Now that we’ve wrapped up our big brick house painting project, we’re sharing the behind-the-scenes twists and turns from the past week. A project this large can go off the rails fast—and ours did, more than once. We’ll explain why the finished result ended up even better than we expected, what’s next on our list, and ask for some gadget advice for John. Plus, there’s more info about our upcoming furniture line launch.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below. Use this page to find the links, notes, and photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- If you missed last week’s post with all the details and photos of painting our house white, check that out to get up to speed.
- We discussed this project on several podcast episodes as we weighed the pros and cons and prepared for the work:
- Episode #101: Introducing the idea of painting our house and the pros and cons
- Episode #105: Making the decision to move forward and how listeners helped
- Episode #118: Stresses and concerns going into the painting project
- The photo above shows sections of siding that had to be painted with the matching Benjamin Moore color—otherwise the unpainted pieces would’ve left the facade looking unfinished.
- Here’s a progress shot from our frantic Wednesday—Halloween—when we were racing to rebuild the porch before trick-or-treaters arrived. You can see the two large holes in the brick on either side of the new door frame we were building; those ended up being the perfect spots for new lanterns to light the stoop.
- A few hours later the electricians arrived to wire the new fixtures. We mounted them on white composite backing to cover the brick openings—this rot-proof backing both supports the fixtures and seals the holes, similar to the solution we used on the pink house.
- We thought wiring the fixture on the right would require opening drywall inside, but the crew managed to snake the wire through the crawl space and up the wall on the other side—no drywall damage. It involved a bit of shouting through the closet floor to the crawl space for about half an hour (and a possible mouse sighting), but it worked out perfectly.
- Friday’s finish was literally a photo finish. Lance, the painter, grabbed a few extra minutes to shoot some “after” photos from high up in the lift. Our neighbors were unexpectedly enthusiastic—visiting often to cheer us on, which is something that still moves Sherry.
- If you want to see more of Lance’s before-and-afters, he shares them on his Instagram page. He travels widely doing antique limewash applications using a product called Classico, so if that’s a look you like he can help achieve it.
- Here’s an after photo that shows what Sherry calls our “Target ball” landscaping—trimmed back and much tidier after some pruning.
We’re Digging
- Our new furniture collection is available to preview now at YoungHouseLoveFurniture.com. We’ll announce when the pieces go live for sale on Wayfair and Wayfair Canada in a couple weeks.
- The navy X-Back chairs and the mixed-finish Cinch Table with a metal base and glossy white top are pieces Sherry mentioned and loves.
- Our white dentil molding detail appears on the Wisp Dresser and the Debonair Dresser, echoing the trim on our house.
- The Noble Dresser was inspired by a vintage dresser from our bedroom that was handed down from my dad. He bought that piece secondhand decades ago, and seeing the new version was a big moment for him.
- John would love your thoughts on the Apple Watch—should he spend his birthday money on one? Would it look right when he does yoga? Send a DM, message, or tweet with your advice.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned on a past episode, here’s a master list of everything we’ve “been digging” from previous shows. You can also browse all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.
Finally, thanks to Annie Selke for sponsoring this episode. Their Cyber Sale starts Monday, November 19th, with 25% off everything on their site. Visit annieselke.com/YHL to get ready.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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