Progress On Front Porch & Front Exterior Projects

However anyway, right here’s what I acquired performed over the lengthy vacation weekend. I acquired the entrance sidewalk stress washed, and that alone made an enormous distinction. I hadn’t stress washed our sidewalk in just a few years, and it was trying actually dirty and soiled.

I couldn’t imagine how darkish and soiled it had gotten, and now it’s so recent and clear.

And whereas I had the stress washer out, I additionally needed to attempt to do one thing about our new curbs. For those who’ll keep in mind, town tore out all the outdated, broken curbs on our avenue and poured new curbs just a few months in the past. I’m actually excited to have these new curbs, however I’ve been lower than thrilled at the truth that they turned vivid white.

It wouldn’t have been so unhealthy had they poured new curbs throughout all the entrance of our home, however they didn’t. I’ve half new and half outdated, and I assumed it seemed actually unusual. So I stress washed all the curbs in entrance of our home, each outdated and new. The outdated ones cleaned up fairly effectively, and the brand new ones at the moment are not fairly so blindingly white. Plenty of the white stuff (presumably salts from the curing course of) washed off, however the concrete remains to be so vivid. It seemed nice when it was moist, however as soon as it dried, it was nonetheless actually vivid. I’d like to discover a strategy to make it mix in higher with the older (and now clear) concrete. However at the least it’s higher than it was. It’s nonetheless vivid, however at the least it gained’t blind you when the solar hits it.

Subsequent, I did fairly a little bit of cleanup. Y’all now that I’m a really messy DIYer, so once I completed my entrance porch skirting, the skirting seemed nice, however the remainder of the world seemed like a junk yard.

So I spent fairly a little bit of time getting all of that cleaned up. With all the pieces stress washed and the mess cleaned up, it was beginning to look so good!

Subsequent, I made a decision to do away with the white the place the siding meets the porch boards. Ever since I did the unique porch makeover, that horizontal board has been white like a baseboard. And I’ve hated it. So I cleaned it up and painted it the identical grey as the home. Sadly, it appears to be like brighter than the home as a result of the paint on the home has evidently gotten a bit darker over time. I’m going to attempt to perform a little paint mixing and see if I can get it nearer in coloration, however at the least the white is gone. I believe it appears to be like so a lot better grey.

After which I lastly tackled a undertaking that has been nagging me for the final yr, ever since I completed my walk-in closet. The vent for the dryer is on our entrance porch. It’s not ideally suited, however that’s simply the way in which it needed to be. However till now, it has been vivid white, which in fact, attracts consideration. You possibly can see it on this photograph between the 2 columns on the entrance steps. And it is also seen as you’re strolling up the entrance sidewalk to the home.

So I taped brown paper round it and spray painted it a coloration that extra carefully matches the siding. It’s not an ideal match, however at the least it doesn’t scream for consideration from the road view. I nonetheless want to determine a strategy to trim it out in order that the lower edges of the siding don’t present.

However from this view, it’s positively much less noticeable now than it was when it was vivid white.

I began by cleansing out as a lot of the rotted areas as potential, after which I used Minwax Wooden Hardener and a chip brush.

I had a number of areas like this on the columns, so these are those I wanted to restore earlier than I may repaint.

This is without doubt one of the worst areas.

So I dipped the comb into the wooden hardener, and shoved the comb into the rotted out space as a lot as I may. I did this a number of instances, let it dry about two hours, after which repeated this course of.

As soon as that was dry, I used Bondo wooden filler to fill within the areas with the rotted wooden.

On a few areas that have been actually unhealthy, I needed to do a few coats, sanding in between.

On the areas that didn’t have any rotted wooden, however simply had small gaps, I used Plastic Wooden exterior wooden filler. After which I did fairly a little bit of sanding.

And that’s so far as I acquired. I nonetheless have quite a lot of sanding to do, after which I’ll need to prime and paint.

I’m making an attempt to get all of those little initiatives performed, which is able to embrace changing my fallen tape lights that you simply see within the image under, after which the ultimate undertaking I do earlier than heading inside might be staining my entrance porch with the pine tar and linseed oil. I’m actually hoping to wrap up all of those outside initiatives by the top of this week, after which I can lastly begin on the storage room. If issues go as deliberate, I’ll be beginning that originally of subsequent week.

I’ve loved engaged on these outside initiatives a lot, although. It has been a really welcome change from engaged on rooms inside our home, so as soon as the climate cools down, I’ll be very anxious to get again out right here and do just a few extra initiatives. I actually wish to get some planting beds performed!