Running from Mr. Sun

I start on the west side of the garage, then as the sun moves in the sky on past noon, I change to the east side. Today was the trim facing Matt and Denise's back yard. It was in poor condition. Scraping, sanding, filling. Pete and Babs came out to greet me then flopped on the grass completely uninterested in my process.

Sitting and standing on the fence, I was easily able to accomplish my task. I then moved on to the peeling paint on the lower part of the east wall. I plan to place crushed stone along the base of the structure here. Keep the mud down but allow for drainage. Definitely going to need primer in this area.

Preserving the Past

We have one of those somewhat rare homes in our neighborhood in that we have retained the original floor plan. (We have the as-built architectural diagrams mounted on foam core stored in a portfolio.)

The roof is no longer the original. Not long after we moved in over eleven years ago we replaced the roof (rotting cedar shake), with fire-retardant dimensional shingles. Some doors, including the garage door, have been replaced, too. But structurally, the house stands as it did when it was built in 1941.

As I scraped paint I uncovered the original cedar gables. Starting on the south side of the garage I revealed the worst of it, I think. Blasted day after day by the relentless desert sun the wood is a bit worse for the wear but I am going to be able to salvage rather than replace it.

I discovered a "filler" product that resists shrinking and fills in the gaps and cracks beautifully. It is intended for exterior use, is sandable and paintable, and I think it will work out just fine. Some fresh nails and a bead of sealant around the edges and I will be in business.


I'm going to give it some time to fully cure and shrink and crack (although it's not supposed to), then apply additional material as needed and complete by sanding. After I've sanded I'll wash down all the work areas, apply a primer and then the "painting" part of painting will begin!

Today, I Begin...

I shall start scraping, sanding, patching and repairing the garage. Some wiring needs to come down, first. I don't know how much progress I shall make but I've put this off long enough. Do. There is no try.




And the winner is:

Procrastination

The color scheme has been narrowed, two of which call to me: Canewood, Southwestern Sand, and Seasoned Acorn * OR * Fox Hill, Cotton Ridge, and Deep Cherrywood. It's difficult because I must take into consideration the red brick of which my house is constructed. Since it will take days, perhaps weeks, to complete the prep it probably doesn't matter at this point which paint I choose. Just. Start.

And So, It Begins...

A list of supplies, paint chips, ideas scattered before my eyes like confetti. The task expands before me and I am fearful to begin lest I never finish. But I can and I must. The possibilities are endless and yet we come back again and again to basically the same palette. Sands, siennas, fawns... the colors of the earth.

The house is ours. Finally. And this summer I will labor in love to preserve the exterior. Sandblasted brick and a shoddy paint job completed several years ago are what I have to work with. Flaking, rotting, weathering grout and blue semi-gloss. "Professional," I have discovered, does not always mean "good."

Buckets, ladders, caulking, sandpaper, scrapers, drop clothes, filler, primer, brushes, rollers ... the list seems endless. Today I'll bake bread and then examine closely the details of my work. Mentally prepare to accept that it is going to take weeks.

The dough has risen. I'll move on for now.