Depressing exterior look - any solution?
Jay S
3 years ago
Hi,
This is the view from backyard and every time I see it I get a little depressed. What should I do?
What I initially wanted was re-siding the entire house with white board and batten Hardie panels but one siding contractor told me that it's going to cost $50K, or in that range. (It's a 1700 sqf house, but I happen to live in a neighbor where labor is costly.)
My plan B was just painting the entire house with gray (Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain) but the first quote I got from a reputable painter was $11K, which got me thinking — maybe I should just live with it as it's not worth it??
I'll probably live here for the next 10 years, so I'm fine with putting some investment, but at this point I don't really know what I should do next. (Also note that after exterior I'll also need to take care of landscape.)
Any suggestion?
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Jay S
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
please help with my two tiny depressing bathrooms
Comments (58)I have a small house. Small baths. You don't like housecleaning nor wiping down after kids. One thing I did was I got rid of the ceramic tile tub surround and had white swanstone panels installed. I never want to clean mildewed grout again. I love tile and put it above the panels. Yes, I prefer, way prefer the look of tile but not at the cost of cleaning it. The swanstone looks pretty good. Sorry no pics. I have two Americast tubs and I think they are acrylic..I love them. Had cast iron before. They are shiny, sparkly, fresh and white. I think my cleaners use a spray to clean them. I am glad you are thinking this thru before you do extreme drastic measures. 1000s f is not going to be better with the addition of windows. Editing, building up, and up going storage will help, not windows. Natural light is overrated. Look at small space solutions and not at glam or cliched luxury sites. We built closets onto our bedroom walls instead of new dressers. Up to the ceiling. Think California closets. With drawers and cabinets. Not pretty but functional. We have ikea Brimnes headboards with under bed storage drawers in our new house. I am an ikea slave. Your family is always going to take a lot of time and energy and that's just the way it is. A 1000sf house will not be easy but it's home. And I love love your kitchen. Think about the life you live for now. Think first before acting....See Moreexterior concrete steps..solutions
Comments (8)I thought brick would have been less slippery than concrete. We were pondering using some sort of stone and using liquid nails or something like that to glue to the concrete (instead of using mortor) and then using some sort of grout in between. We haven't found any stone or anything yet that we think would last outside. we are still looking for that. Does anyone have thoughts on this method? do you think it would hold up to rain and snow and ice??? We are also in the northeast. -renee...See MoreAny code compliant solutions besides double pane windows?
Comments (13)good morning Jan, Laminated glass is not an energy product. It is very expensive and would add nothing to the overall energy performance of your windows. You are obviously unhappy over losing the original windows; have you considered restoring them rather than replacement? Although to be honest windows made in the late 40's tended to be a good bit less quality than those made a few decades earlier - with exceptions of course. I can appreciate why you like the simplicity of the single pane wood window, just as I appreciate (and often agree with) the desire of many folks to restore rather than to replace their existing windows. But, despite comments from the restoration industry that restored windows with storms are every bit as energy efficient as the newer windows with all the "bells and whistles", that is simply not the case. Ultimately, restoring older single-pane windows or installing single pane windows is an indulgence that has to be taken as such. My impression from your posts makes me think that you see it that way as well. And while I am not suggesting that certain "indulgences" are not acceptable - again, I often agree with restoring older windows - we have to understand potential the trade-offs involved in doing so. Relatively few dual pane windows made today have aluminum spacer systems. The majority of dual pane windows use one form or another of "warm-edge" technology spacer systems. These warm edge spacers range from stainless steel through completely metal-free systems. All of the newer systems are much better than what was used in dual pane windows even 15-20 years ago. Differences between the best systems used today and those used 20 years ago are such that there simply is no comparison. Like most new products, there was a learning curve involved in developing dual pane window systems. While many folks do have concerns about longevity of dual pane systems - and very justified concerns in many cases - even the less-advanced systems in use (older and newer) generally have historical failure rates of less than 20% based on the glass system - which is where most people's concerns seem to focus. While the better, newer, systems often have failure rates in the tenth of a percent range (or better) and those failures that do occur with the better, newer, systems are almost always related to human error somewhere in the process. And while there is no question that a 20% failure rate in any product is totally and completely unacceptable, one would think that there is a 110% failure rate of dual glass windows based on what some people in the restoration world claim. Sometime last year (give or take) the California department of energy published a document that stated that replacing all of the single pane and less efficient dual pane windows in the state with state-of-the-art dual and triple pane windows would result in energy savings equivalent the energy output of two (or maybe three I forget) new power plants  and at a cost significantly less than the combined costs of building and operating those plants (over a 20 year period if I recall correctly). Thus my assertion that restoring windows is an indulgence  one that I often agree with  but still with the understanding that there is a trade-off involved versus replacement with an energy performance state-of-the-art replacement. Anyway, sorry so long  and I did tend to veer off track a bit  but ultimately making sure that whatever fills the hole in your wall is operating at its peak efficiency is going to benefit you. And, if you choose the replacement option donÂt forget the quality of the installation  that is so very important! Have a great weekend!...See MoreSOS! oil-based driveway sealer horror. Any solution?
Comments (43)I think alot had to do with my "babysitting it" (to the extreme detriment of my already-existent arthritis). I kept at it with that brush & squeegee you see depicted above. I raked & blowed many tons of leaves from 10am. until about 5pm with no break. Re: your John Deere experience, anything you can do i can do better. Years ago, i decided to polyurethane the hardwood floor of this approx. 10'x9' computer room. I lined up a guy who turned out not to know what the heck he was doing. The first part of my nightmare was that the horrible local Walmart personnel lied to me on the phone by lazily stating they don't have Minwax water-based polyurethane in stock. (Afterward i happened to go there, and saw they actually DID have it!) Anyway, suffice that i then went to a closer store, where they just had Ben-Moore oil-based polyurethane. I then watched as the young punk i'd hired merely turned the can upward & downward prior to opening it, so i asked him "isn't it necessary to mix it with a stick"? And he confidently assured me no, he'd done it before with no problems. (He never bothered reading the instructions). Like a fool i trusted him. Result: My house stank toxically for days & it never dried. I needed to get someone over to scrape it off to the tune of $100. As i said, most hiree's i've had over the years were unsatisfactory, and some were downright horrible. The latest whom i contracted for my rotten windows/etc. - i just found out from the local consumer agency that the guy has known problems, and that nearly 20 complaints were put out on him. They said i should get the ball rolling with a formal complaint, including cancelled check, contract, etc. I did that today....See More
Barbara Sloan
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
3 years agoYou cannot stain without cleaning the shakes first. Cedar Wash the exterior. You'll be surprised how much better it looks after. You can replace an shakes that are in bad shape. Then you can stain if it's still needed or simply spray on a cedar sealer.
Jay S thanked BeverlyFLADezinerJay S
3 years ago
Sonny 62
3 years ago
Amelia Robertson
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
PROOutdoor Art Pros
3 years agoHi Jay,
I think after spending some time restoring the exterior bet it'll help bring back the charm of your home! All the above advice seems really helpful and I hope your project has gone well.
I noticed you mentioned wanting to update and invest in the landscaping as well. I think one of our garden fountains would be a lovely way to emphasize the beautiful cottage style! I did a quick mock-up for you with our Caterina Fountain, some greenery, and rhododendron flower bushes added for color. Let me know what you think!
I wish you the best of luck with your project!
-Ashley
res2architect
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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