Prep work included scrapping off the old paint, power washing and caulking each surface - fascia, soffit, trim and gutters. And painting, first Kilz primer on unprotected surfaces, then two coats of paint - light gray on the fascia and soffits, dark gray on the trim and gutters. The color change is subtle - before all the surfaces were white, now there is definition and dimension without screaming "Hey, look at me!"
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| Before - exterior of the Retro Ranch |
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| The Retro Ranch with new paint and color scheme |
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| Old Man Painting Garage - a classic |
In order to do all this work, much of the plant life close to the house had to be cut down low. The rhodys in front and other shrubs received a drastic haircut. On the east side of the house, the vine honeysuckle plant (which Scott removed the first day we owned the retro ranch) had grown behind the tongue and groove fascia and into the attic.
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| Honeysuckle in the attic |
Removing the honeysuckle was a chore as it was dry and brittle, having been cut months before. It couldn't be pulled up from the attic and wouldn't easily pull down from outside either. We found a flat edge screwdriver and four hands was the best way to extract the honeysuckle. Once the honeysuckle was gone Scott was able to tackle the east side of the house.
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| Before - East side of house mid-prep |
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| After - East side of house |
The west side of the house gets the hot afternoon sun and heat, and the wood was in pretty rough shape. Much of the paint on the fascia came off when scraped during prep and it needed a lot of caulking and primer.
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| Before - West side of house mid-prep |
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| After - West side of house |
This weekend Scott tackled the small area that is under one roof and over another. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's where the living room roof overlaps the roof over the master bedroom. This is a tight spot requiring Scott to be on his back laying on one hot roof, working under another with the sun beaming down on it. Scott says it's evident that the trim board in this area has definitely been replaced, and therefore is in better shape than the rest of the trim boards.
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| Before - Tight spaces |
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| Before - Tight spaces mid-prep |
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| After - Tight spaces |
Left to paint are the soffit and trim on the back of the house and the patio. However, the patio will have to wait as it is currently serving as Scott's only shower at home...yes, the bathroom construction started last week! Did I mention that I managed to plan a trip for the first two weeks of construction?