thanks again for all the responses and assistance. i did purchase one of those wagner steamers. brian, even my brother said "why didn't you get dif". the steamer isn't my method of choice, but it is working in the areas where there was no budge. there are what appears to be two different layers of paper over plaster. however, on top of the paper is a coat or two of paint. i can see two different blues in some areas, so i assume two coats of paint. there are some areas that the paper is coming off in large pieces (and some small) by getting the scraper under it. it would be an easy job if it all happened this way, but luck wouldn't have it. so i'm going around the room and getting those pieces off as the first stage. i haven't covered the one flat wall, i'm dreading that one. i did try the steamer in a few places and it works, it's just a total PITA and after a while my arm are killing me. i was thinking of taking it back, but decided because there is wallpaper in most of the rooms (painted, i might add) i'll hold on to it as it will be a necessary tool. maryanne

I am not saying don't paint them, but I think you should check with someone that knows something. Unfortunately, that would not be me :-( Another forum might be your best bet. "Home Repairs" has some people that check in that might know something about Metallurgy. I think that it does support the bricks above it. Temporary support can be provided by other means and removed after the mortar cures. (A couple of 2x4s wedged by a couple more would work on the entry door.) Given that it is 21 years old and has a nice patina, you can probably take your time to figure it out. There is no sense in rushing in and possibly screwing something up. A couple more months is not going to make that much difference. It was probably already oxidized and relatively stable when it was installed and that is why it did not stain anything. There are ways to passivate some steel alloys that you might find more attractive than oxide. Nitric and phosphoric acid treatments are common, I think. I really have no idea if this is possible with your type of beam or post-installation. I think that I started looking into this kind of chemistry when I first checked into modern automotive coolants. Stuff was pretty simple when engines were all iron and radiators were copper with lead solder. One coolant fit all. Now that aluminum plastic and steel have been thrown into the mix, and silicate as a passivation agent is out due to the need to replace coolant every two years, there are a lot of different coolants and you best use the best coolant specified by your manufacturer unless you have an inorganic chemistry-related degree.

Are you sure that you need to patch? If it's just peeled off paint, you may be able to sand this area and then just touch up with the paint. If it needs to be patched, I would probably just grab some lightweight spackling or drywall compound, lightly patch over the damaged areas. and then sand smooth after it is dry.

I disagree about cutting the bushes in half. They need to be removed completely. They are not at all attractive, and they are planted too close to that brick wall, and may be causing damage to it. I would not paint the brick. Paint the stucco and the the regular siding the same color. There is way too much going on there. I like the idea of painting it all gray. Once the house is all one color, the brick will be a nice accent, both on the house and the wall. Once you have all that done, then, its time, to do some much nicer landscaping.