Front Porch – Part 1, a saga in three acts.
I haven’t written about the front porch for over a month now…
Incase you thought that was because we magically finished?
We didn’t.
The front porch has been the summer’s big project.
And as happy as I am with the outcome, the idea of digging back into the details isn’t appealing.
The idea of coming up with snappy explanations. And descriptions. And making paint-sprayers and wood siding interesting. Is a hopeless task.
I would prefer to say: Here are the pictures. Figure them out for yourselves… I am too tired of making decisions to form words where I explain them to you.
Except? Allowing you the freedom to interpret for yourselves? Would be in direct contradiction to my most central personality-trait: Narrative Dictator.
So. We took down the railing.
It wasn’t original to the house. The previous owners installed it to corral their menagerie, and it made the porch feel small.
We patched a giant scar of missing siding.
I should explain how difficult it is to match existing, original, Victorian siding with replacement wood.
And how it’s a headache to make it seamless. But? I have no idea how Paul did it.
Cutting? Sanding? Nails? Math? I don’t know.
But judging from Paul’s mood? It was easy. And fun. Relaxing, even.
Then we borrowed a power washer.
Then? Since we had to wait for the porch to dry, and since Paul still had the pressure washer, he started washing everything else in sight…
An assault on my other most central tenet: Hater of Noise… An ideology in ongoing conflict with Paul’s most central principle: Get Shit Done.
Then we borrowed a paint sprayer.
I’m not sure if the paint sprayer is supposed to make a high-pitched, super-fast chugging noise. But this one did. And that noise, following on the heels of two days of power-washing was enough to make me crazy.
But we finally got rid of the circus ceiling.
We went through a couple of five-gallon buckets of Kills primer.
We used the paint sprayer to do multiple coats of Kills on the ceiling, siding, window trim, door trim, columns… everything.
I’m pretty sure there were about 84,000 other steps in this process. Patching? Fixing? Filling? Repairing? Laying drop cloths? Taping plastic? Grinding nails off the underside of the roof? Sanding? Running to Home Depot? Only to find you did not get the one thing you most needed?
I don’t remember… and I didn’t do a lot of it, so according to me, this is all there was to it.
Also according to me: the next part was the HARD part… Picking out paint. And that was all me.
Related Posts:
- What we started with.
- Part 2- paint– indecision, mixing custom red paint for the doors.
- Part 3- Front porch stain debacle.– Where we sand and stain the floor but first try to kill each other.
- Porch, epilogue
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;)
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.
April 9, 2018 @ 11:38 am
You light up my life.
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!!!!
September 5, 2012 @ 12:47 pm
oops… painful steps, NO doubt! . Ha Ha. TYPOS from too much excitement! 🙂
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!!
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 . . . .
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.
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.
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.
September 10, 2012 @ 9:04 am
Hahaha! But I don’t believe you : )
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.
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!!
September 5, 2012 @ 1:39 pm
As always, Victoria – perfection. Beautiful design and execution. You are indeed the Queen Dictator. Long may you rule.
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.
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!
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!!
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… 🙂
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.
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! 😉
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…
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!
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!
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
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!!
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.
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.
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!
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?
September 7, 2012 @ 1:07 am
I can tell how much work you’ve put into this project. It’s looking fantastic.
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.
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! 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
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 😉
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!!
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!
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.)
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.
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…
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!