Yesterday the city finally completed work on our street. Our new curb was poured about a week and a half ago, and then about a week ago the final section of our sidewalk was poured that they had to rip out to pour the new curb. And then it seemed like the project was at a standstill for about a week. The orange and white barrel things (I have no idea what they’re called) were still there. The road in front of the curb was still not finished.
But yesterday it was finally finished, the barrels were hauled away and all the equipment was hauled away. So I guess they’re done. I was hoping they would completely repave the road, but I guess that was too much hope. But that’s okay. I’m very glad that we at least got a new curb and I no longer have the eyesore of a crumbling curb with a noticeable dip.
When they started the whole project about two or three weeks ago, I thought it would be a good time to get outside and finish some projects on the outside of our house, especially since I didn’t feel ready to jump right into another extensive interior project. I think the exterior of our house could be so cute, but these unfinished projects are what draw attention – the fallen shutter, the unfinished baseboard on the porch, the unfinished door to the bedroom, etc.
While the city dealt with the curb and road, I focused on other things. I spent a day ripping out the chimney and planting beds on our back patio. This was more of a distraction for my own mind because I needed to get over some fear and frustration before last week’s events, and there’s no better way to get rid of fear and frustration than to take a sledgehammer and destroy things.
I’ll come back to this in the near future because I want the whole thing to be done before I start work on the next big interior project (e.g. converting the hallway bathroom into a storage room). So it won’t stay that way for long.
But after last week’s stress, I needed to do something fun and pretty, so I installed the wallpaper mural on the entryway wall.
I can’t finish the entryway and living room refresh yet because I ordered new lamps and then had to make some minor repairs to the drywall before I could move my bird paintings to their new place in the living room.
After completing the drywall repairs on the living room wall yesterday, which involved waiting for the drywall mud to dry, and seeing that the curb and road work was completed, I decided to spend some time outside working on the front of our house. I had one goal: to remove the faux stone that I had applied to the base area of the porch several years ago.
If I remember correctly, the weather was the reason I was never able to finish this project. I got off to a really good start applying these faux stones, but then rainy weather set in and I couldn’t finish. And if I’m not mistaken, we had a good two weeks of rainy weather. Well, when the rain let up, I was already busy with another project and just never went back to it. And now, after years of exposure to the elements, these faux stones (which are meant to be painted if used outdoors) were all crumbling and in need of removal.
Here’s a better picture I took the last time I painted the porch so you can see how far I got with the faux stone project before I stopped.
It only took me about an hour and a half to remove the bricks and glue, and because they were so crumbly after being exposed to the elements for so long, they came off pretty easily. The glue was actually harder to remove than the bricks, but with a pry bar and a hammer it all came off pretty easily.
But as I worked on it, I realized that this porch needs more repairs than just a new baseboard. I knew the wood I used for the porch didn’t hold up well, but I only ever saw it from the front. I hadn’t paid attention to the side of the porch and it is in even worse shape than the front boards.
I had noticed this area on the top step and had watched this area deteriorate more and more with each passing year, so I knew it needed to be replaced.
To be honest, I have no idea why I even used real wood in these areas. I used PVC boards for the steps and although these really need a good cleaning, the boards themselves are in perfect condition. So I have no idea why I didn’t just put the PVC panels around the rest of the porch. But this time I will do it. From now on I will never use real wood in any outdoor projects. For all outdoor projects I only use PVC or composite panels.
But at least I removed all the faux stone from the porch, and now I can replace those rotting boards and move on to finishing the baseboard. I’m not entirely sure what exactly I want the baseboard to look like, but I know that it’s supposed to be white and that I’ll be using PVC panels to cover the concrete. I still need to work out the details, but I’m imagining something similar.
Photo by MGM Builders – Search Porch Pictures
It’s not much progress yet, but at least I’m now rid of those crumbly faux stones and can start planning how I’m going to finish the porch. I’m not sure what project I’ll focus on this weekend since the new entryway lights are ready for delivery today, so I’ll be tempted to focus on that and finish the entryway and living room. And it will probably depend on the weather too. When we have nice weather, I want to be outside. But right now it looks like it could rain at any moment. So, we’ll see!
