Back to school still stresses me out even though it has been many, many years since I was in any kind of school. Still that specific-to-Fall feeling is all around me. It is busy work-wise as people tend to start planning their spring and summer renovations now. Busy, busy, busy and there is not much time for anything other than work and the kids. And with a cold that just won’t quit, I am struggling to keep up. That being said, Autumn is as good a time as any for home improvements. And the hubby and I decided that we would join in the reno/repair fun along with all of my clients. Good times.
When we bought our little cottage two years ago, the main issue that came up during the inspection process was that the brick at the back needed work. And a bit of brick at the front too. And the window ledges need to be replaced. So we figured that if we were already going to do brick work, we might as well work on the façade and give it a makeover.
First up we wanted to strip our front porch because the paint had started peeling and, really for durability, it would be best to varnish or stain the wood instead of painting it. My contractor had replaced a couple of the floorboards a few months ago and since then, they have just sat there mixed in with the old painted boards, looking a mess.
The second job, and the one I have been the most excited by, was painting the already-painted red brick a nice deep grey. The red had always bothered me and the cornice was a dull beige with brown accent. The building just needed some love. Most brick guys will tell you to NEVER paint your brick. It doesn’t allow the surface to breath and is bad for the mortar. BUT, our house is 113 years old and that brick has been painted on for many many years. So we will fix and repoint the bottom of the wall in front and paint the house grey. Proof that I wanted to change the colour from day one: my very first new-home purchase two years ago was to buy these fire-engine red Richard Neutra-designed house numbers from design within reach.
OBVIOUSLY, one would never put red numbers on a red house, amirite? Ha! So the search for the perfect grey began. My finalists were:
And the winner (decided by Hubby) was my new favourite grey Westcott Navy! The same grey I used for the General 54 floor. I love it. It has tons of blue in it, so none of the purple or brown tones that I especially wanted to avoid here. I also chose my new favourite white for the cornice, Oxford White. It is soft and clean and warm and crisp. The paint started going on today and I have been grinning ear to ear since seeing it on the brick. All of a sudden our little house looks so glamorous. It is crazy what an impact the colour change has made. So simple yet so striking. Walking up to the house now, even with the ladders and tools scattered everywhere, my heart just skips a beat.
Those red Neutra house numbers are going to look stunning here. Can Not Wait.
The third job, the biggest, messiest one, was repointing and fixing the brick at the back of the building. So while my front looks like that, the back of my house looks like this:
And my poor, beautiful garden looks like a haunted house filled with ghost plants:
Going to the backyard makes me want to curl up into a ball on the floor and rock back and forth. Though the windows are shut, I can’t help but feel that all the mortar dust that the workers are creating is seeping into the air inside the house. And it probably is. Gross. There really is nothing like a little renovating, a little dirt and mess in my own home, to make me feel even more for my clients. I get it guys – I really do. And we are lucky that, for now, all our work is exterior. I am not looking forward to the massive interior re-designs I have planned when budget and time permit. Hello basement and rooftop master suite!
In the meantime, the hubby and I will escape the dust and the mayhem for a couple of days, park the babies with my wonderful parents (thank you guys soooo much) and head to New York City for a night and then on to Allentown, PA to visit hubby’s grandpa. Our first time away without kids in over TWO years. Now that is just plain crazy. And I’m so excited that it’s also making my heart skip a beat.
xa
Love it 🙂