We have been busy at the house. Mom and Dad took a break last week and went to the mountains for a few days. Not really a rest, a break from working on the house. They have a full garden at their NC mountain house that they take care of every year. Yes, they are amazing!
Before they left, Dad worked on trimming out some of the windows that needed some help. Whoever trimmed out those windows sure didn’t know what they were doing, so we are helping them along and making them look better. All the windows in the house will not match, but they will look fine once they are all painted out white. White, the color that unites. They will still be quite rustic, but I can live with that as long as they are white.
Me, I’ve been caulking. And caulking. And caulking. Takes a long time to do that, but it will make a big difference in the painting process.
The kitchen windows got an additional trim-out on the inside and they look great. Did you know you can use baseboard molding inside a window too? Yep, be creative with that molding, you can mix it all up. Might not be the proper way to use it, but it works for me. It hid all those ugly boards and made this window so much better. That was my idea!
Here’s a reminder of what they looked like before…..
And now! So much better. Again, when they are painted white, they will be loverly.
In the living room, I wanted to get those ready for the painting party on Saturday. See that big gap there?
I caulked all those big ole’ gaps and they will look better painted out too.
There are 4 huge windows in here. All the carpet is up in the whole house now.
Down the stairs. That carpet downstairs will stay, since it is brand new.
Dad worked on trimming out that middle window, which was naked of trim.
And this room across the hall, which will be my new office, had no trim on the window. It was just boxed in with sheetrock. So, dad worked his magic on this one too.
And now it looks like this. He added a little windowsill in here and I can set some plants there. Love that!
The masterbedroom with no carpet. Yippee!
Look how grody these grates are! Yikes, aren’t they bad? I know, I could go out and buy all new ones, but I think I’ll DIY these. We are going to take them all down, scrub them down and get all the dirt off, spray them with spray primer and then give them a nice coat of Rustoleum Heirloom White. They will look brand new when I’m finished with them. Rustoleum was nice enough to send me some prime and spray paint. I’ll show you all of that when I get to it.
It’s so hard not to jump ahead to the pretty stuff. Like paint! I love paint. Looking at paint chips gets me excited. You too?!
That color on the right, Sand Beach, was one of the colors in the HGTV Green Home and it is a beautiful color, but I think I’m going with Moderate White and Bright White trim. I decided to try light walls in my main living areas and I think I’m going to love it. Moderate White has just enough warmth to it so it will have a good feel, I think. I had bright white trim in my Birmingham house and even though I usually go for a little more creamy white, I did like the bright white. It seems to make colors pop even more. It’s hard to photograph colors accurately. Moderate White looks much warmer in person than in this pic.
Do you like bright white trim or something more creamy? I’m pretty sure I’ll go with a bright white.
I will be buying all my paint next week. I got a great promotional opportunity with my ad network and Sherwin Williams, so that is very exciting.
(Missi (Havoc to Heaven), Phyllis (not a blogger, but has a booth at The Classy Flea), Sheila (Plum Doodles), Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) and me.
In the meantime, these angels showed up on Saturday and miraculously all the trim got primed by lunchtime! Can you believe that? My dad was very excited about that part. That will get us further down the renovation road. These girls were great and we all had a fun time chatting and painting. Sure made that work go faster! I can’t thank them enough for their time.
I have to give a huge shout-out to RustOleum. They are sponsoring Haven and after I begged the RustOleum girls for spraypaint and primer, they came through in a BIG way!. Sent me a case (4) of this wonderful Zinsser BIN primer, which is great stuff. It is oil-based and sticks so well. It covered up that stained woodwork and now we’ll be ready to add some glossy white trim paint.
Sheila, busy painting in the dining room.
Connie (Sensible Redesigns) had to leave right before lunch, but that girl worked magic in one bedroom and down the hallway. She’s fast! Missi did a great job too and they flew through the bedrooms painting trim.
My dad was there too, priming away.
Sheila, Susan, and Missi in the master bedroom.
Phyllis priming the doors.
Here it is after priming, already looking so much better, don’t you think?
Can’t wait to get rid of that dark blue, but priming the trim really makes it lighter already.
In the living room, those big windows look really good now and that railing looks better in white.
One wall in the dining room, with the Rockport Gray I’m going with on top.
My mom is a doll and she was in charge of getting lunch for us. I called in pizza to go and she picked it up and brought along a nice salad and peach cobbler for dessert.
We all sat in the living room, ate lunch and chatted. It was so nice to have those sweet ladies stop by and help us. I’m sure we will do another paint day soon!
I had to share this sweet pic from last week. My dad’s favorite spot is in his swing and this is what we see frequently. His fave napping spot! He’s so cute.
So, that’s our last week’s progress. We’re getting there, slowly but surely. Thanks for being out there and following along. I love to read all of your comments on the house progress. Your comments keep me excited and raring to go! I can’t wait to get this house painted and on to the floors.
It’s amazing what a little paint can do to a home! Your house is going to look so beautiful when it’s finished. We are listing our house and will be down sizing our payment by purchasing a house for under $50 K. I’ll be watching your trendy house for ideas! Thanks so much for the inspiration. 🙂
I know you are itching to get to the pretty colors Rhoda!!! The priming does make everything look better. And I agree with you, bright white is my choice of trim color as well. Don’t you love visiting model homes to see colors “in Person”? I have found several of the colors I have used in my home by going to model homes. Of course I “stole” my bedroom color(Wedgewood Gray) from my friend’s home. She used it in the dining room. I cannot wait to see your dining room with the paint and the drapes. It is going to be a stunner!!
Isn’t it amazing what paint can do. We just moved into a ‘new to us’ home. I soooo appreciate all your little tips. And great photos. How blessed you are to have such wonderful and talented friends help you out. And your parents….especially the photo of your dad…precious. You are rockin’ and rollin’ this project. There’s no doubt that YOU ARE extraordinary!!
I am so enjoying watching the progress of your house. Can’t wait to see the finished product. Your parents are just the sweetest. They remind me so much of my parents, who are no longer with us. Good luck with the renovation of your home. I know that it will be just lovely when it is complete. Wish I had your talent.
Sandra in Newnan, Ga
Rhoda, I get so excited when I come here and find another update on your new home. I couldn’t be happier for you, and it warms my heart to see everyone coming out to help.♥
I love the way your Dad trimmed the windows. Very nice and the pic of him in his swing is priceless. I wish I lived closer and I would be right there painting with you girls.
Looking Great! Hoping I can make it to a paint party! Anxious to see what you do with the doors! And, love the photo of Dad. You need to frame that one!
Your house is looking fabulous, but those parents of yours? Could they be any sweeter? Your mom looked so proud/happy in the last picture with all the girls getting their food. What a doll she is. And your dad in the swing? So sweet and peaceful. You are truly blessed and have a wonderful/supportive family (as you know!)
This was very touching.
Hi Rhoda,
I love reading your blog, especially now with the new home! We just painted a home we are selling and the main color was SW Moderate White. It looked great in every room and now I want to paint my house that color too. We used SW Alabaster as the trim color because we wanted to be able to cover the existing trim in 1 coat (it was already a creamier white – Duron Shell White). However, if I had been starting from scratch I probably would have gone a bit whiter with the trim. I love how the Moderate White gave everything a fresh, yet warm feel.
Best of luck with the new house.
What a transformation happening! Great job! Now to answer your ? Modern white or sand beige? Truthfully, I liked the beige , however I have a White kitchen/family roon and I love it! I used black, red and apple green in the room and even though I usually use color, I saw this room in my head and have not been disappointed with my choice. Go with your vision…it’s always fun to see it come to fruition.
Love reading your blog and now I’m going to make that strawberry cake!
Beth
I love seeing your progress!! Your parents are amazing. I know that you surely appreciate all the help, love and support you are getting from them. You are so lucky to have such a support system!!
Way to go scoring the primer from rustoleum. I admire your resourcefulness. The house is looking great!
Painting is always a lot of fun, when you have friends helping out and goes a lot faster! That pic of your DAD is priceless…a real keeper.
Blessings,
Linda
I’m so enjoying the progress on your new home, love the picture of your dad too♥ Wonderful friends also, it did make painting the trim go faster and I also like your white paint color choice!
Your house is looking GREAT, Rhoda! Yes, the bright white is what I have in my house and love it. You’re right about it making the colors pop. Your Dad looks so cute!
How do you all look as neat and tidy after a morning of painting as you did when you started? I always look like like the dog’s dinner! I’m impressed.
You have really gotten so much done in such a short time – it’s really looking great! You are so lucky to have such great parents and blog-world friends! Can’t wait to see how everything turns out – I’m sure it will be amazing 🙂
You’re house is coming along great. I can’t wait to see it finished. I think you have such special parents. I also think your dad is cute. The picture of him on the swing is so sweet. You are very blessed!
Your dad is precious! I’ll bet he’s really enjoying putting his skills to work, too! You’re making great progress and will have a wonderful house on your hands in no time at all!
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and have to tell you how much I have enjoyed watching the progress on your new home! I’m sure that life is not always easy for you, but you seem to have made lemonade out of lemons. You are so blessed to have such precious parents and dear friends! Hang in there and know that your blog fans are rooting for you each step of the way! Looking forward to the next update!