Looking at Exterior Colors, Part 1

The paint on our exterior is starting to fail in a lot of places, so we are starting to look for a painting contractor. I had Sam Sundeleaf out the other day from Sundeleaf Painting to give me a bid for a high-quality "investment grade" paint job. He spent a lot of time talking to me to figure out exactly what I wanted and to explain the kind of work they do. I was very impressed. Then I got his bid and realized that I ain't gonna be gettin' no "investment grade" paint job!

This weekend we were over at Grant Park with the kids and I saw some guys just finishing the exterior of this house:



I fell in love immediately! I never knew black accents could look so good. Not only are the colors nice, but you can tell within 3 seconds of looking at the house from the street that the prep and paint are well-done. I got the business card for the paint removal and paint companies and I'll have them out for some bids soon.

Things are Blooming

We have a huge lilac that just came into full bloom. I love having the upstairs windows open this time of year because the sweet smell of lilac wafts through the whole upstairs.

Right now the rose garden on the south side of the house looks kinda sad, but when I get it weeded and the roses bloom in a few weeks it will be very nice!

Bungalow For Sale

No, not mine, the one across the street.



It was on the market for 9 days with an asking price of $419k. It used to be a rental but it got a full renovation (and a nice one at that!) and will soon be home to a new family on the block. It's nice to know that in the current real estate market my neighborhood can still do well!

If I Ever Write a Book...

...It will be titled "How to Remodel Your House 10 Minutes at a Time". It's been a long, slow, steady process but I finally got all the trim up on the second corner of the dining room. I literally didn't spend more than 30 minutes in any one day on this. Now all that's left is some priming, the finish coats, and touch-up. Oh yeah, and then the other two corners of the dining room, and restoring all of the windows in the dining room. Now that we've hit 90 degrees I'll be highly motivated to get those windows un-stuck.