We Painted Our House!

Aaron and I noticed some time ago that our house was in need of a paint job (already).  I reached out to our original painter to have him give us a bid and check on any warranty options.  Bottom line - we would have to foot the bill (company changed product formulas, merged with another company, etc.).  Our painter felt badly and knocked about $1,000 off what he charged us initially and agreed to do a color change for only an additional $500.  But, his schedule was full until spring.  All the while, I felt like this was a project we needed to do ourselves (yes, to save money!) even though it felt daunting.  We contacted other painters but nobody seemed to respond or were already booked.  The timing is tricky in the fall because the weather is very unpredictable around here. 

Initially, we decided to simply paint all the white trim (satin alabaster resilience) to spruce things up so I started that two weeks ago.  After getting underway, I contacted my painter again to see if there was some way he could fit us in.  I was super back and forth because of the enormity of this project.  Aaron wasn't so sure he had time to commit to such a project and knew he would have to do the really high stuff.  In the end, we decided to go for it.  It took a few days to select the right color and get the product ordered and of course there were challenges getting the paint to the right store by the time we needed to get started (according to weather forecasts).  I got busy on the back porch (out of the wind/rain) area as soon as the first can was available...

When I told my parents what we were planning to do, they decided to drive up Friday (September 23) night to help paint on Saturday.  They arrived in time to join Aaron and me watch Jantzen's soccer game from inside our truck.  There was a constant downpour the entire game (no lightening so it wasn't cancelled) and the boys were soaked and freezing.  We honked each time they scored but never got out because it was SO wet and cold!  When Saturday morning arrived, it was cold and cloudy but the rain had passed.  Aaron rented a bucket lift and spent several hours trying to get it working but to no avail.  It was a bit frustrating but the rest of us got started on the lower portions in the back of the house.  Some of the kids were pretty excited about getting a chance to actually PAINT!

After a little instruction, the kids got busy.  Managing quality-control felt slightly stressful to my paint-particular heart, but the help was welcomed and we started on the back of the house (north side) where we could be a bit more flexible.  And it was really nice to have G-ma and G-pa P around.

Brinley, Elsie, Anna

Anna was relieved when it was time for her to go to her soccer game:).

Elsie and Quinn wanted to keep going but eventually, we ran out of low areas they could reach.

Quinn in the window

Meanwhile, Aaron and Jantzen climbed through an upper window to get on the roof where they spent the day painting.  Everybody had specific areas and tasks to perform and it went better than expected.  G-pa P used an extension rod (or two) to get a first coat down on higher areas while G-ma P trimmed around boxes, lights, and did various touching up.  I spent the day on a ladder moving around the house and eventually got around to the front.  (We saved the west side for another day). 

They painted the dark house color and then went back for white trim afterwards.  It took ALL day.

Even the weather turned out to be ideal.

Most of the pics were taken by G-ma P (hence she isn't in any).  We stopped only to eat.  In fact, we worked through the Women's Broadcast to take advantage of the daylight and later watched in on TV during the re-broadcast at 8pm.  The girls didn't want to miss out on our trip to Dairy Queen - even at 10pm!  Sunday was certainly a welcomed day of rest and G-ma and G-pa P left early that morning for home.  Thanks for coming and thanks for all of your help!

Early Monday morning (in the dark/cold), Aaron and I were outside putting together scaffolding before Aaron had to leave to catch a flight.  I spent the next two days climbing this scaffolding and making progress on the garage side of the house.  I must say - the weather was ideal but the wobbling was not.  I haven't spent time on scaffolding before and it wasn't as secure as I thought it would be!

I looked pretty official up there with my caulk gun and putty.  The west side needed a little TLC with exposure to so much direct sunlight over the past six years.  And the nail holes up high never were filled...I couldn't let that go.

This shows how high I could reach and what was left for Aaron to paint once he returned to town and rented the bucket lift.

I was a little disappointed with the results by Tuesday night.  In certain lighting, the satin finish showed the stopping/starting points of my rolling because it took time for me to move the scaffolding. I had to work in sections up and down rather than across.  I fixed what I could on Friday by only rolling two horizontal slats at a time - and quickly moving a ladder along the length of the run before starting the next two slats.  Laborious and annoying but the second coat helped out and remedied the problem (down lower anyway).  We didn't bother to repeat the process with the sections higher up than me on a ladder!

It was wonderful to have Aaron join me again on Wednesday.  He spent the day in this bucket lift working this front section.  It literally took ALL day long because he did the house color and then the trim so we would not have to return to the area.  Moving the lift was quite a process and we let the machine run constantly because it was so temperamental!  On Friday morning, the rental company did have to send a repair man out to get it going again.  We were grateful for the equipment but frustrated at the same time.  In the end, it came through for us and we mostly got done what needed to be done before Aaron had to return it (3 days later).

Meanwhile, I kept painting lower sections.  Second coats were needed where we used the extension rod so I got a higher ladder from the neighbors and that helped.  Janene came to help paint trim one morning and my awesome neighbor, Tracy Lewis, stopped by while walking her dog.  She returned to help me paint trim for 3 hours on Thursday afternoon.  She painted her own house last year and was an unexpected boost to me!

We had plenty of wasp issues to contend with.  I was stung once but fortunately, Aaron escaped.  He lived three days in this bucket and only came down for me to refill paint supplies, bring food, trade out water bottles, etc.  We were under the wire on time because Aaron and Jantzen had a plane to catch and left early Saturday morning (Oct. 1).  They dropped the bucket lift off on their way out.  We still have a few areas to finish up the bulk of this project is D.O.N.E.

Wow - we couldn't have had better weather.  No wind to speak of.  Amazing temperatures (hence the wasps).  And patient children.  Life wasn't entirely put on hold because there were still soccer practices/games, piano lessons, etc.  Elsie stayed home from school for two days not feeling well.  Aaron had to help out with HOA duties and make an appearance at the office.  I managed to make dinner a few times but this project was front and center because we knew we had a window of time to make it happen.  Miracles haven't ceased!

Yes, the dormer needs to be done along with a section in the front where the lift/ladder didn't reach.  There is a section on the chimney side along with the lower section (need to pull shrub down still), some on garage side and a bit more touching up.  It's manageable and will take one more day to finish up.  Hopefully.  In the meantime, I'm feeling pretty darn grateful we took this project on and that we are now at this end of it.

We are really happy with the new color!  And I'll get my laundry room back soon...