Saturday, July 26, 2014

The Big Unveil

It's been a long time coming but I feel like I can finally unveil the latest house renovation.

This photo was taken within days of moving in.
Some of you may recall way WAY back that we discussed painting the exterior of our home.  For those of you newer to my blog it started back in 2010 with this post.

That original post was written when we had just bought the house and we were still dreaming.  What would we like to change, where would we start .... so many possibilities.  That was long before things like leaking roofs, leaking bathrooms, and rotted porches showed their ugly faces and took up all of our time.  Instead of choosing renovations we're starting to learn that the renovations chose us.  Thinking about replacing a door?  The upstairs plumbing will no doubt give way and demand attention instead.

So the colour schemes we dreamt about for our house were put on hold.  For four years.


We lived with a white house with black trim in the meantime.  It's not that the colour scheme was bad but we craved something a little more interesting.  All white paint meant that from a distance the intricate shingle work wasn't visible.  It was a feature of this house that we treasured and thought should be shown off.

Over the years the paint has started to peel as well.  Greying shingles were visible in large patches making the home look unkept.

Looking at the wall you can see large spots starting to appear
 Last summer we started the work of stripping the house.  Scraping and sanding for months so we could start with a blank slate.


Sanding the shingles means that a new coat of paint is more likely to stick well and last longer.  At least that's our hope!

It took most of the summer to prepare the house.  By the time we were ready to paint the summer was almost over.  Including the warm weather we needed for paint to cure.  The primer went on and some of the paint but we never managed to complete the job before it got too cold.

Windows were covered and Jody sprayed on the primer but we didn't get much further
So this spring we anxiously waited for the days to grow warm.  Unfortunately it was a cold spring.  Rain and cool temperatures kept us indoors waiting until June.  Then out came the paint buckets once again and work began.

I'll be honest.  There was some arguing about colour.  As many of you know I favour bright colours.  Jody does not.  I like bright and cheery and he likes subtle and classic.  I argued but he won this round.  I will concede though that the results are fantastic.  Although I did force him to go with a darker shade of beige on the base.


Ultimately the colour scheme is white, cream and dark tan.  It's not a huge change but the shading does exactly what we wanted.  It brings attention to all that fantastic shingle work.

Diamond patterns, castles, and corbels are all brought to life by a shift in colour.
It's a funny thing though.  All those creams and whites look different under different light.  I attempted to get photos that were consistent but it was impossible.  In bright sun the house looks almost white.  On shady days the colour turns darker.  Evenings it looks pink.  Photograph one side of the house it appears quite light and turn a corner it appears dark.  Colours that are exactly the same look completely different on separate parts of the house.


My neighbour commented that the colour looks different every time she drives by.  So you'll have to take my word that the house is white and beige with brown trim.


Despite the difficulty in photographing I think it looks good in every light.  Jody was right, you can't go wrong with subtle and classic.

36 comments:

Diana Studer said...

Oh yes, an appealing and pretty house. The windows look interesting too.

We'll be going with taupe and a slightly golden sand. With some sea green, and a seaweed red front door. I like bright and cheery too ;~)

Melanie J Watts said...

Good Job! It looks beautiful. You must be very happy :)

The Witch said...

Beautiful and elegant.
So nice to see you restore this beautiful old home.
Jody picked out a beautiful colour scheme which highlights those shingles with all their beautiful cuts.
you must be so pleased that it is all completed now.
Well done guys.

Rose said...

As soon as you started showing photos of the painting in progress, I could see all the different patterns of shingles. What a unique and interesting detail to the exterior--I can see why you fell in love with this house. I love old houses, and I'm so glad you are restoring this one...and not covering it up with siding! The color scheme is subtle, but one I think you will be happy with for many years. Beautiful job!

RURAL said...

The house is gorgeous...the wood work, the detail, the perfectly serene colors....you have a treasure. And well worth the work.

I remember when you first started showing it to us...it's a real beaut.

Jen

Gardeningbren said...

Can you believe how the shinglework stands out now! Amazing, simply amazing. I love it so much. It looks like a new house Marguerite. Good job Jody!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

It think it looks fabulous! You have done so much work and it sure has paid off. Beautiful!

Linda said...

WoW! WoW! WoW!

elaine said...

It looks fantastic and brings out all the detailing beautiful - a long job but in the end well worth it - well done you.

Janneke said...

It was a tremendous and long job but you have honor to your work, it looks really fabulous, what a beautiful house.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

I'm glad you listened to him, shades of yellow would have been fun, but this is really classy, and does indeed really show off the architecture to good effect. I shudder to think of how much hard work that must have been, but you should both be very proud of the result.

noone said...

oh wow this looks amazing!! the paint job and the paint color :D I agree this looks super timeless and chic!

Marguerite said...

Green and red! great minds think alike :) I wanted green trim on our house and a red door. I never got the green but perhaps the door will come yet?

Marguerite said...

Thrilled to have it done Melanie. The house looks so much better now.

Marguerite said...

Thank you! you're right, Jody picked a great colour scheme. The shading shows the shingles off perfectly.

Marguerite said...

Thank you Rose! So many people choose siding since it's much easier to maintain but I just couldn't comprehend covering up such beautiful details.

Marguerite said...

It is a gorgeous house. Fell in love with it immediately. A lot has changed though in the last four years hasn't it? :) more changes to come too!

Marguerite said...

Thanks so much Brenda. He did a darn good job didn't he? :))

Marguerite said...

Thanks Lisa!

Marguerite said...

LOL, I guess you like it then? ;-)

Marguerite said...

thanks Elaine. It sure did take a long time, we hope it lasts!

Marguerite said...

Thank you, you raise a great point. Honouring the previous work done on this house was the right thing to do.

Marguerite said...

It's true, I was pretty sold on yellow at one point. Jody stuck to his guns though and I think you're right, this is much classier.

Marguerite said...

thank you! timeless is a great word for it.

Anonymous said...

I love your house, and you've certainly achieved a vast improvement.

Carla from The River said...

I really like it. Wow, you have done so much work. A true labor of love. Thank you for sharing.
I love the color and how it changes in the light. :-)

Laurrie said...

What a charming house, and you recaptured its unique look and feel with this careful re-do. Nice job!!

Marguerite said...

Thanks Jason, it really does look much much better. But then I'm biased :)

Marguerite said...

Thanks Carla. A labour of love is a great way to describe it. Can't imagine a sane person wanting to take this on.

Marguerite said...

Laurrie!! I'm so glad to hear from you. My apologies but I only just found out in the last week that you weren't blogging anymore. I kept wondering why I wasn't seeing any posts from you and I finally went looking for your blog and found out why. Glad to see you're still 'around' but will miss your tree posts though.

Casa Mariposa said...

Beautiful! I love the way the colors all change through out the day. This is an easier palette work a garden around, too. Excellent job!

Jennifer said...

What a lot of work this must have been! All that beautiful, but detailed patterning of the shingles must have taken you and Jody hours and hours to scrape clean and then paint. The final result was well worth all the trouble. Subtle and classic look good!

Marguerite said...

Great point Tammy! I hadn't really considered it but yes, I can plant pretty much anything against this colour backdrop.

Marguerite said...

thanks Jennifer. I must admit all the credit goes to Jody. I barely lifted a finger on this job. He picked the colours, did the sanding and the spray painting. I mostly pointed out when he missed a spot!

Anonymous said...

The house looks wonderful, Marguerite; it must be very gratifying to finally have it done. -Jean

Marguerite said...

Thanks Jean, it feels great. One big chore we can cross off the list.