Kate vs. The House

In my current jobless state, my dad offered to pay me to paint the shutters and front door of the house. I looked forward to this project with eager anticipation. I went to the local hardware store and got some estimates, took some measurements of the house, peeled some paint off for a match and prepared a project proposal for my dad. I assumed the entire project would take about 22 hours.

I returned to the local hardware store and bought the necessary supplies. After two hours of scraping in the blazing sun, I had removed an area of paint roughly equal to a ruler. By my calculations, I should have had two of the large shutters and one small one totally devoid of paint. Kate:0 House: 1.

The people across the street were having some work done and the carpenter came over and said what he would do is use a power-washer to remove the paint. I rented one from an industrial equipment rental place here in Houston. The gas-powered motor was heavy beyond all reason. However, I got fairly adept at pulling the cord while holding the wand trigger (due to built up pressure in the hose) and felt invincible.

I found the power-washer a rather enjoyable piece of equipment. Not only did I attack the desired painted areas of the house, I also took the power-washer to the chimney (which I didn't realize how desperately it needed it), the front walk, the brick by the outside dryer vent, and a small portion of the drive-way. My mom even got in on the action and drew loop-de-loops on the sidewalk.

I got incredibly dirty and soaked. However, I felt good about the day's accomplishments. However, that night, I could not lift my arms and the next two days I was in quite a bit of pain. Kate: 0 House: 2. (p.s.-wore the flip-flops through whole project and have a totally awesome tan line now.)

Next came sanding. I rented a sander from the same equipment rental place and set to work. When the guy put the sander on the counter, he said it might be kind of heavy. My arms had since recovered from the power-washing and I picked up the sander and said, "Ah, it's nothin'". After hefting that thing over 120 square feet of house, it is not nothing. I once again lost use of my arms. Kate:0 House: 3

I forgot to mention the battle with the crape myrtle and ligustrum. Have you ever tried to position a ladder around either of the two landscaping shrubs? Kate:0 House: 4

The next order of business was to prime the wood. This went surprisingly well. Until I went to wash the brush and realized I'd gotten an oil-based primer instead of latex. My hands were covered in sticky white paint that I couldn't get off and I was supposed to have dinner with a good friend in a few hours. Thank goodness for a dad who has a PhD in chemistry. Kate:0 House:5

And then, it was finally time to paint the color! I was thrilled, I could see the light at the end of my project tunnel. Let me ask one question; what happens when you paint reddish-brown on white? You get pink. Oh my it was a disaster!! And then it rained so I couldn't put a second coat on for a few days and I'm sure the neighbors were hoping the pink was not permanent. Kate:0 House: 6

Today, Saturday, October 10, at 1:30 pm, the third and final coat of paint went on the shutters. The front door was finished Wednesday. It's done. The paint has been put away, the brushes washed, and the ladder safely stored back in the garage. Here are the before, during, and after photos. I'm sorry I don't have a shot of the pink; I had no desire to document nor remember that stage of the project.

Peeling and terribly faded.

Primed.

Done!! Much more than 22 hours later.

Even though the house won by a lot, it has made me very thankful that I have a graduate degree and will not have to do this type of work the rest of my life. At the same time, standing across the street and looking at the house, I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment and feel there is nothing I can't do. Should you feel inclined to visit and admire the full effect of my painting skill, I'd love to have you! However, now that this project is done, I'm itching something fierce to get out of Houston.