Stephanie, first thing, don't get frustrated or give up. I lost nearly half the roses I planted the first year. Sometimes it's nothing you do, it's the plant. You didn't specify if you had potted or bare root roses. Or where you bought them. If you bought bare root in bags in Home Depot or Costo, then forget it, it's the roses, not you. They are notoriously bad news. I succumbed this year and bought two and they are goners already. These usually come with canker already so they are pretty much DOA when you buy them. If they were bare roots from a reputable vendor, then soaking will help tremendously. Also keeping the newly planted rose well watered and misting the canes helps as well. I don't mound my roses, because I'm in a warmer zone, but some people say it helps. Also, some sun protection may help if they are in all full sun. Basically a bare root rose is asleep and then gets shocked to life by being thawed out, shipped across the country, then plunked into the ground and has hot sun beating on it all day long. That doesn't sound like fun to me! So they are usually slow to start and some don't make it. That's why I like to soak them in a bucket for at least a week. They can wake up in nice warm water (in the shade) and many of them 'break dormancy' and begin to leaf out in the bucket. That means when they are planted, they are somewhat awake and have a lot of moisture in their canes to hopefully help them make it through the first few weeks while they are building their root system in their new home. Roses are hardy, brand new roses need some babying.

Sorry you're having such a rough time. Sounds like you're using all the right tools. Are you sure the brush marks were not there when you started the project? Sometimes when I paint I think I've done something to cause an imperfection, then realize it was there all the time and I just painted another layer over it. Here's a little tip that helped me. When you dip the roller in the paint, you always end up with the ends of the roller overloaded with paint compared to the middle. When you go to the wall, hold the roller at an angle and roll those overloaded edges on the wall first (do one side of the roller, then the other). You'll get two heavy streaks of paint there, but then you've cleared off the overloaded ends and the paint will be evenly distributed along the length of your roller. Then immediately roll over those heavy streaks with your N or W pattern and blend in. A building contractor taught me this trick and since doing that, I don't get roller lines. Also, be sure you do 2 x 2' sections at a time and roll very lightly. Don't try to "squeeze" paint out of the roller by pressing hard. If your wall has a lot of imperfections, using a flat paint helps hide them compared to a satin, eggshell or gloss finish. But if you want the paint to be scrubbable, then opt for an eggshell. Also, it's my understanding that if you use a roller with a thicker nap, it will create more stipple which also helps hide imperfections. I did that in a bathroom where I had removed wallpaper and had a really hard time getting the surface smooth because of all the paste and some of the wallboard came off with the paper. Good luck.

We have had 2 brick homes with structural problems. 1905 and 1919. Our current home has a flat roof addition. So, yes, an open area 12 ft above the ground. I live old homes. I would consult a structural engineer - not a mason yet, not a contractor. We learned our options from him. Knowledge is power. My advice today is pretty much what it was when you posted before. Your balconies and lower porches are part of the same structure...one that looks like it is sloping downhill on the left, just like 2012's picture. And, yes, I know what structural work costs. But in my experience, it's the best alternative. Here is a link that might be useful: Snagd's 2012 post This post was edited by jmc01 on Thu, Jul 17, 14 at 20:00

Wow, thank you for all of these suggestions. Celerygirl, I had to chuckle because the first color you posted was what I was going for at first, then a neighbor painted theirs almost the same color. To be honest, just about any dark color I put with it looks good, but my goodness it'd hard trying to be a bit different than everyone else around here, lol. The second color is definitely a possibility. Patricia, I had a color similar to that picked out; BM Sioux Falls, but was struggling, again, on the trim issue. We have had green trim for the last 30 years, so I wanted to get away from that. Then I tried different shades of green, blues, green-blues, anything but white. I just could not get that Aha! color to go with the Sioux Falls, which I really liked. What green is that? And any ideas on a trim color that maybe I'm missing? housaon, I really love your pick of dark pewter, but I am concerned living in the PNW it will be too dark during the months of gray wet days we get. I agree a dark trim looks good. I keep searching the internet for pics, but most every house with a dark exterior has white trim, so I just can't get a good bead on it. Am I overthinking this? By fall I really don't have much green as far as plants go because I cut them down for winter. I have been thinking of putting a long narrow pergola across the front, under the two plain upper windows, to break up that stretch of wall a bit. I would plant clematis on either side to grow towards the middle. If I were proficient in MS Paint I would try to show that, but I am really terrible at that. I have been re-landscaping the front yard just for this. I do have another question though. If I don't want white trim, which around here would be a nightmare with all of our neighbors trees, what colors do you suggest? In your opinions, is a dark trim too foreboding, even though it's pretty? We don't have to worry about curb appeal right now. We have been in this house 40 years, and will probably die here. But I also don't want people driving by and going "Ewwww" either. Thank you so much. I really do appreciate it. P.S. Previous colors of this house has been: Light blur, yellow-green, rajneeshee red (my fault), and current off white. Yes, it has seen some baaad colors.