The backstory

This house had me at hello.   Seriously.   The first time I clapped eyes on her from the from the curb, I just knew.   The porch, the garden the curb appeal had me hooked.   In fact, I've spent more time debating a shoe purchase than I did to buy this place.


The Good:  Cute street with neighbourhood vibe and porch culture.   I also loved the layout, which is a classic Toronto urban setup with the living room and  dining room up front; the kitchen in the back. It also had the biggest deck ever.

Upstairs I have two decent sized bedrooms and a finished basement with more room than I need.
The house was also in good shape and in move -in condition with room to improve and add value when budget allowed.

The Bad: The kitchen and upstairs bathroom need updating.   I'm over my claw foot tub!  I  also didn't care for the Tuscan yellow main floor paint.   And  I knew I'd have to replace the old knob and tube wiring and old furnace before my insurance company would even think about insuring the place.


But I'm slowly tackling  projects one at a time, room by room. I have a lot of ideas and a wish list a mile long.   Stay tuned.

In My Garden

You know those annoying folks who spend hours and hours in their garden, staring at plants and weeding, talking to flowers?  Yeah I'm now one of them.   

I have inherited a gardener's garden.  I can't take any credit for it, but people in my hood have walked by to stare at the garden and tell me how pretty it is.  It's not perfectly manicured but more on the crazy English wild side.

Fall Garden 2010

Bleeding Hearts

Tulips

Poppies (nearly yanked these out before they bloomed!)

As my friends know,  I spent years working with Mark Cullen producing his gardening shows for HGTV Canada and his segments on Canada AM.   But I never really had a true  garden of my own to play with until now.  This Spring and summer, I've been trying to bring up all that knowledge I learned about compost, soil acidity and how to keep raccoons from eating everything in site. 

Oh the glorious peonies

So what's the biggest lesson I  have learned so far?   Just because it looks like a weed, do not yank it out!   I already came  close to ripping out all my poppies because of their ugly leaves which looked weed-ish to me.   Ditto for my Daylillies.  I removed quite  a few of these because of ugly foliage mistaken for weeds.


Anyway,  each week something else arrives.  It's like the gift that keeps on giving!

Deck Do over

So it's been a while sine I last updated this blog.  Okay a long, long while.  But that's how it goes.   Life happens.

But the good news is that I've started things up once again and  today's post has to do with what I've done with the back 40 over the past few summers - specifically the deck.  I'd never been all that thrilled with the way my deck looked, probably because it had three different colours of wood making it a bit of an eye sore.

So I eventually decided to do something about it. Fortunately, it's a fairly large space but the finish was basically finished.   Putting aside delusional thoughts that I was going to do it alone, I hired a pro to do the job.  And after going back and forth over the question of paint vs. stain, he introduced me to this amazing product from Behr called DECKOVER.  It's a type of paint that Behr calls an, "innovative solid colour coating".   It also comes in many different colours and textures.

Be warned: watching You Tube product review videos will both encourage you and scare the daylights out of you at the same time.  But even after seeing a few negative experiences,  I decided to go for it anyway.


Step 1:  Power washing

My handyman started things off by giving the whole deck a serious power wash.  It's amazing how getting the dirt off alone made everything look so much better.

Step 2:  Sanding

It took him a good day to get everything sanded down and then he move on to patching holes in preparation for painting.

Step 3:  Ready to roll

  Over the next few days he cut in the corners then rolled the first coat of DECKOVER all over in a deep chocolate colour.  Then, he let it dry for a few days before rolling on the second coat.  It's a big job, especially considering the fact that  I have a have a pergola that has to be painted by brush.

Step 4:  The reveal

  And voila!  The final product.

 I've been very happy with the deck and just how durable DECKOVER has been over the past two   summers and  very cold Toronto winters. Oh and I should add that my south facing deck gets full sun almost the whole day.    This fall I plan to touch a few spots, but overall it's help up amazingly well.  My deck is my favourite room in the house.

Goodbye Tuscan Sun Yellow, Hello Bright White!

Paint my house white?  Never!   No, white was the colour of  rentals past.  A non- colour.  Plus, the fact that so many of the  designers I have met through work,  absolutely LOVED white.  It was on trend. 

 I had promised myself that colour would reign supreme when I finally bought a house.  I wanted to walk in the front door  to a colour that would make me smile.

And yet, the Tuscan sun yellow that was all over the main floor when I bought this house, wasn't cutting it.  

BEFORE

Next came the year-long process of picking my colour. I tested every shade of grey, blue, blue -green and silver blue- under the sun.  In fact my tester patches were up for months and months.  But nothing seemed to click.

Testing 1,2,3

 But  seeing a friend's freshly painted, pretty white walls finally sealed the deal.  And in the end I went with the white that has long been a designer favourite; good old Cloud White from Benjamin Moore (CC-40).

This isn't just any old white, it's a classic.   It's a  bright yet warm white that doesn't look like primer.  And by the way,  it looks better in person than in my pictures!   Because my house has a north facing exposure, it's often  a bit dark during the daytime and the yellow didn't help.

Now I can't get over the difference it has made.  My main floor is so much brighter, fresher and even feels bigger now.  And I can always add colour with art and accessories when I want.

It took a while to get the painting done (why get it done in one day when you can drag it out over a week painting one wall per night?)  But I can now say the white is working!

To Runner Or Not To Runner?

 So I find myself at an impasse over an important design question: do  I want a staircase runner or do I not?   With the cold chill of Autumn in the air and winter right behind it,  I'm thinking it will be  a practical choice to install  a  staircase runner.   But  at the same time,  I've come around to appreciating the beauty of naked wood stairs.  Especially after all the work I did this season stripping them down.

BEFORE

With  knotty pine banister

with knotty pine banister painted out!

The very first time I entered this house, even before I put in the offer,  I vowed that the ugly  Aztec looking runner would be the first thing to go.  The first! 
Eight month later ( it takes  a lot longer to get to projects apparently),  I finally got around to it.

Earlier this summer over two days ( or was it a week?)   I started the  painstaking task of ripping up the old carpet.  Next,  on my  hands  and knees, each stair tread was stripped then sanded down to  remove old paint and  finish on the treads.

DURING

Burgundy painted risers?? I mean really!

Minwax stain..medium oak

Next, operation stain commenced.  Tip:  Do not stain all your treads the same time or you will be trapped either upstairs or down!    Yeah I know it seems obvious, but when you're in a groove you can easily forget this at your peril.  Instead, I did every other tread  the first day, including a few coats of clear coat to protect all my hard work.  The next day I did all the alternate steps.  I must confess,  I still managed to step n a wet  stair accidentilly.

I stained first and  painted second.  Not  sure it was the best idea.

So much better no?

Next,   I began the tedious process of taping out and painting the risers a bright glossy white covering over the existing maroon colour.


AFTER

Voila!  The finished  product.

My stairs are far from perfect.   The wood tones are still uneven even with the new stain, but I've been enjoying the rustic vibe.  But the next big question is:

Staircase runner or no runner?  What do you think?   Here are some cute runners to ponder:

Photo credit: Dash and Albert

Bold stripes perhaps?

Photo Credit:  Living Etc.com

photo credit:  apartment therapy.com


 

Or, do I just paint on  a runner  like these stairs above?  

Photo credit: decorpad.com

And last but not least,  the classic sisal?

Porch Love

Photo credits: Sonja Lovas via flicker(l) ; apartment therapy (c); Doug Garner via flicker(r)

 

Photo credits: Canadian House & Home (l); Martha Stewart (r)

I am definitely a porch person.  I mean, what's better than  chilling out on a porch on a hot summer day?  Exactly!  An outdoor front porch was a must-have on my house hunting list.  No boxed in porches for me thank you very much.

And on any given evening  you are likely to find me out on my  porch  reading with a  cold beverage and eating some variety of cheese (probably Havarti).

Ah, but if only my porch looked like the pretty ones  above.  Sadly my porch was looking more shabby without the chic.

"Before -  Ugggly!"

I had recently ripped up the filthy carpet to discover a battered mess of ugly green chippy paint.  This porch would have  to  be seriously sanded  before I could even think about painting.












   Step #1:    before sanding,  I  gave the whole porch a good power wash and scrubbing with my hose and TSP (trisodium phosphate) which is great for  getting off grease and serious dirt.

After the big scrub down,  I let the porch dry for 24 hours then I was off to  The Home Depot to rent my sander and get er' done.   Now have I used a belt sander before?  No.  But how hard could it be?   Plus, thanks to  youtube you can learn  how to do absolutely anything by watching a video. 

For a mere $28.00  plus the cost of  belt sandpaper (60, 80 & 100 grit) , I picked up  a 24 hour rental on one of their standard  belt sanders.   There I was, first time  in the tool  rental department surrounded by a sea of men all covered in  paint and drywall dust.   When it was my turn at the counter I was  actually too embarrassed  to ask the guy how  to  use the thing.

 Again, thanks   youvtube , specifically you Kevin at Expert Village for your step by steps on belt sander threading!  Belt Sander Tutorial.

 Step #2:  With my dust mask on (actually it was a bandanna), I spent the next hour  on my knees moving the belt sander in circular motions up and down the grain, all while applying pressure to keep it from taking off or kicking back. IT'S HARD WORK!

When my knees tired, I made the big mistake of  sanding standing up but bent over in  a back breaking  inverted V  position.



So what did I learn for next time?  Four simple words:   walk-behind  orbital sander! 

Step #3:   Finally, I chose a latex paint specifically made for porches  and decks.  I thought the colour would be more beige grey,  but in fact it's more off- white.   And after two coats over two days I was done. 

"After"

So it's far from perfect but it  looks much better than before.  All that's missing now is a  cold  Mint Julep (I've never had one but it sounds appropriate)  and a nice plate of cheese.

Photo Credits &  links:
 Sonia Lovas via Flicker
http://flic.kr/p/79R15s 
Doug Garner via Flicker
http://flic.kr/p/5Cov29

apartment therapy:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/my-great-outdoors-2009/my-great-outdoors-carma358s-front-porch-087703
Candian House & Home
http://houseandhome.comhttp://houseandhome.com/

Follow the Yellow Front Door!

I heart yellow doors!

I have always wanted a sunny yellow front door.  Long before I even owned a house, I wanted a  warm welcoming door colour that reminded me of summer cottages, life in the beaches and Martha's Vineyard even though I've never actually been to Martha's Vineyard!

But with so many yellows to choose from, the margin for error was huge.     I didn't want Parrot yellow nor did I want neon electric yellow.   And here's a bit of advice:  DO NOT  assume the yellow  in the magazine is the yellow you want in person.     Case in point, Benjamin Moore's Yellow Raincoat which I loved in a magazine but in reality, it looked more like the colour of a Blue Bird School Bus.  Not the look I was going for.

So, this past Canada Day weekend I set out to liven up my boring green door.


Step 1:  Pick your yellow 

 I  chose CIL's Cheers Festival 529.  But I had it colour matched by Benjamin Moore

Step 2:  Prime before you Paint

   I started with a green door, and instead of doing 6 coats of yellow,  priming  it white made the yellow go on easier.  I highly recommend Zinsser  Bin Primer which coats everything easily.

Step 3: Panic! 

 After the first coat  I realized just  how sun blazing bright my yellow choice was.   I was  half expecting some backlash.  After all, this ain't Bermuda or Lunenburg!


I decided to live with it for 48 hours but admit I had my doubts.   And sure enough, after living  with the bright hot sunburst for 3 days, I caved and headed back to the paint store to add more white and bring down the intensity.   So my final colour is now custom -  Cheers Festival with some white thrown in.

left: before   right:  after

Step 4:  Breath, relax, embrace.

After 3 coats,  it's definitely still bright but I'm  really digging it.  It says,  fun friendly nice person lives here.    After all, you have never met a mean person with a yellow front door right?

Photo credits:

Canadian House and Home via photographerLauraArsie

Apartmenttherapy