. It’s looking fantastic.

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 7, 2012 @ 11:05 am

      As you know, there is nothing like the feeling of coming to the end of a very long process.

      Reply

  14. Danielle
    September 7, 2012 @ 2:22 pm

    Wow… Your porch is amazing! I have porch envy; our’s is the size of a postage stamp. And we’ve recently hired out for some similar repairs to be done. Choosing paint color IS the hardest part… can’t wait to read about the process and what you landed on.

    PS I love your photo on your “About Us”. It is the perfect contrast to your wedding photo! 🙂

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 8, 2012 @ 8:58 am

      Right? That photo-contrast pretty much sums up everything that changed about my life when we got married. I used to be a girl who grew her fingernails. And painted them.

      I’ll be curious to see your porch-project, assuming you’ll post it…Choosing anything for this house where the options are both endless and pretty much irrelevant somehow sends me into a black hole of indecision. Paint was no exception.

      Reply

      • Danielle
        September 10, 2012 @ 1:21 pm

        I’ll definitely post our porch. It was fun to get the update without all the sweat of the DIY. 🙂

        Reply

  15. Abigail
    September 10, 2012 @ 4:13 am

    It’s stunning! Even thought it’s just primer, the white everywhere (instead of that scary yellow) makes it seem so massive! And elegant! And refreshing! I can’t wait to see it with some of your craigslist treasures bedecking it, as I’m sure you can’t either 😉

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 10, 2012 @ 8:50 am

      Thank you! It really does feel like an entirely new porch. And yes, you are so right… the best part of any project is when you get to decorate it!!

      Reply

  16. Linn @ The Home Project
    September 11, 2012 @ 3:41 pm

    Your porch is absolutely wonderful! What a big job! Yes, I know what you mean – picking out the paint, is by far the biggest 😉 job – well at least it’s an important one, and I love the color you chose!

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 24, 2012 @ 12:02 pm

      Somehow I didn’t see this before now…
      Thank you! It actually feels like a real porch where I might want to invite people for tea. (Or margaritas.)

      Reply

  17. Carol Ritten Smith
    September 24, 2012 @ 11:45 am

    It’s amazing how much your porch looks like ours. We had to rebuild ours because the previous owners had torn it off. We’ve had a lot of trouble with spiders and their lovely webs up high in the rafters and yucky trails of spider excrement down the walls. Might want to consider buying a pressure washer.

    Reply

    • Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
      September 24, 2012 @ 12:00 pm

      Buying one… or just stealing Paul’s brother’s…
      I can attest to the spider-munge. Are your rafters painted? Now that we’ve gone white on the ceiling, I wonder how much more apparent the dirt will be…

      Reply

  18. Stephanie
    April 16, 2016 @ 11:52 pm

    So Lovely! I’m dying to find out what kind of tree is pictured in several of your photos, the pine needly looking one. I thought “green Pom poms!” When I saw it, and now I’m green with envy. Please share if you know!

    Reply

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