Remember wrought iron banisters are iron and iron rusts faster than I think any other metal. Not sure why most banisters are made out of that...probably because its cheaper than the alternative and looks good in the short term. I can see why you are uneasy about painting the house metal since the banister is a constant maintenance issues. The metal you have on the house trim looks like aluminuim. Make sure its clean, prime it and it will paint up nice...it should not be the same metal as the banister. Once iron starts to rust it is like cancer, it keeps on coming back. They sell products that claim to retart the rust, they work temporarily but usually need to be touched up yearly. Personally, I think the house will have a better look if its a lighter color. The trim can stay white. I would paint the down gutter the same color as the house, so it doesnt stick out. I would paint the front door and flower boxes a burgundy/cranberry color, and the house to a lighter gray. I am not sure where you painted the brick white, is it the brick on the front of the porch, but that is the darker gray??? Not sure where you live, but adding some low shrubs in front of the porch will make a world of difference too. There is lots of potential.

I actually have no idea if this cactus can be salvaged... To have a chance, you will need at least some healthy tissue... To be honest, that cactus looks a little too far gone. If it is possible at all to revive, it will be very tricky. I actually would recommend buying a new plant. It will be easier, and you can get a fresh start. On the other hand, if you really, really want to save it, you will need to start by searching for firm untainted tissue. Just feel along the length of the cactus, and squeeze slightly. From the picture, it looks like there is an area of green left. That would be the ideal area to start checking. If you find a firm spot, cut the top off the cactus at that spot, cutting lower and lower by slices until you reach good solid tissue with as little brown as you can get. Use a very sharp knife. From the picture it looks like the base is also rotted. You will need to cut off all the roots, and cut up toward the top of the cactus slice by slice until you find the same green firm tissue. At this point, you should only have a tiny cylinder of cactus left. Maybe even less than an inch high. You will need to put it somewhere warm and dry (with no soil) for several days. That will let the wounds callous over. After that, just lay the section of cactus on top in a pot of dry dry dry dry dry dry dry 50/50 cactus soil and perlite. DO NOT WATER UNTIL ROOTS FORM. You have absolutely one chance to revive that cactus, and if you water it, it will then rot into nothing. The cutting should take maybe a couple months to root. Do not disturb it while it is rooting. Doing this will cause fine roots to break, and the rooting will take longer. After you are sure there are roots, you can water cautiously. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but the chances for this working are very slim. Don't blame yourself if it doesn't work, and never give up! The best of luck to you! ~palmsandsnow

You probably won't love it forever. You need to decide how long is too soon to tire of it. Everyone is different on how fast they tire of their decor and how often they are willing to change it. You can repaint it when you tire of it. You will probably get great compliments on it.

Thank you. I’m waiting for pre fab cabinets to arrive for the kitchenette. It’s just base cabinets because the plan is to have 2 open shelves above (the ceilings are low). Now that I’ve accepted that I need a white im having a really hard time picking one since I don’t know if it’ll match with the pire white cabinets. Im thinking I need an off white so that the white cabinet and white subway tile will pop. Im considering Acadia white. Now im in the world of mixing whites and it’s not fun!!