The William Morris Project: Cosmetic Update

This week's William Morris Project is brought to you by my husband, who thankfully was not harmed during the completion of this task.  All I did was hold the ladder as it sank slowly into the lava rock and shriek when the wasps came looking for their now vanished nests.  It was a tough job, but I was lucky to have it. 

Before:

After:

I know, at first glance it may appear that we are uglifying the house instead of making it more beautiful.  

I disagree. 

I hated the thorny, poky bushes. 

The shutters were shedding strips of white latex paint into the lava rocks below, and with each windstorm little bits of plastic slat would flutter into the backyard.  I had considered replacing them, but at $60 EACH, that's not going to happen anytime soon.  Or, now that they are off, EVER.

I am hopeful that 3 months of brutal summer sun will even out the coloration of the siding.  I'll still take a little uneven shading in preference to peeling paint and missing slats.  

And I promise that we're going to put in some new bushes.  

Some day.  

Oh, and in case you think I am feeling smug for getting stuff done after not posting for two weeks (insert earth-shaking eye roll here), let me share with you my House To-Do list, which is 9 months old: 

House To-Do

1. Rip out old carpet
2. Clean house
3. Clean existing carpet
4. Bolt down guest toilet
5. Install new carpet
6. Prime guest room
7. Paint guest room
8. New MBA floor
9. Strip wallpaper in Kitchen/ Dining Room
10. Prime & paint MBR
11. New shades for MBR ceiling fan
12. Paint trim white throughout house
13. Prime & paint MBA
14. Prime & paint Family room
15. Strip wallpaper border in M’s room
16. Prime & paint M’s room
17. Paint ceiling fan in M’s room
18. Prime & paint J’s room
19. Paint ceiling fan in J’s room
20. Replace floor in Kid’s bath
21. Prime & paint Kid’s bath
22. Kid bath: new mirror, light, faucet
23. New shower curtain for Kid’s bath
24. Prime & paint Kitchen/ Dining Room
25. Strip wallpaper border from Living Room
26. Prime & paint Living Room
27. Prime & paint hallway to BR
28. Replace floor in guest bath
29. Prime & paint guest bath
30. Replace light switches through house
31. Paint back doors (inside).
32. New dining room light
33. New entry light
34. Paint or replace ceiling fan in kitchen
35. Paint kitchen cabinets
36. Replace hardware on kitchen cabinets
37. Replace kitchen sink & faucet
38. Replace kitchen countertops
39. Tile backsplash in kitchen
40. MBA
41. paint cabinet
42. new light
43. update fixtures
44. Paint cabinet in Kid’s bath
45. Paint cabinet in Guest bath
46. Laundry room
1. Motion sensor for light switch
2. Finish right wall & paint
3. Shelving for storage
47. Paint front door
48. Add potted flowers flanking door
49. Pull out juniper bushes
50. Pull out lava rock
51. Re-landscape in front of porch; add 6 pavers next to spigot
52. Landscaping in back (TBD)

I was feeling OK about things until I tallied up the numbers and realized that I still have more than half the list to go.  HALF.  And we've been here almost a year!  We're getting to the point that many of the projects will make a big dent in our bank account, and we're just not there yet.  Until then, I'll be scraping wallpaper and painting trim all summer, enjoying my dirt patch and hunting for bargains wherever I can find them (tell me again why lighting is so expensive?).