After spending nearly four months at home I started to think, “There are a few things I’d like to improve around here!”. In all honesty, I had a growing list in my head that started after week two and was added to weekly:) Some of the projects were smaller: reorganize the linen closet and order small baskets for extra soaps and toothpaste, clear out the garage, organize the basement, etc., but some projects were bigger! I’ve wanted to update our kitchen since we moved in but that project requires more saving, so I set out to find a project that was both cost-effective and satisfying.
EXTERIOR MAKEOVER
PAINTING OUR SHUTTERS
The color of our front door is Galveston Gray by Benjamin Moore. I love the color! It took me a long time to find this gray - not too dark, but also not too light especially in the sun. We used a super high-gloss paint from Fine Paints of Europe which is easy to clean and still gives it a really fresh feel four years later. You can read more about the paint colors we’ve used in our house HERE.
For the shutters, instead of the high-gloss, we used an outdoor paint in semi gloss. I didn’t want them to be super shiny and also we saved on cost by going with the less expensive brand. To be honest, when they were first painted it took a little getting used to. To my perfectionist’s eye the colors looked slightly different and the shutters felt a touch too light but after one week I fell in love with it.
before & after
power washing our front walkway
I’m embarrassed to say I never thought of our front walkway as “dirty”. I’m not really sure what I thought, it was always just dark. It never occurred to me that it was originally a different color AND could be that color again! One day our neighbors were talking about power washing and I thought, “I wonder what we could power wash?”. And the rest is history…haha. Here is the power washer we used. We did not use soap on our bluestone and it was super simple to set up. Pro tip: Wear dark clothes - long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and safety glasses. If the water meets the dirt in the wrong way (which is inevitable) you will be splattered. I was covered in mud! Ta-da!
