Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

March 2, 2016

Exterior Painting, Railings and Steps . . . .

If you own a home you know it’s an ongoing project with “something” always going on, always needing fixing, etc. MY home had an owner who lived paycheck-to-paycheck and couldn’t afford the normal upkeep it required. MY home started to fall into grave disrepair. The house desperately needed to be painted, the hand-railing on the front steps fell off in my hand one day, the garage door fell apart, the roof of the enclosed porch started to disintegrate (I could see sky), I found pock marks on the walls in the basement, a bathroom needed fixing . . . . shall I go on?

With each new passing year, the list grew a tad longer. I started a journal . . . . I added a new entry as more and more things fell into disrepair, noting the projects which required ‘immediate’ attention IF I happened to have a little extra cash along the way (tax refunds helped immensely). When mom passed on, she left a small legacy which has allowed me to fix some of the more immediate issues.

First things first; paint the outside of the house to appease my neighbor’s thoughts IF ONLY they had the guts to comment at all!   I didn’t price shop. I’d seen their lawn signs around and called College Pro painters; truthfully though, they weren’t very professional and I won’t use them again. They painted things that never should have been painted, they needed electricity one day so they climbed through the window in my garage which was ‘locked’ [for a reason], they plopped their paint bucket in the middle of my August Lily plant while it was still in full bloom (to say I was a tad perturbed was an understatement), but “Nice Me, Gracious Me” didn’t say anything and just let it go; I’d learned my lesson; call a professional next time around. When they asked me to fill out their survey and asked for a recommendation, I chose not to. Before the painting started, neighbors out walking stopped to ask, “What color?” My reply, “Same color.” I was met with the almost disappointingly proverbial, “Oh . . .” My home is a pale purple; it’s a gorgeous lavender with a darker medium purple on the shutters, foundation and the underside of the roof extensions. I think they were hoping for something more traditional. (before and after photos below)

One day I came home from work and rounding the steps up to the mailbox I grabbed the front railing . . . the whole thing came off in my hand. Uh oh, now what? Add another project to the “immediate” list; didn’t want the mailman [or anyone for that matter] falling off my steps and getting hurt.

I did some research online and realized I could get a whole new set of steps and railings for the same price of wrought iron railings; told them to go ahead and do it. I never met them in person; I picked out what I wanted from online pictures, they came to measure, done. All my dealings with them were done via telephone. I do have to mention though that they contracted with a local general contractor to jack hammer the old steps out and when they placed the new steps against the house there was a huge gap which I complained about because a neighbor of mine noted that because the new steps were hollow, it was possible for small animals to make their homes in there. Great! Just what I needed was unwanted pets. The General Contractor came back and sealed the gap. (photos below)

Next week we move to the rear of the property: the porch, garage door, gutters and the garage roof.

D ~

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