We have lived in our house for 5 years. It’s a great house. It’s tiny. It’s perfect for our somewhat tiny family. We have an awesome yard with stone patio and firepit. We spend tons of hours out back.

The front…not so cute. When the house was renovated, the seller used the most basic materials. Insert basic black, vinyl shudders and beige siding. Yuck! We love our house, I hate the exterior.

I have been entertaining the idea of painting those cheap-o shudders. Some folks say “No, don’t-it doesn’t work!”. Others say, “Maybe?”. I said, “What the hell, it’s ugly already!” So, we went for it.

We started by removing the shudders. NOT easy! They were anchored into the siding by these giant plastic plugs! Next, we pressure washed the green residue and buildup off of the entire house. Easy.

*see those ugly black shudders

We scrubbed the shudders with regular dish detergent, and dried them in the sun. The shudders were then painted with some leftover, interior latex paint. I’m probably going to shoot myself later for using this paint; but it seemed pretty well stuck. Oh yeah, two coats of paint did the trick. Finally, we hung the shudders using deck screws, just flush- so as to not create a pucker in the shudders.

Voila!

The new color totally brightens the house!! It’s beginning to look like a little cottage.

Our next project is painting the front door. I’m thinking bright to medium violet or lime green.

Decisions, decisions…