Yes, I'm in Florida. But I was reflecting on my same behavior as when in Georgia. Hmmmm... "finest paint"...? The trouble with assessing such a thing personally is that no one can run "clinical" trials with controls in the home setting. And there a lot of variables. Back when I was doing some house renovation and needing a lot of paint, a Consumer Reports study led me to Valspar paint (sold at Lowe'es) as one of the higher performing brands. (I also use gloss which holds up better than other sheens.) Being a creature of habit, I stick with it. That was a few years back and things could have changed so I don't know how it would shake out now. Maybe someone subscribing to Consumer Reports can update...?

I totally disagree with Trailrunner. It IS ugly, but you need to send it out here to me here in New Mexico instead of to that stove-chasing Alabama gal ;^P (LOL!) Jane, it's wonderful and I'm so happy for you! I don't think it would work well in that corner of your dining room. The draperies and the small area there would both work against it. But, outside on your covered patio it would take center stage. Big congrats on your great find! Don't forget to take pics to show us once you've settled it in your perfect place. Lynn

Call your cable company and ask if they have a smaller more attractive box if you have had it for more than a year. Can you post a picture of what you see looking from the sofa directly forward? Could you just put the TV right there in that area, it looks wide and then put a screen behind it. I have added a link. You could put pictures across the top row and maybe just solid color paper or something in the others. Good luck and please post when you decide what functions for you. Here is a link that might be useful: photo screen divider

I don't understand why you would extend patio/porch to the right nor exactly what you mean by "build a porch that overhangs it" ...?? You might include a quick sketch that explains your intent and also say what the objectives of doing this are. Based on the existing roof line, I can envision such a proposal as being major and expensive. Per proposal #1, you mention constructing a retaining wall that ties in to the porch. I think we would need to see the area flanking the house, as now we're only getting a hint of it. Almost without exception, when considering landscape improvements to a home, it is important to consider the space that flanks the building and not just the space directly in front of it. The best way to show this is stand roughly in line with the center of the house (as you do in your second picture), pivot the camera leftward in order to see that portion of the yard, including the leftmost 1/3 of the house. Then, pivot rightward and take a second picture aiming straight at the house. (You already have this picture.) Then, pivot further rightward and take a third picture that shows the right-most 1/3 of the house including the right portion of the yard. These pictures are all taken without relocating, from the SAME viewpoint. Moving to different locations to take them destroys the possibility that they can be "cut" and "pasted" together in order to make a panorama that does a much better job of explaining how features of the property relate to one another. Sometimes people try to condense the effort into a single computer-generated panorama, but this does not work because it radically distorts the images and removes too much of the detail. @Emmarene, I think the door only looks off center because the point of view of the camera is lined up to the right of the door, not with the door itself. Phil, in raising the porch, you'd need to shorten the columns or replace them. Just guessing, but they look like standard 4" x 4" wood posts that are clad with "one by" material. If that's the case, they could be easily cut while you temporarily support the roof overhang.