The Super Official Homeowners Thread

[ScottyB]

bit the bullet and went all-in on an exterior refinishing.  this was the second biggest expense we've put into the house aside from replacing the A/C lineset, coil, and condenser but it was time.  the sun destroys everything down here and at 10 years old on the original paint our house went from the color of light green to what our painter perfectly summed up as "2 Week Old Potato Salad."

this is our house from a street view in 2012.  it was built in 2008.


and now...

 
freakin gross.  faded 8 different colors, chalky shutters, all the trim is turning black and brown.  almost all our siding faces due south and gets cooked all year.


i think they call this "house leprosy"


failing aluminum trim up top, aka the ol' sunburn peel


powerwashed the vinyl trim and driveway, caulked all the gaps in the hardyboard, painted the siding/trim/shutters/garage door/front and back doors.  i know the color isn't for everyone, but we thought it worked with our weird brown brick and made the house feel bright and happy.  we also have a lot of fond memories of blue houses as kids (lake and vacation homes) so there was some emotional attachment.




and a quick comparison again to before.  LOL what the hell are we feeding our tree, i have no idea.  Willow Oaks are freaks.


some useful information if there's any to offer:


Siding and Trim paint was all Sherwin Williams Duration.  Shutters and Doors were Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel.  Caulking/Jointing was done with clear Bostik (previously Siroflex) Duo-Sil urethane acrylic sealant.

we found our guy by asking around for a few months and he was recommended by a couple people we trusted.  works by himself, doesn't advertise, and slow but meticulous.  that's my kinda guy.  turned out he was not only a great painter but a certified gearhead.  he probably burned at least an hour every day showing me pictures of his 11 second Silverado and the C10 pickup and G20 van he's restoring and us talking shop which was great.  i'd recommend seeing what you hear from neighbors/coworkers if you need to find someone as well...online reviews can be spotty, biased, or good marks given too quickly by people that aren't really checking over the tiny details on the work.

i hope it was worth the money. if it looks even a bit better after 10 years than the previous paint job i'll be satisfied, although by then it'll likely be someone else's problem. next up, what to do with my gross fence, the tree roots busting up the garden edging, boy the paint inside looks shabby now....