I haven’t done anything exciting this past week to post about. All I’ve done is paint, paint, paint and then paint some more. This is how the back of the house started out. Seriously peeling paint and partially yellow.
Not done yet, but if you ask me a huge improvement. The yellow’s gone and about three coats of paint on all surfaces.
Still to do:
* Second coat on insides of the upstairs windows & balcony door.
* Paint window & balcony door trim inside upstairs.
* All paint to go on inside and out on downstairs windows and door.
* Major window cleaning session. Hate.
* Installation of the new awning fabric.
* Putting furniture back.
Oh, and I met with my contractors the other day and they will give me a quote for a new decked area to be built next spring. I can’t want to get rid of the stone slabs and most of those flower beds. Making it mine.
Happy Weekend! One more week off work and soooooooooo much to do!
Wow how good this allready looks! Didn't you use to have a guy clean all the windows? Or does this first cleaning need to be so thorough that you want to do it yourself?
Posted by: Leena | July 29, 2011 at 07:07 AM
wow! det ser fantastiskt ut redan nu! så fräsch.
allt slit har varit värt det! :)
Posted by: Susanwuest | July 29, 2011 at 08:08 AM
You are definitely making this place yours! It's been great to see what you've chosen to do here.
Posted by: April | July 29, 2011 at 08:11 AM
Wow, I am amazed at all the work you have accomplished so far. Brava!
On a side note - is there any way we can eliminate the ant graphics crawling on your page from the Dupont ad - it completely freaks me out when I open the page and I visit your page often.
Diana from San Francisco
Posted by: Diana | July 29, 2011 at 08:11 AM
OMGoodness! What an improvement! Amazing what a bit (ok a LOT) of paint can do. I don't do windows either - my husband does them ;-)
Hope you get the rest of your to-do list done before back to work.
Posted by: Robyn | July 29, 2011 at 08:13 AM
Big change already! The white looks so fresh. I can see why it's your favourite colour.
Posted by: Petra from NL | July 29, 2011 at 08:25 AM
Hate window cleaning too... Do you ever rest? Anyway, you're an inspiration to many people!
Posted by: Fröken Prickig | July 29, 2011 at 08:42 AM
HUGE improvment. Can't wait to see it with the new fabric on the markis-thingy (sorry about the Swenglish). Order window cleaning - gotta love the Rut-avdrag (there is no translation). 'cause you're SO worth it honey!!
Posted by: Anne | July 29, 2011 at 08:45 AM
Looks very very good! Well done you :)
Posted by: Viktorija | July 29, 2011 at 09:46 AM
good job:)
Posted by: maj | July 29, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Wow, you've made so much progress, it looks amazing! We have been in our house for 18 months and we are still knee deep in DIY and I can't see an end to it all. Looks like you'll be finished in no time! x
Posted by: Julia | July 29, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Adblocker?
Posted by: karen the californian | July 29, 2011 at 10:39 AM
LOVE it! It looks like a beach house with the crisp white and the BLUE sky above it. I can almost hear the waves crashing on the other side of the building.
Posted by: karen the californian | July 29, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Looks great! Can you talk your neighbor into painting their house white too??
Posted by: Dana in Connecticut | July 29, 2011 at 12:51 PM
so much progress in so little time! it looks beautiful and will be completed in no time!
Posted by: Dru | July 29, 2011 at 01:02 PM
Three coats of white really makes it beautiful. And I am sure it protects the wood from the weather also. It looks like a brand new home now! Fresh and clean and ready for your awning!
Have a lovely weekend,Benita.
Posted by: Tina Slocm | July 29, 2011 at 01:41 PM
Wow! You're amazing! I'm always so impressed by your DYI knowledge--you always know what needs to be done, how to do it, and how to make it look great!
Posted by: Alexandra | July 29, 2011 at 01:49 PM
Love seeing all the progress you are making...inspires me to get up off my duff and start cleaning or fixing something!
Posted by: Michelle | July 29, 2011 at 02:16 PM
I think that the white is so fresh looking and your garden will look lovely up against the white. I can't wait to see the awning up now.
Just an aside - why are so many of the houses around you painted the same shade of yellow? I noticed this house colour also when I was in Ireland. Are you allowed to paint your house any colour you want - besides white or yellow?
All the best and have a great weekend.
Posted by: Wendy | July 29, 2011 at 02:36 PM
Painting may not be the most exciting thing to do, but the results can be magnificent (as you prove here).
Posted by: homestilo | July 29, 2011 at 02:59 PM
White is much, much better. I determined yesterday that there are very few white houses I do not like. I must be partial to white. I do like a yellow, blue or green house occasionally, but it usually depends on the style of the house and its surroundings.
Posted by: Erin | July 29, 2011 at 03:58 PM
Looks so clean and fresh! Have you encountered damaged (weathered) wood? What do you do to it before you paint it?
Posted by: Karen | July 29, 2011 at 03:59 PM
What an improvement! It looks much better!
Posted by: Marianne | July 29, 2011 at 04:21 PM
Bright,fresh,clean and cheerful. Perfect!
Posted by: Susan | July 29, 2011 at 06:20 PM
First, it looks great. Second, you are the most productive person I have ever intermet. I'm painting my kitchen right now and let me tell you, I've got nothing on you with your house painting. I can only imagine how much work it is!
Camille
Posted by: The Vintique Object | July 29, 2011 at 06:30 PM
I do but there are so many little paint spatters and such so I need to get rid of all that and then I might as well do the actual cleaning myself while I'm at it.
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:08 PM
Sorry about that ...
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:11 PM
It's up now!!!
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:12 PM
I wish! They just put a shed up and painted it that same deep mustard yellow...
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:12 PM
In this particular area we're only allowed white and/or yellow but yellow is a very popular house color all around Sweden. I think it was voted the most popular actually. Don't understand it at all.
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:14 PM
I don't have a lot of wood but there's some weathering on what I do have and I've treated it with an oil primer before painting it.
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 29, 2011 at 07:15 PM
You're doing great!! Keep up the effort XOX Nikki
Posted by: Nicole |Wholesale Roses Co | July 29, 2011 at 10:12 PM
Your white house looks beautiful! White paint = crisp, clean, inviting, stylish, beautiful!
Loved seeing all your hard work! You are amazing! I sometimes wonder if you have a team of people carrying out your to do lists! You must be the most productive stylish person I have ever met!
~ Ali
Posted by: Ali | July 29, 2011 at 10:44 PM
You are so amazing, Benita. It's looking really great!
Posted by: Danyelle | July 29, 2011 at 11:46 PM
You are such a good influence on me. When I want to be lazy, I think of you and start moving! Your house is looking great! I've never liked yellow on the outside of a house.
Posted by: Jill | July 30, 2011 at 01:08 AM
My house is painted yellow. I abhor it. Next summer I think we will paint it all.
Posted by: Jaimie | July 30, 2011 at 03:06 AM
perhaps you could show them the error of their ways, and get them to restrict it to ONLY white. ahhh. i found little scuffs and scrapes around the cottage that have revealed the most unbelievable colours underneath. who paints a 400 year old cottage orange?! and mint?! thank goodness it is let by a dane, who knows that white is clearly the only appropriate choice. x
Posted by: elisa rathje | July 30, 2011 at 07:50 AM
This looks so much better, Benita, and I usually don't like white houses. In fact, I love yellow houses normally. But on attached homes, less color looks classier, IMHO. Maybe this will convince your neighbors to go with white next time they paint too. :)
Really, your paint job looks like it was done by a professional. Impressive.
Posted by: devil | July 30, 2011 at 02:38 PM
so - this is the front of the house! what does the back look like? I was browsing your blog to see if I could locate a pic. The white facade really freshens your place! I didn't realize your place was part of an attached unit (meaning not a "stand alone")... I can see now why they've limited the colors to yellow or white. I was trying to visualize white against the snow, & I come to the conclusion that your place looks great in all seasons... I think I remember you using tiny twinkling lights to warm up your entry & draw people in... Do schedule yourself a massage at the end of painting... you deserve it. Do your hands ever stiffen from holding the paintbrush so many days in a row? besides painting more, how do you take care of that? ice?
Posted by: christine e-e | July 30, 2011 at 05:24 PM
This is the back of the house. See the front here: http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2011/07/front-of-house.html.
After painting with a brush for a while my fingers get really tingly so I shake my hands every now and then. Jazz hands :)
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | July 30, 2011 at 10:14 PM
You really work hard! I'm not also a fan of the celebrated yellow and look how good home front looks. Great job.
Posted by: Melissa @ LA Furniture | August 03, 2011 at 09:26 PM