Six Year Itch

This weekend, I had to break the news to my poor house: after our six long years together, I have been secretly working on other homes.

Not often, of course - I'm still totally into my house. It just, you know, breaks up the monotony of patching and painting all the new molding around the windows a little. Or maybe it was that I wanted to see if this cute guy I know could use a paint brush without it looking like a crime scene from Dexter (spoiler: he can't, but it was also really funny).*

If you can believe it, his shirt looked even worse. UPDATE: see below for that pic.

How I found myself in this (literal) mess was that I woke up, poured myself some coffee, and casually texted/offered to help on Saturday morning. A word of warning: there is often a difference in the response you'll get based on when you offer this kind of help. If the project hasn't started yet, and you're not really willing to actually help, you have a much better chance of the other person responding with something along the lines of, “actually, thanks, but I think I've got this.”

But if the person has already started working on the project, my advice to you is to only offer help if you actually do intend on helping. At this point in the game, their thick, shiny coat of hubris wears a little thin, and it's only a matter of time before it's in tatters (though as a person who has been in this position, if you just keep pressing on, you'll eventually finish it and be so proud of yourself for having accomplished the task on your own that you might actually end up feeling like a total badass).

But, as you all probably know, DIY projects are kinda my thing. I may have even been known to push people to finish projects when they aren't exactly expecting it (coughcough Kit).

Anyway, since he'd already started the project, he quickly accepted my offer, and I took a small detour to get an extra brush (because he only. had. the. one. Who buys only ONE brush?!?! Oh, right… normal folks who don't spend their lives doing this kind of stuff).

UPDATE: It's a good thing I got my own, because even though he took my advice to get a Purdy brush (and I'm also partial to this rubber-handled sash brush), his was completely soaked in stain up to the handle (but, I suppose this now gives me a great excuse to just go ahead and write a decent basic painting tutorial with all of my tips, so win-win). He was fully dunking the brush and then hitting it against the giant 5-gallon bucket of stain, sending splatters and smears of it onto his shirt, his pants, and onto parts of the deck he wasn't staining yet (which would have left dried drip spots if left that way). Obviously, I found this pretty entertaining and endearing… even if he looked like a freaking serial killer in the process (he's actually hiding his blood-red hands behind his back for some reason… I think it was how hard I was laughing).

The additional good news there is, I was recently sent some cleaning products that are meant to clean up jobs like this with ease. I get paint on my hands pretty often when I'm working in tight corners, so I think there will be a few opportunities coming up to put it to the test! (I think the shirt is a goner, though.)

My style is to scale down and use a smaller container, then dispose of the messier things at the end. Since he didn't have a paint trim cup or a coffee mug he was ready to part with, I went with the next best thing:

Solo cups: not just for parties anymore.

He'd already had the deck pressure washed to get rid of loose or peeling pieces, so it had about a week to dry off before staining (tip: when it comes to pressure washing a deck, a pro is usually recommended because it's easy to use too much pressure … for DIY, a cleaning solution that you scrub on with a stiff brush and rinse off is much more user-friendly; just be sure to get the deck totally clean before reapplying stain). Before too long, we could already see some major changes between the old and new deck stain (called Cape Cod Red by Sherwin-Williams).

As more parts of the railings were finished, it started to dawn on me that we still had a long way to go…

So. Many. Balusters.

Tip: it also helps to trim back bushes that are touching the rails before you get stain all over them. Ha!

After cranking up some tunes and simply pressing onward (and on, and on), we actually managed to get the whole guardrail done. This was definitely the more time-consuming part, so our stopping point ended here for the day:

The best part about doing a project like this is the immediacy of the outcome. Here is how it looked in the morning before getting started:

And here's how the same angle looked when we grabbed a beer to cap off an afternoon of patient work.

Nice. Oh, and I snapped the below picture when I noticed how different the wood looks between leaving it without stain (meh), the older stain (which still did a better job of protecting the wood than leaving it bare), and the new deck stain being applied (it looks a little thick on the application in this photo, but the dirt on the other side needed to be wiped down before I could continue to brush it out… a rain shower a few days prior left a couple of the lower supports sandy).

Perhaps thanks in part to my ambitious promise that the deck could/would be done before the end of the week, he went right ahead and finished up the rest on his own in the days following. I was sent these photos just earlier today, in fact:

I have been toying with the idea of adding a platform deck to my own back yard, and I think this project just clinched it for me. There are a few things I'll need to address before I can make it happen, but working on this one has really given me a boost to start thinking about how great a larger space for entertaining would be. So, I guess if I'm going to work on a house other than my own for a change, I may as well come back with a longer to-do list for myself.

Hmm. I wonder if I can find anyone who is now obligated to help…

 

*Personal update: I always try to share my life as honestly as possible on the blog (good or bad), but many years ago when I broke up with my ex, I realized that I should be really careful about who and what I put on the blog, the things I say about them, etc. I want to share funny stories and points of view about the goofy stuff that happens as long as everyone's having fun with it, but in consideration and respect for jobs and lives outside of the site and what have you, I don't want to rush into sharing too much about someone else and/or embarrass them in a way that makes them want something removed (the permanence of the internet being the internet, and all). Anything I put on here when mentioning anyone I'm involved with is discussed prior to publishing (and this dude has been totally fine with all of it), but it's just going to be a while before I get comfortable sharing more info; call it a peace of mind thing. Thanks in advance for understanding!

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All the Coffee, Please.

For the last few weeks, this has probably been my most-used tool in the house:

I no longer remember what I did before this existed in my house.

Long story shortest: this time of year is a large pile of things I don't want to have to deal with.

Long story shortish: Between license renewals (I'm even having to renew my driver's license and passport this year), a fair amount of extra paperwork, and lots of little nagging things (Charlie needs to go to the vet, I need new tires, etc.), having a May birthday feels like a countdown to a financial bomb going off. It's also coming up on a year since Granny's passing, and I'm fully entertaining the possibility that I might be that person who loses her cool at a time when it makes the least amount of sense (though hopefully, not at anyone in particular… just, you know, buying a candy bar at Kroger, and I'll be the one sobbing into her Snickers).

Also? I recently got into a car accident. Both the other driver and I are thankfully fine, but something like that is never not scary, and I'd say that probably pushed April's stress level up to 11. Which, you know - helps loads for me feeling like I've got my shit together.

The good news is, I'm slightly more than halfway through the madness. I also know that I've been through stressful days like these before and turned just fine, so it's often a matter of perspective and pushing forward. Eating the elephant and all that jazz. And of course, all the coffee.

grab this print here

I have a number of things I've been working on that I want to share with you as soon as tonight/tomorrow, but since I'm already feeling the lag of the day (it's currently 1 AM as I'm typing this), I'm going to start by briefly sharing a small before and after that I was reminded of thanks to Facebook's Timehop feature (say what you want about FB in general, but I would argue this is definitely one of their more fun updates). If you can believe it, this was 2009… the very first glimpse I ever had of the endless supply of weird smells, strange new vocabulary words, and lots of reasons for cursing that became my home:

And now, I get to take photos of it that look like this (I still have to fill in the window nail holes and build a new coffee table, but  you get the idea):

Pillow from Target (similar). If you've been reading a while, you may have recognized that wooden couch sleeve above. The tutorial for that is here.

So, happy Monday- er, Tuesday, I guess :) And here's a sneak peek of what's coming up in the next post (I promise, it isn't a crime scene):

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Making Changes to the Mailbox Garden Bed

For the last six years, it's been kind of a ritual for me to periodically change the annuals in the garden bed beneath the mailbox. From geraniums to vinca to marigolds to snapdragons, this little area has been a neat spot to help me learn the basics of what flowers grow best in my yard, the kind of care they need, etc. And as much fun as it has been to put my growing (pun-intended) gardening skills to the test, I felt like spring's early arrival signaled a major shift in this house.

For one, my front yard no longer looks like a drab, brown mess thanks to a blanket of pine straw:

Now that the pine trees have been (for the most part) removed and the remaining foliage pruned back, the bright sun has been beaming down on my front lawn and pouring light into the front windows. Sure, to the uninformed eye, it's still just a lawn full of weeds. But to me, it's also a lawn… and seeing this much green outside of my windows is making me very, very happy.

And yes… one of my neighbors still has their icicle lights up.

With each passing year, I feel like I have sufficiently proven to myself that I can, in fact, grow healthy and beautiful (even sometimes overgrown!) flowers. I also realized that unlike many of the other outdoor projects I have spent my time on, the mailbox and the front garden are the only two spaces where I have deliberately avoided making a permanent decision on. I guess I kind of always expected that to be the case-adding new flowers as I saw fit each season-but until I found a good enough reason, I was content to just keep trying out new ideas. That is, until I saw this:

Every (or nearly) Monday, I hop in my car and meet up with a running group in another part of Atlanta. Once I started working from home, I realized how important keeping a regular schedule and getting myself out of the house is, so it's been a great way to get out, meet new people, etc. During the winter months, the sun has already set, and we usually run in the dark. But now that the days have gotten longer, I have the opportunity to run past lots of homes with different landscaping plans and see them in colorful detail. Even though I can often picture how something on the interior of my home is going to look, it's always been more of a struggle to picture landscaping. So, I look forward to my run and the mental notes I take from the homes I pass by, hoping for something that will strike me as a good option for mine.

I snapped a quick picture of the lawn above and kept glancing at it over the last week, growing more and more infatuated with the little bluish-purple flowers. Phlox comes in several varieties and I've experimented with growing them before, but had not really ever considered them for the mailbox. After all, they are a perennial, and I had largely been expecting to continue to try out annuals. Since the intent with annuals is that they aren't going to grow back the next year, I usually go for the cheapies of whatever's on sale, never spending more than about $5-7 at a time for whatever I plant (I can often find six-packs for $1.50 if I time my visit to the home improvement store correctly). But if I were to plant something that can and would grow back (and my confidence level has grown over time to make this less of a risk for me), I could splurge on something a little pricer-especially since places like Home Depot and Lowes have guarantees on perennial plants (if they die in the first year, just take in your receipt & the plant for a replacement). At $5 per plant, I picked up four of the Emerald Blue cultivars (there are over 100 cultivars out there, but I had about 5 different color types to choose from at the store I went to, and these caught my eye the most).

First, I had to dig out the remaining dusty miller I planted last fall, but they were still growing strong, so I put them aside to replant (I absolutely LOVE the soft leaves of this plant, but if they die, they die… they are inexpensive and sold around here as an annual, but can also last a long while once established). I also took this opportunity to clean up layers of extra mulch I simply never removed from the multiple seasons of replanting (I'd scrape a small amount away, but over time, the mound just got bigger). I had a small, empty spot in my front yard from where I tree had long since been removed (it wasn't part of the removal I did last year), so I took the mulched soil and weeds and tamped it down with my feet. On top, I threw down some grass seed and fertilizer-the expectation being that the area will grow in and no longer risk being stumbled into (my dad's done it once or twice when not watching his footing).

Next, I took out my new garden edging tool and finally got to work on securing the scalloped edging that decorates every part of my front and back yards. I don't necessarily like them, but I also don't feel like spending lots of money replacing it all because it's the edging used everywhere-front garden, side of the house, around the trees that were removed, etc. I dug the ones around the mailbox out a long time ago when I first moved in, intending on either replacing them with ones I liked or making the garden bed slightly larger and digging them back down again (the mower kept knocking them loose).

But soon after, my wallet spoke up and gently suggested that I hated them less than I hated spending all of that money. So, a mere five years later, I finally actually dug them back into the dirt again. #slackerprojects

The edging tool made this a much quicker job than I expected, so I'm definitely going to be making the effort to do this in other spots soon. Just a few stomps every few inches allowed me to create large voids in the soil, which I then sunk the stones into.

I re-used clumps of the dirt I'd dug up and filled in the space on both sides. Red Georgia clay isn't super awesome for planting in, but it sure can secure loose edging! Little things, amirite?

I then went on to add the border of the dusty miller and phlox. Since phlox can be divided in spring and fall, I went ahead and split the roots down the middle of each plant and spread them open (kind of like opening a book), which allowed me to sort of plant them into more of a crescent shape, each circling the mailbox post. I have no real basis for thinking this would be at all helpful in the future when I do divide the plants completely (once they have had a chance to grow in a little), but I figured that creating a wider expanse for the roots to take hold would be helpful. I also added some fertilizer on top of the soil before throwing down the now-regular method of newspaper and mulch to keep weeds at bay.

So, this might be sayonara for annual plantings at the mailbox, but I also think that it's an impactful change that will fill in nicely and require less maintenance going forward (phlox is drought-, pest-, deer-, frost-, etc. tolerant, so they are a pretty perfect choice for someone like me who won't pay them much attention). It'll take some time for these to grow in as full as the lawn I was inspired by, but it's called creeping phlox for a reason. Win-win. What have you been planting lately?

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Reader Remarks: Where Should I Put This Outdoor Eyesore?

Jeez, how is it Wednesday already?! Is anyone else experiencing a springtime blur like I am? The weekend disappeared before I could blink, and I find myself sitting here with a post I intended to publish on Monday. I guess life just goes that way sometimes, though it would be nice to hit the pause button every now and then.

A quick update on some recent DIY: I've been working on a few projects around the house in the last week, and I very nearly finished all the window casing…

I was shy by about 6 pieces thanks to some too-tired-to-math errors, but I've picked up the remaining pieces and will be completing it today! I predict a lot of patching, sanding, and painting in my future, but it will be nice to have this goal finally crossed off the list.

Also, I am SORE today. Softball season has started again, and I needed new cleats after one of my soles literally peeled off of my last pair during our fall season tournament (tournament champs, by the way… woot!). Our first game (and first win) was last night, so I had to run out and get a new pair. I was baffled (and annoyed) by the complete lack of selection.

Why the heck do manufacturers assume I must like pink if I'm a chick? Nothing wrong with pink, but the assumption always irritates me, and I take my shopping dollars elsewhere if it's the only option. I'm much more drawn to blue and green, and this was pretty much the only thing I found in the first few stores I looked through (I don't often do online shopping with sports shoes because the fit is so important… I need to try them on!). Thankfully, I found one simple, black pair and was even able to do a little haggling with the store's comparison shopping guarantee, so I walked away with a great pair that will last for several more tiresome seasons. That also isn't hot pink.

Anywho, I was recently brainstorming with a friend about where to hide the super ugly trash bin that I've been lazily stashing in front of the garage door when it's not at the curb:

In previous years, when the house looked like a pile of dog shit, the trash bin really didn't catch my attention. Between the rotting and termite-infested siding, overgrown landscaping, and other improvements needed, I had far too many other things that stood out and screamed MAKE ME PRETTY AGAIN to even care that there was a plastic eyesore sitting in front of… well, all of the other eyesores. At the very least, I didn't have to worry about it disintegrating, increasing my heating bill, or otherwise damaging me financially. But after all of the work I've done on the exterior and spring rolling around once more, I have found myself silently admiring my house when I either make the turn down my street or pull out of the driveway. And each time, the trash bins have been capturing my eye, too.

My friend Jacque and I were kicking around a few ideas for a good place to store them, and I just couldn't seem to pull the trigger and make a decision. That's when I realized that instead, I should just ask you guys! You've helped me make decisions like these in the past, and I've grown to like the debate it sparks whenever there are a lot of equally good suggestions out there. So, let's break it down to the basics, and you guys can let 'er rip.

What I want to do:

Create a leveled-out spot, somewhere near the house, to keep as a semi-hidden and designated area for the trash and the recycling bin. Kind of like the one my buddy Nick from The Sawdust Maker did here, but not exactly this:

This is a simple idea I like as well:

The challenge:

It's not really about what I'm planning to build (I already have a pretty good idea), but where. I have been trying to think of a place to put it that I'll also actually use - in that it's already sitting in my driveway because this is as far as I'm usually willing to drag it when I haven't had my morning coffee yet. And that trash guy always comes early when I have forgotten to drag it to the curb!

Also: the bins are supplied by my county and are LOUD when dragging them anywhere. This little, irksome trait is actually kind of a pain because my neighbors always seem to pick the exact moment when I'm half-asleep to move theirs to or from the curb each week, and I don't want to inflict the same kind of extended boulder-rolling sound on them whenever I do it (I often remember to move them at, like, 2 AM). I know this probably shouldn't play any type of influence on where I stash these for the majority of the time, but it's just annoying, and I like to make the loud noise stop as soon as possible. Especially when it's my bin, and therefore right next to my earballs.

Expectations vs. reality:

In every DIY project, it's good to be honest with yourself. How much effort do I want to put into this? What are my usual habits? I know there are going to be some folks (coughcoughMomcough) who will suggest that I move it to places like behind the backyard fence or around the other side of the house, but I also recognize that I'm far too lazy. Essentially, this is a project about what will work best vs. my usual routine, because I know myself and I don't plan on changing it for a stupid trash can. If I pick the wrong spot that feels like too much effort compared to putting it at the front of the garage door when I'm half asleep, I'll have spent time and money on a solution that actually isn't, and an eyesore it will remain.

The options

1. I know I could easily stash it in the garage… if it weren't already tiny and I needed the space for DIY projects.

2. I could move it over to the left side of the house, near the A/C unit, where there really isn't anything already growing or taking up space. The space itself is pretty much perfect, save for having to style the area a little (more on that in a summer project post). And the fact that the chimney juts out from the house on this side is (probably) one of the reasons why the A/C is over here, because it's hidden from the street view. But I'm already too lazy to do this because 1) it requires dragging the trash can across the entire front yard to move it to this side, so 2) I'd already be doing this if this were the easy choice. So, it's still a “meh” option overall.

3. I could drag it behind the backyard fence, but I'm clearly not really willing to do that currently, so it's again kind of not an option either. I'd just wind up sticking it back in the driveway when I feel lazy, which is always.

4. The best two options seem to be to somehow find a way to work it into the garden on the right side of the house, right next to the garage. Which, I guess, is good that I hadn't yet finished landscaping it. But I guess I'm debating over whether I should put it really close to the front area (such as behind the first large shrub) or move it closer to the back, where I'm planning on adding a small tree (where potentially the tree's limbs would kind of grow over the top of whatever I build and shield the structure even more, but will take some time to grow in well). The only downside to that idea is that maybe I'll still be too lazy just to drag it another few feet closer to the back of the house.

I know, I know… we're talking a supreme level of laziness here. But this is not a high-priority project, just a get-it-out-of-the-driveway sort of deal. I know I'm not going to try all that hard on a weekly basis to make sure I stash something neatly and I constantly forget to drag the bin to the curb every week, so I'd rather play into that than give myself something else I need to remember to do all the time Hell, I manage to wash my clothes and dishes on a regular basis these days… so let's just call this another baby step towards adulting the way I'm supposed to.

If you have any ideas for what the actual structure should look like, I'm all ears, but I'm attracted to this idea (or a variation) the most. I see lots of options on Pinterest using gravel at the bottom, but I'm hesitant to use it if I know that the gravel will probably start spreading into my mulch or onto my grass if I'm carelessly dragging a trash bin on top of it (which will then be a nightmare for my mower). So, I think creating a paver bottom, even though it will take a little more work, will be the easier way to go long-term. Got any other ideas to offer? I'd love to hear 'em!

The post Reader Remarks: Where Should I Put This Outdoor Eyesore? appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Six Years of Blogging

That's not really a title I ever knew would be on this site, but I'm pretty damn happy that it is: I started blogging exactly six years ago today, April Fools Day, 2010. And considering how often I need to laugh at myself over the crazy DIY shenanigans that happen in this house, I had no idea just how appropriate it was that I start blogging on the biggest prank day of the year. One way or another, this house has shown me time and time again that the universe has one hell of a sense of humor.

The first thing I want to do, of course, is say thank you to all of you guys for reading along. It never sounds sincere enough, but so much gratitude for all of you guys is the first thing that came to mind after I thought “holy crap, SIX years?!?!” Thank you for all of your kind words. Your encouragement. Your advice. And laughing along with me… and even at me, as the case may be.

It's been a lot of fun to share this weird, hilarious, unexpected, disgusting, absolutely amazing mess with you over the years. Perhaps the best part is that I've made some really awesome friends I would otherwise never have met. And whenever I share a new recap, my favorite part is looking over the comments of similar DIY tales from readers. They crack me up and remind me that as much as these projects can feel overwhelming to do alone, I am never really without a community who is just as into the smell of fresh sawdust as I am.

To “celebrate” today, I'll be crossing a nice little item off my to do list: finishing all of the interior window trim for the house. I completed the guest bedroom and office earlier this week, so with the final measurements in the master bath and bedroom, the whole house will be done! (At least, window-molding-wise - I've got plenty more other projects yet to do. In fact, my summer project pipeline is nearly ready to share… and some MAJOR changes are in the works!)

Also, I heard that today is a Black Friday of sorts with lots of DIY products on sale. So, perhaps a coffee and a mysterious new hole in my wallet is in my future too. And then, maybe, a beer to polish off another year of progress. Cheers, friends!

2010

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Six Years of Blogging

That's not really a title I ever knew would be on this site, but I'm pretty damn happy that it is: I started blogging exactly six years ago today, April Fools Day, 2010. And considering how often I need to laugh at myself over the crazy DIY shenanigans that happen in this house, I had no idea just how appropriate it was that I start blogging on the biggest prank day of the year. One way or another, this house has shown me time and time again that the universe has one hell of a sense of humor.

The first thing I want to do, of course, is say thank you to all of you guys for reading along. It never sounds sincere enough, but so much gratitude for all of you guys is the first thing that came to mind after I thought “holy crap, SIX years?!?!” Thank you for all of your kind words. Your encouragement. Your advice. And laughing along with me… and even at me, as the case may be.

It's been a lot of fun to share this weird, hilarious, unexpected, disgusting, absolutely amazing mess with you over the years. Perhaps the best part is that I've made some really awesome friends I would otherwise never have met. And whenever I share a new recap, my favorite part is looking over the comments of similar DIY tales from readers. They crack me up and remind me that as much as these projects can feel overwhelming to do alone, I am never really without a community who is just as into the smell of fresh sawdust as I am.

To “celebrate” today, I'll be crossing a nice little item off my to do list: finishing all of the interior window trim for the house. I completed the guest bedroom and office earlier this week, so with the final measurements in the master bath and bedroom, the whole house will be done! (At least, window-molding-wise - I've got plenty more other projects yet to do. In fact, my summer project pipeline is nearly ready to share… and some MAJOR changes are in the works!)

Also, I heard that today is a Black Friday of sorts with lots of DIY products on sale. So, perhaps a coffee and a mysterious new hole in my wallet is in my future too. And then, maybe, a beer to polish off another year of progress. Cheers, friends!

2010

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